1

CONSTRUCTION PLANT
&
MECHANISATION

SEHS 3284
Construction Technology & Materials II
Edmond Wong
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Background of Increasing
Mechanisation in HK Building
Industry
• Labour – shortage, ageing
• Tall buildings
• Bulky construction materials (precast,
modular construction)
• Stricter safety standard
• Better and consistent quality
• Shorter construction time
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Types of Machines
https://www.aprentalshk.com/en/product/equipment_rental/index.php

1. Excavation Machines
2. Earth Compacting machines
3. Foundation machines
4. Materials Transporting Machines
1. Cranes
2. Hoists
5. Workers Transporting Machines
6. Concrete Mixing Plant
7. Concrete Placing Machines
8. Formwork Hoist
9. Automation
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1) Excavating Machines
• Wheel-mounted
machines: faster speed
and response but cannot
be used if the ground
condition is bad
• Needs more space for
turning
• Less traction with the
ground
• Less stable than track-
mounted
• Tires may puncture in
abrasive surfaces
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1) Excavating Machines
• Track-mounted
machines: better traction
between track and the
ground  can be used
in muddy/slippery/slope
site condition
• Suitable for congested
site – can swing/rotate in
a circle
• More stable when
working on slope
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Track-mounted gives better traction

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Bulldozer
• Strip top soil
• Clear vegetation
• Backfilling
• Levelling
• Large bucket
more efficient
than backacter to
transport soil to
lorries
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Backacter / Backhoe
• Hydraulically-operated backacter – very popular in HK
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Backactor – Various Sizes

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Backactor / Backhoe
• Trench excavation for laying
utilities pipes (bucket width to
suit trench width)
• Work below the level of tracks
(dig downward)
• Foundation and basement
excavation (rest on upper
level)
• Backfilling
• Stage excavation required if
excavation exceeds max.
digging depth
Backhoe with Telescopic Dipper 13

Arm
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Face Shovel
• Rope or hydraulic
operating
• Rest on lower level and
work above the track
against an excavation
face
• Bucket pushed upward
from toe to top
• Uncommon in HK
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Face Shovel
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Dragline
• Rope operated only
• 3 rope drums
• Luffing winch (up
and down of boom)
• Hoisting winch (up
and down of bucket)
• Drag winch (pull the
bucket back)
• Excavation below
the level of tracks
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Dragline
• Large coverage (area)
because long boom
length
• For mining,
reclamation, ready-
mixed concrete
batching plant
• Difficult to put bucket
in exact position
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Dragline used in concrete mixing

plant
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2) Earth Compacting Machines

• Compaction after backfilling (e.g. open-cut
basement excavation, laying utilities), to
reduce future settlement
• Layer by layer (Highways Dept. requires each
compacted layer ‘not exceeding 150mm thick’)
• By heavy loading and/or vibration
• Rollers, vibrating plate compactor, impact
hammer
• Road  roller; pavement – vibrating plate
compactor
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Roller
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Vibrating Plate Compactor

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Impact
Hammer /
Stamper
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3) Foundation Machines
• Displacement Piles: H piles,
Daido piles
• Vibration (H-pile) – vibrator hammer
(vibration may affect nearby structures)
• Momentum – drop hammer (noise)
• Hydraulic – hydraulic press-in hammer
(quiet)
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Drop
Hammer
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3) Foundation Machines

• Replacement Piles: bored piles,

minipiles, pre-bored H piles
• Steel casing driven in by vibration or
oscillating
• Steel casing + grab or auger (to
remove soil inside the casing)
• Reverse circulation drilling (RCD) with
roller bits for rock drilling
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Oscillator Pushing the Steel Casing

into the Soil
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4) Materials Transporting Machines

4.1) Cranes
• transport (bulky) materials effectively within the
construction site: both vertically (more important)
and horizontally
• only serve topmost floor under construction
Loading Platforms (serve intermediate floors)
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*cannot align on a vertical line. Why?

