PLANNING OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Extent of mechanization Nature & Magnitude of work Indigenous equipment Cost comparison for Machine & Labour Large quantity of material handling & speed of construction Possibility of using manual labour should be explored

DISADVANTAGES CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Success of a mechanized Construction Coordination of all equipments

Ex : Failure of pump employed for dewatering a foundation pit may cause the excavator and hauling units to become idle

Regular Maintenance is needed

If maintenance is poor, it may increase cycle time of the concerned activities and increase downtime..

Adequate Service & Maintenance req. Safety at Work is important.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF EQUIPMENT

Use of available equipment

- New Equip may not be fully utilized - Utilization on future projects unforeseen - Economics, Depreciation etc

Suitability of Job Conditions

- Demand of job. Soil & Valley Condition, climate, working condition etc

Uniformity in types
- Min No of Types - Common types of engines for different machines

Size of Equipment Use of Standard Equipment

- Commonly manufactured - Easily available - Moderately priced - Spare parts should be easily available

Unit Cost of Production

- Freight - Packing - Insurance - Erection

Country of Origin
- Soft currency

Availability of Spare parts

Versatility Selection of Manufacturer Suitability of local labour Adaptability for future use

COMMON CONCRETING EQUIPMENT

CONCRETE PUMP

Pumping, as a means of transporting and placing concrete, has been used in developed countries over last 4 to 5 decades. Often it has been found to be the economical solution of transporting concrete from mixing plant to the form, because by eliminating the use of dumpers, barrows hoists, etc., it can provide a considerable reduction in labour.

But its other main advantage is, it can place concrete in congested sites with little access. Pumping is a means by which concrete can be transported both horizontally as well as vertically, and, with hydraulically driven pumps mounted on trucks or trailers, quick site to site movement, for placing of concrete is possible.

From the usage point of view, there are two variety of pumps, the first one is the static type usually mechanically driven models, and uses larger size bore, (125 mm to 250 mm) pipelines. Consequently, shifting of pump and erection and dismantling of relatively heavier pipe lines are required. The second type is usually hydraulically driven, uses comparatively smaller bore (75 mm to 100 mm) pipelines. They are usually mounted ontruck or trailer and this is relatively recent development in technology.

Mechanically driven pumps

This type of pump consists of a hopper through which concrete is fed, below which there is a rotary valve such that it can open, to allow inflow of concrete into the pump cylinder during suction stroke. The piston in the pump cylinder moves backward during suction stroke and concrete is sucked in. During the pumping stroke when the piston moves forward the inlet valve closes and blocks the entry of concrete from hopper.

 The outlet valve closes during suction stroke and opens during pumping stroke allowing concrete to flow into the delivery pipe. Thus the concrete moves along the pipeline with a pulsating flow. The hopper is usually equipped with remixing blades to agitate the concrete. Water is
continuously flushed in the back of the cylinder, i.e. the non-concrete side, to remove any concrete slurry that may have entered. This is done to reduce the friction between piston and cylinder.

Usually, they are powered by electric motor or diesel engine, and operates at a maximum rate of 40 strokes/minute. Stroke length is of the order of 300 mm and diameter of the cylinder may be 160 mm to 210 mm. Output is of the order of 18m3/h for single cylinder model and that for twin cylinder model is about of 34 m3/h. Pumping distance can be of the order of 450m or a vertical lift of 40 m for cylinder dia of 180 mm for a single cylinder model.

These are simple in principle, but with their mechanical system they are heavy and require mounting at the base. The pipe diameter for delivery line is large and erection and dismantling of such pipe line is cumbersome. These pumps operate from one position for long time. But they can handle a large volume of concrete over considerable distance, thus, suited where large volume of
concrete is needed for a long time.

By providing feeder pipeline at discharge end, greater flexibility in placing can be obtained

Hydraulic pumps

This is the most popular type of equipment used these days. Hydraulic system using water or oil as hydraulic fluid, being lighter can be mounted on a truck to make them mobile, thus can be used for smaller jobs. The stroke length is usually more and thus less number of strokes allow the concrete flow to be more continuous. Control of pumping speed is possible by varying the delivery pipe diameter of the pump. Hydraulic mechanism of piston allows for a steady pressure on the concrete for most of the

length of stroke, thus sudden pressure on concrete is avoided. The hydraulic pumps are easy to operate from maintenance point of such pump is much larger than that of a mechanical pump, therefore velocity of concrete to be lifted to higher elevations, the ratio of maximum horizontal pumping of view also. The pipe dia of the delivery is much smaller, thus easy to handle, and output distance to vertical lift is much lower, usually of the order of 3 to 4 compared to 10 to 11 in case of mechanical pumps

Oil driven piston pumps

Oil driven hydraulic systems are most common. A double acting hydraulic ram connected to the piston, drives the piston in each cylinder. Oil to the ram is supplied by a pump, driven by a diesel engine or motor. The twin cylinder operate in sequence, such that when one is admitting the concrete the other one is discharging. Flushing by water is also done in order to reduce friction between piston and the cylinder.

