A Workflow and Cost Calculation for Concrete in Construction

Usually sold by the cubic yard, concrete is a mix of sand, gravel, and cement. However, pre-mixed concrete is also available. Since you often only get one attempt at pouring, you need to estimate the material amount as accurately as possible. Make sure that the installation team is ready to begin the installation as soon as the truck arrives so that the installation can begin without wasting time setting up the truck.

Workflow

The slab, footing, or column should measure for length, width, and height. Calculate the concrete needed for each pour if the area is complex or multiple pours are required. To measure slabs that are not simple rectangles, you might want to break them into separate sections and measure each separately.

1. If they haven’t already converted to feet, do so. Converting inches, yards, or meters to feet is easy with conversion calculators. You multiply the width times the length times the height (W * L * H) to figure out how many cubic feet there are.

2. From cubic feet, multiply the volume by cubic yards. Calculate how many yards of concrete you need by dividing the cubic footage by 27.

3. If you can’t find a supplier that sells fractions of a yard, round up to the nearest yard. You should ask your supplier if they will sell a partial yard of material, but most don’t.

4. When ordering concrete for smaller projects, estimate how many bags of premixed concrete you will need.

5. There is a comparison of the coverage of various premix bags. The average cubic yard of concrete can be filled with 90 forty-pound bags, 60 sixty-pound bags, or 45 eighty-pound bags.

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Arka Roy
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10 Useful Civil Engineering Software Programs

Civil Engineering makes use of several software packages. A multitude of software applications is being developed to serve civil engineering needs due to the Technological Revolution. Therefore, listing out all of these would be a complicated task. There are multiple sub-disciplines to Transportation Engineering like Structural Engineering, Surveying, Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Construction Planning. Civil engineers worldwide use these applications frequently.

BIM (Building Information Modeling)

One of the most important innovations in the 21st century has been Building Information Modeling. BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an effective tool for architects, engineers, and construction professionals (AEC). It enhances building planning, design, construction, construction management, and maintenance.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, Revit, is specifically designed to help construction professionals create coordinated, model-based approaches to bring ideas to construction. It combines the functionality of all three Revit disciplines (architecture, mechanical, and electrical) in one streamlined interface.

AutoCAD

The AUTOCAD program by Autodesk allows the construction projects to draft and documented. Many structural design firms and consultancies use this software, especially in India. Modeling in 3D is also possible using AUTOCAD 3D.

Design & analysis have been disrupted by AUTODESK, a leader in software innovation. Architects, engineers, manufacturers, and designers can benefit from its software for Computer-aided design, modeling, drafting, and engineering software.

MS Excel

Spreadsheet software from Microsoft is called Excel. With Visual Basic for Applications, users can create macro programming languages, calculations, graphs, and pivot tables. This spreadsheet is widely used on these platforms. Surveying, Analysis, and Design are used widely in Civil Engineering.

STAAD PRO

Many professionals in the construction industry choose Bentley System’s STAAD PRO for designing and analyzing structures.

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The Top 5 Construction Software for Structural Engineering

Structural Engineering at present is experiencing a lot of development and improvement since it began. Among the developments that are taking place is the use of software for structural design that can help us come up with more accurate and safe designs, particularly when dealing with complex structures. It is crucial in structural engineering that theoretical and practical skills continue to matter despite the software making life easier.

Structural Engineers are the only ones who can fully comprehend these software developments based on fundamental knowledge. Structural Engineers should be familiar with the top 5 structural engineering software programs. The following are their names:

1. SkyCiv

SkyCiv is a powerful yet easy-to-use structural analysis software available via the cloud. Online, there is no need to install anything, and it works on both PCs and Macs. Structures can be modeled and solved with SkyCiv structural engineering software.

It is possible to combine multiple loads. The package includes design checks from AISC, NDS, ACI, AISI, Euro code, AS, CSA. Most traditional software cannot compare to reliability and user-friendliness of SkyCiv. In addition, it contains a wide variety of powerful modeling capabilities, such as grids, snapping, repeat mirroring, and many others.

SkyCiv is a unique structural engineering software company that stands out from the traditional structural engineering software companies not only because of our powerful structural engineering software.

In order to make engineers’ work processes and designs more efficient, SkyCiv continuously innovates, challenging previous workflows. SkyCiv API v3 provides engineers with direct access to a wide range of structural engineering and design analysis, design, rendering, reporting, and modeling tools directly. That will help engineers innovate and complete tasks more efficiently in the field of structural engineering and design.

