Author: Mezie Ethelbert

Reading Time: 4 minutes Definition A risk is an event that, if it occurs, adversely affects the ability of a project to achieve its outcome objectives. Risk management is the process of identifying risk, assessing risk, and taking steps to reduce risk to an acceptable level. Risk management lies at the intersection of project functions performed by the systems engineer and the project manager. Historically, risk management focused more on management elements such as schedule and cost and less on technical risks for well-defined or smaller projects. However, larger and more complex projects and environments have increased the uncertainty for the technical aspects of…

Reading Time: 3 minutes Engineers face a lot of challenges in nation building in Nigeria. It is necessary that aspiring engineers are acquainted with these challenges so that they get prepared to face and tackle them. Though not an exhaustive list, the challenges outlined below impact engineering practice in Nigeria a lot. 1. Engineers being All in All In most government and private establishments in Nigeria, engineering personnel are assumed to know all. A civil engineer can be employed to do the work of an electrical engineer, chemical engineer, mechanical engineer, etc. at the same time instead of seeking the services of engineering professionals…

Reading Time: 6 minutes We intend to provide in this article the most practical ways to reduce the cost of building construction. This is necessary because, in every human development activity that involves cost, it is always anticipated to achieve the best with the least. This anticipated benefit forms the three basic things that clients expect from every building project they are executing. The three basic things include: Low cost of construction Short construction times Excellent functional performance and quality. Building constructions are usually capital intensive projects, especially for multi-storey buildings. Having the core duty of structural engineers in view, beginning from the time…

Reading Time: 9 minutes Importance of Drainage on Roads Drainage in roads is very important because of the following reasons: i. The speedy removal of surface water which implies safety and fewer nuisances. ii. Effective sub-surface drainage which implies durable pavement and earthworks. iii. Minimization of the impact of runoff on the recovery environment. iv. Minimization of the impact of runoff on the receiving environment. The major function of a drainage system is to allow water to flow to suitable points of discharge that may include: i. Adjacent land via infiltration (rural areas). ii. Water course e.g. river. iii. Ponds (usually called balancing ponds).…

Reading Time: 3 minutes According to Goodchild (1997), floor plates which chiefly means slabs account for 85% of superstructure costs. In the effort to cut construction costs of buildings, it is necessary to make a choice of the most effective and affordable slab type in construction. This consideration can be first by an in-depth knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of slabs. This is the purpose of this article. A. One-way Solid Slab Advantages 1. Simple. 2. Holes cause a few structural problems. Disadvantages 1. Associated downstand beams may require greater storey height, deter fast formwork cycles and compromise flexibility of…

Reading Time: 6 minutes Introduction Movement joints are often required in concrete structures to allow free expansion and contraction. Joints are usually provided in structures such as retaining walls, reservoirs, roads, and long buildings, etc. Reasons for Provision of Joints Fluctuating movements due to diurnal solar effects, and seasonal changes of humidity and temperature. Progressive movements due to concrete creep, drying shrinkage, and ground settlement. Abrupt changes in loading or ground conditions which can affect the size or type of foundation. To avoid the formation of cracks due to shrinkage and thermal movements. Types of Joints Depending upon the purpose, different types of joints…

Reading Time: < 1 minute Introduction Most materials expand equally in all directions and it is convenient to measure and express their thermal expansion in terms of an increase in length for solids and an increase in volume for fluids. An increase in length is referred to as linear expansion while the increase in volume is referred to as cubical expansion. Materials expand when they are subjected to heat and this expansion is usually a product of the original length of the material, temperature rise, and coefficient of expansion. Theoretically, the coefficient of expansion is defined as the fractional increase in length (or volume) of…

Reading Time: 3 minutes Introduction Pavements are usually subjected to alternate temperatures, experiencing high temperatures in the day and low temperatures in the night especially in the tropics. Thus, during high temperatures, the pavement which is more a polymeric substance experiences significant changes in dimensions, unequal shrinkage (warpage), and internal stresses. It is necessary to determine coefficient of linear expansion (CLTE) for pavements because it helps to characterize the ability of a plastic or polymeric substance to expand when the temperature increases and also helps to estimate the dimensional stability of a developed part when temperature rises. The CLTE test is carried out using…