ASHISH BHARADWAJ M CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT CSE

UNIT II
MECHANIZED CONSTRUCTION
Introduction
 A project comprises various activities of diverse nature.
 Execution of each activity should be planned meticulously to ensure sequential
execution in time.
 Earthmoving construction equipment fall under two basic categories:
 Static – for example, shovels, backhoes, draglines, clamshells, etc.
 Mobile – for example, bulldozers, loaders, scrapers, rollers, graders, trenchers, etc.
 A construction project may be of two types:
 Linear project (involving concept, design, procurement, and construction) –
traditional approach.
 Fast-tracked project – design and build

Construction Equipment
Selection of construction equipment to be deployed at any particular project would depend
on the type of job involved, time schedule, location, infrastructure, climate, environment,
economic viability and management attitude.
 The cost of construction is a major factor in all projects.
 The factors that influence construction costs mainly are materials, labour, construction
equipment, overhead and profit.
 Deployment of construction equipment is done for the reasons as mentioned below:
 Larger output
 Cost-effective implementation
 To reduce the amount of heavy manual work
 Construction equipment and machineries of very high capacities are available now. With
very large outputs possible due to mechanization, adhering to construction schedules
would not be difficult.
 Some of the commonly used construction equipment and machineries are; dump trucks,
tractor trailers, hoists, derricks, cranes etc., Cranes can be of various types and they are
used extensively.

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Equipment Economics
Once the strategy of implementation is finalized and construction equipment and
machineries are selected every executing agency has the clear option of purchasing or
renting or a combination of partly purchasing and partly renting the selected construction
equipment or machineries.
The owners may also purchase and rent out the same to the executing agencies for the sake
of progress of implementation.
For an executing agency, purchasing of construction equipment and machineries would be
advantages for the reasons as follows:
 Construction equipment and machineries would be available at all times for deployment.
 Cost of such resources could be apportioned (divided) among different contracts.

However, renting of construction equipment and machineries would be advantageous for

the reasons as follows:
 Construction equipment and machineries could be rented when required for particular
period of time.
 On completion of the hiring period, the executing agency would be liability – free of
rental items.

Excavator
An excavator is a construction vehicle used to excavate or move large objects.
 An Excavator is basically made up of 2 parts:
 a driving base associated a powerful boom arm with an attachment designed for
excavating.
 The operator sits within a small cab connected to the base and controls the arm.
 Excavators are been used in large- and small-scale constructions.
 They are used for small housing projects to do a cut and fill, used in road construction,
used in marine structures to place armors and large rocks, and also been used in larger
sites to excavate, move construction material, remove construction waste etc.
Uses/Applications of Excavator
 Digging of trenches, holes, foundations  Lifting and placing of pipes
 Demolition  Mining, especially, but not only open-
 Material handling pit mining
 General grading/landscaping  River dredging
 Brush cutting with hydraulic  Ripping of soft rock
attachments  Laying of pipes
 Forestry work

Rollers
Rollers are the construction equipment used for the compaction of soil, gravel, sand,
crushed stone layers, etc. Roller working principle is based on vibration, impact loading,
kneading and by applying direct pressure on the respective layer.
 Earth on excavation becomes loose and bulky. Filling earth materials, therefore, needs
to be compacted to prevent distortion, settlement, and softening.
 The extent of possible compaction of any filling depends on the type of soil material and
moisture content. Soil may be compacted naturally by time and weather.
 Heavy rolling would consolidate granular soils significantly and satisfactory.

The four most commonly used rollers are;

 Vibratory Roller
 Tamping roller/ sheep foot roller
 Smooth wheel rollers
Uses/Applications of Roller
 Used for large works like highways and airports
 Used at landfills or in agriculture

Types of Rollers
 Smooth-wheel roller
 Vibratory roller
 Pneumatic roller
 Sheep-foot roller

Dozers (Bulldozer)
A bulldozer is a crawler (continuous tracked tractor) equipped with a substantial metal
plate (known as a blade) used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, or other such
material during construction.

