Introduction to

Construction Equipment
Dr Kasun Kariyawasam
Dr Lesly Ekanayake

1
Outline

• Background on Construction Equipment

• Earthmoving Equipment
• Foundation & Soil compaction Equipment
• Equipment used for Concreting/Mortaring
• Transporting Equipment
• Lifting Equipment
• Specialized Civil Construction Machinery
• Installation & Finishing Equipment
• General Machines used in Construction
• Equipment used for Grouting, etc.

2
Advantages of using construction equipment

• Rapid construction
• Improved quality of construction
• Lowered construction cost (specially for large projects)
• Ability to carry out activities that are too delicate or too
heavy for humans to do manually
• Lowered labour requirement
• Relieved manual work and thus increased safety at
work

3
Disadvantages of using
construction equipment
1. Large capital for purchasing / maintaining
2. Increase management work involved
3. Skilled workers required for operation
4. Effort required to keep mechanization
updated
5. Replacement and thus unemployment of
unskilled workers
6. Environmental pollution

4
5
CLASSIFICATION OF
CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT
1 Earthmoving Equipment
2 Foundation & Soil compaction Equipment
3 Equipment used for Concreting/Mortaring
4 Transporting Equipment
5 Lifting Equipment
6. Specialized Civil Construction Machinery
7 Installation & Finishing Equipment
8 General Machines used in Construction
9 Equipment used for Grouting etc.

6
Earth Moving Equipment

7
8
Fixed position
excavating plant

9
Dragline

10
Dragline
• Used for bulk excavation where limits
of excavation are unimportant.
• Output is high. Varies from 30 to 80
bucket loads per hour depending on
the operator’s experience. Bucket
may range from .3 m3 to 3 m3.
• Operates from the surface. It has a
long reach. Deep excavations should
therefore be carried out in stages.
• Can be used to excavate in water
with perforated bucket.
• The machine is difficult to operate
and requires a very experienced
operator.
11
Grab bucket

• A grab is a crane fitted with a bucket.

• The bucket with interlocking teeth aids
penetration of the soil and to grab large rock
pieces.
• The bucket with no teeth is used only for stock-
piling very loose material such as sand is called
a clamshell bucket.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEizXB_A
MdA
12
Hydraulically operated
grab

Rope-operated grab Hydraulically operated grab

13
14
Skimmer

• essentially designed for shallow excavations

where great accuracy in level is required.
• Now rarely used, as improvement in the design
of other plant.
15
Face Shovel (front shovel)

• Has an arm at the end of which is a bucket which faces away from
the machine.

• May be either rope-operated or hydraulically operated.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkHtly0x1mw

16
Hydraulically operated face shovel
Rope-operated face shovel

17
Backhoe

Front shovels work

by pushing into the
pile, away from the
machine, but
a backhoe pulls the
material towards the
machine

Rope-operated backhoe
18
Backhoe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbUQFAVRlpE

Hydraulic-operated backhoe

19
Trencher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrBJ3Tyb0ek

Wheel trencher

Chain trencher 20
Moving
excavating plant

21
Moving excavating plant

• Bulldozer and angle dozer

• Scraper

• Grader

• Loader shovel

• Wheeled backhoe-bucket loader

22
Bulldozer and Angle Dozer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yX0Cqc21ug

• A dozer is a high-powered tractor fitted with a mould board.

The lower part of the mould board has a cutting edge which is
removable.
• The two side edges of the mould board are blocked so that the
materials being pushed forward will not spill from the two sides.
• If the mould board can be tilted in the horizontal and vertical
planes, then the machine is called an angle dozer.

