Assignment and Project For Equipment
Assignment and Project For Equipment
Assignment and Project For Equipment
1) Write a short essay about the current status of the Ethiopian construction
industry equipment management with regards to its strength and limitations.
Ethiopia has witnessed significant growth in its construction sector over the last few
years. The Ethiopian construction industry has been recognized as one of the primary
drivers of the country's socio-economic development. With a rapidly growing
population, urbanization, and infrastructure expansion projects, the demand for
construction equipment and machinery has significantly increased.
This essay aims to briefly delve into the current status of Ethiopian construction
industry equipment management, analyzing the strengths and limitations.
Strengths:
1. Government Support:
The Ethiopian government has been actively prioritizing the development of the
construction industry, with a focus on infrastructure projects. This has translated into
favorable policies and tax incentives, encouraging investment in the sector.
Consequently, the construction industry equipment management has witnessed
commendable growth and backing from the government and private sectors.
The Ethiopian construction industry has been successful in partnering with various
international companies for the supply of equipment, technology, and investment. The
collaborations have enabled the country to procure high-quality and technologically
advanced construction machinery, boosting efficiency and improving overall
equipment management.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 1
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Limitations:
2. Dependence on Imports:
4. L ack of Standardization:
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 2
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Pneumatic Tyred Rollers that use only tires contribute to the final finish of the
last layer by improving its density, reducing voids, and perfecting the finish.
Pneumatic rollers are widely used for compaction of sub grades, bases and
bituminous mixes.
These type of compaction equipment are suitable for soft base materials or layers
of loose soil and closely grained sands.
It can be used for compaction of the cohesive soils with the moisture content of 2-
4% below the plastic limit.
It is very effective for bituminous layers where the design mix has a high content
of fines.
The end goal is to deliver a high quality compacted surface that will extend the
useful lifetime of the road surface regardless of climate conditions.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 3
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Machines with two vibrating drums usually provide the brute force of compaction
on the hot and mold-able asphalt layer.
Provides compaction power on the front roller and finishing capacity on the rear.
Increased profitability by completing work in less time without the need to use
multiple types of equipment.
Less number of passes to obtain the desired result compared to combinations of
equipment with a similar size.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 4
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Double drum rollers are both powerful and fast , Because they feature both a
front and rear barrel, double drum rollers flatten surfaces twice with every
pass. The additional barrel improves efficiency, allowing crews to complete
projects in less time and companies to minimize labor costs..
3. Asphalt paver
4. Loader
Loaders make construction tasks easier, and they can also move materials
quickly from one point to another.
Used for lifting and moving soil, rocks, debris or other materials in and around
construction sites.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 5
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
5. Air compressor
Cleaning surfaces: Compressed air is used to clean the surfaces before the
application of the asphalt. This ensures that the surface is free from dust, dirt,
and debris, which could otherwise reduce the bonding strength of the asphalt
layers.
Operating pneumatic tools and machinery: Air compressors are used to power
various tools and machinery used in asphalt construction. This includes
jackhammers, pneumatic drills, and compactors, which are essential for breaking
up old asphalt or preparing the construction site.
Spraying tack coat: Compressed air is used to spray the tack coat, a thin layer of
asphalt binder applied between layers of asphalt to improve adhesion and
bonding.
6. Water truck
Clean off equipment and roads, wash filter materials, and power water-driven
equipment such as pressure washers.
Mini dump truck used to transport materials from its dumping station to asphalt
paver.
It is the safest way to quickly transport loose materials from a site.
Used to transport materials, such as sand and gravel, that are to be used within
construction.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 7
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
3) Also assess how the construction company select and acquire equipment on the
construction.
Economic Consideration.
The economic consideration such as owning costs and operating fuel costs of
equipment are most important in selection of equipment. Besides, the resale value, the
replacement cost of existing equipment, and the salvage value associated with the
equipment are also important.
