University of Mascara

Department of Civil Engineering

Master I

Type of Equipment use in construction

There are several equipments that is been used in the Construction Industry. These are used
for both large and small scale purposes. Various types of Equipment are been used for
Building & structural Construction, Road construction, underwater and other marine
construction work Power projects etc. There are various operations that are involved in
construction projects, whether it’s a large scale or a small scale; Excavation and digging of
large quantities of earth, Placement of construction materials (e.g.:-Bricks, concrete)
Compacting and leveling, Dozing, Grading, Hauling etc…

Construction equipment can be categorized in to 4 main sections based on purpose and use,
They are:

1. Earth Moving equipment

2. Construction vehicle
3. Material Handling Equipment
4. Construction Equipment

Earth Moving Equipment

1.1 Excavators : An excavator is a construction vehicle used to excavate or move large
objects. The excavator uses a Hydraulic system to generate a Hydraulic force to control the
mechanical arm of the machine. It also uses a chain wheel system for its movement.
Excavators are been used in large and small scale constructions. They are used for small
housing projects to do a cut and fill, used in road construction, used in marine structures to
place armors and large rocks,   and also been used in larger sites to excavate, move
construction material, remove construction waste etc…
1.2 Graders : A grader is a construction machine with a long blade used to create a flat
surface. It is commonly called in names such as road grader, a blade, a maintainer and motor
grader. Graders are mostly been used in road construction for construction and maintenance
of dirt roads and gravel roads. In the construction of paved roads they are used to prepare the
base course to create a wide flat surface for the asphalt to be placed on.

1.3 Loader :  is a heavy equipment machine frequently used in construction industry,

mainly used to Load material (such as demolition waste, feed, gravel raw minerals, used
material, rock, and plywood) into or onto another type of machinery (such as a dump
truckload). Loaders have a very higher productivity and a lower maintenance cost unlike most
of the other large scale construction machines. Loaders are best suited for earth moving, road
construction, agricultural purposes, and also in large and small scale constructions
which include marine structures.

1.4 Crawler loaders : The crawler loader combines the stability of the crawler tractor
with the abilities of a wheel loader. It has the strength to survive heavy excavating. The
introduction of hydraulic excavators reduced the market for the crawler loader because it was
incapable to match the excavator’s lifting power and flexibility.
1.5 Backhoe : A backhoe, also known a rear actor or back actor, is a section of excavating
equipment or digger consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm.
They are typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader.

1.6 Bulldozers : A bulldozer is a crawler (continuous Tracked tractor) with a substantial

metal plate used (known as blade) fitted to push large amounts of soil, sand, dirt or other
materials when construction or remodeling and usually push on the back with a
claw mechanism (Known as ripper) to loosen densely-compacted materials.

1.7 Trenchers : It is sometimes called as Ditchers or Trenches are similar to excavators

in the sense that penetrate the soil, break soil and rock, and from the earth. .
They differ from excavators in that the soil is removed in one continuous
movement. Digging trenches for pipes used specifically for, but other machines
have been improvised in the past in order to serve this purpose.

1.8 Scrapers : The scraper is a large piece of equipment used in mining, construction,

agriculture and other earth moving applications.
2. Construction Vehicle
2.1 Tippers : A truck or lorry the rear platform of which can be raised at the front end to
allow the load to be discharged by gravity also called tip truck.

2.2 Dumbers : A dump truck is a vehicle designed to transport bulk material, often in

construction. It has a open jump ahead with the driver seat, and consist of a large box like
body to contain materials. A dumper usually has 4 Wheels, where the entire load and the
movement depends on.

2.3 Trailers : A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle towed by a powered vehicle. It is

commonly used for the transport of goods and materials.
2.4 Tankers : A tank truck (USA usage) or road tanker (UK usage) is a motor vehicle
designed to carry liquefied loads, dry bulk cargo or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles
are similar to railroad tank cars which are also designed to carry liquefied loads. Many
variants exist due to the wide variety of liquids that can be transported. 

3. Material Handling Equipment

3.1 Crane : A crane is a type of machine commonly used in construction, generally
equipped with an elevator, ropes or chains and sheaves that can be used both to move and to
lift and lower materials horizontally. It is mainly used for heavy lifting and transport to other
locations.
One or more simple machines are used to provide a mechanical benefit and thus to move
loads on the normal ability of a person.
Cranes are commonly employed in the transport industry for the loading and unloading of
goods for the movement of materials and manufacturing industries for mounting agricultural
machinery, in the construction industry.

3.2 Conveyors : A conveyor structure is a common piece of mechanical handling

equipment that moves materials from one location to another location. Conveyors are mainly
useful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor
systems allow quick and efficient transportation for a wide variety of materials, which make
them very popular in the material handling and packaging industries.

3.3 Hoists : Hoist is a device for raising or lowering a load by means of a drum or wheel lift
to which wraps the rope or chain. It can be operated by hand, is driven electrically or
pneumatically, and the chain or wire rope fibers are used as lifting device. 
Also known as a man-lift, Buck-hoist, temporal lift, builder forklifts, lift or elevator, is this
kind of lift is often in large construction projects large as tall buildings or large hospitals.
There are many other uses for the elevator. Other industries use the buck hoist for full-time
operations. The purpose is to transfer its personnel, material and equipment between the
ground and the upper floors, or between plants in the middle of a structure.

3.4 Fork Lifts : A forklift truck (lift truck, fork truck, forklift, tow-motor) is a powered

industrial truck used to lift and transport materials. Forklift trucks are available in many variations
and load capacities. In a typical warehouse setting most forklifts used have load capacities
between one to five tons. Larger machines, up to 50 tons lift capacity are used for lifting heavier
loads.

4. Construction Equipment
4.1 Concrete Mixture : A Concrete (Cement Mixer) is a machine that combines cement
evenly to form aggregates such as sand or gravel and water to concrete. A typical concrete
mixer using a rotating drum for mixing the components. For smaller volume works portable
concrete mixers are regularly used for concrete, can be produced at the site, so that workers
have enough time to use the concrete before it hardens time.

Special trucks for transporting concrete produced and ready-mix concrete to the construction
site. They can be charged with dry materials and water, with the mixing occurring during
transport. With this method, the material was mixed. The concrete truck transportation of
liquid mixture maintained material by movement or rotation of the drum to the delivery.

4.2 Compactors : A compactor is a machine or mechanism used to material soil through

compaction in construction industry.
4.3 Pavers : A paver (paver finisher, asphalt finisher, paving machine) is an engineering
vehicle used to lay asphalt on roadways. It is normally fed by a dump truck. A separate
machine, a roller, is then used to press the hot asphalt mix, resulting a smooth, even surface.
The sub-base being prepared by use of a grader to trim crushed stone to profile after rolling.

4.4 Road Rollers : Road roller (sometimes called a roller-compactor, or just roller) is a

compactor type engineering vehicle used to compact soil, gravel, concrete, or asphalt in the
construction of roads and foundations, similar rollers are used also at landfills or in
agriculture.