23
Diesel engine

Mould board

Cutting edge

Angle dozer mounted on crawler tracks Wheeled Bulldozer

24
Bulldozer and Angle Dozer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQARObPigO0

• Attachments such as a scarifier, a ripper and a winch may

be fitted to the back of the machine for carrying out
special operations.
• Dozers are mainly designed for excavating, spreading or
pushing soil from one position to another.
• Also used for clearing vegetation and stripping topsoil.
• Excavating and opening up pilot roads, spreading and
grading soil.
• Crawler mounted dozers fitted with a winch at the back of
the machine can be used for felling trees and dragging the
felled trees.
• Can also be used to tow towed scrapers and push
motorized scrapers. 25
v

scarifier

Ripper

Winch
26
Towed Scrapper
Scraper
• A scraper consists of a specially designed and
shaped container with a cutting edge, mounted
on wheels at the back of the machine.
• The capacity of the bowl varies from 20 to 50
m 3.
• Designed for bulk excavation. Especially
developed to cut and load the soil into the
scraper bowl simultaneously and to transport
and spread the soil in layers for initial leveling
and grading.
• The front end has an interchangeable cutting
edge and an apron. The apron can be opened
and closed as required.

27
Scraper
• Excavation is carried out by lowering the cutting
edge of the scraper bowl onto the soil. The apron is
opened to the required extent for the depth of cut
that is to be made.
• The machine is then moved forward and the cutting
edge of the bowl will scrape the soil upward into
the bowl. The continuous movement of the soil into
the bowl forces the tail gate to move backwards.
• Generally carried out on a downward gradient to
take full advantage of gravity.
• When the bowl is full, cutting edge is raised so that
the apron is closed.
• The excavated material is then hauled to the
dumper site for spreading and initial leveling.
• Spreading is carried out while the machine is
moving. 28
Towed Scraper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpBAVeTErFQ

• Consists of a scraper bowl which is towed by a

wheeled tractor or by bulldozer.
• Towed scrapers are favored for short hauls of
about 300 m.
• The speed of the excavation depends on the
speed of the tractor. The tractor moves at a
relatively slow speed of about 3 to 10 km/h.
• Have the ability to excavate on the upward
gradient, to maneuver and turn within a small
working area, to load heavy soil.

29
30
Hydraulically operated towed scraper
Motorized Scraper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6CQDwf5F3s

• Suitable for both short and long hauls provided

that the site is large enough to accommodate
the machine.
• They are not able to excavate on an upward
gradient.
• Scrapers are best suited for large areas of
shallow excavation. They can excavate all soil
except soft clays and silts.
• Unsuitable for haulage over public roads.
• Unsuitable for deep excavation in a small area.
31
Motorized scraper 32
Grader https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afnJlGw7EIU

• The grader is similar to the bulldozer in that it has a highly

flexible mould board. The mould board may be fitted in front
of the machine or slung under the centre of the body.
• The machine is wheel mounted and can have two axles or
three axles.
• The front axle is so designed that the front wheels can lean
up to about 150 to each side of the vertical.
• Mould board can be rotated in plan and tilted forward or back
for horizontal earth moving tasks.
• It can also be slung to one side for the cutting of slopes and
embankments.
• Graders are not true excavators as they do not actually
excavate, but only grade (trim and level) the surface of the
soil.
• These tasks are carried out by setting the mould board as
required, lowering it into the ground and moving the machine
forward.
• Other attachments that may be fitted to grader are ripper and
bulldozer blade. 33
Grader
• The grader has been specially developed for trimming
the subgrade and sub-base of roads, and for cutting
roads and banks.
• It is also designed for smoothing off the walls on earth
fill dams, for maintaining haul roads and for carrying
out contour grading.
• Modern graders are equipped with automatic mould
board controls.

34
• Fig 2.7 (a) & (b)

Two axle grader Three axle grader

35
Grader: Trimming on the level

• The mould board is tilted back and set at an angle in plan.

The forward end of the board is just inside the front wheels
and the back end just outside the back wheels.
• When the board is lowered and the machine travels
forward, the soil will roll off the board to form a ridge of soil
on one side of the machine.
• In some cases, a scarifier mounted just in front of the
mould board to break up the ground to facilitate grading

36
Grader: Spreading and leveling

37
Grader: Trimming and shaping embankment

• The mould board is swung out to one side of

the machine.
• The mould board is set so that its cutting edge
has the same slope as that of the required
embankment.
• One end of the mould board is at the toe of the
embankment and other is up the slope.
• The machine then travels parallel to the
embankment with its front wheels leaning into
the bank to provide the necessary cutting
force.
38
Trimming and shaping embankments
39
Grader: Cutting V-shaped drainage ditches

