construction equipment

Types of construction equipment ::

Today, in order to quickly and easily construct any building, whether a small private house or commercial construction, it is needed a whole arsenal of construction equipment.

Excavators

Excavator,perhaps, the most demanded type of construction equipment. And this is not surprising, because it can perform several functions at one time. Having applied the additional attachments, it can serve as a digging machine (excavate trenches and foundation pits for buildings), loader (unloading loose goods), autograder (flatten small areas with a simple type of soil). In case the construction scale will be relatively small, for example, constructioning of a private house or small area building, a powerful excavator is able to replace several types of construction equipment all at once.

Building cranes

Regardless of the extent of the planned construction works, the building crane will definitely be necessary at the construction site. It may be, for example, automobile crane, which can easily cope with a small amount of work, such as construction of a private house or cottage. Its advantage lies in the fact that having sufficiently high power, it is mobile and does not require time and expenditures for its mounting and dismantling. This allows using the crane most effectively, with reducing the term of the lease. If a tower crane is needed to fulfil the entire spectrum of operations, it is most likely to be taken on lease for a long term (from six months or more).

Dumptrucks

Dumptrucks are designed for transporting and quick unloading of a variety of loose materials. These can be sand, crushed stone, keramzit and others. Besides that, the dumptrucks are used for disposition of garbage. Such machinery is needed on each construction site. It is particularly relevant where it is needed equipment with high off-road capability. Choosing a dumptruck, the following factors should be carefully considered: the construction conditions, types of loads to be transported, as well as weight-carrying capacity and the type of carbody overturning (side or rear). 

Hydraulic hammers

Another essential tool on the constructing site is hydraulic hammer, which is used as an attachment to excavator. It allows breaking down the cement and concrete canvas and destroying obsolete constructions. For example, the hydraulic hammer may be necessary for connecting the facility to communications, which are hidden under asphalt or demolition of needless partitions and walls, in case you making a reconstruction of the building.

Bulldozers

Bulldozers are typically used either in the preparatory, or at the final stage of construction operations. Its functions are to smooth out the pads, move large amounts of ground, dig or landfill trenches. Bulldozers are very effective, but along with this easy to use, efficient and mobile. According to technical characteristics, the bulldozers are divided into the following types: of general and special purpose, with angle blade and straight blade. In addition, the bulldozers can vary by a different traction class.

Concrete mixers

oday almost in any construction the following materials as concrete, cement or various types of solutions are used for pouring the foundation, creating of monolithic structures, brick masonry. In order to ensure uninterrupted supply of solution to the construction site, you need both mobile and stationary concrete mixers. They are easy to use, reliable, provide efficient mixing of all components of the solution. You can choose the model of concrete mixer, which is the best in terms of performance and filling space size.

Civil Engineering Journals

Civil Engineering Journals

The World Famous Civil Engineering Journals and Magazines are listed below:

ASCE Journal of Infrastructure Systems –  

Publish cross-disciplinary papers about methodologies for monitoring, evaluating, expanding, repairing, replacing, financing, or otherwise sustaining the civil infrastructure.

Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering –

Bimonthly journal of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. Publishes articles in the fields of structure, construction, mechanics, materials,transportation, computer applications, hydrotechnical and environmental engineering.

Civil Engineering Magazine Online – 
Explore the latest contents of Civil Engineering magazine, the official publication of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Civil Engineering News Online – 
An independent news source for information on engineered projects; consulting firm management; surveying GPS; rehabilitation of structures; construction materials methods; public works.
 
Concrete Canoe Magazine – 
 Published annually and dedicated to students that are involved in the concrete canoe project.
 
 Engineering News-Record – 

Site features headline news, searchable directories of engineers, contractors and industry job listings for architects, engineers, and other professionals.
 
Geotechnical and Geological Engineering –
 An international journal that covers the complete spectrum of geo-engineering including soil and rock engineering and hydrogeology.
 
Grading and Ecavation Contractor Online –
 Grading and Excavation Contractor is a professional journal covering the construction industry, published by Forester Publishing, Inc.
 
Institution of Civil Engineer’s Virtual Library –
 Provides searchable access to the institute’s repository of full text civil engineering papers stretching back to 1836. Pay per view or subscription based.

Journal of Composites for Construction – 
 Deals with composite materials consisting of continuous synthetic fibers and matrices for use in civil engineering structures and subjected to the loading and environments of the infrastructure.
 
Observer Newsletter –
 A newsletter for all engineers and those interested in the profession.
 