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Various Brick Testing Methods in Construction

Constructions made of bricks are considered to be the world’s oldest and most useful building material. It is imperative to determine the suitability and quality of bricks used in such constructions, considering their immense importance. So, to be sure the structure is strong and stable, several tests must be performed on brick. Various phases of construction require such tests on bricks.

Methods of Brick Test

Absorption Test: When exposed to extreme conditions, the absorption test determines how much moisture is absorbed by the bricks. Bricks go through the absorption test to determine their durability qualities, burn degrees, and weather resistance.

Workflow of Absorption Test – A brick absorption test involves the following steps:

1. Brick specimens are first dried in the ventilated oven between 105 and 115°C until they have a uniform mass.

2. A room-temperature cooling is then performed on the heated specimen.

3. M1 is the mass of the specimen, which has been weighed.

4. A 24-hour immersion in water at approximately 27 degrees Celsius is then performed.

5. A clean cloth is used to remove any traces of water that may be present on the brick specimen from the water.

6. As a result, M2 is obtained by weighing the specimen thus obtained.

7. Bricks are soaked in a series of steps following the following sequence.

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Column Slab & Beam Lap Lengths – Types & Methods

Due to the inaccessibility of longer bars that need to extend, lap length requires when bars are placed short of their required length. Changing the bar diameter along the length requires a change in lap length. By using Lap, the terminating bar’s axial force can be transferred to the connecting bar in the same manner as it transfers in the junction.

Concrete in the surrounding area is invariably stressed. When splicing, use proper splicing techniques, avoid high flexural and shear zones in a column, and stagger the splice points at every individual bar to mitigate the effects of these stresses.

Types of Lapping Method

Slab Lap Length

Side face reinforcement should be provided along with the two faces of a beam if the depth of the web at the beam exceeds 750 mm. This reinforcement must not be less than 0.1 percent of the total web area, and it must be evenly distributed over the web, not exceeding 300 mm between faces, whichever is less.

Beams have a 60-diameter lap length. The outermost tension and compression bars of beams must reinforce in transverse directions. Such reinforcement requires T- and I-beams near the outer face of the flange.

Beam Lap Length

One-eighth of the slab’s thickness shall not exceed the diameter of the reinforcing bars. A slab must have a minimum of 0.15 percent mild steel reinforcement in either direction. When welded wire fabric or high-strength deformed bars are used, this value can reduce to 0.12 percent.

Column Lap Length

At least 12 mm in diameter must be the minimum for bars. Columns of rectangular and circular shapes should have at least six longitudinal bars. At least 300 millimeters must separate longitudinal bars along the column’s perimeter.

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The 9 types of Cambers in Road: Their Advantages and Disadvantages

There are often asphalt elevated medians on highways, where the edge of the surface is a bit higher than the median portion. In the diagonal direction, this slope is called the camber. The camber of the road surface designs to drain rainwater away from the edges. The camber of a road surface is the slope in the transverse direction that helps drain off rainwater. The Cross-slope of a road is another name for it.

Structural Design of Camber

A camber rate normally expressed as 1: 1 or 1: n, or as a percentage, such as 1 in 50 or 2 %. Several factors influence camber design, such as the type of pavement and average rainfall. Surface water can be eliminated with steep camber.

Although they are not recommended because the surface will be worn down in a typical camber slope ranges between 2 and 3%. It’s a shoulder that’s 0.5% higher than the carriageway on straight segments of the road.

Types of Camber

1. Sloped Camber

When two straight surfaces meet in the crown, this type of camber is created. Road crowns are the most prominent points on the surface. The edge shape causes traffic to impede, so it is not commonly used.

2. Traditional Camber

Traditional camber is a feature that was once very prevalent in all snowboards.

3. Reverse Camber

These have many names, such as reverse camber, anti camber, bananas and continuous rockers. This type of camber is the opposite of traditional camber.

4. Hybrid Profiles

Camber, flat, and rockers are the three types of profiles in hybrids. Snowboard manufacturers use many different combinations of this.

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Reinforce Column Splices correctly in Construction

A space between two bars is referred to as the overlapped or spliced column, as indicated by the terms overlapping length and lap length.

Lap splicing is a technique used to overlap two reinforcement bars. Loads are transferred securely from one member to another through the overlapping of reinforcement bars.

Reinforcement bars can be bought on the market in lengths up to 12 m. Reinforcement bars are joined together to obtain the required length for a structure larger than 12 m. Splicing or lapping uses this connection.

