Construction

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT
Chapter
1
Introducti
on
 CONTENTS
1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry

1.2. Resources for Construction Industry

1.3. Selection of Construction Equipment

1.4. Properties of Soil

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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.1. General
 Construction: is a process of constructing something
by man for one purpose or another. It may be a road,
bridge,
dam, dwelling place, an airport, commercial building,
etc.
 Construction types:
 Residential buildings
 Institutional and commercial
 buildings Specialized industrial
 construction Infrastructure and heavy
 Construction
construction Industry (CI) is an industry which is
involved in the planning, execution and evaluation of
all types of civil works.
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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.1. General
 Study of Construction: Two Themes:
1. Construction Technology: Relates to methods and techniques used to
place the physical materials and elements of construction at the Job
site
2. Construction Management: Addresses how available resources will be
applied
Money Manpowe
r

Materials Machines

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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.1. General
 Construction Industry can be categorized into three major
sectors:
i. Transport and Communication Sector - Road, Railway,
Airway, and Telecommunication related physical works.
ii. Water and Energy Works – Hydropower development,
transmission lines, wind power, irrigation projects and
iii. Buildings and Other Physical Infrastructures.
 CI is among the leading industry in producing employment and
contribute to the over all national development.
 CI is the most important enabler for social, economic and
political development of countries.
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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.1. General
 Nature of Construction Industry:
 Requires big capital investment thus is highly affected by
the economy of the nation.
 Construction is a team output and requires motivated and
skilled workers.
 Uniqueness of Construction Industry:
 Fragmented Industry
 Long production cycle
 Transient organization nature
 Unpredictable work load
 Subject to Environmental
Impact 7
 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
 The project life cycle of a construction project may be viewed as a
process through which a project is implemented from cradle to grave.
Market Definition of project
demand or objectives and scope
perceived
needs
Conceptual
Disposal of
planning and
Facility
feasibility study
Fulfillment
Conceptual plan or
of useful life
preliminary design
Operation and Design and
maintenance engineering

Acceptance of facility Plans and specifications

Start up for Procurement
occupancy and
construction
Completion of
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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.1. General
 Stakeholders of Construction sector
 Construction Industry involves many people, organization,
agencies, ministries, designers, contractors, project managers,
equipmen suppliers, material suppliers, testing Laboratories.
t
Architect
Subs Owner

Contractor Suppliers

Engineer Vendors
Public

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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.1. General
Stakeholders of Construction Industry:
 Contractual stakeholders:
 Employer/Client
 Consultant/Engineer
 Contractor
 Non-contractual stakeholders:
 Public agencies: Statutory Agencies (EEPCo, AAWSA, Fire
Authority), Public authorities and Municipalities (land and
building permit)
 Suppliers
 End users etc.
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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.2. Domestic Construction Industry
 Current status of the construction industry is distinguished by:
 Lack of clear developmental objectives for the industry;
 Inadequate co-ordination of planning between the
industry and infrastructure programs in the various
sectors of the economy;
 Heavy dependence on foreign resources such as materials,
equipment and expertise, which continue to be supplied to a
major extent by foreign consultants and contractors;
 Transport bottlenecks to the distribution of construction
materials and equipment;
 Inadequate relevant local construction regulations and
standards
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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.2. Domestic Construction Industry
 Current status of the construction industry is distinguished by:
 Control of the construction sector by small-to-medium sized
firms and parastatal construction enterprises operating at
low levels of capacity and with inadequate working capital;
 Inadequate and ineffective organizations representing the
interests of contractors, consultants and engineers;
 Inadequate numbers of suitably qualified and
experienced personnel, at all levels: engineers,
technicians, mechanics, operators and foremen
 etc.;
Inadequate consideration given to the use of local resources
(including community participation in labor-based works);

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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.2. Domestic Construction Industry
 The general state of the domestic construction industry in
Ethiopia is characterized by the following five major
deficiencies:
 An inadequate capital base;
 Old and limited numbers of equipment;
 Low levels of equipment availability and utilization;
 Deficiencies in technical, managerial, financial and
entrepreneurial skills; and
 Insufficient and ineffective use of labor-based
construction and maintenance technology.

