STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME

(SIWES)
A TECHNICAL REPORT
AJIBEWA MOJOLAJESU PRAISE
18CF023938
SUBMITTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING,
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING,
COVENANT UNIVERSITY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLEMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE
OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (B.ENG). CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
COVENANT UNIVERSITY, OTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA,
MARCH, 2O22.
 DEDICATION
THIS REPORT IS DEDICATED TO ALMIGHTY GOD WHOSE FOREMOST

LOVE AND MERCIES HAS GIVEN ME THE OPPURTUNITY TO UNDERGO THIS

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IN THE ARK LEGACY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My special thanks goes to the Management of Ark Legacy project

for affording me the opportunity to undergo my IT in their organization,

who all made so much effort to see that I was given the right exposure on

engineering works needed as an industrial trainee.

This work would not have been a success if not for the following

people: the whole staff of Ark legacy project, the lead supervisor , who all

offered me their priceless support and advice in every area during my

industrial training.

My Parents and Siblings thank you for your moral and financial

support. I can’t wish for better from you.

I am deeply indebted to God Almighty, giver of all wisdom,

knowledge and understanding, without whom I wouldn’t have achieved

nothing at all.

Finally to my institution based supervisor for his support and to my

friends and colleagues and lecturers, Thank you.

 ABSTRACT
This document is intended to provide a detailed and explicit experience
gained in-house SIWES Industrial Training that took place within the
28th of February to the 11th of March at The Ark, Canaanland, Ogun
State.
The Ark Legacy Project involves the construction of a 100,000 seater
capacity church in the structure similar to that of a stadium with the
project contractor being Laralek Ultimate Limited. This SIWES Industrial
Training involves the visitation and site work of the 400 Level
Engineering Students to the Ark where the layout, structural design and
elemental groundwork and plan is explained to the students.
This document supports the significance of industrial based knowledge in
the academic lifestyle of students, and thus improving their knowledge on
the fundamental principles built upon in school.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS
DEDICATION..........................................................................................................................2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................3

ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER ONE.......................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................9

THE HISTORY OF SIWES..............................................................................................9

OBJECTIVES OF SIWES..............................................................................................10

MISSION AND VISION OF SIWES..............................................................................11

BENEFITS OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING TO STUDENTS.................................12

GENERAL WORKSHOP SAFETY...............................................................................13

CHAPTER TWO....................................................................................................................15

Involvement, work done and Experiences Gained..................................................................15

BATCHING PLANT......................................................................................................17

Operation / working of concrete batching plant.......................................................17

Components of concrete batch mix plant.................................................................19

REINFORCEMENT AND FABRICATION WORKSHOP...........................................24

QUALITY CONTROL LABORATORY........................................................................27

WEIGH BRIDGE OPERATION....................................................................................33

CONCRETE PLACEMENT AND FORMWORK.........................................................35

PLANT AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE........................................................................36

CONSTRUCTION OF PILE FOUNDATION...........................................................................40

MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING...................................................................43

DESIGN OFFICE................................................................................................................45

SITE WORK.......................................................................................................................47

CHAPTER THREE: CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED......................................................50

CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION.......................................................................................51

CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................52

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) for the

2021/2022 academic session kicked off in the month of February and was

to be concluded two weeks later, March 2022. The Industrial Attachment

program is solely aimed at improving the working skills of students in

tertiary institutions as well as effecting learning, participation and

observation of the actual implementation of theories put into practice in

various fields with respect to programs and courses being studied in

school. This scheme serves as an opportunity for students to grasp very

useful practical knowledge which not only makes them employable but

also aids in the perfect understanding of theories and operations in their

different majors. The program is of very high importance considering the

lack of adequate practical materials for learning in most Nigerian tertiary

institutions and is self proven as it has been part and parcel of the

country’s system of education for over 25 years.

THE HISTORY OF SIWES

SIWES was set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria to close

the gap between theoretical laws taught in the classroom and actual

practice for students in tertiary institutions. It was first kicked off and
funded by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) between 1973 and 1974.

Since its introduction by the ITF in 1973 the Scheme has gone through

series of reforms. Its management has changed hands from the ITF in

1978 to various regulatory agencies such as National Universities

Commission (NUC) and National board for Technical Education (NBTE)

in 1979, National Commission for college of Education (NCCE) and now

back to the ITF again in 1985.These are the major stakeholders in

(SIWES). Consequently, SIWES Program was introduced into the

curriculum of tertiary institutions in the country as far back as 1974 with

748 students from 11 institutions of higher learning and the scheme has

over the years contributed immensely to the personal development and

motivation of students to be able to understand the important connection

between the taught and learnt content of their academic programs and

what knowledge and skill will be expected of them on professional

practice after graduation.

OBJECTIVES OF SIWES

 The Industrial training funds policy document no. 1 of 1973, which

established SIWES outline the objectives of the scheme. The objectives

are to:

1. Provide an avenue for students in institution of higher learning to

acquire industrial skills and experience during their course of study.

2. Prepare students for industrial work situation that they are likely to

meet after graduation.

3. Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling

equipment and machinery that may not be available in their institutions.

4. Make the transition from school to the world of work carrier and

enhances students contacts for later job placements.