• The mould board is tilted back and set at an angle in plan

as well as in elevation.
• When the board is lowered and the machine travels
forward, a V-ditch is cut and soil rolls off the board and
forms a windrow (a ridge of soil) under the machine.
• This windrow is removed by setting the mould board as for
trimming on the level.
• Two or three passes of the machine may be necessary to
form the ditch.
40
Cutting V-shaped drainage ditches 41
Loader Shovel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga4gGiV82aI

• The loader shovel is a tractor fitted with a bucket at the

front.
• It may be mounted on crawler tracks or on wheeled base.
• The bucket is designed to dig or load earth or loose
materials such as aggregates, to lift them up, transport
them and dump them from some height on to haul trucks.

• There are many types of buckets:

1. The general purpose bucket,
2. The rock bucket,
3. The multipurpose or four-in-one bucket (Which is in two
parts that are hydraulically control and can be converted to
form a bulldozer blade, shovel, grab or clamshell, and
scraper)
42
Loader shovel on a wheeled base

43
Loader shovel on crawler tracks
General purpose bucket Rock bucket
44
45
Loader shovel on crawler tracks fitted with multipurpose bucket
Wheel Backhoe-Bucket Loader
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ExwTSyC9Oc

• This is a variant of the loader shovel.

• It is a multipurpose excavator, which to a certain
extent enables the operation of excavation and
loading of soil to be carried out by a single machine.
• Machine has a shovel bucket mounted in front and
a backacter bucket mounted at the back.
• The wheeled backhoe is designed for small building
sites. When using, the machine must be stabilized
by stabilizer jacks.
• Depending on the width of trench to be excavated,
the machine can be fitted with different widths of
backacter buckets. The standard loader shovel
bucket in front may be replaced by a bulldozer
blade or a multipurpose bucket. 46
Wheeled backhoe-bucket loader

47
Compaction Equipment

48
Introduction

• Fill material used in the construction of dams, airport runways and

roads and for backfilling foundations and trenches is normally loose
and bulked.
• It is therefore necessary to compact the material after placing so as
to prevent distortion, settlement and softening.

49
Introduction
• A high degree of compaction of the fill material gives the
following advantages:
1. Subsequent maintenance cost such as re-compaction can
be reduced.
2. Risk of landslips can be reduced.
3. Permanent structure can be constructed immediately on
top of the fill.
4. Higher bearing pressure can be used in the design of
foundations for permanent structures.
• The amount of compaction attained is measured by the
change in density of the material
• The grater the dry density, the greater the compaction
attained.
• The degree of compaction possible depends on the type
of soil and its moisture content as well as the type of plant
in use.
50
51
Static weight compactors: Towed single axle
rollers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVn0IYna7jY

• Rely on their dead weight to compact the soil.

Consists of a frame and a smooth steel cylinder.
• Compaction is carried out by towing the roller
over the material being compacted.
• In general, the roller is towed by a crawler
mounted excavator such as bulldozer or loader.
• The movement of the roller applies pressure to
the ground.
• As the roller passes over the area again and
again, the soil is gradually compacted.
52
53
Elevation of single axle roller
54
Single axle roller (being towed by a loader)
Self-propelled tandem rollers
• Tandem rollers consists of two or three steel
rollers on a frame.
• The machine is powered by a engine.
• All tandem rollers are made with ballastable
wheels which can increase the weight of the roller
by 25 to 60 per cent. It is advisable to ballast all
the rollers equally.
• The number of passes of a compaction plant has
to be counted in order to comply with the
minimum number specified for compacting a
particular type and thickness of soil.
• Tandem rollers are a kind of finishing roller,
although they are often considered to be a
general compacting machine. 55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZEzSD0Iwl0
56
Two axle tandem roller
Self-propelled three-wheeled rollers
• Three-wheeled rollers consist of a front axle
supporting a single wide front roller and a rear
axle supporting two narrow rollers of greater
diameter than the front roller.
• These rollers have ballastable wheels weighing
from 1.5 to 15 tonnes. Ballasting can increase
the weight of the roller by 35 per cent.
• smooth wheeled rollers are used in roadworks
and have limited application in earthworks.
• These machines can produce a high
compaction effect at the top of the fill.
• However, the compaction effect decreases
rapidly with increase of fill depth.
57
58
Three-wheeled roller
Kneading Compactors

• kneading, acts to compress

materials at a greater depth.
It does so by reducing the
surface area at each
particular point
of compaction. This
enables the compactor to
exert a more localized - and
hence greater - amount of
force in each particular area.

