Construction Engineering Design Calculations and Rules of Thumb

Ruwan Abey Rajapakse

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780128092446
• eBook ISBN: 9780128094990
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Industrial Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Construction Engineering Calculations and Rules of Thumb begins with a brief, but rigorous, introduction to the mathematics behind the equations that is followed by self-contained chapters concerning applications for all aspects of construction engineering. Design examples with step-by-step solutions, along with a generous amount of tables, schematics, and calculations are provided to facilitate more accurate solutions through all phases of a project, from planning, through construction and completion.- Includes easy-to-read and understand tables, schematics, and calculations- Presents examples with step-by-step calculations in both US and SI metric units- Provides users with an illustrated, easy-to-understand approach to equations and calculation methods

Chapter 1

Construction—General Introduction

Abstract

It is estimated that cities started to appear in Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, and China approximately 5000 years ago. Egyptians took construction to a very high level by building large-scale pyramids. During later times, construction activities became more diverse. Roman aqua ducts, the Great Wall of China, and large-scale temple structures were built.

Keywords

Construction; Piles; Excavation; Concreting; Steel erection; Cranes

1.1 History of Construction

Early period: It is estimated that cities started to appear in Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, and China approximately 5000 years ago. Egyptians took construction to a very high level by building large-scale pyramids. During later times, construction activities became more diverse. Roman aqua ducts, the Great Wall of China, and large-scale temple structures were built.

Development of the number system: Early engineers used very little mathematics for construction work. When they did use mathematics, it was mainly limited to geometry. Simple computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were extremely cumbersome.

A new era of the construction industry began due to the discovery of modern number system by Indian mathematician Aryabhatta around AD 500. One hundred years later Brahmagupta (AD 600) gave arbitrary rules for these four fundamental operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Brahmagupta's system was transported to Europe through Arabia and to rest of the world.

Machinery: The next major development to benefit construction work was the use of machinery. Earlier construction workers used wedges, pulleys, and other hand-operated tools. Today construction is mostly an affair of labor and machinery. Backhoes, trucks, loaders, forklifts, cranes, derricks, conveyor belts, jackhammers, compactors, rollers, and compressors are some of the few machines used in construction sites.

Internal combustion engine: The development of the internal combustion engine provided a new dimension to the construction industry. Nicklaus Otto, Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz, and James Atkinson invented internal combustion engines around 1870. The internal combustion engine or its variations are needed for today's machinery.

Electricity: The discovery of electricity by Michael Faraday, James Joule, Thomas Edison, and Nicolai Tesla is another major development that affected the construction industry. It is unthinkable to do any construction activities without the use of electricity. Power drills, jackhammers, cutting machines, hoists, and conveyor belts are operated using electricity.

Computer: Computers have become an integral part of the construction industry. Scheduling, cost estimating, design, and construction management tasks are highly dependent on computers. Development of the computer by US engineers such as Attanasof, Allen Turing, and Von Neumann brought a new dimension to the construction industry.

1.2 Building Construction

All construction engineers will encounter building construction work eventually. The construction of a building starts with a need. A company may need more office space or new stores. The management of that company would meet an architect and explain their needs. The architect would then come up with a set of architectural drawings, which the owner would look at and make comments. The owner may want the meeting hall to be larger, or more bathrooms be added, or a change in the appearance of the building. Based on owner needs, the architect would redraw the plans. After the architectural drawings are finalized, structural drawings and civil drawings will be prepared by structural engineers and civil engineers. Mechanical drawings and electrical drawings also would be prepared. Today network drawings are prepared for communication and computer networks (Fig. 1.1).

Fig. 1.1 Start of a project.

After all the necessary drawings and specifications are prepared, bids would be called. Based on the bids, a contractor would be selected.

Construction—early phase: Prior to any construction work, the site has to be prepared. Site preparation work includes cutting trees, constructing temporary roads for delivery trucks and concrete trucks, constructing temporary parking lots for workers, dewatering to remove water from excavations, and setting up office trailers, security fences, and erosion control mechanisms such as silt fences, setup temporary phone lines and power (Fig. 1.2).

Fig. 1.2 Site preparation work.

Soil grading and fill: After site preparation work, the site has to be graded. High ground has to be cut and low ground has to be filled (Fig. 1.3).

Fig. 1.3 Proposed construction and original ground level.

Soil grading is the process of cutting the original...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Chapter 1: Construction—General Introduction
• Chapter 2: Site Work
• Chapter 3: Concrete Construction
• Chapter 4: Steel Construction
• Chapter 5: Construction Equipment
• Chapter 6: Earthwork Construction and Layout
• Chapter 7: Site Layout and Control
• Chapter 8: Highway Curves (Horizontal and Vertical Curves)
• Chapter 9: Trench Excavations
• Chapter 10: Construction Stakes and Markings
• Chapter 11: Earthwork Mass Diagrams
• Chapter 12: Quantity Takeoff and Cost Estimating
• Chapter 13: Equipment Depreciation
• Chapter 14: Engineering Analysis
• Chapter 15: Earned Value Management
• Chapter 16: Construction Operations and Methods
• Chapter 17: Dewatering in Construction
• Chapter 18: Pumps and Pump Curves
• Chapter 19: Scheduling
• Chapter 20: Material Quality Control
• Chapter 21: Temporary Structures
• Chapter 22: Loads During Construction
• Chapter 23: Worker Health, Safety, and Environment
• Chapter 24: Temporary Traffic Control
• Chapter 25: Construction Management
• Chapter 26: Case Studies
• Index