5. Provide students with the opportunities to apply their educational

knowledge in real work situations, thereby bridging the gap between

theory and practical.

MISSION AND VISION OF SIWES

RCC is charged with the responsibility of promoting and encouraging the

acquisition of skill, commerce and industry, with the view to generating a

pool of trained indigenous manpower sufficient to meet the need of the

economy. It is aimed at developing the human resources of the nation. It

builds the nation’s work force to promote the economy of a nation.

The vision of SIWES is to prepare students to contribute to the

productivity of their nation. Students’ Industrial Work-Experience

Scheme has the potential of increasing the scope and variety of technical

skills in the common pool or general stock available for the industrial

development of Nigeria. Therefore, harnessing the potentials of SIWES

for Industrial, technological and Economic development however

demands that the three major SIWES stakeholders or actors

(students, institutions and employers) be empowered to fully

participate and cooperate with one another in implanting the scheme.

While such cooperation requires that, the three actors share the same

information on all basic aspects of SIWES.

BENEFITS OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING TO STUDENTS

The major benefits accruing to students who participate conscientiously

in industrial training are the skills and competencies they acquire. This is

because the knowledge and skill acquired through training by students are

internalized, and it becomes relevant, during job performances or

functions. Several other benefits include:

1. Opportunity for students to blend theoretical knowledge acquired in

the classroom with practical hand-on application of knowledge

required to perform work in industry.

2. Exposes students to the working environment, i.e. to enable them see

how their professions are organized in practice.

3. Prepares students to contribute to the productivity of their employers

and nation’s economy.

4. Provision of an enabling environment where students can develop and

enhance personal attributes such as critical thinking, creativity,

 initiative, resourcefulness leadership, time management, presentation

of skills and interpersonal skills.

5. Prepares students for employment and makes transition from school to

the work environment easier after graduation.

6. Enables Students Bridge the gap between the acquired skills in the

institutions and the relevant production skill required in the work

organization.

7. Enhances students’ contact with potential employers while on training.

GENERAL WORKSHOP SAFETY

Safety: a state of being free from danger or situations that can cause
harm.
Workshop: a place where goods are manufactured or repaired. It can also
be defined as a place where scientific knowledge is applied for
accomplishment of objectives.
In order the prevent accidents and injuries, the students were introduced
to safety rules in the workshop. Safety wears were also provided to use
for work in the various workshops known as PPE (Personal Protective
Equipment). Which include:
1. Overalls
2. Safety boots
3. Helmets
4. Safety hand gloves
5. Ear muffs
6. Safety eye googles
When safety is neglected various occurrences may take place.
These include;
1. Lose of live
2. Fatal injuries
3. Near miss: an unplanned event that threatens human safety or
health, wherein the last protective barrier is challenged, but
defeated .
In order the prevent the above occurrences, students are advised to
do the following;
1. Students should not operate on any machine, unless instructed to
do so.
2. Avoid horseplay in the workshop
3. Operate on machines with the supervision of a trained personnel.
4. Always have their PPE on when in the workshop
5. Follow instructions and ask questions when lost.
6. Do not eat or drink in the workshop
7. Ladies should ensure to pack their hair tight and firm.
8. Always switch off machines when not in use.
9. Ladies should always pack up their hair when in the workshop (if
they have long hair or vast hairdo).
10.Never remove or override a guard.
11.Follow instructions, signs and notices.
 CHAPTER TWO

Involvement, work done and Experiences Gained

It was truly a great experience working for two weeks at the Ark Legacy

Project.. The system permitted me to alternate between different

engineering working departments after some weeks. This has greatly

improved my general perception of what Engineering is all about. I

visited five sub-divisions during my period at the site :-

 Batching Plant

 Quality Control Laboratory

 Reinforcement and Fabrication workshop

 Pile foundation

 Concrete Placement

 Mech electrical and plumbing installation

 Engineering design

 Formwork

In as much as each and every division entails the application of general

engineering principles and operations they also have in some occasions

differences and specially modified applications of known stipulated

engineering principles and operations, of course this comes with due

respect to dependent factors such as materials being worked on, location,

accessibility, system, environment et cetera. My involvement and

participation are detailed below

 BATCHING PLANT
Operation / working of concrete batching plant

Working principle of concrete batching plant is dependent on five

primary functions as below:

 Aggregate feeding – Aggregates and sand have to be fed into the

individual feeder bins.

 Powder feeding – Powder here refers to cement, fly ash and

additives. These are important components for binding of material.

 Water – Water will help cement bind evenly with aggregates.

Specific quantity of water is must for any ready mix.

 Storage and conveyance – Storage and conveyance here refer to

storage of cement, fly ash, etc. They have to hold up quantity in

bulk and transfer small quantity by screw conveyor to the weighing

hoppers.

 Control system – Control system is very critical for any advanced

machine. It makes operation fast and accurate.

Concrete batching plant process flow will start from the feeding of

aggregates into individual bins. Size wise aggregates have to be fed into

individual bins. These aggregates will be weighed individually as per the

design set in the control panel. After weighing they will be transferred to
the mixing unit. Above the mixing unit there are weigh hoppers for

cement, additive and water. The job of the weigh hopper is to weigh and

then transfer the contents into the mixing unit below. Cement is

transferred to the weigh hopper by means of screw conveyor. Water is

pumped up into the weigh hopper. After mixing for a specific time as set

in the mixing unit, the mixer will discharge the contents into transit mixer

or a concrete pump.