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Lading Platforms
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4.1 Cranes & Loading Platform

• Loading Platforms
• Fixed or retractable (works like drawer)
• Fixed platform – zig-zag layout (can’t
align on a vertical line)
• Retractable – can be aligned on a
vertical line; extend if use and retract
after use; manual operated;
• need to allow for extra loading to slabs
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Retractable
Loading Platforms
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4.1.1 Mobile Cranes

• For low to medium-
rise buildings
• used in civil works,
building works
before the erection
of tower cranes (e.g.
sub-structure)
• used to set up tower
cranes
• Observe the working
radius and safe
working load
4.1.1 Mobile Cranes 36

Track-mounted Strut-
Boom Crane
• Also called crawler-
mounted
• Also called lattice boom
• Takes longer time to
set up the boom
• Fly jib can be added to
extend the serving
radius
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Short Headroom – Short 40

Boom
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4.1.1 Mobile Cranes

Lorry-mounted Hydraulic Telescopic Crane
• Better mobility, can run on public roads – but mind
the narrow streets
• Takes shorter time to set-up
• Wider base with extendable outrigger stabilizing
jacks installed and hence reduce risks of over-
turning
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Outrigger Stabilizing Jacks

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Lorry-mounted
Telescopic
Mobile Crane
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Max. height > 150m

Load capacity > 400t
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 Strut (lattice) Telescopic Boom
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boom
Wheel
(lorry)
mounted

Track
(crawler)
mounted
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4.1.2 Tower Cranes

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4.1.2) Tower Cranes

• Height restriction on mobile crane (virtually
no height limitation for tower crane)
• Suitable for use when site is crowded or no
access to mobile crane
• Higher set-up and dismantling cost (longer
time)
• But higher efficiency because all moving
parts are above the structure and free from
obstructions
• Driver has bird-eye view overlooking site
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4.1.2 Tower Cranes

• Only serve the topmost floor, unless
with loading platforms
• Materials required on the topmost
floor: reinforcement bars, formwork
and falsework, concrete (by skip),
precast facade/slab, structural steel
elements
• Side force e.g. wind, try to overturn
the crane, let the boom swing freely
during typhoon
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Tower crane
assembly
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Tower Crane - 62

Types
• 2 major types – horizontal boom/jib and luffing
boom/jib
• Luffing boom: boom can be raised clear of
nearby obstructions when slewing
• Luffing boom used when: close to neighbouring
buildings/obstructions, congested cranes
(prevent overlapping of crane coverage)
• Change serving radius by
• Horizontal boom: travelling trolley or saddle
• Luffing boom: change of jib angles
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Horizontal Jib
Crane
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Luffing Boom Tower Crane

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Tower Crane
• Internally-mounted
• Openings on slabs need to be cast later
• Shorter boom length (radius) covers
maximum floor area

• Externally-Mounted
• May affect progress of external finishing
• Usually requires a longer boom to serve the
same floor area when compared with inside-
mounted tower crane
Mast penetrate Slab Opening 66

(openings will be concreted after crane

removal)
Tie-in 67

Externally-
mounted
Crane
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Tower Crane (free-stand vs.

climbing)
• Free-standing Crane
• Self-supporting on a
stable foundation
• Tied to the structure if
the crane, in order to
resist the lateral and
overturning forces
• Longer mast length
when building goes up
(sections to be
inserted into the mast)
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Inserting Section for Crane Climb

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Tower Crane (free-stand vs.

climbing)
• Climbing Crane
• Initially mounted on a fixed
base
• ‘climb’ up together with the
building (fixed length of mast,
no need to insert section)
• Can be internally or
externally-mounted
• Mast penetrated through the
upmost 3 to 5 floors
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Externally-
mounted
Climbing
Crane
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• Climbing Crane
• Each lift will go up 2 to 3 storeys
• Lift up by hydraulic jacks
• Loading to be transferred to the
building structure (e.g load bearing
walls)
• Additional forces : (1) vertical forces
- dead load of the crane itself and
the load weight and (2) lateral
forces / overturning force derive
from load weight movement and
wind
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Climbing Crane
• Extra stiffening of walls and
columns may be required on
these supporting floors
• Temporary steel sections fixed
in supporting intermediate
floors to transfer loadings to
structural elements (columns,
walls)
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Loading of
Crane Being
Transmitted to
the Wall by
Structural steel
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Base of Tower Crane rests on steel section