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 1. Introduction
1.1. Construction Industry
1.1.2. Domestic Construction
Industry
 Some of the major challenges faced in the Ethiopian
construction industry are:
 Lack of equipment and material
 Obstacles posed by government regulations
 Scarcity of finance
 Big projects off-limits to domestic firms
 Inefficient custom and clearance
 Lack of skilled labor
 Construction project delays: Delays are endemic
to
construction projects in Ethiopia.
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 1. Introduction
1.2. Resources for Construction Industry
 Thefollowing resources are vital for construction
industry:
 Human Resources (Labor or Workmen)
 Financial Resources ( Fund)
 Information Resources
 Physical Resources ( Materials, Equipment and
Other
 Assets)
Services and Management

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 1. Introduction
1.3. Selection of Construction Equipment
 The efficient and effective implementation of construction
projects requires good management of relationships for and
among resources, activities and stakeholders as applied to
the context where such projects are implemented.


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 1. Introduction
1.3. Selection of Construction Equipment
 Selection of Equipment types used in a construction project is
largely dependent on their :
 Specification requirement
 Weather condition Time
 schedule Management
 conditions Material
 influence
 Machine influence

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 Selecting Construction Equipments
• The major factor that affects equipment selection is the nature and
quantity of task/operation at hand.
– Nature of work: Most works typically demand specifically
suited works
• Removing exiting materials: task may involve clearing,
excavating (both soft and hard, earthmoving, trenching,
tunneling, dredging, dewatering, etc.
Depends on blade types
• Transporting Material: Involves loading/unloading,
transporting and placing.
governed by equipment
types.eg.loader,excavator,dump trucks
– Quantity of work: Often dictates the deployment of the
particularly suited equipments or use adopted equipments or
methods.
• A careful consideration of the operation to be executed will
generate several alternatives
Selecting Construction Equipments
• Specification requirements!
– Ideally, construction contracts only specify the desired end
result, whereas the choice of the methodologies &
equipments is left to the Contractor
– But sometimes, construction methods, sequences and
equipments may be specified/or often needed to be
approved.
• Condition of the Job site
– Foundation: Crawler Vs Wheel mounted, Specs of Cranes,
etc
– Grade of hauling: High capacity (horsepower) haulers
– Limited working space: Excavator Vs Dozer, Hydraulic
telescoping boom cranes Vs Tower cranes, Pumping
concrete Vs Crane-Bucket (Concrete buggies), etc
– Ground conditions: eg. Tunneling (boring) in soft Vs hard
rocks
Selecting Construction Equipments
• Location of job site
– Weather Condition:
– Temperature and altitude: Internal
combustion, freezing-thaw action,
preheating of materials, etc
– Precipitation: Rubber tire Vs crawler
mounted?
– Wind: Effect on Crane hoisting
– Logistics:
– Availability of transportation system,
Highway capacity,etc
– Storing and spare parts availability, etc
Selecting Construction Equipments
• Project time schedule:
• Contract time as a constraint
• Necessary and economical sequencing of activities
• Relative effect of overhead cost on total project cost,
• Variation of equipment rental rates with time, etc
• Interdependency of Equipments
• Balancing of interdependent equipments for optimum
productivity may decide selection criterion.
• Mobility requirement of the equipment
• Mobility in effecting an operation
• Planned movement of equipment from one activity to
another
• Mobilization/demobilization from project to project
Selecting Construction Equipments
• Versatility and adaptability of equipment
– Particularly if there are various similar operations
• Tractor (basic unit): scrapers, bulldozers,
loaders, etc
• The crane shovel base unit
• Conventionality and Maintenance issues
– Experience with operating the machine
– Availability of Maintenance facilities
Some types of
construction
Equipment
1. Introduction
Classification of Construction Equipment
 Generally equipment types can be classified into Productive and
Support equipments.
I. Productive equipment are those units that alone or in
combination lead to an end product which can be recognized
as a unit for payment;
 Include pavers, haulers, loaders, rollers etc.
II. Support equipment are those equipments which are required
for operations related to the placement of construction such as
movement of personnel and materials, and activities that
influence the placement of environment.
 Include represented hoists, lighting sets, vibrators, scaffolds
as
typical support equipments
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1. Introduction
Classification of Construction Equipment
 Another way of classifying construction equipment can also be based
on whether the construction is a heavy or light construction works or
services.
I. Heavy: Road and Hydro Power works, Large Irrigation
schemes, Water Supply and Sewage plants and High Rise
buildings and often called equipment intensive.
II. Light: Low rise buildings, water supply and sewerage lines,
electric and telecommunication lines and small irrigation
schemes and called labor intensive services.

