Author: Mezie Ethelbert

Reading Time: 5 minutes Things you Need to Learn as a Construction Engineer To get to the peak of a career as a construction engineer, there are fourteen (14) basic things you need to learn or put in other words, 14 fundamental concepts to excel in the field of construction management. It is expected that by mastering these essential aspects of construction engineering, the construction engineer will be better equipped to take on complex projects, ensure quality results, and contribute to the growth and advancement of the construction industry. These concepts include: BluePrint Reading A construction blueprint refers to a 2D precise representation of…

Reading Time: 6 minutes Roundabouts, priority junctions (simple T-junctions, staggered T-junctions or crossroads) and signal-controlled intersections are the three main types of highway intersections. These are features created on the highways to control conflicting and merging streams of traffic so that delay is minimized. Presently, flyover bridges are also used as a means to control conflicting traffic when there is a very high traffic volume. Within these features, matching geometric parameters are also selected to regulate the vehicle. Not all types of highway intersections are suitable for a road. With the ultimate aim to provide drivers with a road layout that will minimize confusion…

Reading Time: 3 minutes The number of bags of cement required for one cubic metre (1 m3) of concrete depends on the mix ratio being used for the concrete and factors such as entrained air, wastage, and shrinkage. The following processes apply assuming we are using a mix ratio of 1: 2: 4. Step 1: Specify the density of the cement, fine aggregate, and coarse aggregate Density of cement = 1440 kg/m3 Density of fine aggregate = 1600 kg/m3 Density of coarse aggregate = 1650 kg/m3 Step 2: Calculate the sum of the concrete mix ratio Sum of ratio = 1 + 2 +…

Reading Time: 2 minutes This note is simple and logical and is made generally for civil engineering, building, architecture, or mechanical engineering students who are offering structural analysis or theory of structures courses at the elementary level or particularly for structural engineering students at the same level. Beyond the elementary knowledge in the analysis of structures offered by studies of the strength of materials, this note would be quite helpful to enable students to grasp concepts of the theory of structures easily. It would definitely help them to achieve excellence in the course modules at higher levels of study. It has brief explanations of…

Reading Time: 18 minutes Groundwater prospecting is a means of searching for groundwater. It encompasses the way to find the places where groundwater is available as well as its approximate quantity and quality. Groundwater prospecting is very important when there is the intention to dig tubewells for water supply or when there is a need to investigate whether any groundwater presence would interrupt an underground construction process. Before we delve into the processes/methods of groundwater prospecting, it would be important to consider factors that contribute to groundwater occurrence. Factors that Affect Groundwater Occurrence Climate Climate is popularly defined as the average weather condition of…

Reading Time: 4 minutes Slope stability analysis can be carried out manually by a number of METHODS. Manual analysis of slope stability is usually a very tedious and time-consuming process. Presently, there are a number of software that can be used to model and analyse a slope. Softwares such as Geoslope, Plaxis, etc. can effectively and efficiently model and analyse a slope. The primary essence of slope stability analysis is to determine the factor of safety against failure. It is possible to analyse a slope manually within a shorter period of time using the iterative processes available in Tekla Tedds software. The software has…

Reading Time: 10 minutes Signal control of junctions is one of the effective means to control conflicting traffic at junctions. Traffic signals work on the basis of allocating separate time periods to conflicting traffic movements at a highway intersection so that the available carriageway space is utilised as efficiently and safely as possible. Priority of movement of the traffic can be varied with time through the cycle of the signals. Within urban areas in particular, in situations where a road has a number of intersections along its entire length, signal linking, which is an aspect of the operations of the signal-controlled junctions can be…

Reading Time: 3 minutes Development of wells means the stabilization of the walls of a well adjacent to the screen, by processes which remove the fine particles from the formation immediately surrounding the well screen, leaving the coarser particles to contact and surround the screen. Development of walls is necessary in all gravel packed wells and other screened wells, except when the screen is made of fine wire mesh or coir or other closely knot filters, located in a highly permeable aquifer. The basic principle of well development is to cause reversals of flow through the screen openings, that will rearrange the aquifer particles…