Declaratory of authorship

I hereby declare that this report submitted to the Namibian University of Science and Technology,
school of Civil and environmental engineering is a record of original work done by me under the
guidance of my esteemed mentor Julius Kamati and my supervisor Kristofina Iiyambo. This report
is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the internship session of July 2018 and hereby
declares that I am the sole owner of the report. This report does not infringe upon anyone’s copy
right and that any ideas or any other materials used from other people has been properly
acknowledged and referenced. Furthermore, I can confidently state that no part of this report
has been submitted before either in part or in whole for a national diploma to any other
university or institution.

…………………………………..

Shaningwa Karlus N

Student No: 216099196

November 2018, Windhoek

Acknowledgement
I would like to express my profound gratitude for the excellent guidance, hearty acceptance,
constant cooperation and warm welcome I received from MR Denis Maxwell and the entire
Denchi consulting engineers family.
Special thanks also go to Mrs. Chiedza Maxwell and Mr. Julius Kamati who tirelessly helped me
cope with different engineering problems during my stay at Denchi consulting engineers in
Windhoek. Both worked with me as supervisors and I was able to share my ideas on engineering
problems with them.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my fellow interns, who as good friends were always willing
to help and give their best suggestions, instructions and recommendations for everything I wasn’t
familiar with.

Executive Summary
In summary this report sheds light on my internship practice program Denchi consulting
engineers in Windhoek, where I have maintained 15- weeks presence. The purpose was to
translate the theory’s learned in class and apply it in the industry and put it into practice not only
as intern but also as a consultant or project manager to multiple projects that are currently
undertaken by the firm DCE, In the first part of this report, I have discussed the background of
hosting company, Denchi consulting engineers.
Second part of the report divulges my overall internship experience, for instance how got into
the company, the section of the company I have worked in, the workflow of the section, tasks
being executed, challenges I faced and the possible solutions to the problems encountered during
the internship practice program.
Third, the detailed report exposes overall benefits I have gained during the internship when it
comes to the improvement in practical skills, upgrade of theoretical knowledge, interpersonal
communication skills, team playing skills, understanding of ethics and organizational and
entrepreneurship skills, and finally recommendation where given and a conclusion is drawn up
ACRONYMS
AUTOCAD-Automated Computer Aided Design
NDP-national diploma
NUST-Namibia University of Science and Technology
DPC-Damp Proof Coarse
EBS-Easting Back Sight
GPS-Global Positioning System
NBS-Northing Back Sight
OPC-Ordinary Portland Cement
PLC-Private Limited Company
PVC-Polymerized Vinyl Chloride
SAP-Structural Analysis Program
HQ- Head Quarters

