CEC 002 Reviewer Midterms Job conditions – Topography and work

dimensions, surface and weather conditions

Earthmoving is the process of moving soil or
rock from one location to another and General Soil Characteristics
processing it so that it meets requirements of
Trafficability is the ability of a soil to support the
location, elevation, density, moisture content,
weight of vehicles under repeated traffic;
and so on.
controls the amount and type of traffic that can
Equipment Selection use unimproved access roads, as well as the
- has a major influence on the efficiency and operation of earthmoving equipment within the
profitability of the construction operation construction area. Trafficability is primarily a
- After selection of equipment next most function of soil type and moisture conditions
important step is to develop plan for effective
Loadability is a measure of the difficulty in
utilization
excavating and loading a soil. Loose granular
- The final phase of the process is competent
soils are highly loadable, whereas compacted
job management to assure compliance with the
cohesive soils and rock have low loadability
operating plan and to make adjustments for
unexpected conditions SOIL IDENTIFICATION AND
CLASSIFICATION
Production of Earthmoving Equipment
Gravels-particles larger than about ¼ in. (6 mm)
Production = Volume per cycle * Cycles per hour
in diameter but smaller than 3 in. (76 mm) in
volume per cycle – nominal capacity of the diameter. Rock particles larger than 3 in. (76
excavator or haul unit must be modified by an mm) in diameter are called cobbles or boulders.
appropriate fill factor based on the type of Sand-material smaller than gravel but larger
material and equipment involved than the No.200 sieve opening (0. 7 mm).
Silt particles pass the No. 200 sieve but are
cycles per hour – include any appropriate
larger than 0.002 mm.
efficiency factors, so that it represents the
Clay is composed of particles less than 0.002
number of cycles actually achieved (or expected
mm in diameter.
to be achieved) per hour
Organic soils contain partially decomposed
Cost per unit of production =Equipment cost per vegetable matter. Peat is a highly organic soil
hour/Equip prod per hour having a fibrous texture. It is normally readily
identified by its dark color, odor, and spongy
feel. Not suitable for construction

Soil Conditions

Bank: Material in its natural state before

disturbance. Often referred to as “in-place” or
“in situ.” A unit volume is identified as a bank
cubic yard (BCY) or a bank cubic meter (BCM).
Loose: Material that has been excavated or
Management conditions – Skill, training,
loaded. A unit volume is identified as a loose
operation, and maintenance of equipment.
cubic yard (LCY) or loose cubic meter (LCM).
Planning, job layout, supervision
Compacted: Material after compaction. A unit
volume is identified as a compacted cubic yard If the pile of material is long in relation to its
(CCY) or compacted cubic meter (CCM). width, it is referred to as a spoil bank. Spoil
banks are characterized by a triangular cross
SOIL VOLUME-CHANGE
section
CHARACTERISTICS
• To determine the dimensions of spoil banks,
Swell: The increase in soil volume after convert the volume of excavation from in-place
excavation. conditions (BCY or BCM) to loose conditions
(LCY or LCM). Bank or pile dimensions may then
be calculated using Equations 2-10 to 2-13 if the
soil's angle of repose is known.
Shrinkage: When a soil is compacted, some of • A soil's angle of repose is the angle that the
the air is forced out of the soil's void spaces. As sides of a spoil bank or pile naturally form with
a result, the soil will occupy less volume than it the horizontal when the excavated soil is
did under either the bank or loose conditions. dumped onto the pile.

Load Factor – simplify the conversion of loose

volume to bank volume

Triangular Spoil Bank

Shrinkage factor – factor used for the

conversion of bank volume to compacted
volume

Conical Spoil Bank

Spoil Banks
 required to construct the facility while meeting
established limits of roadway grade and
curvature

Characteristics of a Mass Diagram

-The vertical coordinate of the mass diagram

corresponding to any location on the road way
profile represents the cumulative earthwork
volume from the origin to that point.
ESTIMATING EARTHWORK VOLUME - Within a cut, the curve rises from left to right.
- Within a fill, the curve falls from left to right.
estimate the volume of material to be - A peak on the curve represents a point where
excavated or placed as fill the earthwork changes from cut to fill.
1)pit excavations (small, relatively deep - A valley (low point) on the curve represents a
excavations such as those required for point where the earthwork changes
basements and foundations) – first from fill to cut.
divide the horizontal area into a -When a horizontal line intersects the curve at
convenient set of rectangles, triangles, or two or more points, the accumulated volumes
circular segments. After the area of each at these points are equal. Thus, such a line
segment has been calculated, the total area is represents a balance line on the diagram.
found as the sum of the segment areas. The
average depth is then calculated. For simple
rectangular excavations, the average depth can
be taken as simply the average of the four
comer depths

2)Trench Excavations – calculated as the

product of the trench cross-sectional area and
the linear distance along the trench line

3)excavating or grading relatively large areas Using the Mass Diagram

– The length and direction of haul within a
balanced section.
CONSTRUCTION USE OF THE MASS DIAGRAM – The average length of haul for a balanced
-A mass diagram is a continuous curve section.
representing the accumulated volume of – The location and amount of borrow (material
earthwork plotted against the linear profile hauled in from a borrow pit) and waste
of a roadway or airfield. (material hauled away to a waste area) sfor the
-Mass diagrams are prepared by highway and project.
airfield designers to assist in selecting an
alignment which minimizes the earthwork