All the above processes are carried out carefully and systematically. Each

process is carried out for a specific time frame. The time frame starting

from the weighing of aggregates to the discharge of the ready mix

material is known as a batch time.

Components of concrete batch mix plant

A concrete batch mix plant has a number of parts and

accessories that combine and work together to produce quality concrete.

Some of the major components are as below:

 Aggregate feeders – Feeding unit is one of the important

components. There are bins located side by side to facilitate

feeding of coarse aggregates and sand. The different numbers of

bins are there which will hold different sized aggregates / sand into

different compartment. The reason behind putting each material

(size wise) into separate bins is that each material will be weighed

separately as per designated mix ratio.

 Aggregate weigh conveyor – Weigh conveyor usually sits below

the aggregate feeders. It is suspended and hanging on load cells. It

is to weigh aggregates one by one and then transfer the same to

charging conveyor of skip. Aggregates are discharged to the weigh

conveyor by opening and closing of pneumatic cylinders.

 Charging conveyor / Skip – Charging conveyor or a skip is to

carry the weighed aggregates to the mixing unit.

 Cement weigh scale – Cement weigh scale will hold the cement in

small quantity that is transferred from the cement silo / hopper via

a screw conveyor. Its task is to weigh the aggregates prior to

dispatch into the mixing unit.

 Water weigh scale – Water weigh scale receives water from water

pump. It will hold water and weigh the water as per the recipe set

in the control panel and then add the same into the mixing unit.
 Additive weigh scales – Additive weigh scales are also suspended

on load cells and they will weigh the additive material prior to

dispatch into the mixer.

 Cement silo / hopper with screw conveyor – Cement silo is to

hold large volumes of cement that comes in bulk trucks. It is

usually provided with safety accessories. A screw conveyor of

suitable diameter and length is at the bottom enabling transfer of

cement into the cement weigh hopper. Many small capacity

machines are equipped with a cement hopper. The opening of the

hopper is big and it facilitates adding of cement that comes in bags.

Bags have to be placed on top of the hopper and once they are torn,

cement will fall into the hopper. Cement hoppers are also provided

with screw conveyor for transfer of cement into the weigh hopper.

Usually a weigh hopper has 2 openings on top for inlet of 2 screw

conveyors.

 Mixing unit – This is the most critical part and heart of the

concrete batch mixing plant. The job of the mixer is to receive all

the ingredients and mix them thoroughly for a fixed time. Then it

will discharge the contents into a transit mixer or a concrete pump.

 Air compressor – Air compressor is one of the important

components here. It is used to control all the pneumatic operations

 of the concrete batch mixer like opening and closing of cylinders

that control the feeder gates, opening and closing of butterfly

valves fitted with weigh hoppers, opening and closing of the

mixing unit gate, etc.

 Control panel – Control panel will control the working of the

machine. Latest machines are equipped with PLC panel for ease of

usage. It is also possible to save and print mix material recipes in

the latest equipment. Control panel assist in fast and accurate

measurements of the ingredients. With growing demand for high

quality and accurate concrete it becomes important to produce

quality material without any wastage. This is where control panel

helps to control all components of the batching plant.

At my Time at Ark Legacy I was opportune to operate this Batching Plant

Machine and learn about the Maintenance Schedule of its

Electrical/Electronics Components.
 REINFORCEMENT AND FABRICATION WORKSHOP
Reinforcement fabrication is the process of assembling reinforcing steel
bars into mats or cages prior to concreting at the site. At present,
fabrication including decoiling, cutting and bending is primarily a manual
operation. If crude fabrication techniques are employed, the resulting
errors and wastage of materials will affect the performance and quality of
the structure. Accuracy of fabrication and dimensional tolerances are
important and should be ensured at the site of the job.

The fabrication of bars, tendons and meshes adds almost 20-30% to the
basic cost of steel. Fabrication of reinforcement involves the following
steps.

 Studying the bar bending schedule and detailing

 Straightening bars from coils or U-bend shapes
 Cutting the bars to sizes
 Bending the bars to specified shapes
 Bundling, marking, and stacking
 Transportation and handling at site
 Coating and treating of bars, where special protective measures for
corrosion protection are needed
 Splicing of bars or welding, as necessary
 Binding the bars to form a rigid cage

Due to the low tensile strength of concrete, reinforcement is usually

carried out on concrete and is done using steel bars. Thus, reinforced
concrete is produces which balances the tensile and compressive
characteristics of both concrete and steel. Reinforcement comes in
different sizes (diameters) e.g. 16mm, 20mm etc. It should be noted that
in the representation of the diameters of reinforcement, a Y-prefix is
added before the diameter of the reinforcement in millimeters. e.g. Y12,
Y16 etc. This is the British Standard of naming and is adopted by
Nigeria.
Y12 is used for slabs while reinforcement sizes such as Y22, Y25 are
used for heavy construction. The detailing Y stand for high yield steel
while R stand for mild yield steel.
Rebars: is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device in
reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and
aid the concrete under tension