Background of the Firm

1.1 Brief Details
Denchi Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd is a multi-disciplinary firm established in 2012 and its
owned and run by Registered Engineering Professionals with a combined 50 years’ experience in
the Namibian Consulting Engineering environment. The company has successfully completed a
number of simple, complex and both small and mega projects during its operational years. It
provides engineering services in most engineering disciplines such as structural, civil, mechanical,
and electrical engineering, with an exceptionally qualified and well experienced stuff at its
disposal to get the job done.
1.2 Main products and services of Firm
1.4 Overall Organization and Work Flow
Work flow goes to the following three teams
Table-4 Contracts and Construction Administration Team
2- OVERALL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
As I was intern from Namibia University of Science and Technology, I enjoyed wider recognition
and open cooperation from the team of engineers with the Firm. I learned a lot about the designs
and construction of buildings.
The new headquarters of the ministry of home affairs and immigration was one of the projects
being worked on, the contractors were erecting superstructure elements, therefor the
substructure elements such as foundation works could not be seen. In the last month of the
internship program, I had been working on the design of the slab reinforcement of particular
components in the building.
2.2 The sections that I had been working in
I had been working on the side of the consultant and my role was not only limited to visiting sites
and practically understanding the job but my role was also to make some designs, quantity
takeoffs and study designs.
Among the tasks entrusted in me are as follows, this task is carried out while being supervised by
my mentor:
1-Supervision construction, including inspection of construction progress and the quality of
construction materials.
2-Reading of Designs of the buildings under construction and ensuring whether the design is met
on the site.
3-Cooperating with foremen under the guidance of Firm supervisor on the prevailing problems.
4-Generation of new ideas and proposal of solutions if challenges come into being on the
construction site.
During my internship program, I paid special attention to:
 Condition of plastering
 Visible cracks due to the self-weight and live loads imposed on the structure by
construction workers
 Severe failures in the structure
 The condition of Portland cement
 Concrete mix
 Whether foreman assigns workers to their respective tasks
2.3 Introduction to the Sites
2.3.1 Introduction to Palace and Staff Residence
The construction site and staff residence are found in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. The
project is now about 60% completed and substructure works were completed before my arrival
and the construction progress has been delayed due to the country’s economy.
2.3.1.1 Construction Materials, Quality Assurances and Tests
-Cement
-Selected Materials
-Fine Aggregates
-Coarse Aggregates
-Reinforcement Bars
-Nails
-Tying Wires
-Form Works
As I helped with work on multiple construction sites, construction materials were similar to each
other but the most important issue, regarding the tests for quality assurance was matter under
spotlight. On some sites, tests were either pre-conducted or suspended due to physical
observations being made by engineers.
1-Slump Test 2-Compressive Strength Test
For every concrete mix, the consultancy PLC staffers used to test the compressive strength of the
concrete. If the concrete fails to satisfy the required compressive strength, demolition will come
into being for the sake of quality assurance.
Six test cubes of each (15cm*15cm*15cm) are taken for each test. At least one test is taken
whenever the concrete mix is less than 50m3, and at least two tests are taken to test for a
concrete mix greater than50m3. Out of the six cubes, three will be tested for 7 days strength
which should be greater than 70% of the compressive strength of the 28th day strength, and the
rest will be tested for the 28days compressive strength which should fulfil the required strength.
Criterion for Design
 Function- the structure should give any of the services it was intended for. It should be
possible to have unrestricted and unhindered use of the structure for the purpose for
which it is built. Crack, deflection and vibration of the structure should be within the
service limits.