Depending on the method of laying the surface is staggered, welded, or provided via a couple. Column capping is equipped with lap splices, whose length will be determined by the concrete grade and steel reinforcement.

Lapping Column Zone

Three zones are formed based on the moment diagram for a column under lateral load. A maximum moment is applied to the center of a column by load, while no moment is applied to its ends.

Zones A and B of a column are categorized according to the maximum moment experienced by the upper and lower portions, respectively.

Zone-B of the column, therefore, becomes the lapping zone of it since it is less critical. For ductile detailing of RCC columns, ductile zones are designated to provide confining reinforcement.

Zone-A has a length like hc/4, if the clear distance is hc. Consequently, the height of Zone-B is calculated by (hc- (h/4 + hc/4)) = hc/2.

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The Uses & Grades of Concrete in Construction

Concrete grades according to its strength and composition, as well as the 30-day minimum strength. Mpa is the unit of measure for the grade in concrete, with M denoting mix weight and Mpa denoting overall strength. Different kinds of mixes (M), which consist of cement, sand, and fine aggregate, differ in the proportions of their ingredients. The ratios for M20, for example, are 1:1:3:5.

Types of Concrete Grades & its Proper Usage

Concrete mixes are numbered according to the compressive strength after 28 days, with the first number being 10. An example of a C10 is that it can support 10 tons of weight, while an example of a C15 is that it can support 15 tons of weight and an example of a C20 is that it can support 20 tons of weight.

In the concrete world, wet lean mix concrete classifies below C10 grade. Even though concrete is weaker than many other building materials, it continues to use for a large range of construction projects, both domestic and commercial. Curbs and domestic foundations commonly pave with it.

C10

Patios and sidewalks are constructed of concrete slabs. They are used for commercial as well as residential construction.

C15

Typically, it is used for kerb and blinding, and both domestic and commercial use is found for this type of concrete.

C20

Floors and foundations used for domestic applications where structure weight can be reduced. It’s used as a workshop base, garage floor, driveway and internally as a floor slab.

C25

The material is used for all types of construction. A versatile concrete mix widely used in both residential and commercial construction.

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How to Design and Calculate Strap Footing

An integrated footing is designed when two columns are reasonably close to each other. An eccentric moment is transferred between two columns when they are far apart by a strap. It is important to minimize variance in the settlement between columns and to seek uniform bearing pressure.

Design Procedure of Strap Footing

Straps are incapable of bearing weight. Its ridges permit the moment to go from one footing to the other.

Strap Footing Structural Analysis

A. Factored column loads should be calculated for Pua & Pub.
B. Substitute Mu for Pua*e in the eccentric moment equation.
C. Vu = Mu / L = factored shear.
D. Calculate factored reactions, Rub & Rua.
E. Calculate the factored reaction of the footings.
F. Assess the structural integrity of footings and straps by factoring in shear and moment forces.

Service Load Design

A. Measure the length and eccentricity of the footings.
B. Calculate eccentricity, M = PA*e.
C. Calculate the Shear force, V = M / L.
D. Rb = Pb-V; Ra = Pa+V; calculate footing reaction.
E. Size both A & B’s footings.

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Tests to Determine the Crushing Strength of Aggregates in Construction

The mechanical strength of a road-stone is one of the major requirements. It is used to determine aggregates’ ability to withstand stress caused by moving vehicles, namely crushing by moving vehicles.

As well as providing sufficient resistance to crushing under the roller, the aggregates should also resist crushing under the rigid tires of heavily loaded animal-drawn vehicles. A higher aggregate crushing value indicates more resistance to crushing under a compressive load. The ideal pavement aggregate will be one with a low aggregate crushing value.

Objectives

1. The purpose of crushing aggregate is to determine its value as an aggregate for roads.
2. Assessing aggregates’ suitability for pavement purposes.

Equipment

It is a steel cylindrical of internal diameter 15.2 cm with open ends. The piston has a diameter of 15 cm and mounts on a square base plate. The internal diameter of the cylindrical measure is 11.5 cm, and its height is 18 cm. Tamping rod made of steel.

The diameter is 1.6 cm & length is 45 to 60 cm, Precision correction of up to 1 gm for 3 kg balance. A compression tester with a loading rate of 4 tons per minute can apply 40 tones of pressure.

Precautions

1. In order to properly place the plunger, it should rest directly over the aggregate. It should be taken care that the cylinder walls do not come into contact with the container in order to ensure that the entire load is transferred onto the aggregate.

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