The machines used in the reinforcement and fabrication workshop are :

 Automatic Bending Machine

 Rebar Cutting Machine

Automatic Bending Machine: is a forming machine tool. Its purpose is to

assemble a bend on a workpiece. A bend is manufactured by using a
bending tool during a linear or rotating move. 
Rebar Cutting Machine: it is a machine used for the purpose of cutting
rebars into desired length.it is used in producing of reinforcements for
construction .
 QUALITY CONTROL LABORATORY
This is an integral part of Civil Enginnering and it involves inspecting or
testing industrial processes so as to maintain quality.
A crucial term the water-cement ratio, which is mathematically calculated
and is responsible for various concrete characteristics, is an important
terminology that is essential to the processes in the quality control
laboratory. To calculate the water cement ratio, divide the mass of the
water by the mass of the cement.
180( Mass of water )
Standard water to cement ratio = 395( Mass of cement ) =0.45

N. B: If a pile foundation is used as the foundation type, the concrete

must be workable. Because a pile foundation is a deep foundation, the
water-to-cement ratio should be between 0.4 and 0.6 to avoid voids in the
concrete.
Some tests are carried out on materials used in construction with some
various instrumentations and machines :
 Sieve analysis test
 Concrete cube test
 Slump test
 Seive analysis test :determines the particle size distribution of a given
soil sample and hence helps in easy identification of a soil's
mechanical properties.
The machine or equipment used for conducting this test is called a sieve
shacker
Sieve Shacker: are devices designed to help promote particle movement
through a stack of sieves, facilitating accurate particle separation. As the
particle separate, they are retained on the various sieves depending on
their size, providing insight into the average particle size of your sample.
 Slump test: measures the consistency of a concrete batch to see how
easily the concrete will flow. The test not only observes consistency
between batches, but it also identifies defects in a mix, giving the
operator a chance to amend the mix before it is poured on site.
 Slump Cone: It has a dimensional size of 300mm height, an
internal diameter of 100 mm and external diameter of
200mm.

 Taping Rod: The dimension of a typical taping rod is

600mm length with a 16mm diameter.
 Procedures for Concrete Slump Cone Test
When carrying out the concrete slump cone test, the testing should
be done in a place free from external vibrations and disturbances
and should be carried out within a range of 2 minutes.
The steps for the process are:
 Clean the internal surface of the mould and apply oil.
 Place the mould on a smooth horizontal non-porous base plate.
 Fill the mould with the prepared concrete mix in 4 approximately
equal layers.
 Tap each layer with 25 strokes of the rounded end of the taping rod
in a uniform manner over the cross section of the mould. For the
subsequent layers, the taping should penetrate into the underlying
layer.
 Remove the excess concrete and level the surface with a trowel.
 Clean away the mortar or water leaked out between the mould and
the base plate.
 Raise the mould from the concrete immediately and slowly in
vertical direction.
 Measure the slump as the difference between the height of the
mould and that of the height point of the specimen being tested.
Types of slump
 Zero slump: This is an indication of a very low water to cement
ratio, and normally results in dry mixes. This type of concrete is
normally applicable for road construction purposes.
 True slump: This is the only slump that can be measured in the test.
The measurement is taken between the top of the slump cone and
the top of the concrete after the cone has been removed.
 Shear slump: A shear slump is an indication of an incomplete
slump cone testing and the concrete testing is to be redone.
  Collapse slump: This is a common effect of a concrete having a
very high water-cement ratio, thus the concrete mix is too wet (i.e.
it has a high workability mix) and is not appropriate for use.
N.B: It is advisable to mix the concrete for 1 minute, 40 seconds to avoid
segregation when in use.

Concrete cube test: involves taking a sample of freshly mixed

concrete, letting it cure, then crushing it and measuring its
compressive strength.The compressive strength of the concrete
cube test is used to help obtain the mechanical properties of
concrete. From this test, one can decide if the concrete production
process of a concrete cube has failed or not.The cubes used for this
test have a dimension of 150 x 150 x 150 mm as long as the largest
aggregate does not exceed 20 mm. It should nevertheless be noted
that the concrete cube test can also be carried out on concrete
cylinders.The equipment used in performing the compressive
testing of concrete is called Concrete Cube Compression
Machine.
 Concrete Cube Compression Machine: This is a machine
that is usually used to test for the compressive strength of
concrete and is done within the span of 7 to 28days.it has
It has a capacity of up to 2000 KN. A concrete is passed
if the compressive strength after 7days is 65% of the
expected value and if after 28days its compressive
strength is 99% of its expected anything otherwise is
considered a failure after testing.
Procedure for Concrete Cube Test
The operation for the concrete cube test can be classified into three
distinct sections: Sampling, Curing and Testing.
 Sampling
 Clean the mounds and apply oil
 Fill the concrete in the molds in layers approximately
5cm thick
 Compact each layer with not less than 35 strokes per
layer using a taping rod
 Level the top surface and smoothen it with a trowel
 Curing: In this section, the test specimens are stored in moist air for
24 hours and after this period, the specimens are marked and
removed from the molds and kept submerged in clear fresh water
until taken out for testing.
N.B: The water used for the curing process should be tested every
7 days and the temperature should be kept within 25 and 27℃.

