CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Topics

1 Introduction / Assembly of Building

2 The Construction Process

3 Safety & Health

4 Site Investigation

5 Foundation

6 Shoring

7 Underpinning

8 Basement Construction

9 Earthmoving and Excavation

10 Vertical & Horizontal Transportation

11 Scaffold

12 Formwork

13 Concreting Equipment, Concreting Method

14 Precast & Prestressed Concrete

15 Construction of Floors

16 Material Handling and Mechanisation

17 Demolition & Explosives

Lecture Outline

Topic 1 Assembly of Buildings

Defining the assembly process. Criteria for selection of plant and equipment.

Topic 2 The Construction Process

The incorporation of environmental, design, physical and user requirements. Consideration of different types of building structures. The requirement to know and be able to analyse critically and comparatively: construction detail and methods of achieving appropriate standards of performance relating to weathering, durability, strength, fire resistance, thermal and sound insulation and other relevant factors; the integration of construction plant and equipment in the erection of buildings, particularly for more complex construction and difficult working conditions; the economic use of resources.

Topic 3 Safety & Health

Safety and health in the construction industry; planning and control for safety on site, particularly in the use of erection techniques; short and long term risks. Accident prevention measures.

Topic 4 Site Investigation

Construction, design and operation of temporary supports and structures such as protective gantries, hoardings, gangways and working platforms.

Temporary installations, layout and siting of offices, stores and compounds including welfare, security and safety aspects. Temporary roads. Means of access.

Temporary services; safe electricity supply, wet services and surface drainage. Site conditions and their influence on the siting of plant and the construction method. Materials supply, protection, storage and inspection. Information is to be obtained by on-site and laboratory tests. Site investigation, supervision and inspection, soil investigation. The collection of all the facts of a site situation including the interpretation of site investigation data. Introduction to and objects and general requirements of site investigations including soil investigations and soil survey and sampling methods.

Topic 5 Foundation

The functions and various types of foundations. Shallow and deep foundations. Piles, caissons and other footings. Equipment used for foundation works.

Pile foundation - uses and types. Methods of driving or forming piles. Failures of pile foundations and precautions to be taken. Sheet piling - uses and types. Methods of driving and extracting sheet piling.

Topic 6 Shoring & Underpinning

Temporary and permanent support and retaining systems to deep trenches and basements. Failure of support and retaining systems and precautions to be taken. Uses and types of, and erection procedures for, various types of shoring and retaining systems. Methods of underpinning loadbearing walls and framed buildings. Work below ground level in basements and trenches in different types of ground conditions. Risks arising from adjoining buildings. Shoring to buildings.

Topic 7 Basement Construction

 Application of the results of soil investigation to foundation design and construction work. Foundation systems, methods of construction for new work. Settlement of structures and its effect on foundation selection. Foundation - construction of mass concrete, reinforced concrete and pile foundations. Design and construction problems relating to basements : earth retention; soil treatment and stabilisation including compaction of soils, dewatering, grouting, chemical methods, freezing and electrolysis, water exclusion; waterproofing by integral and applied methods. Simple and multi storey basement construction. Retaining walls.

Topic 8 Earthmoving and Excavation Equipment

Types, choice and methods of use for different types of excavation - onsite, trenches and basements. Mechanical and hand excavation. Collapse of excavation work - causes and precautions to be taken.

Site clearance and earthworks. Oversite excavation, reduced level excavation, cut and fill. Problems relating to site and surface clearance, bulk excavation including rock. Methods of excavating and transporting.

Topic 9 Vertical & Horizontal Transportation

Vehicles, hoists and cranes - types, selection and methods of use. A thorough understanding through case studies.

Topic 10 Scaffold

Scaffolding : use, design and construction of scaffolding for buildings. Details of timber and metal scaffolding.

Topic 11 Formwork

Formwork : use, design, materials, erection and stripping of formwork. Off-site and on-site production processes.

Topic 12 Concreting Equipment; Concreting Methods

 Concreting plant : types and layout of mixing plant; equipment in use for transporting, placing and compacting of site and readymixed concrete. General requirements for maintenance and safe working in concreting operations. Concrete; material production, mix design, placing, compacting and curing. Controls - quality control and testing. Reinforcement for concrete - types, design, fabrication and use. Finishes to concrete - plain, textured and exposed aggregate. Power tools. Powered hand tools. Compressed air plant.

Topic 13 Precast and Prestressed Concrete

Elementary principles and practices. Manufacture and applications in building work.

Topic 14 Construction of Floors

Types of floors, incorporation in the structure and the construction process. Floor construction in timber, steel and reinforced concrete in framed and panel type structures. Construction of precast concrete floors, lift slab floors, steel floors, cavity/computer floors and timber spring floors. Formation of openings. Floor coverings and surfaces.

Topic 15 Materials Handling and Mechanisation

An introduction to the principles of materials handling and mechanisation. The requirement for a through knowledge of construction plant and equipment - types, selection and use in relation to construction methods for new buildings, for traditional, industrialized and specialist methods of construction. Methods of assessing performance of plant. General requirements for maintenance and safety of working. The development of a knowledge and ability to analyse critically and comparatively : construction plant and equipment, its use and application, construction and erection techniques.

Topic 16 Demolition and Explosives

The various techniques for demolition.