Author: Mezie Ethelbert

Reading Time: 6 minutes Water can be obtained from ground water storage (aquifers) to the surface through the use of either open wells or tube wells. Open wells are not commonly used because of the following reasons: Discharge is limited to 3 to 6 litres/s.Mechanical pumping of such small discharge is not economical.Open wells can tap only the topmost or at the most the next lower water bearing stratum.Water from open wells can be withdrawn only at velocity equal to or smaller that the critical velocity for the soil so as to avoid the danger of well subsidence. To overcome these shortcomings listed above…

Reading Time: 3 minutes There is often the common mistake to call any professional found in the building site in Nigeria an Engineer. This mistake is usually made by people who do not understand the differences between the unique roles of the diverse professionals involved in building projects. Some professionals take the pain to explain the differences and what they should properly be called while some prefer to answer ‘Engineer‘ which is the common name. This post is set to distinguish the roles. The common professionals involved in building projects in Nigeria are: Architect: Architects are often described as the chief consultants in building…

Reading Time: 5 minutes General The provision of drainage for highway is one of the most important aspect of highway design because it ensures the protection of road facilities. Basically, the highway is protected from damage from storm water and subsurface water. These facilities include bridges and culverts. Circular or pipe culverts are among the three (3) main configurations of culverts. Others are box culvert and oval culvert. Box culverts are still very much in use while oval culverts are being phased out. Circular culverts are often used in construction because of their economy. Pipe culverts can be made of reinforced or prestressed concrete,…

Reading Time: 4 minutes A. Introduction The use of the title ‘Engr’ before the name of an Engineer is one of the most coveted achievement of a young graduate engineer. The prefix is just a title but registration to the council for the regulation of engineering in Nigeria (COREN) which confers the title gives one the licence to practice engineering in Nigeria. Before 2017, probably, registration to the body was only through prior registration to Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE). However, the registration to COREN, presently, can be done directly and it is done all year round. To become a member of NSE, one…

Reading Time: 2 minutes The two major soil classification systems in the world are: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). The similarities between the two systems lies in the fact that they originate from the same basis of classification: particle size analysis and plasticity characteristics. They are also approximately similar in the soil types obtainable from both groups as shown in Table 1 Table 1; Similarities of soil types between AASHTO and USCS AASHTO system USCS Symbols Symbols A-1-a GW, GP A-1-b SW, SM, GM, SP A-2-4 GM, SM A-2-5 GM, SM A-2-6 GC, SC…

Reading Time: 4 minutes For one that is not experienced in writing research proposals, it is always a big thorn in the flesh when a proposed course requires research proposal. The first point in developing research proposal is to have an idea, a clear idea of what one is interested. The next point is to transform the idea into set objectives and plan on how to achieve the research output in about 1000 to 3000 words depending on the constraints placed by the proposed course of study on maximum number of words. In this post, I would show a typical layout guide for developing…

Reading Time: 3 minutes The recent collapse of proposed 21-storey building under construction in Lagos on 1st November, 2021 which caused the death of 42 persons once again freshened the wounds of building collapse aching the relevant professional bodies in Nigeria. The building collapse in Nigeria now have a long history that have continued to stretch. What is worrisome is not that buildings happen to collapse because mistake of man can lead to collapse of building. It has happened in developed countries but when something happens very frequently, it appears that there is neglect in that aspect. Such seems the case of building collapse…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Nuclear density also called radiation method is one of the fastest means of determining the insitu dry density of soils. The method is gaining more popularity but it has the more risk due to radiation. Generally, when the equipment is set up people are instructed to move far away from it till the reading is completed and it is returned to safe mode by the operator. Other methods of determining insitu dry density of soils are: The water displacement method The submerged density method The core cutter method The sand replacement method and The water ballon method In the nuclear…