Site – Specific
Site condition, both ground conditions as well as climatic conditions may affect the
equipment selection decision. For example the soil and profile of a site may dictate
whether to go for crawler-mounted equipment. If there is a power line at or in the
vicinity of site one may go for a fixed-base kind of equipment rather than a mobile
kind of equipment
Equipment come with high price tags. While it may be tempting to go for the
equipment with low initial price, it is preferable to optimize for standard equipment.
Such equipment are manufactured in large numbers by the manufacturers, and their
spare parts are easily available, which would ensure minimum downtime.Besides,
they can also fetch good salvage money at the time of their disposal.
The owner/client in a certain project may have certain preferences that are no inline
with the construction company’s preferred policies as far as equipment procurement
is concerned. The schedule quality and safety requirements demanded of a particular
project may in some cases force the company to yield to the-demand of the client
Manufacturer – Specific
A construction company may prefer to buy equipment from the same manufacturer
again and again, and that too from a specific dealer. This may be to bring in
uniformity in the equipment fleet possessed by the company or because the company
is familiar with the working style of the manufacturer and the dealer
Labor Consideration
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 8
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 9
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
4) Compare and contrast wheel mounted, track mounted, and crawler mounted
earth moving equipment with their selection criteria in a specific construction
project.
Wheeled mounted earth moving equipment are easy to move, mainly for small
projects in the city, and for municipal use. Do not work in very soft places. The
wheeled type generally does simple work. On the cement floor and lawn, it will
generally not damage the road surface. The crawler track is a tool possessed by the
project, which will crush the road surface. The main purpose of the wheeled type is
not as wide as the crawler type. The use of the wheeled mounted earth moving
equipment is affected by the environment and has certain limitations. It can only do a
little work.
The crawler mounted earth moving equipment cannot drive on the road, but it can
work in a muddy place without trapping the machine. The machine is also larger and
the efficiency is higher than that of the wheeled excavator.
Are very suitable for carrying out large works in rough terrain.
Can be used for work on soft or wet grounds.
Can be used on sharp rocks or other adverse conditions.
Can climb steep grades (even up to 40 percent).
Requires very less turning space.
Have very less speed for travelling.
Can be shifted from one site to another only on tailor's.
Can travel at higher speeds during operations and also from one job to the other.
Ease in operation. Operator feels less fatigue.
Can travel on paved roads without damaging them.
Can travel long distances at its own power, whereas crawler mounted needs
trailors.
When work is spread over long area, these are found to be producing more
output.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 10
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Operation, maintenance and repair costs are less in wheeled earth moving
equipment as compared to crawler earth moving equipment.
5) Write clearly about the construction crane types, and also the advantage and
limitation of each type of cranes in the construction industry.
The tower crane supports the structures under construction. This support means
moving tools, equipment and building materials from one part to another. The crane
is usually fixed in place inside the construction site using a foundation. The device
has a horizontal lever, arm, canvas or Jib supported by a vertical metal rig. The
horizontal lever can rotate 360 degrees.
Dam construction
Bridge construction
High-rise constructions Residential, office and commercial constructions
Industries, power plants and factories
Tower cranes surpass the loading and lifting capacity of any other crane in the
world.
Their height capacity can’t be matched by any other type of crane.
They have incredible stability and can bear the hardest tasks.
Disadvantages of Tower Crane are:
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 11
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
These cranes are very expensive and they require time, effort and money to be
shifted from one area to another.
They have a high maintenance cost for repairs and depreciation.
They have a major labor-intensive to install.
A hammerhead crane is a heavy-duty lifting system designed to accurately and safely
interact with hefty objects. Hammerhead cranes are used on the heaviest loads on any
construction site.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 12
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Telescopic Cranes are another form of cranes that are employed to transport heavy
goods, consisting of a large boom. The boom has got tubes fitted inside with each
other which increases the height with the help of tubes through a hydraulic
mechanism.Telescopic Cranes are the best type of cranes when it comes to
transferring objects to a high place.