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Summary – Variations of Tower

Crane
Variables Option1 Option2
Boom / Jib Horizontal Luffing Boom
Movement Boom

Location with Internally- Externally-

respect to mounted (slab mounted
Building openings) (external wall)

Crane height Free-standing Climbing

adjustment
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Anything Wrong??
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Dismantling of Tower Cranes

Methods:
1. Self-Dismantle
• Take out sections (free-standing cranes)
2. Assisted by other cranes
• Nearby (existing) tower crane
• Mobile crane (with height limit)
• Set up another crane(s) (e.g. derrick
cranes)
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To dismantle, just reverse the

process !!
Dismantle by mobile crane
Dismantle by another tower crane
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Set-up
Another
crane at roof:
sections of
derrick Crane
to be erected
at the roof to
dismantle the
tower crane
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Dismantle Tower Crane by Derrick
Crane
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Tower Crane  Derrick Crane  Small

Derrick Crane

• https://blog.xuite.net/q47953744/hkblog/110697057-%E6%80%8E%E6%A8%A3%E6%8B
%86%E5%A4%A9%E7%A7%A4
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Jib-cum-
material-hoist
• Used in small and/or
congested site e.g.
single tower of limited
size
• Loading capacity of
jib crane is limited
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Crane Selection & Location

A. Crane Coverage & Location
• the length of the boom
• cover the furthermost point of the building
tower
• precast units storage area
• reinforcement bending yard
• material unloading areas, etc.
• permission required if the coverage area
extends beyond the site boundary
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Crane Selection & Location

A. Crane Coverage & Location

• accidental fall of materials beyond site
boundary  personal injury or property
damage which may not be covered by
the insurance
• lift shafts usually located at the building
centre but ….
• tower crane at lift shaft might affect lift
installation progress
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Height of Cranes – avoid clashing

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Crane Selection & Location
B. Crane Capacity
o powerful enough to handle the heaviest
components (e.g. precast facade, around 7 tons)
o tower crane close to the building centre 
shorter boom length  smaller overturning and
bending moment  less powerful machine 
more economical
o Placing heavy components (e.g. facade) at a
shorter distance to the crane mast  smaller
bending moment  less powerful machine
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Loading Radius Data

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Loading Radius Data

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Crane Selection & Location

C. Qunatity of Cranes
(i) Cranage Demand
• e.g. structural steel elements and precast units
have a higher cranage demand;
• formwork relocation e.g. steel formwork
• concreting by skips is also crane-dependent
• tall building - longer round-trip time (use higher
speed motor to shorten the round-trip time)
(ii) Construction speed
• how fast the building will need to be completed
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6 Cranes !!
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IFCII –
3 Luffing
Boom Cranes
– but one is
enough to
cover the
whole site!
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Crane Selection & Location

D. Serving Time of Crane
• if multiple cranes are used, not all the cranes will
serve throughout the whole construction period
(cost saving)
• Example:
Month 1-6 Substructure work – 2 Mobile
crane(s)
Month 7-10 G/F to Podium – 1 Mobile + 1 Tower
Month 11-22 Typical floors - 2 Tower cranes
Month 23-26 Roof completion – 1 Tower crane
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Crane Selection & Location

E. Obstructions
• neighbouring buildings, other crane(s) within
the site
• luffing boom is preferred in congested site
• overlapping on serving area of tower cranes 
different boom levels in order to avoid collision
• Installation of anti-collision sensors at cranes
 avoid collision with overlapping crane or
adjacent buildings
 to prevent crane from travelling beyond site
boundary
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Crane Selection & Location

F. Height of Buildings
• no height limitation for tower crane
• Favour using climbing crane (fixed mast length)

G. Crane Assembly & Dismantling

 Vehicular access
 Machinery required

H. Availability of Crane
 Plant hire or self-own
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Mobile Crane Tower Crane