The length of the pumping stroke is 600-2000 mm and the range of cylinder bore is to mm. Output may be in the range of 15-114 m3/h. Maximum pumping heights can be 70 to 80 m with maximum horizontal distance of pumping about 400 m. Fig. 1.2 shows diagram of such a pump

Water driven hydraulic pumps

In this type of hydraulic pump a centrifugal water pump applies pressure to the piston. When twin cylinders are used, the pressure is applied alternately to each piston. The pistons have no rods, but are connected to each other by steel rope so that, as one piston is pushed forward on the delivery stroke the other is pulled back on the suction stroke. Stroke length is usually 2 to 3 m. The output can be of the order of 125 m3/h with a delivery height of 7.5ms

Peristaltic pumps

A pump based on peristaltic or squeeze principle is usually designed for small-bore operation The concrete from the hopper, fitted with rotating blades to assist flow of concrete into pumping cylinder and for mild remixing, passes through a flexible tube, to the pumping chamber. The pumping chamber is circular. Two diametrically opposite rollers are fixed to the inner side of the pumping chamber. The flexible tube which carries concrete lies between the roller and the inner side of chamber.

The rollers are rotated about their spindles by hydraulic power. This causes a squeezing action on concrete and thus a local compression, which in turn forces the concrete forward towards the outlet. Since there is no valve and with pipe diameter same as the squeeze tube, concrete does not undergo any further changes in diameter. To assist this action a high vacuum is maintained in the pumping chamber, thus concrete enters the delivery line under pressure. With this kind of roller action thus a continuous flow of concrete takes place.

These pumps are also light, self-contained and pipe bore being small on be made mobile. Pipe bore is usually in the range of 75 to 100 mm, with the squeeze tube also of same dimension. Output upto 69 m3/h, with a maximum horizontal pumping distance of 183 m and vertical lift of 46 m have been reported.

Pump valve system There are four types of valves which are normally used in concrete pumps, (1)Flat gate or slide valves, usually operate on sliding principle, and serve both as inlet and outlet valve. They are used in both single cylinder and twin cylinder pumps. (2)Spade valves, have curves profile to aid the flow of concrete are separate for inlet and outlet operation. Thus there are four valves in a twin cylinder pump. (3)Flapper valves, which perform both inlet and outlet function in a twin cylinder pump. The valve can rotate about a vertical axis allowing concrete to pass on both sides of the blade, one side allows concrete to flow

from cylinder to pipe line and the other side from hopper to cylinder. Easy maintenance and quick clearance of blockages are the advantages of this system, however concrete need to be taken through a tortuous path. (4) Rotary valves are used mostly on mechanical pumps.

Pipelines for the pump Major consideration in the selection of pipelines are, they need be capable of with standing the abrasion due to concrete flow and also capable of withstanding the rough handling at site. At the same time they need to be light for ease of handling. Steel has been the commonest material and recent development in metal technology has reduced the weight/length of steel pipe for require abrasion resistance and strength. Aluminum pipes have also been used but strength of concrete delivered through aluminum pipes is adversely affected by the reaction between cement paste and aluminum, Ca (OH) and reactive alkalis take part in such a reaction generating hydrogen, thus

causing expansion of plastic concrete, with the consequence that, strength and durability of concrete is lowered considerably. Limited use of plastic pipes have also have also been reported, but plastic pipes need reinforcement and strengthening at the end, for coupling. Flexible hoses are used on booms and at delivery end of the pipelines, where pressure is relatively low. Low frictional resistance and high resistance to wear are the qualities which are required for hoses. Helical reinforcement can be used to avoid kinks. Other pipe accessories include, pipe couplings, rotary distributors, shut-off valve, discharge pocket, washout gun, adjustable pipe support, trap basket etc.