2. Mobile cranes : A mobile crane is mounted on treads or wheels and can be moved
from job site to job site. Mobile cranes are not restricted to a fixed path like a static
crane.
2.1. Crawler Crane
Crawler Crane is a type of mobile crane that moves on tracks which are called
crawlers. It can move around the site without a set-up.The tracks provide stability
enabling the crane to operate without the help of outriggers
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 13
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Crawler Crane can move on any surface of the earth, even it can move on a soft
surface due to its crawlers.
It can be used on unprepared sites as its load is distributed in a greater area.
Crawler Crane is powered by one engine and may consist of two or more cable
operated drums .
Because of the heavy weight of the Crawler Crane, these machines move very
slowly.
It can’t be moved from one site to another easily.
It is not cost-efficient due to its features.
Railroad Cranes move on railway tracks. They are mainly used for construction and
repair of railway tracks and their maintenance. They have three primary
purposes:Freight handling , Permanent way maintenance and Accident recovery
work .
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 14
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
They are very efficient and safe as they use tracks to move.
The loading capacity is between 15 tons to 250 tons.
They have a rapid self-propelling system.
Railroad Crane is They can’t travel on roads or any other place, other than
railways due to their flanges wheels.
drag-line is a mining device and is used for the removal of overburden. In response to
the dimensions and size of the open-cast mining, it can also simultaneously be used
for the transport and tilting
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 15
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
The primary limitations of drag lines are their boom height and boom length,
which limits where the drag line can dump the waste material.
Their dig depth, which is limited by the length of rope the drag line can utilize.
a drag line is most efficient excavating material below the level of their base.
While a drag line can dig above itself, it does so inefficiently and is not suitable
to load piled up material (as a rope shovel or wheel loader can).
SOLUTION
NO, the production of the loader will not keep up with the crusher.
Reason: According to the given information, the loader has a heaped capacity of
3 cubic meters (Lm*3) per bucket and takes 1.2 minutes to complete one cycle.
The crusher has a consumption capacity of 100 cubic meters (Lm*3) per hour.
Even though the loader's production capacity is 150 Lm*3 per hour, the crusher's
consumption capacity is only 100 Lm*3 per hour.
Therefore, the loader will produce more materials than the crusher can consume,
and it will not be able to keep up with the crusher.
7) The following data was extracted from a highway project in Addis Ababa.
Material: -
Silt clay with Density in Loose state = 1850 kg/ Lm3
Density in Bank state = 2181 kg/ Bm3
Density in Compacted state = 2653 kg/ Cm3
LOADER:
Loader capacity = 6.5 Lm3
Loader cycle time = 30 sec
Efficiency = 70%
Bucket fill factor = 0.9
HAULER:
Hauler capacity = 18 Lm3
Variable Time = 600 sec
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 17
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
SOLUTION
= 0.848
= (1 - 0.848) × 100
= 15.2%
= 0.821
= (1 - 0.821) × 100
= 17.9%
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 18
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
= 5.85 Lm3
= 0.008333 hr
= 416.87 Bm3/hr
= 18 Lm3 × 0.848
= 15.26 Bm3
Effective cycle time = Loader cycle time + Variable Time + Fixed Time
= 690 sec
3600 sec/hr
= 0.192 hr
= 63.58 Bm3/hr
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 19
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
= 416.87 Bm3/hr
63.58 Bm3/hr
= 6.56
8. Given the following dozer production charts, what is the average hourly
production(LCY/hr) of a straight-blade D7(with tilt cylinder) moving hard-packed
clay an average distance of 200 feet, down a 10 percent grade, using slot dozing.
The estimated material weight is 2,500 lbs per LCY. The operator is of average
ability and will work during daylight hours. Expected efficiency is 50 minutes per
hours.
A) How much time will it take to move 3,000LCY of hard packed clay, using one D7
dozer using the production rate figured out above?