 Safety- the structure should be safe against any possible failure during its intended time
of use. It should fulfill requirements set by building codes. It should follow the codes of
practice for loading, materials, design and construction.
 Durability- the structure should be able to stand for a time it is intended to serve for.
 Economy-The design work should take into account not only the cost of materials but also
the applicability, the time required to build, the cost of temporary structures, the cost of
maintenance.
 Appearance (aesthetic value) - it should have a satisfying appearance/ look. The design
should consider the effect of cracking, leaking, staining, flaking, etc.
2.3.1.3 Concrete Mixing
I took a look back at concrete work on the construction site to see if the procedure complies with
university lessons, particularly lessons pertaining to construction materials. On the site that I
visited [New Home Affairs HQ] the concrete mix was important part since the building was
Reinforced Concrete structure [Residential Building plus assembly building].
Batching
Al though two types of batching are used: 1) Weight Batching 2) Volume Batching, the most
important one, Weight Batching has never been used on my site but Volume Batching was
predominant and workers were employing measuring box with dimensions:
 50 cm X 40 cm X 16 cm for C30 Concrete
 50 cm X 40 cm X 18 cm for C25 Concrete
 50 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm for C15 Concrete
 Ratio Proportioning
 1:2:3 for C30 Concrete [Highly Specialized Work]
 1:2:4 for C25 Concrete [Strong Work]
 1:2:5 for C 15 Concrete [ General Purpose Work]
 1:4:6 for Lean concrete [Sub base Material]
To get concrete consisting of 50kg-Net-weight National-branded cement bag, three measuring
boxes of coarse aggregates and two measuring boxes of fine aggregates.
Procedure of mixing
 Approximately 18 liters of water is poured into the concrete mixer
 Cement Pack is cut into two pieces to make handling simple and subsequently added to
the water
Concrete Formula
Dry: -1 Part Portland Cement -2 parts medium or coarse sand -3-part Gravel or rock
The pozzolanic materials commonly used are volcanic ash, calcined clay, fly ash, and silica fumes.
The Portland Pozzolana Cement is ideal for general construction which does not required high
early strength. Commonly, it is ideally suited for constructions such as hydraulic structures, mass
concrete works, marine structures, masonry mortars and plastering, under aggressive conditions,
and all other applications where Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is used.
Typical concrete sets in about 6 hours and develops a compressive strength of 8 MPa in 24 hours.
The strength rises to 15 MPa at 3 days, 23 MPa at 1 week, 35 MPa at 4 weeks and 41
MPa at 3 months. In principle, the strength continues to rise slowly as long as water is available
for continued hydration
Curing was also the most important practice after concrete being placed, the curing was aimed
at preventing concrete from surface cracks due to the rapid loss of water and increase the
strength of concrete.
2.3.1.4 Engineering Problems at the project Site
 On the site of the construction, I saw problems emanating from segregation and bleeding
 No test was performed on the concrete, e.g. slump test for workability
 The project lacked mix design and perhaps, it could have affected quality control of
concrete
 Vibrators were not used effectively for the compaction of concrete, thus the chance for
segregation was high but it also led to slab defects as concrete cover of the upper floor
slab became non-existence according to the below photo.
Honey comb [Mortar fails to fill voids between Coarse Aggregate particles] and Voids [Concrete
fails to fill areas in the form work] Defects
2.3.1.4.1 Causes
 Stiff and Unworkable Concrete
 Segregation
  Congested Rebar
 Insufficient Consolidation
 Improper Placing Practices
2.3.1.4.2 Weak Crushing Strength Coarse Aggregates
On the site, the engineer knows that Coarse Aggregate is the most important ingredient in the
concrete since it is different from Mortars due the presence of course aggregate. One thing that
I can draw from my experience falls into the strength of course aggregate which is required to
match the strength of concrete itself.
As I have worked with the consulting firm side, I found a course aggregate with low crushing
strength due to the following reasons.
-It simply crushed when pressed between thumb and a finger
-Appearances such as the surface cracks and sieve-like characteristics proved weaknesses