 Testing
  Remove the specimen from the water after the specified
curing time and wipe out the excess water from the surface
of the cube.
 Take the dimensions of the cube.
 Clean the bearing surface of the compression machine and
place the cube in the machine in such a manner that the load
shall be applied to the opposite sides of the cube cast.
 Align the cube centrally on the base plate of the machine.
 Rotate the movable portion gently by hand so that it touches
the top surface of the cube specimen.
 Apply the load gradually without shock and continuously at
the rate of 140kg/cm3 per minute until the specimen fails.
 Record the maximum load and note any unusual features in
the type of failure.
Factors Affecting the Strength of the Cube
 Water-Cement Ratio: It should be noted that the higher the water,
the lower the strength of the cube.
 Density: The lower the density of the cube, the lower the strength
of the cube and vice-versa.
 Concrete Quality
 Quality Control during Concrete Production
After 28 days of testing, carry out the Non-Destructive Test (NDT). This
is done using a tool known as Schidmt’s hammer. If the concrete fails the
NDT, pull down the building. This shows the essence and importance in
preparing the design mix.
Master Kure
This involves the hardening or the formation of molecular linkages in a
material. Master Kure is a curing agent that reduces labor. Instead of
using water that takes 28 days, master cure can be used once. A common
master cure is Master Kure 106
Master cast
A common Master cast used is Master cast 141 which is an efficient
bonding agent.
WEIGH BRIDGE OPERATION
The heavy duty weighbridge is a platform that is used to measure the
weight of heavy duty materials or equipment. It can also be used to
measure the large quantity of products in trucks that can be easily carried
away by the atmosphere such as large quantities of sand. It has an
electronic or digital monitor which displays the weight of the vehicle
weighed. Weighbridges are mainly used for weighing large vehicles like
trucks or rail containers where movement of goods is done through
vehicles. Reliable and accurate weighing helps the industry by giving
them the exact figures to maintain their goods inward and goods outward.
The heavy duty weighbridge can measure up to 200 tonnes of a material.
In such scenario where the weight of the load and the truck are
measured, it is usually referred to as the gross load. For example, to
measure the weight of a large quantity of sand, the gross load of the truck
and load is measured. Afterwards, the sand is off-loaded. And the original
weight of the truck only is measured. The weight of the load is therefore
the weight of the truck subtracted from the gross weight .i.e.
Net Weight of Load = Gross Weight – Bare weight of Truck
N.B: The weights of the load is usually measured in tonnes.
Various software are now used to automate many of the processes
associated with weighbridge data collection and this increases the
efficiency of the weighing process.
Weighbridges are typically used to identify the weight of industrial
vehicles and, simultaneously, the weight of their contents. Many goods
are often sold by weight and weighbridges are therefore the ideal solution
for performing quick continuous vehicle measurements to record these
metrics. They are commonly used in the mining, quarries, electrical
equipment, iron and steel, household goods, metal, liquid and powder
industries, especially in places where bulk movement occurs.
 CONCRETE PLACEMENT AND FORMWORK
Form work is the process of creating a temporary mould into which
concrete is poured and formed.The frame that is used for form work is
made from choosing materials that are strong to withstand pressure e.g
wood,steel.
Marine board fibre or H-beams are used in form work to give bracing and
support it.
Bracing in form work is needed for stability and alignment when storm
and strong winds hits.there are two types of bracing methods namely:
 Angular method
 Butterfly method
Strike off: This is when you remove the material used for the form
work.if wood is being used ,the wood is first oiled so that the concrete
does not stick to it.
In concrete placement and framework, the mode of displacement and
dispersion is done by the utilization of the concrete pump.
The floor is reinforced using the wire mesh and it is known as reinforced
concrete (RCC). Concrete needs to have a rough surface, so as to have
good contact with tiles.
N.B: Before the reinforcement is carried out, blinding has to be carried
out and the concrete grade for the blinding is C15.
Mass concrete does not have wire meshes and is used for residential
buildings. This is very common in Germany.
Equipment used during concrete reinforcement include:
 Horse benches are used for separating the top bars from the bottom
bars. It should be noted that horse benches are not used in columns.
 Links which are horizontal reinforcements used to hold vertical
reinforcements in columns. Binding wires are used to join or
connect the links.
 Shear wall: This is a structural element that serves as a support to
cater for lateral loads such as winds.
PLANT AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE
Some of the equipment involved in the Ark Legacy Project include:
 Mobile Concrete Pump: This uses a hydraulic system to pump the
concrete to wherever it will be needed. A mobile concrete pump
consists of both a concrete pump and a placing boom which is
mounted on a truck chassis. The booms can vary in size and the
advantage of this type of concrete pump is it can be deployed
quickly and deliver concrete to any area within the range of the
boom. The mobile concrete pump can supply a far greater supply
of concrete per hour, and the supply is constant.

 Mobile Crane / Hydra Crane: A mobile crane is a cable-controlled

crane mounted on crawlers or rubber-tired carriers or a hydraulic-
powered crane with a telescoping boom mounted on truck-type
carriers or as self-propelled models. It moves big generators from one
place to another. Very tall cranes are capable of carrying up to 220
tonnes.
 Pay-loader: This is a heavy-wheeled vehicle with a large movable
scoop in front. This is used for the movement of materials form one
place to another. Pay-loaders are used mainly for loading materials
into trucks, laying pipe, clearing rubble, and digging.