B) How many D7 dozer would be required to move 3000 LCY of clay in 7 hours?
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 20
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
SOLUTION
Step 2: Find the different correction factors for less than ideal conditions.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 21
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
A) How much time will it take to move 3,000LCY of hard packed clay, using one D7
dozer using the production rate figured out above?
= 16 hours
B) How many D7 dozers would be required to move 3000 LCY of clay in 7 hours?
NB : Total number of dozers = 2.25 by rounding the number up the total number of
dozer is 3(three)
A) Calculate the number of trucks theoretically required and the production of this
combination.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 22
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
B) Calculate the expected production if two trucks are removed from the fleet.
SOLUTION
A) Calculate the number of trucks theoretically required and the production of this
combination.
= 278.25 BCY/h
= 0.0719 h
total Truck Cycle Time = Truck Cycle Time (Excluding Loading) + Truck Loading Time
= 0.5 h + 0.0719 h
= 0.5719 h
Number of Trucks = Actual Shovel Production * Total Truck Cycle Time / Truck Capacity
= 7.96
= 208.69 BCY/h
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 23
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
B. Calculate the expected production if two trucks are removed from the fleet
If we remove two trucks from the fleet, there will be 6 trucks remaining.
= 0.4136 h
= 201.87 BCY/h
10) Determine the probable cost per hour of a CAT 928G Wheel Loader with
145 HP capacity and with a delivered price of Birr 2.8 million. The following
conditions should be considered while establishing the hourly rental rate.
Hours used per year, 2000 hr. Registration fee per two years, 3,000 Birr
Estimated salvage value, 10% of the initial The loader is to operate in Average
price condition
Cost of tires per set, 180,000 Birr Operator basic salary, 6,000 birr per month
Life of tire, 4000 hrs. Working days in a month, 26 days
Repair cost of tires, 15% of the depreciation Working hours per day, 8 hrs.
of tires
Fuel consumption per hour, 13 lt Hourly indexed rate for operator, 1.35
Cost of fuel, 20.13 Birr Insurance charge, 1% Overhead cost, 15% of the direct cost
of the initial price.
Bank Interest rate, 8.5% Profit 15% of the equipment break even
cost
Income tax, 30 % of the gross profit
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 24
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
Table-3 Repair Cost Assumption: Typical Life Time Repair Cost (% of Depreciation cost)
Type of Equipment Operating condition
Favourable Average Severe
Loader:- Track 85 90 105
Wheel 50 60 75
Motor Grader 45 50 55
Scraper 85 90 105
Tractor: -Crawler 85 90 95
Wheel
50 60 75
SOLUTION
1. Ownership Cost:
a. Depreciation Cost (Initial price - Salvage value) / (Useful life * Hours used per year)
= 2,520,000 / 10,000
b. Interest Cost: (Initial Price + Salvage Value) * 0.5 * Bank Interest Rate
= 131,940
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 25
2015 E.C
Project and assignment on construction equipment
and plant management
= 2800 / 10,000
d. Registration Cost: (Registration fee per two years / Hours per two years)
= 3000 / (2000)
2. Operating Cost:
a. Tire Cost: (Cost of tires per set / Life of tire) + (Repair cost of tires *
Depreciation of tires)
= 45 + 6.75
= 13 * 20.13
= 261.69 * 0.25
e. Registration fee:
Registration fee per hour = Registration fee per two years / (Useful life * Hours used per
year)
= 3,000 / (5 * 2000)
f. Insurance cost:
= 1% of 2,800,000
= 28,000 Birr/2000hour
= 696.95 * 0.15
= 807.74 * 0.15
= 121.16 * 0.3
Therefore, the probable cost per hour of a CAT 928G Wheel Loader with 145 HP
capacity and with a delivered price of Birr 2.8 million is approximately 962.75 Birr
per Hour.
NB : Note that the calculations use a standard format and the rules and regulations
mentioned.
UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR 28
2015 E.C