BFP 4023

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT
MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 1
 INTRODUCTION (ONE LECTURE HOUR)
 Material of earth moving, volume change characteristics
of soil
 Spoil bank dimension
 Soil classification and identification
Earth moving materials, volume change
characteristics of soil
 Site Clearing And Earthwork
 The properties, characteristics, and behavior of different
soil types during earthmoving
 to know how to handle the material during the
constructi0n process
 To understand soil’s trafficability, loadability, and
moisture content as well as its drainage, weight, and
volume change characteristics
Site Clearing And Earthwork
 clearing, grubbing, demolishing, breaking up
and removing all trees, shrubs, vegetation, butts,
structures such as walls, fences and other
obstruction within the site which have been
designated to be demolished or removed

 All spoils and debris shall be removed and

disposed of off-site at an approved certified
construction landfill
Site Clearing
 The upper layer – often top soil – resulting from the
decomposition of vegetative matter.
 Topsoil – the natural surface – soil layer containing
organic matter, silt – black or darker shade of brown –
free from weeds and roots.
 Unsuitable for use in an embankment.
 Handle separately in excavation operation.
 To be collected and wasted OR stockpile for latter use
on project.
Earth Moving Materials
 Found in the crust of the earth
 Classified as rock or soil
 Soil characteristics that affect a soil’s behaviour for
construction purposes.
 Lab tests are required to fully determine a soil’s
physical and chemical properties which control those
characteristics.
Trafficability
 The ability of a soil to support the load
of wheeled or tracked vehicles under
repeated traffic is called trafficability
 usually estimated based on the soil
type and moisture conditions expected
during construction
Poor trafficabilty conditions may
require
 special measures for drainage
 use of low ground pressure
construction equipment
 stabilization of haul routes, or a
combination of these measures for
efficient equipment operations
Loadability
 subjective measure for difficulty or
effort to excavated and loaded the soil
 soil can be loose, granular, non-
cohesive soils are very loadable
 Compacted cohesive soils and most
rocks have a low loadability (difficult to
load)
Moisture Content and Drainage
Characteristics
 The moisture content of a soil is
expressed as the percentage of the soil’s
dry weight which equals the weight of
water in the soil.
Calculation; Moisture Content
 a soil sample weighing 74.8kg (165 lb)
 after drying 68.0 kg (150 lb)
 weight of water in the sample was =
(74.8 – 68 ) = 6.8 kg (15 lb)
 The moisture content is = (6.8 / 68) x
100 = 10%
Weight
 The weight per unit volume of a soil is determined by
the soil type, its degree of compaction, and its
moisture content.
 The dry density (dry weight per unit volume, usually
expressed in pounds per cubic foot or ) of a soil is
frequently used as a measure of the soils degree of
compaction.
 Some typical weights of common earthmoving
materials are given in Table 1.1.
SOIL VOLUME CHANGE
 3 principal states in which earthmoving material may
exist
 Natural (in-place): Soil in its natural state. A unit
volume of material is referred to as a bank cubic yard
(BCY) or a bank cubic meter (BCM)
 Loose: Soil after excavation or loading. A unit volume is
referred to as a loose cubic yard (LCY) or a loose cubic
meter (LCM)
 Compacted: Soil after compaction. A unit volume is
referred to as a compacted cubic yard (CCY) or a
compacted cubic meter (CCM).
increase in volume due to
excavation is called swell
 when a soil is compacted, it reduces in
volume so that a given weight of soil will
occupy somewhat less volume that it did in
its natural state. The process is called
shrinkage.
If 1 LCY of peat soil weighs 1,000 lb (454 kg) and 1
BCY of the same material weighs 1,600 lb (726 kg),
what is the load factor for this material?
 Solution
SPOIL BANK AND SPOIL PILES
 In earthmoving situations it will sometimes be
necessary to calculate the size of spoil banks or spoil
piles which will be created by the material from an
excavation.
 Since the material in the spoil bank will be in the loose
state, it is necessary to first convert the volume of
excavation from in-place conditions (BCY or BCM) to
loose conditions (LCY or LCM).
 The size of a spoil bank or spoil pile which will contain
this volume can then be obtained from tables such as
Table 1.2 or may be calculated as described below.
 The angle of repose is the natural angle that the sides
of a spoil banks will form with the horizontal when the
excavated soil is dumped onto the spoil bank.
 This represented the equilibrium positions of the soil
and will vary with the physical characteristics of the
soil.
 Typical angles of repose for common soils are given in
Table 1.2.
Calculating Spoil Bank Dimensions
 Longitudinal spoil banks typically have a triangular
cross section (as illustrated in table 1.2). Spoil piles
have a conical shape.
 These shapes permit the bank or pile volume to be
easily calculated by trigonometric relations.
 Conversely, the size of bank or pile required to hold a
specified amount of spoil may be found.
 Equations may be developed as follows, where R
equals the angle of repose of the soil.
For a Triangular Bank:
Volume = Section area X Length

(1.5)

(1.6)

Where: B = base width (ft or m)

H = bank or pile height (ft or m)
L = bank length (ft or m)
R = angle of repose (deg)
V = bank or pile volume (cu ft or m³)
For a Conical Pile:

(1.7)

(1.8)

Where D is the diameter of the pile base (ft or m).

Example 1.3
 Find the base width and height of the triangular spoil
bank that is created when excavating a ditch having a
cross-section area of 100 sq ft (9.3 m²). The soil is
common earth having a swell of 25% and an angle of
repose of 37o.
Example 1.4
 Find the size of a conical spoil pile that will contain 100
BCY (76.5 BCM) of sand excavation. Soil swell is 12%
and its angle of repose is 32 degree.

 27 cubic feet = 1 cubic yard