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1) Understand The Criticality Of Proper Equipment

Selection

2) Identify Steps for Identifying Equipment Needs

3) Understand Earthwork Quantity Survey

4) Be able to Compile Earthwork Computations

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 Every construction project is a unique
undertaking.

Therefore, planning is undertaken to

understand the problems and to develop
courses of action.

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 Criticality of Proper Equipment Selection
 Equipment is a human augmentation mechanism.

 There are various equipment specialized to accomplish

specific objectives.

 Construction operations frequently consist of chains of

equipment known as equipment spreads.

 These equipment spreads need to be balanced in their

performance to optimize efficiency.

 If equipment is not optimized, costs cannot be minimized.

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 Review the Contract Documents
 Study the plans
 Visit the Site
 Compile Work Packages
 Do quantity take-off
 Determine Methods
 Select Equipment
 Balance Spreads

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 To relate the physical site
characteristics to the work
details.

• What time of year will work be

accomplished?
• What is the regular rainfall?
• Special Drainage considerations?
• Neighborhood considerations?
(e.g. Dust control)
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▪ Take a backhoe and dig a hole.
▪ How deep is the topsoil?
▪ Remember your soil mechanics lab.
▪ Feel it in your hands, roll it, see
how plastic it is?
▪ Is the material easily manipulated?
▪ Is it easily diggable?
▪ Is there rock?
▪ Is ripping necessary?
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After the plans are examined and the site
visit is completed :
Determine the quantity of materials that
must be moved.
❑ Stripped

❑ Cut

❑ Hauled

❑ Spread

❑ Graded

❑ Finished 8
Three kinds of views are
presented in the contract
documents to show earthwork
construction features.
✓Plan View

✓Profile View

✓Cross-Section (X-Section) View

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The plan view is looking down on the proposed
work and presents the horizontal alignment of
features

Plan view of a roadway

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The profile view is a cut view typically along
the centerline of the work.

It presents the vertical alignment of features.

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Plane cutting the work at a right angle to its long axis

natural ground

✓ When the ground surface is regular, sections are typically

taken at every full station (100 ft.)

✓ When the ground is irregular, sections must be taken at

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closer intervals & at points of change
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 Cross Section
Cut/Fill

Embankment (Fill)

Figure 13.3 Earthwork cross sections.

Excavation (Cut)

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 Cross sections are used to determine and measure the number of

cubic feet of cut or fill within the limits of the proposed roadway

Vertical Scale
Horizontal Scale
Cross sections are lined with grid lines so that the road pattern may
be drawn according to the typical section dimensions.

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Other methods include the
use of:

 A planimeter,

 Subdivision of the area into geometric figures

with definite formulas for areas,

 Or use of the trapezoidal formula.

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If the calculations must be made by hand,
the area formula for a triangle and a
trapezoid are used to compute the volume.

 Area of a triangle = ½ h x w
( h1 + h2 )
 Area of a trapezoid = w
2

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 
Area =  + h1 + h2 + ... + h( n −1 ) + n   w
h0 h
 2 2

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Most organizations use commercial computer
software and digitizing tablets to calculate cross
section end areas.

AutoCAD

Geopak

www.agtek.com

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Average End Area

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 ( A1 + A2 ) L
Volume [net cy] = 
2 27
Assumes that the ground between the two
end areas changes in a linear fashion.

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 Cut area of Sta. 169+00.00 is 89 square feet
 Cut area of Sta. 169+50.00 is 109 square feet.
 There is 50 feet between stations.
 Calculate the volume to be removed from between these
stations.
 Calculate the average area of the sections.
 89 + 109 = 198 = 99 ft² (average end area)
2 2

 Calculate the volume between the stations.

 99 * 50 = 4,950 cubic feet (=183 cy)
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Earthwork is basically an operation
where material is:
• Removed from high spots

• Deposited in low spots

• “Making up” of any deficit with borrow

• Wasting of excess cut material.

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An earthwork volume sheet, can easily be
constructed using a spreadsheet program.

It permits a systematic recording of

information and completing the necessary
earthwork calculations

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• There are 12 columns
• 11 are for excavation quantities
• The 12th is for accumulating the Mass Ordinate
• This view of excavation provides great insight 27
Average End Area

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Stations. Column 1 is a listing of all stations
at which cross-sectional areas have been
recorded.

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Area of cut. Column 2 is the cross-sectional
area of the cut at each station.

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Area of fill. Column 3 is the cross-sectional area of
the fill at each station*.
* Note there can be both cut and fill at a station.

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