59
Kneading Compactors: Pneumatic
Tyred Rollers
• Generally consist of two axles fitted with pneumatic rubber
tyres, mounted on a frame.
• The front axle generally has one wheel less than the rear axle.
• The weight can be increased by applying ballast to an open box
or platform over or between the axles.
• Generally used for rolling base courses, black top on roads, and
fill for large earthworks in loamy (sandy) soils. Most suitable for
granular materials, soils which have a low moisture content.
• Main advantage is its ability to control the ground contact
pressure by:
1. Changing weight by ballasting;
2. Increasing or decreasing the number of wheels;
3. Changing tyre width; and
4. Altering the air pressure and hence changing the contact area.
60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM9yh6lF3gA
61
Pneumatic tyred roller
Kneading Compactors: Sheep’s
Foot Rollers
• Consist of a hollow steel drum fitted with projecting feet.
• The projecting feet may be of varies shapes.
• Different length of projections ranging from 150 to 225
mm and varies tapers are also available.
• May be self propelled or towed and ballasted as required.
• May be static or vibratory.
• With repeated passes at a speed of between 4 and 10
km/h, the feet gradually climb out of the fill.
• In practice it is difficult to ensure complete and uniform
coverage of the fill.
• Generally used for rolling the fill on large earthworks in
cohesive soils. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvvWe-uQVl8
62
63
Self-propelled sheep’s foot roller
Vibrating Compactors: Vibrating
Rollers
• Vibrating rollers are similar to smooth wheeled
rollers except that the rollers vibrate.
• Some sheep’s foot rollers are fitted with a
vibrating unit which improves compaction.
• A lighter roller, with similar compaction capacity
to a heavier static weight roller, can therefore be
used.
• May be towed, self-propelled or manually guided.
• Suitable for compacting granular well graded
sand or gravel, uniform sand and hard rock.
• Not suitable for cohesive soils.
• When compacting granular material, it is the
normal practice to make the first pass without
vibration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSB7Yn_5pg4
64
65
Self-propelled Vibrating rollers
66
Manually guided Vibrating rollers
Vibrating Compactors: Vibrating
Plates
• Consists of an engine-driven vibrating
unit mounted on a heavy steel base
plate.
• Compaction is induced by the vibration
of the plate.
• Usually guided manually and weights
range from 200 to 2000 kg.
• Used for compacting granular soils in
confined spaces.
• Unsuitable for heavy compaction.

67
Impact Compactors: Power
Rammers
• Consist of a base plate on which is mounted an engine.
• The engine provides repetitive explosive force which
rams the plate into the soil, and this in turn causes the
rammer to lift itself off the ground.
• The machine then falls on to the ground under gravity, at
which stage another explosive force is provided by the
engine.
• The machine is hand operated and controls are mounted
on top of the engine.
• Suitable for compacting soil in narrow trenches and
around small foundations.
• It may be susceptible to bogging if the soil is too wet or
soft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kx9BCA40II 68
69
Power rammer
Impact Compactors: free Fall
Hammers
• Consist of a heavy flat plate which is raised to
a height and dropped on to the soil.
• The plate is raised and dropped by means of a
crane.
• Possible to compact layers of soil several
metres deep.
• Suitable for most types of soils except uniform
granular material.
• Compaction is fairly slow compared to other
methods.
• The main advantage is that thick layers of soil
can be compacted with relatively few passes
(drops) 70
71
Free fall hammer
Factors influencing the choice of
compaction plant