2.3.1.5 Substructure and Foundation Works

I started observing site clearance operation, including Setting out, excavations for footing pads,
Placement of lean concrete and formwork of footings, placement of concrete in formwork,
attaching columns to footing re-bars, Backfilling, Profile Floor Levelling and Grade Beams.
To meet the exact Profile Floor Level [+/-0+00], you need to fix profile boards at a distance of 2m
from the outside edge of the masonry wall where the excavation will take place.
Perpendicularity is given much attention to avoid disturbances and improper centerlines during
the excavation of ground for shallow foundations.
Main function of the lean concrete is to provide the uniform surface to the foundation concrete
and to prevent the direct contact of foundation concrete from the soil. Lean concrete is used
under the foundations.

Solid Slabs
For any structural element, the following guidelines are important and it should be applied to the
structure while designing and constructing.
 Shear is maximum at support
 Moment is minimum or zero for pinned and roller supported structures at supports
 Stirrups [Vertical stirrups] that are most commonly used carry shear above the concrete
capacity
 Inclined stirrups not used for buildings prone to seismic loads
  T and Inverted L beams –T sections are very advantageous in simply supported span to
resist positive bending moment. Inverted L sections resist negative bending moment in
cantilever beam.
Table-6 Concrete Cover
One-way slab: Reinforcement in one direction [Transverse for Bending Moment] but practically
it is non-existent due to architectural reasons. Two-way slab: Reinforcement in two directions
Main Mesh Reinforcement Secondary Mesh Reinforcement
Table-8 Reinforcing Bars and their applications
Except for 6 mm diameter bars, reinforcing bars have ribs that create strong bond with concrete.
Slabs transfer floor loads to the support by flexure and of the three types of slabs namely-Solid
Slab, Ribbed Slab and flat slabs-I saw Solid slabs which are divided into strips, say middle strip
and edge strips and reinforcement is provided in both directions.
Maximum bending moment is found in the middle strip where positive reinforcement and T
sections are found while 50% of the strips are extended into the support. I learned that negative
bars are terminated at a distance of L/3 from the respective centerline of the supports.
Engineers prefer yielding steel at first to collapse in concrete.
Grade Beams
There is a direct relationship between ground floor slabs and grade beams. Grade beams are
similar to other beams supporting slabs but needs some structural considerations and important
concepts are introduced while on site and also in office.
Once footings and columns are completed, foundation masonry wall constructed of stone and
cement mortar is erected. Grade beams directly rest on the masonry wall and now the concrete.
Grade beams are not doubly reinforced structures but hanger bars run longitudinally in the
nominal compression zone for vertical stirrups to be fixed and allocated properly. In fact,
Negative bars are provided in the tension zone like cantilever beams.