Operation and cleaning The following points need consideration while planning the pumping operations. Type of pump required. Concrete mix design Pump locations Concrete supply Layout of pipeline and boom Pump location and space for cleaning Cleaning operation is normally done by compressed air or water. This process is continued till overall flashing is over. Cleaning with water is generally safer.

COMMON CONCRETING EQUIPMENT

RMC VEHICLES

There are mainly two types of vehicle namely; truck mixer and agitator trucks, although tipper trucks and dumper can also be used for transporting ready mixed concrete.

Truck Mixer It consists of a mixing drum mounted on a truck chasis, which is capable of being revolved by power take-off from the prime mover. The drum can mix concrete or merely keep mixed concrete agitated. The vehicle is equipped with a water tank for carrying the mixing water and an arrangement for adding the water to dry ingradients, in the drum. The truck mixers usually have a capacity ranging from 1 m3 to 6m3. For maximum economy of operation they may have delivery radius of 10 to 16 kms, depending upon the capacity of the truck. A swinging discharge chute is usually provided so that concrete can be deposited over a wide area.

Agitator Truck

The agitator consists of a conically shaped drum of 1m3 2m3 capacity, the cone being considerably more elongated than normal type of mixer drum. The concrete is mixed before it is placed in the agitator and the agitator merely keeps it mixed and prevents it from stiffening prematurely. The spiral blades are much less elaborate than those in a proper mixer. They are arranged to move the mix towards the open end of the drum to help discharge but is countered during transit by tilting the drum upward.

The agitator is usually driven by the prime mover at 1 to 3 r.p.m. and the agitation can be continued when the truck is stationary by placing the gear lever at neutral. The discharge chute widens the range of discharge.

Vehicle

Type and range of work Advantages for which the vehicle is best suited
Used to mix and transport Central Mixing plant is not concrete to job site over needed, only a batching plant is short and very long hauls plant necessary as concrete can be completely mixed in the truck. Controlled discharge is possible thus there is no loss of homogeneity of concrete on discharge Truck agitators usually operate from central mixing plants, where quality concrete is produced under controlled condition . Discharge from the agitator is well controlled. Capital cost of such a vehicle is lower than truck mixer or truck agtators

Remarks

Truck Mixer

Control of concrete quality is not as good as central mixing. Slump test of concrete consistency are needed on discharge.Careful preparations are needed for receiving the concrete at site. Timing of delivers to suit job organization. Concrete crew and equipment must be ready on site to handle concrete in large batches. Concrete slump should be limited possibility of segregation. Height is needed for high lift of truck body upon discharge.

Truck Agitator Used to transport concrete Non agitating for all uses in pavements, trucks structures and buildings and buildings. Haul distance must allow discharge of concrete within 1 hours of mixing Used to transport concrete on short hauls

Transporting and Placing of Concrete

The uniform wet concrete produced from a mixer is required to be transported to the forms for placing. This handling tends to produce more or less segregation and loss of slump, if the distance is long. The practical consideration of economy frequently operates to place the mixer far from the forms. Methods of transporting and placing, which permit the use of drier mixes, reduce the water cement ratio and hence are better. Drier mixes also reduce the change of segregation. The method selected may be adopted for the slump specified.

General methods of transporting & placing concrete

Discharge directly in to forms through short chute or for a very small lead manually in containers By wheel barrows and power buggies Dumpers and trucks (agitating and non agitating) Monorail system Elevating towers and hoists Skips operated by cranes or overhead cable ways Belt conveyers and Boom conveyers

General methods of transporting & placing concrete contd

Tremie Truck mixers Concrete pumps and pneumatic placers Any combinations of above.

1.

Direct

Discharge,

Manual

Transport

in

Containers and Short Chutes

Manual means is least sophisticated. Segregation resulting from throwing of concrete in to form, depends on the skill of the labour. Free fall of concrete over a height of 2m is to be avoided. Chutes are usually regarded undesirable,because they tend to produce segregation and loss of slump

1. Direct Discharge, Manual Transport in Containers and Short Chutes contd.. Short chutes with proper lower end treatment do not offend seriously in this regard As they are simple to use and economical They are usually metallic, half round in section, stiffened at places in order to avoid serious deformation and collapse under weight of concrete The chutes must be steep enough to permit concrete to flow without assistance Chutes require cleaning by washing immediately after each use

2a.Wheel Barrow-manual
Wheel barrows preferably pneumatically tyred are used for small jobs and for small haul lengths Capacity of such a wheel barrow is about 80 kg of concrete They can be wheeled up and down on scaffolding boards and can be easily handled by one man and accommodated in a usual material hoist. The time required to position and fill successive barrow load usually controls the number of batches produced per hour . Hand carts and prams are also of similar capacity.