 Bulldozer: This is a large, motorized machine equipped with a

metal blade in the front for pushing debris from one point to
another. They have tracks that is used to give them excellent
traction and mobility through very rough terrain. The wide tracks
also help distribute the vehicle's weight over a large area
(decreasing ground pressure), thus preventing it from sinking in
sandy or muddy ground.
 Forklift: This is a powerful industrial truck used to lift heavy
equipment. Forklifts are activated by hydraulic pumps that are
directly controlled either with levers directly manipulating the
hydraulic valves or by electrically controlled actuators. They are
majorly used in construction sites, warehouses, recycling
operations, snowplows etc,

 Water Tanker: This is used to supply water to locations where it is

needed. They are commonly used to carry portable and non-
portable water.
 CFA (Continuous Flight Auger) Piling Machine: It is suitable for
predrilling as well as for the installation of cast-in-place piles. The
soil (under certain conditions also rock) is loosened and conveyed
continuously using a continuous flight auger. The borehole wall is
supported by the auger flights filled with drill cuttings.
 CONSTRUCTION OF PILE FOUNDATION
Pile foundation is a type of deep foundation and is used when the
structure of the building is too heavy for the soil to withstand. For
gridline ABC taken in a sectioned portion of the Ark, pile foundation
(deep foundation) is commonly used while from D to J’’, the strip
foundation (shallow foundation). The strip foundation is a foundation that
runs the entire length of a load-bearing wall. This shows that more than
one foundation can be used for one project. In the Mission Tower, the
foundation being used is the raft foundation and it runs to a depth of
about 1.35m. The dimensions of the pile driven on the Ark is 25m deep
and 900mm in diameter. The concrete cover (or concrete biscuit) used at
the pile foundation is 75mm. The machines used in pile foundation on the
Ark project is called CFA piling machine and the Bore piling machine.
N.B: It should be noted that the minimum concrete cover for any
foundation is 50mm.
Examples of pile foundation include:
 Bore pile
 Auger Boring: Auger boring is generally used in soils that
can stay open without casing or drilling mud. For soils
which cannot stand unsupported such as sandy soils below
water table, auger boring becomes slow and expensive.
Auger boring cannot be used in soils that contains large
cobbles, boulders or other obstructions which prevent
drilling of holes.
However, this boring techniques are particularly useful for
subsurface investigations of roads, railways and airfields
where the depth of exploration is small. The investigation
are done rapidly and very economical.
The main disadvantage of auger boring is that the soil
samples are highly disturbed, and it becomes difficult to
locate the exact change in the soil strata.
  Driven pile: Driven piles are deep foundation elements installed
using impact or vibration hammers to a design depth or resistance.
The execution method in driven piles is fast and does not depend
on local conditions, presenting good stability in soft soils.
However, this type of piles is not suitable for soils containing hard
blocks (rocks).
 End-bearing pile: This is used when the soil in which the project is
being carried out does not bear enough weight for the project size
being built, even with dirt compactors and shallow foundations.
Instead, we must bypass this layer of soft soil and get to the
substrata of bedrock beneath to distribute the load.
End-bearing piles are driven as deep into the ground as necessary
for the end to make contact with the rock layer within the earth.
This allows the load to be passed through the piling and into the
rock, creating a safe distribution of weight.
 Friction pile: Friction piles take a different approach to the
contending layer of soft soil. Instead of boring down to the layer of
rock, the principle behind friction piles is an exchange of forces
with the soil surrounding the column, taking full advantage of the
surface area of the column.
The amount of weight a friction pile can sustain is directly
proportional to its length.
Bored pile is chosen over driven pile in the Ark Legacy Project to avoid
pollution and cracks on neighboring buildings due to soil disturbance.
Soil test is used to determine the type of foundation to use. For example
in high-rise structures, use strip, raft and pile foundation. For water-
logged areas, use pile foundation.
In reinforcement, the wrap around is usually known as the helix ring
while the concrete cover is known as biscuit. Concrete cover for piling
ranges 50-75 depending on the size. If the bore pile is 1200mm, the size
of the reinforcement will be 1200mm – 200m = 1000mm.
Tests carried out on Piles
These tests are used to check for the following in piles;
 Rate of Settlement
 Skin Friction
These tests are:
  Static Load Test: This is used to test the actual in-situ capacity of a
pile. Sand is loaded into the pile and how it is settled is monitored.
It is primarily based on the direct measurement of the pile head
displacement in response to a physically applied load. The criteria
for defining the load of the piles is usually based at the load at
which settlement continues to increase without further increase of
load and the load beyond which there is an increase in net
settlement disproportionate to the increase in load.
 Dynamic Test: Here, sensors are attached to a pile. A hammer is
attached to a machine and subsequently, the hammer is dropped on
the pile from a varying height. The sensor usually takes the
reading. It is used to provide information about the structural
integrity, driving stresses, and hammer efficiency. The dynamic
load test is usually carried out with the aid of Pile Dynamic
Analyzer which provides a fast and reliable method in evaluating
and determining the bearing capacity of a pile.
All in all, the static test is basically to know the bearing capacity of
the pile while that of the load test is to determine the effect of
settlement of the pile.
N.B: A trial pile is the pile tested before construction begins.
MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING
This primarily deals with the electrical connections along with their
placement in the mechanical structure of the building.
There are two types of ICT facilities i.e. the low voltage and extra low
voltage facilities.
