#577 Compactor #577
by William Lum
Title
#577 Compactor #577
Artist
William Lum
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
In 2019, construction began on the expansion of Blue Oaks Blvd to the west, past my neighborhood and crossing a new bridge to connect with Westpark in Roseville, California. I took a photo of one of the construction vehicles with the Roseville Energy Park in the background. Curiosity kicks in and I wonder what is this vehicle called and what is it used for? I discovered that the Caterpillar 815B is built for heavy-duty soil compaction and dozing operations. Soil compaction mechanically increases the density of soil. If performed improperly, settlement of the soil could occur and result in unnecessary maintenance costs or structure failure.
The Caterpillar Soil Compactor 815B model was first built in 1991 and production ended in 1995 to move on to the newer model 815K. 24 years later after production stopped, this one is still working hard in Roseville. Even an old used model can cost you around $100,000. The machine has a working weight of over 44,000 lbs which is about the weight of 13 mid-size cars. Just one of the many pieces of heavy machinery changing the cow pastures into roads and subdivisions near me. In a few years, I might even have a gas station or supermarket nearby but first they need the soil to be compacted.
This 11” X 15” watercolor painting was done on Arches, 300 lb, cold press paper.
Uploaded
July 16th, 2021
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for #577 Compactor #577. Click here to post the first comment.