A bulldozer is in effect a short-range tractor equipped with a front dozing blade, which can
be raised or lowered by hydraulic/mechanical control and is used for digging and pushing.
 Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites, mines and quarries, military bases,
heavy industry factories, engineering projects and farms.
 The term "bulldozer" correctly refers only to a tractor (usually tracked) fitted with a
dozer blade.
 A bulldozer is versatile construction equipment that may be used from the start to finish.
 It is necessary that tractor and dozer blades should match for best results.
 The weight and horsepower of the tractor determine its capacity to move materials.
Applications/Uses of Bulldozer:
 Cutting bushes, trees, etc. for land clearing
 Stripping of topsoil that is unsuitable as fill material or stable sub-grade
 Opening up pilot roads through hilly and rocky terrain
 Shallow excavation
 Grading
 Pushing scrappers to assist their loading
 Spreading
 Backfilling trenches and pits
 Compacting fill
 Maintaining haul roads
 Ripping

In earthmoving, the three operations of a bulldozer are:

 Cutting in layers
 Moving up to a haul distance of 100m
 Placing/levelling off

Based on the above, bulldozers may be deployed for:

 Construction of banks, dams, and dykes
 Excavation of channels
 Backfilling temporary channels and trenches
 Development of sand and gravel quarries
 Piling bulk products
Scrapers
 Scrappers are generally cost-efficient earthmoving equipment when the haul distance is
too long for bulldozers and yet too short for trucks.
 This distance generally ranges from 100-3000m.
 Scrapers are of vital importance in earthmoving, and are standard equipment for
altering cuts and fills under a wide range of conditions.

Applications/Uses of Scrapper:
 Surface stripping  Excavating
 Loading generally with the help of pushers
 Hauling  Dumping
 Spreading/contour grading/levelling

Scrapers may be deployed, especially where large volumes are involved for:
 Cutting of channels
 Formation of dams and embankments with smooth and accurate level
 Stripping overburden in pit operations

A scraper is used for continuous operation of cutting/loading, hauling and dumping/filling. It

comprises:
 A power unit such as a tractor – the prime mover
 A large open scraper bowl
Face Shovel
A face shovel is characterized by considerable digging force generated by its momentum. It
is basically a power unit like a crawler or wheel-mounted tractor with a cable or
hydraulically controlled bucket mounted in front of it.
 It is earthmoving equipment used primarily to excavate earth face

Applications/Uses of Shovel:
 Stripping top soil
 Cutting/scooping up
 Moving
 Loading into transport/conveyor
 Tree cleaning/stump uprooting

Shovels are deployed for:

 Industrial projects
 Road construction
 Land reclamation
 Mining
Backhoe
Backhoe is a variation of the face shovel. It is also referred to as hoe, pull shovel, back shovel,
and ditching shovel.
 The backhoe moves its bucket down and towards the operator to carry out excavation
below the equipment’s mounting.
Backhoes are used generally for excavating below the ground level on which they are
positioned.

Applications/Uses of Backhoe:
 Earthwork in excavation in trenches, foundations and basements requiring precise
control of depths.
 Excavation in hard and firm material because direct pull is exerted on the bucket
 Deep excavation in confined areas
 Efficient excavation maintaining correct profile
 Direct dumping on trucks at close range
 Handling duties in pipe-laying, installing trench sheets, etc.

A backhoe comprises:
 Heavy steel deck to carry engine, pumps, attachment, controls, and cabin.
 Cabin – a set of equipment for bucket control.
 Bucket
 Power unit
Handling equipment
Cranes
A crane is a piece of heavy machinery that is a tower or platform that is equipped with cables
and pulleys. They are used to lift and lower materials.
The most common use of cranes is in the construction industry and heavy equipment
manufacturing.
ASHISH BHARADWAJ M CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT CSE

Types of Cranes:
 Truck Mounted crane  Loader cranes
 Tower crane  Mobile crane
 Overhead crane

Application/Uses of Cranes:
 Construction Materials  Cars
 Bridges  Scrap Metal
 Railroad Tracks  Mobile Homes
 Shipping Materials/Equipment

Draglines
A dragline is in effect a crane fitted with long jib for greater reach and drag bucket for
excavating in loose and soft soils below its standing level and loading the same into hauling
units or depositing in areas earmarked for the purpose.

Applications/Uses of Dragline:
 Cutting (open cuts)
 Dumping soil or rocks
 Grading embankment
 River dredging
Draglines are deployed for:
 Cutting ditches with sloping sides
 Sand and gravel pit production
 Excavating drainage and irrigation
 Strip mining
canals
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ASHISH BHARADWAJ M CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT CSE

Clamshell
Clamshell (grab) bucket is different from that of a dragline bucket. However, the jib/boom is
the same as that of a dragline.

