MECHANICAL PLANT & EQUIPMENT

Charles Chifunda Lecturer Architecture School of Built Environment, The Copperbelt University,
OCTOBER 2006

INTRODUCTION
Contractors

plant- machinery, tools and other equipment used in the contractors yard and workshop, and on site

PLANNING FOR PLANT USE

o

Haphazard mechanisation will not always reduce costs or the total construction time. Employment of plant depends on many factors:

PLANNING FOR PLANT USE

NATURE OF JOB & SITE Smaller contracts may need skilled craftsmen which is difficult to mechanise Machines are highly specialised while operatives are versatile But small pieces of plant also available

PLANNING FOR PLANT USE Contd

NATURE OF JOB & SITE
Size of site Wet site Sloping site Confined site Site surrounded by tall buildings

PLANNING FOR PLANT USE Contd

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPERATIONS OF PLANT AND MEN Number of men working on any operation to be correctly related to the output of the mechanical plant serving them

PLANNING FOR PLANT USE Contd

CAREFUL PLANNING & PROGRAMMING OF KT Essential to optimise plant use which is expensive to keep idle Plan the sequence of operations to rationalise high cost of machines

PLANNING FOR PLANT USE Contd

SUITABILITY OF DESIGN OF THE BUILDING Design determines work to be done and sequence of operations All aspects of mechanization and building methods must be considered at design stage to optimise benefit of mechanization

Architect to know advantages of mechanized methods, nature and capabilities of various mechanical plant

MECHANICAL PLANT
Can be classified according to function Excavating Hoisting Transporting Mixing

EXCAVATORS
For excavating Can be face shovel, backactor, skimmer, dragline or crane and grab. Fitted with crawler tracks rather than pneumatic tyre

Face Shovel
Also called mechanical shovel or navvy For excavations against a face or bank Has open top bucket or dipper with opening bottom for discharge fixed to dipper stick Bucket filled by driving it forward and upward into material

Face Shovel contd

Rotates through 360o Excavates from just below ground level to up to 6m high Also useful for loading loosened excavated material and gravel into trucks or dumpers

Backactor
Also called drag shovel, back shovel or trench hoe Dipper or bucket works towards chassis with normally no bottom door Emptied by swinging away from chassis Excavates from ground level to a depth of about 6m

Backactor contd
Mostly for excavating trenches Trenches not very cleanly excavated Moves backwards away from excavation Sometimes for excavating open areas such as small basements Loads on lorries or dumpers

Skimmer
Bucket slides on rollers along jib with more restricted movements Used for surface excavation and levelling. Cutes down to about 300mm Cut surface requires trimming by hand Can also load loose excavated material

Dragline
Machine fitted with slender boom and bucket. Operation faces machine Bucket no door and is supported by cable Bucket thrown out like fishing line. Filled by being dragged to machine Excavates depth to 9.1m with a reach of 21.3m

Dragline contd
Excavates open areas like basements. Depths beyond limits of backactor Loads into lorries and dumpers

Crane & Grab

Also called Grabbing Crane or Clamshell Consists of two hinged half-buckets or jaws pivoted to a frame suspended by cable from long jib of excavator Digging capacity depends of Grab weight

Crane & Grab contd

Excavation action is vertical Grab dropped open to soil, and closes on soil while being hoisted Used for deep excavation of limited area on all types of soil except rock

TRACTOR-BASED EQUIPMENT
Designed as attachments to normal tracked or wheeled tractors or a machine & tractor integrated as one Operations hydraulically controlled

Tractor shovel
Has tipping bucket in front attached by strong pivoted arms/booms to frame of machine Loaded by driving machine onto soil to excavate Raising and tipping is by hydraulic rams

Tractor shovel contd

Teeth can be fitted in front of bucket Machine can be fitted with bulldozer blade in place of bucket Bucket excavates down to 150mm below ground Usually tyre mounted; greater speed from site to site

Tractor shovel

Used for stripping top soil, excavating against a face, bulldozing and loading spoil into transport

Overloading shovel
Bucket carried on an inclined frame by arms over tractor to discharge at rear Minimizes travel for each cycle of digging and loading

Trench digger
Tractor mounted backactor Operates as backactor except has hydraulic rams and not cables and pulleys Digging equipment at back end of tractor Has also normal shovel at front to produce both digger and shovel

Trench digger contd

Called loader digger Projecting legs or outriggers provide support when digging Can also dig at right angle to machine

Scraper
Large box or bowl with open front and bottom cutting edge Supported on frame btn two pairs of wheels attache to tractor bowl filled as cutting edge scrapes ground Spoil ejected by tail-gate

Scraper
Used for surface excavation over large area; for bulk excavations; for cut and fill type Pusher assistance can be added at back by another tractor, 30% efficience increase

Bulldozer and angle-dozer

Has a rectangular steel blade with a renewable cutting edge set perpendicular to direction of travel attached by steel arms to the side frames of a crawler tractor Angle-dozer has blade turning up to about 30o to the direction of travel

Bulldozer and angle-dozer

Used to excavate or move loose soil, backfilling, spreading heaped materials, piling material in readiness for collection Does not load material into transport

Grader
Similar to angle dozer Blade suspended between wheels of frame Self propelled machine Blade can be pivoted over wide angles vertically and horizontally Wheels can also incline for more stability

Grader contd

Used for grading i.e. final levelling of excavated areas, for maintaining haul roads, for trimming banks and cutting ditches