 Low voltage: This primarily involves the implementation of
common electrical equipment i.e. switch, lighting, UPS, AC etc.
 Extra low voltage: This is usually and implemented in the
following areas such as in security access doors, security cameras,
data and intercoms, NVR (Network Video Recorder), elevators
(executive lifts and panoramic), Fire alarm systems.
Common tools used to set up these ICT facilities wiring systems include:
Crimper, Stripper and Cutter etc.
In fire alarm systems, there are two patterns of insulation i.e.
 Conventional
 Addressable
The main difference between these two patterns of insulation is the fire
alarm repeater panel (FARP). The major distinction in the operation of
the FARP is that in the addressable pattern of insulation, it makes the
building to know the exact place that there is a fire outbreak at a
particular point in time. It makes troubleshooting and maintenance easy.
A common cause of fire outbreak is excessive cooking ignorance. It is
also used to check attenuation and EMI.
N.B: Attenuation is when the signal strength is reduced. If sockets and
LAN cables are too close to each other, there will be interference and can
sometimes lead to fire outbreaks.
Components Required to Complete Fire Alarm Systems
 FA (Fire Alarm) Panel
 Break glass
 Fire Resistant Cable
 Heat detector or smoke sensor
 Dual tow cable cord in a strap fire alarm bell
Another major characteristic between the low voltage and extra low
voltage facilities is that in extra low voltage facilities, there is usually an
encryption during the installation process. Encryption is an activity of
converting information or data into a code or secret writing. Thermal
junction is mainly used for segmentation to allow for running of the
cables in extra low voltage. An SNSP protocol is used to help monitor the
system for exact troubleshooting.
The Data and Ethernet cables that consist the wiring and cabling systems
can be categorized into CAT 3, CAT 4 and CAT 5, but are usually take
one of the following forms:
 UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair).
 STP (Shielded Twisted Pair).
These cables have color codes which is used to categorize element of sets
of the cables and the wiring configuration based on their individual color.
The colors in which these cables can appear in are 8 in number and are
listed below:
 Brown / Brown White
 Blue / Blue White
 Green / Green White
 Orange / Orange White
The wiring configuration of these cables can be connected to routers and
switches in two various formats: the straight across and cross over
connections. The pattern in which these cables will be connected for both
the straight across and cross over connections will be shown below:
 Straight Across
Cable 1 Cable 2
Orange White (1) Orange White (1)
Orange (2) Orange (2)
Green (3) Green (3)
Blue White (4) Blue White (4)
Blue (5) Blue (5)
Green White (6) Green White (6)
Brown (7) Brown (7)
Brown White (8) Brown White (8)
 Cross Over
Cable 1 Cable 2
Orange White (1) Green (3)
Orange (2) Green White (6)
Green (3) Orange White (1)
Blue White (4) Blue White (4)
Blue (5) Blue (5)
Green White (6) Orange (2)
Brown (7) Brown (7)
Brown White (8) Brown White (8)
Factors Affecting Network Connections
 Collision: This is when 2 or more networks collide.
 Attenuation: This is when the signal strength is reduced.
Due to collision, there is a need to virtually separate each network and
this is done by the Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) and this is the
ability of a virtual administrator to shave the network into different lanes.
This is done with the aid of the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP).
DESIGN OFFICE
In the design of a building or during construction, there is an
incorporation and union of engineers of different disciplines to facilitate
the proper and required provision of the necessary equipment and
facilities as desired. Examples of the engineers and their respective
functions include:
  Structural Engineer
 Mechanical Engineer
 Electrical Engineer: They are responsible for provision of lighting
in building and are accountable for electricity-related purposes.
 Chemical Engineer: They are responsible for the choice of paint
and the materials to be used during the construction project.
 Petroleum Engineer: They are responsible for the movement of
grease from one level to another and for the provision of fuel as at
when desired.
Geophysical investigation is usually done prior to a construction project
to check the soil profile and to give comments of the topology of the area.
Based on the results from the investigation, it can be determined if a
particular region is suitable for a construction project. Structural design
usually starts from the roof of a building down to the foundation. Various
application programs are now used for structural design such as
AutoCAD, Reddit, STAAD Pro., Etabs, Orion, etc.
A vital factor for a successful construction project is proper planning, that
is determining the required choices and decisions to be used in the project
among a variety of factors. For example in the Ark Legacy Project, the
bore pile foundation is used so as to prevent noise pollution and to reduce
crack formation in the building. Other factors to be considered include
member sizing, roof shape etc. Sustainability goals are also ensured to
maintain proper management and conservation of resources while
keeping the environmental safe and green.
The design office generally contains the necessary information and fact
data concerning the Ark Legacy Project. Information concerning the Ark
is discussed below:
The Ark is a 100,100+ auditorium, with10 floors along with a basement
and ground floor. There are 4 levels defined by the seating and the fact
sheet indicates a 70 percent natural ventilation with two openings in both
sides
There are functional spaces within the concourse area- the parts outside
the building; children church, service units, and other functional spaces.
There are 126 escalators. They come in pairs one up and one down. 6
locations for lifts with 4 lifts each. 4 out of the six take to the topmost
floor. The Altar located at the center of the Ark. The Mission tower is
attached at the side of the altar and has about 12 floors per level while the
Main Bowl has 9 floors per level. The building is to contain three
panoramic flights to be used for the general public along with one or two
executive lifts to be used by distinguished guests, dignitaries, and by the
Bishop.

