Advantages and Disadvantages of TOTAL STATION

Surveying is one of the most important jobs which must be done before starting a new construction project. Total station is the latest instrument nowadays most commonly used by the surveyors on the job location. Total station consists of an electronic theodolite, an electronic distance measuring device (EDM) and a micro processor having a memory unit. By using this instrument it is possible to find out the coordinates of a reflector adjusting the cross hair of the instrument and at the same time measuring the vertical angles, horizontal angles, and slope distances. A micro processor deals with the recording, readings, and the fundamental calculation of measurements.

The major advantages and disadvantages of total station are as following:

ADVANTAGES OF TOTAL STATION:

1. Quick setup of the instrument on the tripod by utilizing the laser plummet.

2. Programmed with on board area computation for computing the area of a field.

3. It supports local languages.

4. It shows the graphical view of land and plots.

5. No recording and writing errors.

6.It gives more accurate measurements than other conventional surveying instruments.

7. Data can be saved and transferred to a PC.

8. It has integrated database.

9. Computerization of old maps.

10. All in one and multitasking instrument, from surveying to GIS creation by using the appropriate software.

11. Faster work, saves time, quick finishing off the job.

DISADVANTAGES OF TOTAL STATION:

1. The instrument is costlier than other conventional surveying instruments.

2. It might be troublesome for the surveyor to investigate and check the work when surveying.

3. Working with total station is not so easy, as more skilled surveyors are required to conduct a total station survey.

4. To check the survey work thoroughly it would be necessary to come back to the office and prepare the drawings by using the right software.

Civil engineering requirements

WHAT IS CIVIL ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS?

These are the top 10 civil engineering requirements to become a successful civil engineer:

1. TESTS OF BUILDING MATERIALS:

A good civil engineer should have proper knowledge of different tests of building materials. Some important tests are listed below.

-Concrete Test: Slump test, compression test, split tensile test, soundness etc.

-Soil Test: Core cutter test, compaction test,sand replacement test, triaxial test, consolidation test etc.

-Bitumen Test: Ductility test, softening point test, gravity test, penetration test etc.

2. INVESTIGATION OF SOIL:

Various soil tests are conducted to determine the settlement and stability of soils before starting a construction. So as a civil engineer, you should have enough knowledge of these tests which are performed at the site.

3. USES OF SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS:

Usages of surveying instruments like the total station, theodolite etc is also a mandatory knowledge for every civil engineer. These instruments are used for marking and measurements.

4. STANDARD CODES USED IN CONSTRUCTION:

Every country has their standard safety specifications (eg: Is Code) for construction related works. All new construction should be done by following all the rules and procedures mentioned in the standard codes. Otherwise, chances of failure of a structure will be always high.

5. BAR BENDING SCHEDULE:

Bar bending schedule is an essential chart for civil engineers. It provides the reinforcement calculation of RC beam such as cutting length, type of bending, the length of bending etc.

6. DRAWING AND DESIGN:

Drawing and design are the primary keys of an ongoing project. It provides all the required specifications of that project. Every site engineers should have the analyzing power of such drawings and designs.

7. ESTIMATION AND BILLS:

Estimation and bills should be prepared by a civil engineer in a construction project.

8. QUALITY CONTROL: 

Quality control ensures the profit of a project by reducing the extra costs. So you must have a basic knowledge of quality control.

9. ON FIELD MANAGEMENT:

Knowledge of form-work, concreting, safety measures etc is also a key aspect.

10. COORDINATION WITH LABOR:

As a civil engineer, you must know how to deal with labors in a site.

The Plugged-In Manager : Get in Tune with Your People, Technology, and Organization to Thrive

The

Plugged-In 

Manager:

Get in Tune with 

Your People, Technology, 

and Organization to Thrive

Terri L. Griffith, management professor and technology expert, teaches managers how to stay involved in each of the three work dimensions: people, technology and organizational processes. In project management, it’s mission-critical to balance your team, tools and processes. Read the book and discover if you can define yourself as “plugged in.”

Your will learn:

Shows what it takes for business managers to succeed as technology and organizations become more and more complex

Profiles exceptional leaders and organizations who are plugged-in, such as Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com

Offers a fresh look at management issues

What is workability of concrete?

WHAT IS WORKABILITY OF CONCRETE?

Workability can be defined as the property of fresh concrete which describes the ease and homogeneity of the concrete to be mixed, fully compacted and finished. A workable concrete should possess following two requirements:

1. The concrete should be compacted with minimum efforts.

2. The concrete should not form bleeding and segregation.

Workability of concrete mainly depends on the mix proportion and the properties of concreting materials (water, cement, aggregates). The shape, size, and grades of aggregates also play a great role in the variation of workability. For better workability fine and coarse aggregates should be well graded. It has been found that concrete made of round grain sand is more workable than the concrete of crushed sand. If air entraining admixture is used in the mix, it will also increase the workability and decrease segregation and bleeding.

FACTORS AFFECTING WORKABILITY OF CONCRETE:

The factors affecting workability are as following:

1. Amount Of Water In The Mix:

2. Proportion Of Coarse And Fine Aggregates: Workability can be increased by decreasing the amount of coarse aggregates in the mix. Fine aggregates produce more wore workable concrete.

3. Shape Of aggregates: Round shaped aggregates give better workability than angular shaped aggregates.

4. By expanding the cement content in the mix.

5. By including admixtures in the mix.

Apparently, the necessity of workability differs as per the nature of the job and blockage in the full stream of concrete due to the spacing and nature of the reinforcement. The workability of concrete is generally measured by one of the following three tests.