Roads and Bridges Magazine –
 Provides engineers, contractors and government information on equipment, materials, technology, and products targeted to transportation specifying/buying teams who design, build and maintain the facilities.

Terra et Aqua –
 International journal on public works, ports and waterways developments. Presents dredging related papers on important scientific and state-of-the-art subjects.

Current Methods Journal - 
 explores water resources engineering, with articles and current events ihydrology and hydraulics. From Haestad Methods.

Thomas Telford Journals - 
online journals include Geotechnique, Civil Engineering, Structural Concrete and the complete proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 

 

Journal of Hydraulic Research - 

bimonthly published by the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR)

Slip form work::

Slip form is similar in nature and application to jump form, but the formwork is raised vertically in a continuous process. It is a method of vertically extruding a reinforced concrete section and is suitable for construction of core walls in high-rise structures – lift shafts, stair shafts, towers, etc. It is a self-contained formwork system and can require little crane time during construction.

This is a formwork system which can be used to form any regular shape or core. The formwork rises continuously, at a rate of about 300mm per hour, supporting itself on the core and not relying on support or access from other parts of the building or permanent works.

Commonly, the formwork has three platforms. The upper platform acts as a storage and distribution area while the middle platform, which is the main working platform, is at the top of the poured concrete level. The lower platform provides access for concrete finishing.Productivity models for the application of slip forms to the core of high-rise buildings and silos are designed using simulation.These models consider several factors that affect productivity,suchas stoppage times, jacking rates, silo diameter, placing method, cross section area, and concrete setting time. Several charts are developed to determine productivity of slip forms considering different stoppages, core cross section area, and concrete placing methods. The models are tested and show high accuracy in predicting slip-form productivity.

• Slip form does not require the crane to move upwards, minimising crane use.
• Since the formwork operates independently, formation of the core in advance of the rest of the structure takes it off the critical path – enhancing main structure stability.
• Availability of the different working platforms in the formwork system allows the exposed concrete at the bottom of the rising formwork to be finished, making it an integral part of the construction process.
• Certain formwork systems permit construction of tapered cores and towers.
• Slip form systems require a small but highly skilled workforce on site.
• Completed formwork assembly is robust.
• Strength of concrete in the wall below must be closely controlled to achieve stability during operation.
• Site operatives can quickly become familiar with health and safety aspects of their job
• High levels of planning and control mean that health and safety are normally addressed from the beginning of the work.
• This formwork is more economical for buildings more than seven storeys high.Little flexibility for change once continuous concreting has begun therefore extensive planning and special detailing are needed.
• Setting rate of the concrete had to be constantly monitored to ensure that it is matched with the speed at which the forms are raised.
• The structure being slipformed should have significant dimensions in both major axes to ensure stability of the system. 

Smarter Parking Technology

How Smarter Parking Technology Will Reduce Traffic Congestion::

Between 8% and 74% of traffic in congested downtown areas is caused by people cruising for parking, according to a report by UCLA professor Donald Shoup who synthesized studies from 70 years of research on the subject. The paper indicates that drivers in major cities — including San Francisco, Sydney, New York and London — spend between 3.5 and 14 minutes searching for a space each time they park.

The last study Shoup included in his report ended in 2001. Today, wasted cruising time is likely longer, and it's on track to get worse. During a recent Ted Talk in March, Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. estimated that the number of cars on the road could go from 800 million to nearly 3 billion by 2050.

While the sci-fi possibilities of Ford's full vision have yet to be realized, many companies and cities have started implementing smart solutions for parking and traffic problems. What they're learning in these first steps may help shape the future of smart driving.

The city of Los Angeles recently installed low-power sensors and smart meters to track the occupancy of parking spaces throughout the Hollywood district, one of its most congested areas. The sensors are about the size of a coffee cup lid and are embedded in the asphalt. The smart meters attach to regular meters and allow users to pay with their mobile phones in addition to communicating payment information to the city.

With the information from the sensors, the city is able to change pricing on its parking depending on demand — raising it for a special event or a particularly busy hour, for instance. The information also alerts enforcement officials about expired parking meters or other parking violations and reduces the time they spend driving in circles.

Drivers can also access information gathered by the sensors through a free app called Parker. The app alerts drivers where there they are or are not likely to find an available parking space so that they can save time cruising around.

"Once you have this infrastructure of sensors throughout a city, you can use these networks in a number of different ways," she says. "We’re starting in parking today, but eventually you can envision this being used for measurement of pollution or to detect if a water pressure system in a fire hydrant is operating at the right pressure or if a streetlight bulb needs to be replaced. ... there are lots of smart city applications that can be built on top of this."