2b.Power barrows
The haul length and capacity of power barrows are more than that of manual barrow more quantity of concrete is handled by a single person, whose job is to control and direct the movement of the barrow The haul length may be about 300m and capacity may be upto about 800 kg of concrete Due to triangular arrangements of wheels they have better maneuverability and they can accent over a gradient of 20 percent easily

2b.Power barrows contd

Power barrows, while transporting concrete over very rough terrain, may cause segregation of the concrete due to jolting. Usually power barrows are loaded from a hopper having low discharge gate, underneath which the barrow would be brought in for loading . This type of transportation of concrete in barrows prams, etc., is useful in construction of slabs or similar flat structures . Thus for building construction casting of wall column and floor, etc. may be done together to obtain more efficiency

3.Dumpers and Trucks

Used in road, dam or airport constructions, where concrete is to be transported over a relatively long haul distance . The haul distance may be even 5 to 10 kms Maneuverability of dumpers are more and are suitable also for rough and soft terrain. For controlled discharge hydraulic tipping may be used to discharge concrete into bucket, platform or directly into mould The capacity of a dumper may range from 0.5m3 to 0.75m3, where as a truck can be of capacity ranging from 3m3 to 15m3.

3.Dumpers and Trucks contd

Because of the jolting on the ground, ordinary trucks and dumpers tend to cause segregation of concrete during transit To reduce segregation during loading and discharge, distribution of concrete over the whole surface area of truck body is necessary, rather than forming a heap. The agitator truck of course totally a eliminates the possibility of segregation

4. Elevating Tower and Hoists (Vertical transport)

In concreting of high level bridge deck, multistory buildings, etc., elevating towers are used for lifting concrete buckets . On a very large dam, the tower height may be 50 m or so, with a bucket capacity of about 1.5m3 For lower elevation, power driven winches and hand operated winches are used for lifting the concrete Hoists operate on a similar principle. A cantilever platform hoist operates along a steel lattice mast For, chimneys, narrow shafts and slip form constructions rope guided hoists are used, instead of hoists in central tower or tower masts

4. Elevating Tower and Hoists contd

The rate of output per hour, maximum height of elevation, the power source, available space at ground level and secondary distribution system to be used are the major considerations while selecting the type of hoist required for a particular construction site One of the major disadvantages of hoists is that, they are always associated with a secondary means of distribution of concrete at top and costs of such a distribution system is the main consideration in selection of hoist

5.Monorail System
Monorail system needs a track and consists of a power wagon mounted on the single rail track, which can move at a speed of 80-90 m/min The wagon needs no driver Can be fuel powered engine for drive, or can be battery driven or driven directly by electricity This system can transport concrete through a maximum gradient of 1 in 12 The segregation of concrete may take place due to jolting of concrete in the wagon over each rail joints

6. Cranes and Cableway (Two or three dimensional transport)

When a large area is to be covered for concrete transport without a secondary distribution system, cranes or cableways may be used Cable way is useful in river valley projects Cranes and cable-ways are often used for transporting other objects in addition to transporting concrete Derrick crane, tower crane, crawler mounted, or wheel mounted, or a hydraulic crane may be used. The main consideration in selecting the crane is height and radius of operation, the ground condition, etc

6. Cranes and Cableway contd

The hydraulic crane can be used in situation where accessibility is very difficult A cable way has the advantage of being away from other operation, thus their interference with the other activities in the site is least Stiffer concrete can be handled for considerable distances

7.Belt conveyor
Power required to drive a conveyor is usually small By increasing the speed of running the discharge can be as high as 115 m3/hour on a narrow strip of belt Conveyor lengths can be varied, and toughing of belt through suitable idlers may be provided Conveying concrete through a limited elevation of 300 is possible Belt conveyors are suitable for large thick rafts or large area slabs

7.Belt conveyor contd

A dumper mounted unit is used to transport concrete from dumper to mould One of the major drawbacks of conveyors, when it is long, is that, in case of a breakdown of machines, large amount of concrete would remain in the belt itself Initial cost of setting up is also high Both dry as well as wet mixes can be handled with conveyors for slump of 50 mm inclination may be 240 but for a slump of 150 mm the inclination is 12o only