1. Material factors,
2. Spatial factors,
3. Plant factors, and
4. Legal or contractual factors.

72
Material Factors

1. The type of soil or rock,

2. The grading of the soil, and
3. The moisture content of the soil.

73
74
Spatial Factors

1. The area to be filled and its topography,

2. The volume of each type of material to be
compacted, and
3. The length of time for which the plant is
required.

75
Plant Factors

1. The output rate of the plant,

2. The cost of compaction, and
3. The availability of the plant.

76
Contractual Factors

1. The specifications of the contract.

77
Equipment used in
Concreting

78
Equipment used for concreting

1. Concrete Mixers
2. Concrete Pumps and Pump Cars
3. Batching plant
4. Finishing Equipment

79
Concrete Mixer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJVfasg8opg

• Uses a revolving drum

to mix the
components
• Used so that the
concrete can be made
at the construction
site, giving the
workers ample time to
use the concrete
before it hardens

80
Concrete Pumps and Pump Cars
Concrete
Boom Mixer Truck

Concrete
Mixer Truck

Pump
Horses

81
Batching plant

• For constructing concrete

in large volumes
• Dry Mix Concrete Plant (a
dry mix of cement and
aggregates are mixed at
the plant and discharged
into the mixer truck with
the required amount of
water)
• Wet Mix Concrete plant
(all ingredients are mixed
in the batching plant)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO9s0YXGnnM 82
Concrete Vibrator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNOdoOnl94s

Internal (Poker) Vibrator Form Vibrator

Most common vibrator type Suitable when internal vibrator cannot be used 83
Concrete Vibrator

Surface (Pan) Vibrator Vibrating tables

Suitable for pavements and slabs Suitable for precast structural components 84
in factories and laboratory specimens
Concrete cutters

Core Drilling Handheld Sawing Wire Sawing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEKH6cy7WJU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPJAFNaEVEs

85
Dump Trucks

86
Construction Equipment Transporter

87
Crawler Carrier

88
Belt Conveyer

89
Lifting Equipment

• Sky Lift
• Crawler Crane
• Forklift
• Truck with Crane
• Tower Crane

90
Sky Lift/Cherry Picker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiNrdtC0_qc
• Lifts one or few workers
• Truck or vehicle with a boom
• Can reach to confined spaces/hard
to reach locations

91
Crawler Crane

• Cranes mounted on an
undercarriage with a set of
tracks, or crawlers, that
provide stability and mobility
• Stable on its tracks with no
outriggers

92
Forklift

• Used to lift and move

materials over short
distances

93
Truck with Crane

• Various types are

available based on
the capacity (in
tonnes) and
maximum reach

94
Tower Crane

• A balancing crane fixed to the ground

on a concrete slab (and sometimes
attached to the sides of structures)
• Used in the construction of tall buildings
• In order to hook and unhook the loads,
the operator usually works in
conjunction with a signaller (through
radio contact and hand signals)
• Can reach heights above 100m

95
Specialized Civil Construction Machinery

• Asphalt paving machine

• Bitumen distributor
• Tunnelling equipment
• Pipe laying equipment
• Offshore land reclamation equipment

96
Asphalt Paving Machine

• Lays the asphalt flat and

provides minor compaction
before it is compacted by a
roller
• A material transfer unit
allows for constant
material feed to the paver
without contact, providing
a better end surface.

97
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRu75MNGseI
Bitumen Distribution Truck

• Hot Bitumen layer is added

before laying asphalt either
for newly constructed road
pavements or resurfacing
of a roadway
• This layer improves
bonding and improves
compaction as horizontal
shearing of the layers is
not minimised

98
Tunnelling Equipment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hp-BlOs5CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3sdmN7JGLA

• Tunnel boring
machines
• Loaders/Excavators
• Cranes

99
Pipe laying equipment

100
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_IL9VjvaxQ
Land Reclamation Equipment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaJcX_3Xx84 101
Installation and finishing equipment

• Painting equipment
• Mobile scaffolds
• Flooring equipment

102
Flooring tools and equipment

Concrete polishing machine Suction cup lifter

103
Painting tools and equipment

Wall painting brushes and rollers Wood polish sprayers Wall putty sander

104
Mobile scaffolds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uXSwxx50Tw

105
General machines

• Equipment used in energy generation

• Clearing equipment
• Welding & other equipment

106
AC Diesel Generator

107
Welding Machines

108
Other Construction Related Equipment

• Grouting
• Static Scaffolds
• Ladders

109
Grouting Machines

Epoxy grouting Concrete grouting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH5BzN3SrSg 110
Scaffolds

111
112