CONSTRUCTION METHODS AND EQUIPMENTS

Construction methods are the procedures and techniques that are used during the building
process. The list of construction methods covers the processes and techniques used in the construction
process. The construction method is essential for civil engineers; utilizing it appropriately can help to
achieve the desired results. The term building refers to the creation of physical structures such as
buildings, bridges or railways. One of the four types of buildings is residential and building methods are
easiest to study in these structures. Residential buildings go through five main stages, including
foundations, formwork, scaffolding, concrete work and reinforcement.

 Foundation
Foundations provide support for structures, transferring their load to layers of soil or rock that have
sufficient bearing capacity and suitable settlement characteristics to support them. There are four types
of foundation depending on the bearing capacity. Civil engineers will often determine what type of
foundation is suitable for the respective bearing capacity.

The foundation construction method depends on considerations such as:

The nature of the load requiring support
Ground conditions
The presence of water
Space availability
Accessibility
Sensitivity to noise and vibration
Shallow foundation

Shallow foundation
Shallow foundations are used where the loads forced by a structure are low relative to the bearing
capacity of the surface soils. Deep foundations are needed where the bearing capacity of the surface
soils is insufficient. Those loads need to be transferred to deeper layers with higher bearing capacity.

Raft or mat foundation

Raft foundations are slabs that cover a wide area, often the entire building footprint. They are suitable
where ground conditions are too poor to create individual strip or pad foundations for a large number of
individual loads. Raft foundations may combine beams to add support for specific loads.

Pile foundation
Pile foundations are rectangular or circular pads used to support loads such as columns.

Strip foundation
Strip foundations provide a continuous line of support to a linear structure such as a wall. Trench fill
foundations are a variation of strip foundations. The trench excavation is almost completely filled with
concrete. Rubble trench foundations are a further variation of trench fill foundations and are a traditional
construction method that uses loose stone or rubble to minimize the use of concrete and improve
drainage.

 Formwork
Formwork is used for the process of creating a mold into which concrete is poured and solidified.
Traditional formwork is fabricated using wood, but it can employ steel, glass fibre, reinforced plastics
and other materials.

Formwork for beams takes the form of a box that is supported and propped in the correct position and
level. The removal time for the formwork will vary with air temperature, humidity and consequent curing
rate. Typical striking times are as follows (using air temperature of 7-16 °C):

Form work
Beam sides: 9–12 hours.
Beam soffits: 8–14 days.
Beam props: 15–21 days.
This consists of a vertical mold of the desired shape and size matching the column to be poured. To
keep the material thickness to a minimum, horizontal steel or timber clamps (or yokes) are used for
batch filling and at varying centers for filling that is completed in one pour.

The head of the column can provide support for the beam formwork. Even though this gives good top
lateral restraint, it can make the formwork complex. The column can be cast to the underside of the
beams. A collar of formwork can be held around the cast column to complete the casting and support
the incoming beam.

 Falsework
Falsework consists of temporary structures used to support a permanent structure. Falsework need to
have accurate calculation.

 Bar bending

Rebar is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used in reinforced concrete and masonry structures to
strengthen and hold the concrete in tension. The surface of rebar is often patterned to improve the
quality of the bond with the concrete. Rebar is necessary to add tensile strength, while concrete is
strong in compression. It can support tensile loads and increase overall strength by casting rebar into
concrete.