Figure 16: Negative bars resist negative bending moment due to the pressure by soil on the
masonry wall on which grade beams rest
2.3.1.7 Floor System [New Home Affairs HQ]
During the flooring, I raised a number of questions, particularly the observation of solid floor
which direly rests on the ground. For example, the importance of Damp Proof Courses (DPCs)
and how such materials help floor system resist moisture and dampness into the pavement.
I took a serious note on the following procedures:
-Floor Layering
Figure 17: Soil constituting a depth of 150mm above the ground level is compacted manually
Soil, either Natural or selected soil material is sprayed on the floor area, the depth of the soil is
almost 150mm above the ground level and a rod in a can filled with concrete helps construction
workers level the soil to a desired depth.
Figure 27: Parapets are part of the structural elements that form a building Photo 1: Before
concrete casting Photo 2: After placement of concrete
Parapets are structural elements in the building during concrete casting. They are directly
attached to the reinforcement mesh of the slab due to the presence of loadings.
Among the loads on the parapets are: Dead loads [Self Weight], Hydrostatic Loads [When raining]
and occasionally lateral loads resulted by wind loads on the roof covering.
After concrete is casted, hollow concrete blocks at a depth of 40cm are constructed to help
parapets retain rain water.
Dimensions of the blocks [40X20X15 CM]
2.3.1.10 Total Station Operation
Definition: Electronic Survey Equipment is used to perform horizontal and vertical measurements
in reference to a grid system (e.g., mine grid).
Well in the first place, it’s noteworthy to mention that different types of Total station are
available on markets so in my case, I operated Sokkia CX Series.
Like theodolite you need to adjust tripod, optical plummet to the target (Bench March/ Occupy
station) and also to use foot screws.
Below is the display panel of my total station after I exactly placed it on the occupy station and
centered the circular bulb.
DATA COLLECTION VIA TOTAL STATION
 Select Data
 Prepare occupy station [Point over which the total station is placed] with Easting,
Northing and Z [Elevation], for almost all cases, we employed Garmin GPS to find
E=257955, N=1034958 and Z=1672 of occupy station
 Again, on Data, click BS Data to find second reference position, you will see Angle or
Coordinate, we do prefer Coordinate Method, and GPS is again used for BS to achieve
accuracy, data is inserted into the equipment.
EBS=257910, NBS=1034989, ZBS=1670-----Ok button
  Height of instrument is measured using steel tape and height of the prism pole is written
in the display screen.
 To check out your work, now take Back Sight reading, shoot the prism pole and hit F1[REC]
to get accurate reading
 Place your prism pole over various stations by keeping your total station over the occupy
station until prism-hold gets lost due to rough terrain and existence of mountains.
DATA TRANSFER
 As you can see from the above photographic image, you can transfer the collected data
to flash disk or to the computer with the help of USB and specific software. Fortunately,
nowadays total stations have own system to let surveyors receive data in a simple
manner.
 Hit F2 [USB], Select S type, Select Save Data, among the different jobs available on the
display panel, choose your task and click ok, wait for a while moving into the storage
device.
 Transfer to Excel as CSV [Comma Delaminate] format and save [Below is the data]
3.3 Interpersonal Communication
The site is far more different from the University where we solely use scientific reasons. I
managed to interact with many people with different backgrounds and languages. I had a
working relationship with supervisors, office engineers, project managers, foremen and even
construction workers.
You may find new words at the site but I coped with both the horizontal and vertical
communication between different groups involved in the two projects.
Benefits of communication skills on the site
 Suggestions and orders for foremen and construction workers
 Sharing ideas
 Co-managing daily activities
 Respects for attitudes
 Decision-making while resolving engineering problems
3.4 Team Playing Skills
I used to join my colleagues from other universities to discuss engineering problems and possible
solutions. At the same time, as a team member and fresh consultant with Urban Development,
Construction and Industry Firm I cooperated with professional engineers on a number of
occasions by:
 Respecting suggestions
 Sharing ideas open-mindedly
 Communicating effectively
  Approaching issues from a constructive point of view
 Listening seriously
 Seeking accuracy at all times
3.5 Leadership Skills
During the internship program, I benefited from many leadership skills from the offices in the
Firm to the construction sites. At office, I took a serious note on the orders from Urban
Development, Construction and Industry Firm head to contract administration team and
engineers.
On the site, orders by project managers for keeping materials properly were important and
foremen remained accountable to both engineers of the contractors and consultancy.
Controlling everything on the site under the watch of contactor and work flow at office play
crucial role in the timely completion of projects.
3.6 Work Ethics
In construction industry, you need to develop healthy working environment and double
productivity through punctuality, honesty by avoiding corruption and bias, cooperation, office
discipline without disturbing working condition and reliability.
3.7 Entrepreneurship Skills
Al though I was working on the side of the consulting Firm, I came across some entrepreneurship
skills including resource utilization in profitable manner in a given period of time and the
importance of manpower and construction equipment.
The obvious goal of the Firm was to improve the standards in place for housing and construction
of high-quality buildings in Namibia.
4-CONCLUSION
I have found the internship program interesting as it provided me with the necessary skills
required by civil engineers at site and in office. It was an opportunity for me to interact with
different people including professional engineers who at least contributed their guidance to me.
It was something of highly valued to work for DCE.
The consulting body directed me towards tough tasks but those with appropriate theoretical
knowledge could have overcome the engineering problems over the course of the internship.
I gained not only practical but also theoretical knowledge by perceiving different challenges on
site and putting what I studied at class into practice.
I learned what do self-confidence, team playing, organizational skills, upgrade of theoretical
knowledge mean to the engineer?
And finally, I would like to conclude that this internship is far more fascinating than I could have
ever imagined and complies with real life situation.

5-RECOMMENDATION
DCE where I maintained presence for nearly four months needs to increase the number of civil
and construction engineers. Despite impressive work flow, the shortage of experienced
engineers was challenging matter.
The delays in construction could only be avoided if contractors are scolded legally and held
accountable for the mishaps.
As long term and short-term plan, consultancies are in dire need of relevant expertise and
laboratories to come up with quality assurances and scrutinize the contractors whenever
problems arise with varying intensities.

6-REFERENCES
 Namibia University of Science and Technology, ‘Lecture Notes’, [Unpublished]
 DCE Firm, ‘Company Profile’ 2014 [Unpublished]
 Foundation Analysis and Design, ‘Joseph E. Bowles’, 5th Edition
 Techniques of Writing and Editing Educational Materials, ‘Tesfaye Ejigu Tefera’,
1st Edition