Applications/Uses of Clamshells:
 Handling loose material like sand, gravel, crushed stone, etc.
 Removing material from inside, cofferdams, pier foundations, sewer manholes, sheet
pile- lined trenches, etc.
 Vertically lifting material from one location to another
 Dredging in confined areas using grab buckets

The cycle time of clamshell:

 Loading bucket
 Lifting and swinging load
 Dumping load
 Swinging back to the place of work
 Acceleration-deceleration-braking time

Grader
A grader is a kind of equipment specifically developed for accurately trimming, shaping, and
finishing rather than excavating and hauling
 A grader performs what a bulldozer can do, but more accurately and smoothly.

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Applications/Uses of Grader:
 Shaping or profiling including forming the camber according to the specifications
 Trimming
 Finishing so as to make the surface smooth
 Shallow ditching
 Terracing/smoothing slopes
 Spreading and mixing earth and construction materials
 Scarifying hard soils
 Clearing roads and construction sites of snow/debris

Graders are deployed for:

 Road building
 Earth-fill dam construction
 Maintaining haul roads
Concrete Equipments
Description Purpose Capacity Remarks
Comes in different
Concrete batching and For weighing and
varieties such as
mixing plant concrete mixing large quantity 20 𝑚3/ℎ to 250 𝑚3/ℎ
stationary and mobile
mixers of concrete cons
batching plants
Capacity could be up
to 200 per batch for
For mixing small
small mixers, and Non-tilting drum type
Concrete mixers quantities of concrete
between 200 & 750 and tilting drum type
constituents
per batch for large
mixers
For transporting Capacity also depends
Concrete transit 3 3
concrete from 3 𝑚 to 9 𝑚 on the permissible
mixers
batching plant axle load
Direct acting pumps-
an output up to 60
𝑚3/ℎ through 220
mm delivery pipes.
Concrete can be easily
pumped up to
distance of 450 m
For horizontal & 30 𝑚3/ℎ for ordinary
horizontally or 50 m
vertical transportation construction; can be
Concrete pumps, vertically
of large volumes of in excess of 120 𝑚3/ℎ
static or portable squeeze pumps – an
concrete in short for specialized
output of up to 20
duration construction
𝑚3/ℎ through 75 mm
delivery pipes.
Concrete can be easily
pumped up to a
distance of 90 m
horizontally or 30 m
vertically.
Earthwork Equipments - Overview
Description Purpose Application Remarks Capacity

Cutting of
Suitable for Struck bucket
For excavation below trenches, pits
Backhoe heavy positive capacity 0.38
the ground etc., levelling &
cutting 𝑚3 to 3.25 𝑚3
loading.

Suitable for
Shovel or For excavation Struck bucket
For cutting & for heavy positive
frond above its own track capacity 0.38𝑚3
loading cutting in all
shovel or wheel level to 3.25 𝑚3
types of soils

For canals & pits

For bulk excavation excavation, Suitable for
0.38 𝑚3 to 3.06
Drag line in loose soils its own cutting & loose soils,
𝑚3
track level desilting of marshy land
ditches
Consists of a
hydraulically
For deep confined
Clamshell Such as shafts, controlled 0.38 𝑚3 to 3.06
cutting in pits,
or grab pits, wells bucket 𝑚3
trenches
suspended from
a lifting arm
For moving earth up
to a distance of
Clearing and
about 100m, shallow Can be track- Blade capacity
grubbing sites,
Dozers excavation and mounted or 1.14 𝑚3 – 6.11
excavation of
cutting tractors & wheel mounted 𝑚3
surface earth.
pushers to scraper
machines
Types
1. smooth-
wheel roller 8-10 ft
Used for large
For compaction of 2. vibratory 4-17 ft
Roller words of
earth or other roller 11-25 ft
compactor highways &
materials 3. pneumatic 2.5-11.5 ft
airports
roller
4. Sheep-foot
roller
Towed scrappers
For site stripping & Best suited for
Two-axle
levelling, loading & haul distances
Scraper scrappers 80 𝑚3 – 50 𝑚3
discharging over b/w 150m-
Three-axle
distances 900m
scrapers
Comes in
For horizontal Suitable for different
transportation of hauling on sub- varieties side
Dumper 1-80 t
material on & off grade, used in tipping or
sites mines, quarries elevated tipping
arrangement
For spreading fill and
fine trimming the Grading &
Graders usually
sub-grade. Grader finishing the
operate in the
Grader performs a follow-up upper surface of
forward
operation to the earthen
direction.
scraping or formations
bulldozing