1. Slump Test.

2. Compaction Factor Test.

3. Vee-Bee Test.

Fundamentals of Construction Management

Construction Management Fundamentals is intended as an introduction to both technical and business sides of construction, and is intended for use in an undergraduate Civil Engineering curriculum or for graduate courses in Construction Management. The text covers fundamentals of construction in a logical, simple, and concise format, and many examples reinforce construction and management concepts through applications, photographs, and illustrations derived from actual projects. Based upon professional practice, standard formats for analyzing common problems are presented and explained preparing students for fast-paced bid preparation.

Specifications Institute’s new Master Format 2004 edition, as well as a completely rewritten safety chapter incorporating the latest OSHA required safety practices and reporting practices. The book will help prepare the student who may take one or two courses in construction or the construction management professional.

Architectural Detailing: Function, Constructibility, Aesthetics, 3rd Edition

Architectural Detailing: 

Function, Constructibility, Aesthetics, 3rd Edition

The industry-standard guide to designing well-performing buildings

CIVIL PE Sample Examination

This book is one in a series intended for engineers and students who are taking a discipline-specific (DS) afternoon session of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)

Project Estimating and Cost Management

Many of the currently available books on estimating cover project estimating in a discipline-specific mode, such as construction estimating, software development estimating, and process plant estimating. Although there is a great deal of commonality in estimating techniques among all industries, distilling the nondiscipline-specific topics is sometimes difficult because they tend to get masked by the details of the discipline that is the subject of the project.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT STEP-BY-STEP Larry Richman

This book is divided into four sections. The first section describes the importance and function of project management. It defines the roles of the project managers, team members, clients, and customers. The second section teaches the skills and techniques of planning, estimating, budgeting, and scheduling a project. The third section describes how to execute a project, including controlling, reporting, and managing change and risk. The fourth section teaches the people skills needed to lead project teams.

WHAT IS FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE?

Due to the presence of microcracks at the interface of mortar-aggregate, plain concrete is considered as a brittle material. It has been found that these low tensile strength and impact resistance can be significantly improved by adding a certain amount of fiber in the concrete mix. The fiber may be of steel or glass of asbestos. Such a concrete containing fiber is called fiber reinforced concrete. The improvement of weakness depends on several factors such as materials of fiber, shape, and size of fiber, volume, and pattern of distribution in the concrete mix. Fiber reinforced concrete can be categorized into following two types.

1. Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete.

2. Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete.

WHAT IS NO FINES CONCRETE ?

As the name suggests by itself, no-fines concrete does not contain any fine aggregates. This concrete is produced by eliminating fine aggregates from plain concrete. Only cement, coarse aggregate and water are used. The coarse aggregate particles are surrounded with a thin cement paste coating.

Naturally, the concrete contains large amount of voids which make the concrete lightweight and reduces its overall strength. The compressive strength of no fines concrete is very low and depends on the water-cement ratio, cement content, and aggregate grades.

No fines concrete is gaining its popularity day by day due to its various advantages over conventional concrete, which are as follows:

ADVANTAGES OF NO-FINES CONCRETE:

The density of no fines concrete is very low.

No fines concrete does not segregate and the capillary movement of water is almost nil.

It has better thermal insulating characters due to the presence of large voids.

This concrete can be used by dropping from a permissible height.

Shrinkage is also lower than normal concrete.

It is lightweight.

The formwork can be removed earlier.

No mechanical vibrator is required for compacting no fines concrete, simple rodding method is sufficient for full compaction.

It gives better and attractive appearances.

Production cost is comparatively lower than other conventional concrete because lower cement content is used.

DISADVANTAGES OF NO-FINES CONCRETE:

The strength of no-fines concrete is lower than ordinary concrete.

No-fines concrete can not be used in reinforced concrete structure.

The consistency of no-fines concrete can not be measured by any available standard methods such as slump test, compacting factor test etc.

USES OF NO-FINES CONCRETE:

As we said earlier this concrete is not suitable for using in reinforced concrete structure. However, the walls made of no-fines concrete can be used in cold countries because of its good thermal insulating characteristics.

What is concrete?

What is concrete? 

In its simplest form,concrete is a composite material, which is made from a mixture of cement, aggregate (sand or gravel), water and sometimes admixtures in required proportions. It is one of the most important and useful materials for construction work, its tensile strength is very small as compared with its compressive strength. This disadvantage can be offset by reinforcing or pre-stressing concrete with steel reinforcement. Reinforced concrete (RC) possesses many of the best properties and is used in variety of construction including building frames, floors, slabs, walls; bridges; pavements; piles; dams; water retaining structures etc

ADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE:

1. Concrete is economical than other building materials.

2. The compressive strength of concrete is very high.

3. Concrete is very strong in compression.

4. Concrete can be cast easily into any desired shape.

5. It possesses a minimum corrosive and weathering effects.

6. Concrete made with steel reinforcement provides equal coefficients of thermal expansion.

7. Concrete can be pumped and sprayed in difficult positions.

8. It is fire resistant.

9. Concrete is durable, and have a little maintenance cost which can be ignored.

WHAT IS PILE FOUNDATION?

Pile foundation is a type of foundation where a slender member of wood or concrete or steel is inserted into the ground for transferring the load of a structure. The load is transferred to a stronger stratum by friction or by bearing.

Classification Of Pile Based On function:

1-Bearing Piles.

2-Friction Piles.

3-Sheet piles.

4-Anchor Piles.

5-Batter Piles.

6-Fender Piles.

7-Compaction Piles.

Classification Of Pile based On Material:

1-Timber piles.

2-Concrete Piles.

3-Steel Piles.

4-Composite piles