Civil Engineering Technology: Earthworks and Substructures

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Civil Engineering Technology

Contents
LO1 Explain the methods and techniques used in civil engineering for earthworks and
substructures....................................................................................................................................5
P1 Discuss the earthworks activities, equipment and techniques................................................5
P2 Describe the methods used to create complex foundations, piling works and drainage
works..........................................................................................................................................12
P3 Describe methods and techniques used in culvert and underpass construction including the
provision for some utilities to be named....................................................................................14
LO2 Present a safety plan risk assessment and method statement for given civil engineering
activity...........................................................................................................................................17
P4 Identify the hazards, risks and safety arrangements for excavation, working in confined
spaces, working on structures and for working within temporary on highways.......................17
P5 Develop and present a safety plan, risk assessments and method statements for a given civil
engineering activity to be identified..........................................................................................20
LO3 Evaluate a given civil engineering problem and propose a solution.....................................23
P6 Evaluate the environmental, quality, geotechnical and economic contests of a given civil
engineering problem..................................................................................................................23
P7 Propose a solution to a given civil engineering problem.....................................................24
LO4 Prepare a design proposal for a new infrastructure project...................................................24
P8 Describe the methods and techniques used in highway design............................................24
P9 Develop a civil engineering design proposal for the new infrastructure project..................25
References......................................................................................................................................27

List of Figures
Figure 1: Wheel loader....................................................................................................................5
Figure 2: Backhoe............................................................................................................................5
Figure 3: Scrapers............................................................................................................................6
Figure 4: Excavator..........................................................................................................................6
Figure 5: Motor grader.....................................................................................................................7
Figure 6: Sheep foot roller...............................................................................................................7
Figure 7: Vibratory Roller...............................................................................................................7
Figure 8: Dump truck.......................................................................................................................8
Figure 9: Sloped Open cut technique...............................................................................................9
Figure 10: cantilever open cut technique.........................................................................................9
Figure 11: Bracing Excavation technique........................................................................................9
Figure 12: Anchored Excavation Technique.................................................................................10
Figure 13: Island Excavation technique........................................................................................10
Figure 14: Top-down Excavation technique..................................................................................11
Figure 15: Dropping Hammer.......................................................................................................12
Figure 16: Auger boring................................................................................................................13
Figure 17: Pipe Culvert..................................................................................................................14
Figure 18: Pipe Arch Culvert.........................................................................................................14

Figure 19: Box culvert...................................................................................................................14
Figure 20: Arch Culvert.................................................................................................................15
Figure 21: Bridge culvert...............................................................................................................15
Figure 22: Structure of the safety program....................................................................................19
Figure 23: Safety at the evolution period of project......................................................................20
Figure 24: Safety at the contract phase..........................................................................................21

LO1 Explain the methods and techniques used in civil engineering for
earthworks and substructures.
P1 Discuss the earthworks activities, equipment, and techniques
Earthwork is the process of excavation, compaction as well as transportation of the earth material
to some other site location. The major involved in earthwork are excavation, unloading,
transportation as well as compaction. Earthwork is the primary step in the construction project.
The time of completion of a construction project entirely dependent on the time consumed during
earthwork. Following are the three major activities involved in earthwork:
Clearance of site: Site clearance involves the removal of the topmost layer of the soil,
demolition of the existing structures as well as removal of trees and shrubs that are on the
way of construction.
Trench excavation as well as a foundation: when large excavation is not possible then
excavation of trench is carried out by cutting small area of lands for preparation of the
foundation.
Excavation in bulk: This includes that includes the foundation works, large excavations,
excavation of the basement, shallow fill as well as cut (Zhang et.al, 2013).
Basically, earthwork consists of railway beds, roads, causeways levees, dams, berms, and canals.
Other than these major earthworks land grading is also included in earthwork that is basically for
configuring the topography of the construction suite as well as for stabilizing any kind of slopes.
Equipment for Excavation
EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION FIGURE

Wheel Loaders Wheel loader is
basically a tractor type
that contains a square
bucket to the front that
is connected via two
arms that is for
removing the top loose
materials of the
ground without
disturbing the ground
strata.
Figure 1: Wheel Loader
Source: (Chemco, 2019)
Backhoes Backhoe is used
generally in case of
excavation of hard
strata so backhoes are
generally used for
excavating trenches. It
looks like an arm
hinged at three
positions, a joint that
attaches the shoulder,
an elbow that remains
in the air and a wrist
that is basically a
bucket that is
responsible for main
excavation purpose.
Figure 2: Backhoe
Source: (Chemco, 2019)