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1. Introduction
Classification of Construction
Equipment
 For the purpose of this course two major classifications of
equipments largely based on the type of works involved are covered.
I. Construction Equipment
 Earth works equipment: Bulldozers, Shovels, Clamshells and Draglines,
Loaders, Graders, Scrappers, Rollers, Drills, Grouting pumps, Pile
driving and Hammers.
 Hauling and Hoisting equipment - Tractors, Normal and trucks,
Dump
 Scrapers, Hoists, Conveyors and Cranes.
 Compaction and stabilization equipment- Compactors
 Foundation Equipment - Pile Driving Equipments
 Pumping Equipment - Pumps, Hoses, Pipes, and Compressors.
 Concreting equipment - Mixers, Vibrators
 Tunnelling equipment - TBM
Drilling and blasting equipment
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1. Introduction
Classification of Construction
Equipment
II.  Construction Plants plants,
Aggregate production
 Crushers, Screens, Conveyors, and Feeders.
 Asphalt mixing plant and
 Aggregate Batchers, Bitumen Emulsifier,
and
 Mixers.
Concrete Batching Plants and
 Feeders, Mixers and Silos.

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 1. Introduction
1.3. Selection of Construction Equipment

Level of equipment use by type of construction

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 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.1. Excavation Types
 Common Excavation: refers to ordinary earth excavation.
 Rock Excavation: rock excavation cannot be done by ordinary
earth handling equipment.
 Rock materials must be removed by drilling and blasting or
by some other methods.
 This normally results in a considerably greater expense than
earth excavation.
 Muck Excavation: includes materials that will decay or produce
subsidence in embankments.
 It is usually a soft organic material having a high water
content.

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 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.1. Excavation Types
 Muck Excavation:
 Typically, it would include such things as decaying
stumps,
 roots, logs, and humus.
These materials are
hard to handle and can

present Excavation:
Unclassified special
refers to the materials that cannot be
construction
defined problems
as soil or rock.
both at their point of
 The removal of common excavation will not require the use
excavation, and in
of explosives, although tractors equipped with rippers may
transportation and
be used to loosen consolidated formations.
disposal.

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 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.2. General Soil Characteristics
 As earth moving equipments are mostly related to woks related to
soil, important aspects of soil shall be reviewed.
 From the characteristics of soils trafficability, loadability and
volume change are vital for earth works. Accordingly,
 Trafficability - property that shows the ability of soil to
support repeated traffic loading
 Loadability - property that tells the ease or difficulty of
excavating and loading
 Soil Volume Change - property that is related with volumes of
soil samples on different stress or compaction levels.

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 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.3. Soil Volume Change Characteristics
 There are three principal conditions or states in which soil may
exist: bank, loose, and compacted. The meanings of these terms
are as follows:
 Bank State - This is the state when the material is in its natural
state i.e. before disturbance. Often referred to as “in – place’’
or “in situ.’’
 Unit - Bank cubic meter [Bm3]
 Loose State - This is the state after the material excavated or
is
disturbed.
 Unit - State
 Compacted Loose -cubic
Thismeter [Lmstate
is the
3]
after the material is
compacted.
 Unit- Compact cubic meter [Cm3]. 2
 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.3. Soil Volume Change Characteristics

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 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.3. Soil Volume Change
Characteristics
Relationship between the three states

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 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.3. Soil Volume Change
Characteristics
 Load and Shrinkage Factors:
 In performing earthmoving calculations, it is important to
convert all material volumes’ to common unit of measure.
 Bank cubic meter is most commonly used
 Pay load is the volume unit specified as the basis for
payment in an earth moving contract.

AAU, AAiT, Construction Equipment and Plant Management, Lecture notes, July 2012, Getaneh G. 28
 1. Introduction
1.4. Properties of Soil
1.4.3. Soil Volume Change
Characteristics
 Swell values for different class of earth

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THANK YOU!

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