8.Concrete buckets or skips

Buckets or Skips are most popular containers used for transporting concrete. From their operation point of view, there are two types of bucket or skip, 1) Roll-over 2) Constant altitude type

8.Concrete buckets or skips contd

Height required during loading is more in constant altitude skip compared to that of a roll-over skip, but clearance under the hook is lower in the former. The capacity of skip may vary from 0.2 m3 in small jobs to 10 m3 in mass concreting

8.Concrete buckets or skips contd

The roll-over skip may require manual assistance for low slump concrete, it is suitable for discharge into narrow opening from works . Buckets are also used for under water concreting One of the disadvantages of using bucket in underwater concreting is that, turbulance of the water caused during lowering of the bucket may wash away the mortar from already placed concrete

9.General Consideration in placing of Concrete

Maintaining uniformity of the concrete segregation control Concrete behaves like a heavy emulsion For higher slump mixes there is a tendency for heavier particles to settle below During lateral movement coarse aggregate and mortar tends to separate Pouring concrete at the same place or when dumped at an angle cause lateral movement For proper bond between two horizontal layer, each layer shall be soft when a new layer is placed upon it.

9.General Consideration in placing of Concrete

At joints compaction must be ensured When concrete is placed over rock or hardened concrete a layer of mortar shall be placed at all portion of the joint before concrete is poured. It is necessary to ensure that concrete reaches all corners of the form and is well compacted The concrete shall be placed generally within 20 minutes of mixing and should not be disturbed after 1 hr of mixing the water with cement It the temperature is more than 300 precautions are required to be taken by using cooler water, cooler aggregate

10. Under water placing and the tremie

Concrete cannot be compacted and may get mixed with water Concrete must be self compacting and wet enough to flow under its own weight, and must be placed with least disturbances The common methods of placing the concrete underwater are: use of pre packed or grouted concrete Tremie pipe or using bottom open bucket described earlier Pumping Dumping by bags

1) 2) 3) 4)

10. Under water placing and the tremie contd

The tremie consists of a rigid pipe either metallic or plastic, with a hopper at the top for feeding the concrete in to the pipe from a concrete source The pipe must be jointless or formed by bolting together a series of flanged section with water tight joints The support system for the tremie must be capable of lowering and raising it, whenever required At the beginning the tremie pipe is lowered fully and loose pug of material such as plastic sponge, coir or paper is inserted at the top concrete is then loaded on top of such a plug

10. Under water placing and the tremie contd

The plug forms a separation between the water and concrete And as the concrete is fed, this plug forces out the water in the pipe As the plug reaches the bottom the pipe is raised a little to drive out the plug and the concrete is then placed at the bottom The diameter of the tremie pipe is usually of the order of 150 mm and above. The tremie is very useful in diaphragm wall construction where concreting is done under bentonite slurry in trenches.

Equipment
Crane & Hoists

Type & Range of operation

Advantages
also handles items other than concrete Convey concrete from mixer to form utilizes versatility of cranes Labour intensive Low cost

Remarks
careful planning is required controllable discharge is necessary slow process Proper slope and discharge arrangement is necessary Cleaning of belts is needed Skilful operation is must Cross-section shall be large enough so that no interference with reinforcement Careful operation is necessary richer mix is required
---

Work above ground level

Useful on cranes and cableways For short hauls Conveying concrete to a lower level
Conveying concrete horizontally or through limited slope

Buckets & skips

Barrows & Prams

Chutes Belt Conveyor

Can handle large volume of concrete at fast rate Ideal for tunnel concreting

Pneumatic Placers Drop chutes & Elephant trunking

can place concrete in difficult location

Placing concrete in vertical forms

For under water concreting Used in pavements For horizontal movement of concrete Used in river valley projects

Segregation free concreting

---

Tremies Screw spreaders Monorail Cableways

-----

Capital intense careful planning is required

Can carry other items also

11.Economic aspects and selection

Wheeled transports are essentially meant for relatively long horizontal hauls The rate of delivery, mixer type and their output, distance of haulage, site conditions and place of delivery, and discharge characteristics are the factors on which selection of wheeled transport is dependent While comparing the cost involved in different alternatives, following needs careful considerations: Capacity, speed of travel, charging and discharging time of the transport, number of vehicles required,

11.Economic aspects and selection contd 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. labour cost, hire rates, fuel cost, maintenance cost and cost of access, etc