Author: Mezie Ethelbert

Reading Time: 2 minutes The following qualities is expected of road pavement supervisor/inspector 1. Honesty 2. Conduct oneself in fair and straightforward manner 3. Maintain composure and make good decisions while under stress 4. Must have keen common sense for making competent decisions 5. Must be frank and sincere in his relationships with people 6. Must be a skilled diplomat, able to handle tough situations without arousing hostility 7. Must be observant and capable of keeping good records 8. He should have minimum of secondary/high school education 9. Some technical study and/or construction experience are helpful 10. Must be able to perform accurate mathematical…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Preparation 1. Prepare sufficient fine aggregate passing sieve size 1.25 mm and retained on pan and dry to constant weight. Weigh 3kg to make 20 separate number of specimens. 2. Weigh the containers when empty and record. Place 200g of dried soil into the air-tight moisture content tins and weigh and record. 3. Vary quantity of water as indicated in the table below and add to each pair of containers and allow moisturization for 24 hours and weigh thereafter before placing in the oven or for speedy tester method. NB: After weighing, place all oven method tins into a standard…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Common carbon steel reinforcements used in building construction works consists of deformed steel bars and welded steel mesh fabrics. These reinforcements usually come in the classes of; i. Plain round hot-rolled mild-steel bars (BS4449/BS EN 10080) with minimum characteristics strength of 250 N/mm2 and its use being phased out in the new harmonized Eurocode. ii. Deformed mild-steel bars (BS 4449/ BS EN 10080) with higher strength than round mild bars. iii. Hot-rolled deformed (high-bond) high-yield-stress bars (BS4449/ BS EN 10080) with characteristics strength of 460 N/mm2 for bars up to 16 mm inclusive and 425 N/mm2 for bars more than…

Reading Time: 7 minutes The following points should be considered in roof design: 1. The roof should be weatherproof This implies that the roof should be strong against the effects of weather and it should not be susceptible to hurricane-type and gale-type wind that usually has the capacity to blow off roofs of buildings. 2. The slope of the roof and lap of the roof coverings This must be considered as well as the degree of exposure. For instance, plain tiles are not suitable for use on slopes of less than 40oC. 3. Loading The roof structure or framework must be of adequate strength…

Reading Time: 8 minutes Introduction The profession can be defined as a paid occupation especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification. Professional bodies are organizations founded by concerned individuals within the same career circle (profession) and related professions and sometimes non-professionals in the field who have made significant contributions to the development of the profession and other persons who have an interest. The primary aim of these organizations is usually to promote quality standards and professional development within the field and offer members activities and services. As noted elsewhere, Professional bodies offer a lot of activities and services, however, most professionals…

Reading Time: 2 minutes The main objective of foundation design is to ensure that the structural loads are transmitted to the subsoil (s) safely, economically and without any unacceptable movement during the construction period and throughout the anticipated life of the building or structure. Basic Design Procedure These can be considered as a series of steps or stages – 1. Assessment of site conditions in the context of the site and soil investigation report. 2. Calculation of anticipated structural loading (s). 3. Choosing the foundation type taking into consideration – a. Soil conditions b. Type of structure c. Structural loading (s) d. Economic factors…

Reading Time: 23 minutes Introduction Reinforcement is the bone of civil engineering structures. Just as a body with a fractured bone cannot function effectively, a structure with poor reinforcement would either fail in whole or part or be unserviceable. Therefore, utmost care should be taken in reinforcement preparation and placement for utmost strength and functionality of civil engineering structures such as buildings of which I would focus here. Structural design and structural detailing are two important aspects of reinforced concrete design. Structural design involves the estimation of the loads (external forces) coming on the structural elements, analysis of the loads to determine the internal…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Aluminum roofing sheets are the most sought-after type of roofing sheets in Nigeria. The desirability of these sheets lies on many beautiful qualities that it has. Aluminum roofing sheets, though expensive and generate noise, they do not corrode. They are resistant to dust, durable (can last 25 to 50 years), reliable and add elegance and beauty to the building. They radiate heat from the sun and thus minimize heat coming into the buildings, they are lightweight and easy to install. Types of Aluminum roofing sheet Aluminum roofing sheet come in basically two types in Nigeria. These are: Longspan aluminuim roofing…