.
The reception area has a skylight at the top. The initial design of the Ark
had a saddle roof but a dome roof which is translucent to let in light is
now being implemented. For the covering, photovoltaic glass is being
used to generate the power it’s meant to consume. The glass is
manufactured to get power from the sun, conserve and use. This is used
to enhance and maintain management of resources and sustainability.
This is also supplemented by the presence of runway and drainage pipes
across the Ark to collect rain water where they can be reused.
In the exterior of the building, the rams are about 70 meters on both sides
to take visitors from the natural level to the 3rd, 4th floor. The basement
serves a dual purpose; for car park and or to hold 40,000 people. There
are 6 sectors defined by expansion joints.
SITE WORK
Various structural elements that form the basis in construction include
beams, slabs, columns, shear wall etc.
 Beam: A beam is a structural element that is capable of
withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. A beam is also a
horizontal member of a building which receives load from the slab
and then transmits this load to the column and to the foundation.
There are different types of beams based on their supports but a
key one is the cantilever beam which is a beam supported at only
one end such that the axis of the beam cannot rotate at that end.
 Beams can generally be classified into two various types: the
primary beam and the secondary beam.
 Primary Beam: This is a type of beam supported by a
column. They have very high depth.
 Secondary Beam: This is a type of beam supported by a
primary beam. It is also used to connect primary beams.
 Slab: A slab is a part of a reinforced concrete structure which more
than often than not is subjected to bending (tensile or
compression). In most cases slabs are horizontal members but they
can be used as vertical members such as walls to infill panels, side
walls to drains and sewer etc. They can be categorized into four
different types: the flat, solid, ribbed and waffle slabs.
 Solid Slab: This is a slab in which load is first to the beams
then to the columns.
 Flat Slab: Flat slabs are beamless reinforced concrete slabs
supported directed by columns. The load is directly
transferred to the columns. The flab slab is used in the
Mission Tower.
 Retaining Wall: The retaining wall is a relatively rigid wall that is
used for supporting the soil laterally so that it can be retained at
different levels on the two sides. The retaining wall has its own
foundation and is meant to hold the soil. Thus, every basement has
a retaining wall because the soil is pushing against the walls of the
basement. Retaining walls are used in dams, swimming pools etc.
In the designing of the retaining walls, check for sliding (when the
walls shift due to load pressure) and overturning (when the wall
tilts due to the load pressure).
 Shear Wall: This is a rigid wall capable of transferring lateral
forces from the roof of a building to the ground foundation.
During construction, the weights and loads of all possible elements on the
building are usually accounted for, even live loads i.e. human beings are
taken note of.
A major terminology that often arises commonly alongside retaining
walls is the near face and the far face. The near face is reinforcement
where the soil touches the wall is stronger than the far face. On the other
hand, the far face is reinforcement farther away from where the soil
touches the wall. In swimming pools, both the near face and far face are
active due to the presence of both water and soil.
 Raker Beams: Raker beams are structures that are used to hold the
slabs in place. The slab is pre-casted and placed on the raquer
beams. The slabs can either be pre-casted or casted in site, although
if the slabs are either pre-casted, it should be made sure of that the
slabs are done to the exact dimensions. Pre-casted slabs are majorly
used to manage space.
CHAPTER THREE: CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED
There were several challenges encountered during the in-house SIWES
program at the Ark. These challenges include:

 Difficulty in Communication: I initially had difficulty

communicating with my colleagues and the supervisor due to the

excessive noise pollution in the environment.

 Short Industrial Training Period: Due to the sudden and short

period of time spent in the company, the information learnt was

limited in comparison to a longer industrial training period.

 Repetition in Task Assignment: I, along with my colleagues

occasionally revisited various project situations that we already

partook in.


CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION
The SIWES program served its purpose by enabling students to gain
prospective knowledge in their disciplines. It exposed me to the
operational guideline and viewpoint of the industrial sphere of work. The
SIWES program seeks to expand and build on the knowledge imparted on
students in the school institution and in the class environment and for
them to actually experience the way this knowledge affects and impacts
the outside world.
CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS
Certain recommendations can be put in place to ensure that Industrial
Training students make the best of their experience in the industries in
which they carry out the program.

These recommendations that can be put in place include:

 Increase in Safety Measures: Safety measures incorporated

should be increased so as to prevent the rate of casualties and

fatalities. This involves the provision of the reflective jacket and

other PPE, increase in the number of caution tapes etc.

 Spirit of Teamwork: The spirit of teamwork should be

encouraged in the workplace as it leads to the attainment and

achievement of goals and brings the workers in the industry to

form a community.