Trenching machine
Trencher or Trench cutter Has a number of excavating buckets mounted either on a wheel or on a continuous chain mounted on a vertical boom Single purpose tool. Fast at excavating Fitted with crawler tracks and moves away from trench being excavated

Trenching machine contd

Used for continuous runs of trenching about 4.3m deep, 1.8m wide Fast and clean trenches

Mechanical auger
A boring tool Used for forming short bored piles 2.1 to 6m deep up to 900mm dia vertically or at an angle

HOISTING (CRANES)
Material lifting devices Choice depends on load of material to be lifted, horizontal distance, height, time periods of lifting operations & degree of mobility required Can be static, mobile or tower cranes

Self propelled cranes

Mobile crane mounted on wheeled chassis with one operator position for crane and driving Road speed slow

Lorry mounted crane

Mobile crane with lattice or telescopic boom mounted on special truck Two operating positions Lifting capacity increased by use of out rigger stabilising jacks Suitable for short hire period operations due to short site preparation period

Gantry cranes
Portal cranes Two A frames joined by cross member on which transverses lifting appliance Small cranes up to 10 tonnes A frames are wheel mounted & manually propelled

Gantry cranes contd

Big Gantry cranes A frames mounted on powered bogies running on rail tracks with driving cab mounted on cross beam or gantry Used on sites of low to medium rise Advantages of:

Movement along cross beam Vertical Horizontal movements

Mast cranes
Similar to tower crane, but has slewing platform chassis so rotates Often mobile, self erecting, of relatively low lifting capacity with luffing jib Advantage of a closer approach to face of building

Tower Cranes
Mostly assembled and erected on site prior to use Can have horizontal of luffing jib Four possible classifications:

Tower Cranes contd

SELF SUPPORTING STATIC TOWER CRANE High lifting capacity Mast and tower fixed to a foundation base Suitable for confined and open sites

Tower Cranes contd

SUPPORTED STATIC TOWER CRANE As self supporting one Used where high lifts required Mast or tower tied at intervals to structure for extra stability

Tower Cranes contd

TRAVELLING TOWER CRANE Mounted on power bogies running on a wide gauge railway track for greater site coverage Horizontal level site most ideal

Tower Cranes contd

CLIMBING CRANES Used in conjunction with tall buildings and structures Climbing mast housed within the structure Raised as height of building increases Dismantled at end of building

HOISTS
For vertical transportation of materials and passengers Material ones mostly of mobile format Can be dismantled, folded onto chassis & transported Need to be stabilised and enclosed with a protective screen

PASSENGER HOISTS
Designed to carry passengers but can also carry materials Wide range available Can be single cage with rope suspension or twin cages

RUBBLE CHUTES
Suitable for works involving demolitions, repair and refurbishments Concept is connecting several perforated dustbins for conveyance of materials

MIXING & TRANSPORTATION

Mechanical mixing has advantages on big quantity conc Greater economy Certainty of thorough mixing Sometimes greater speed

Concrete Mixers
Type chosen depends on: Max output required Total output required Method of transporting conc Discharge height of mixer

Concrete Mixers contd

SMALL BATCH MIXERS Mostly of tilting drum type and hand loaded Output of 200 ltrs per batch and 2-3m3 per hr Wheelbarrow transport

Concrete Mixers contd

MEDIUM BATCH MIXERS 200-750 ltres output per batch Can be tilting drum or non-tilting drum mixer i.e reversing drum or chute discharge Have integral weigh batching loading hoppers, scraper shovels and water tanks

Concrete Mixers contd

Better quality control Unsuitable for wheelbarrow transportation due to high output

TRANSPORTING CONC
Wheelbarrow for small quantities DUMPERS Dumpers can transport up to 600 ltrs Has integral skip Can take crane skip

TRANSPORTING CONC contd

Transports mixed conc from plant to placing site 4-6m3 Can discharge at placing point or in dumper, crane skip or conc pump

CONC PUMPS

Transports large vol of conc in short time up to 100m3/hr from pump position to placing position Can be trailer or lorry mounted Can pump 85m vertically and 200m horizontally Coat bore of pipe line with cement grout prior to pumping Conc from ready mix truck transporting trucks

PLACING CONC
Usually done by hand Fill mould or excavation around reinforcement and compact conc to required consolidation Tamping rods or boards or vibrator used

Poker Vibrator
Has a hollow steel tube casing in which a rotating impellor generating vibrations Poker vibrator to be inserted vertically

CLAMP OR TAMPING VIBRATORS

Clamp vibrators powered by compressed air or electricity Tamping board vibrators usually by petrol

TRANSPORT VEHICLES
For transporting passengers or materials VANS Can be open vans or purpose made vans such as for carrying glass Diesel or petrol engines

TRANSPORT VEHICLES
PASSENGER VEHICLES Can be a car, van, lorry or bus Can have fixed seats or removable ones

TRANSPORT VEHICLES
LORRIES Haul vehicles Can be road or site vehicles only Axle load restricted on road vehicles Off highway not so restricted Can be tipping, non-tipping, special purpose carriers such as removable skip, self loading and unloading devices

TRANSPORT VEHICLES contd

LORRIES Low loaders have removable or integral ramps or winching system to haul plant on platform

TRANSPORT VEHICLES contd

HIGHWAY DUMPERS Have integral tipping skip Larger dumpers Have side, rear or elevated tipping For carrying sand, aggregate or excavated spoil

FORK LIFT TRUCKS

For vertical and horizontal movement of materials on pallets or brick packs Good for building of not more than 3 storeys Can be straight mast, overhead or telescopic boom Various heights, reach and lifting capacities