Scrapers This equipment of
earthwork is for
moving a small
quantity of earth from
one place to another
where the areas are
smooth and do not
requires much effort.
It contains a bottom
that is consisting of
blades. This
equipment is basically
for highway
construction.
Figure 3: Scrapers
Source: (Chemco, 2019)
Excavators There are several uses
of excavators that
include demolition,
digging, heavy lifting,
as well as brush
cutting. Excavators
consist of high powers
hydraulic motors that
add a specialty to this
equipment which
changing
functionalities of the
machines due to
different attachments.
Figure 4: Excavator
Source: (Chemco, 2019)

Motor Grader The main purpose of a
motor grader is
providing a smooth
finish to the rough
grading that is
provided by the heavy
vehicles as well as the
engineering vehicles
that includes the
excavators, scrapers,
etc.
Figure 5: Motor grader
Source: (Chemco, 2019)
Sheep foot Roller Sheep foot roller is
basically for forming a
smooth surface or for
applying pressure to
the mad that are
disturbed by the
excavators or the
scrapers. It produces a
pressure of almost
500Ib per square
meters.
Figure 6: Sheep foot roller
Source: (Chemco, 2019)
Vibratory roller The function of the
vibratory roller is
similar to a sheep foot
roller but slightly
differs in adding
vibrations with
pressure. This is more
effective working in
gravy or sandy soil.
Figure 7: Vibratory Roller

Source: (Chemco, 2019)
Dump Truck When the excavation
of the soil is carried
out by a loader then
dump truck is used in
place of scrapers.
Highway
constructions are
carried out more
smoothly with the help
of dump truck other
than a scrapper. Figure 8: Dump truck
Source: (Chemco, 2019)
Techniques of Excavation
Following are techniques that are used for the excavation of deep as well as the shallow
foundation:
Full open cut technique: This technique of excavation is further divided into two
different parts cantilever full open cut and slopped full open cut.
Full Open cut
Sloped open cut technique Cantilever open cut technique
A sloped open cut method is generally more
economical as compared to cantilever open
cut technique as the excavation side is
generally sloped due to which no supporting
or retaining wall is required as support that
saves cost. But in case of deep foundation,
this method also cost much.
Cantilever open cut requires retaining or
supporting wall in order to hold the
foundation soil for preventing the breaking
of the soil of the foundation but at the same
time does not need any slopes or backing.

Figure 9: Sloped Open cut technique Figure 10: cantilever open cut technique
Bracing Excavation Technique: In this technique, the material of the excavation is held
by struts above the retaining wall in order to maintain the pressure that is produced by the
material of the excavation.
Figure 11: Bracing Excavation technique
Source: (Theconstructor, 2018)
Anchored Excavation Technique: In this method of excavation anchors are used for
supporting the pressure that is produced by the earth. Anchoring force is developed in
order to support against the pressure that is created by the earth.

Figure 12: Anchored Excavation Technique
Source: (Designingbuildings, 2018)
Island Excavation Technique: A slope a created in this technique by digging a center of
a quarry that is put beside the retaining wall for creating a slope so the maximum parts of
the structure are then built at the center.
Figure 13: Island Excavation technique
Source: (Chemco, 2019)
Zoned Excavation Technique: In this technique diaphragm walls utilized in place of
retaining wall during excavation.
Top Down excavation Technique: In this technique construction is carried out from the
top then reaches to the bottom. Once the construction of the superstructure is started after
the completion of the construction of the first slab (Halpin et.al, 2017).

Figure 14: Top-down Excavation technique
Source: (Designingbuildings, 2018)
P2 Describe the methods used to create complex foundations, piling works and drainage
works.
Pilling Techniques: There are several methods of driving a pilling based in the types of piling
that includes dropping weight, vibration, explosion, jetting and jacking for displacement piles
and Auger method as well as under reaming technique for a nondisplacement pile.
Dropping hammer: A hammer that is equal to the weight of the pile is dropped from a
certain height and pile head is strike by the hammer. This generally utilized in case of
the test pile