Height Limit

Mobility

Working space

Set-up /
Dismantle Time
Lifting Capacity

Cost
Operator’s
maneuverability
Material Hoist (Skip Hoist)
Material Hoist
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Materials Hoist
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4.2 Material Hoist

• Transport materials to intermittent floors
• Tower crane + loading platform to handle
bulky and heavy materials/equipment
which cannot be served by material hoist
– tower crane is expensive!!
• E.g. concrete blocks, tiles, cement, sand,
doors, sanitary fittings and building
services
• Lifting platform run along the guides
inside the mast
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4.2 Material Hoist

• Mast is tied up to the building
structure
• Plastic sheet wrap up the mast to
prevent accidental falling of
materials during transit
• Operated by winch and motor
• Operator on ground floor to control
the up and down of material hoist
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5) Workers Transporting Machines

5.1) Passenger Hoists/Lifts
• Benefit: improve workers’ efficiency
• Cost: hiring of plant, erect, dismantle
• External finishes might be affected
• The hoist will not call each floor, e.g.
every 5 or 6 floors
• Number of hoist depends on number of
worker at peak, round-trip time of hoist
• IFC2 used high-speed passenger hoist
due to the height of the building
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Passenger
Lift / Hoist
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Door on Upper Floors

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Mast Tied to Structure

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High-Speed
Passenger
Hoists in
IFC2
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5.2) Gondola, Working Platform

• Working platform for workers
• Eliminate scaffolding
• For external finishes (e.g.
painting), drainage pipes, etc.
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Tower
Working
Platform
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Jump Lift
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5.3) Jump Lift

• Transport both workers and materials
(replace both material hoist and
passenger hoist)
• Use permanent lift shaft
• Will not affect the progress of external
finishes, e.g. curtain wall
• Weatherproof (wind, rain)
• Travel faster – save time
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5.3) Jump Lift

• More expensive
• Enhance safety
• Suspended by metal wire from
motor located at upper floor
• Motor need to be relocated as
the building goes up
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Which one you will

use to transport a
WC to 15/F?
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6) Concrete Batching/Mixing Plant

• 2 options: RMC (ready-mixed concrete)
or set up self-mixing plant inside the site
• Requires large areas: plant, materials
storage
• Nuisance - noise, dust  located far
from existing buildings
• Location – preferably near the centre to
save traveling time
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6) Concrete Mixing Plant

• Other factors:
• Adequate space
• Availability and reliability of RMC supply
• Quantity demand
• Demand pattern (uniform demand
quantity)
• Availability of mixing plant machinery
• Quality control
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7) Concrete Placement
7.1) Concrete Skip
• Most popular concreting method
• Concrete being discharged into
concrete skip (from concrete lorries)
• Crane to lift the skip up for pouring,
therefore, crane is engaged
• Economical but low productivity,
suitable for small pour (e.g.
column/wall, slab divided into wings)
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Wheel-barrow concreting
(http://www.metalforms.com/)
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7) Concrete Placement Machines

7.2) Concrete Pump
• Stationary or lorry-mounted
• Lorry-mounted: boom can reach 50m
high
• Pumping concrete: admixture added to
concrete to improve workability and
pumpability
• Fixed pipeline can be connected
to lorry pump
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7.2) Concrete Pump (25-150 cu.m. per hr.)

• Stationary concrete pump (trailer mounted)
• Economical only if demand of concrete is
consistent and at designated location
• Lorry-mounted concrete pump
• Mobile, flexible to various locations
• Large pour  hire more pumps
• Hourly /daily rental available
• Single pour of big quantity at lower level
e.g. pile caps, transfer plates, etc.
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7.2) Concrete Pump

• Pumping rate of a typical concrete

pump : 100-140 cubic metres per hour
(compare with skip @10-12 cu. m. per
hour)
• Nowadays, concrete pumps are
powerful enough to pump concrete up
to 300 metres without intermittent
pumping (e.g. ICC)
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Stationary Pump
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Fixed Pipeline Connected to

Concrete Pump
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Lorry-Mounted Concrete Pump

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Coverage of Concrete Pump

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7.3) Concrete Placing Boom

• Design similar to tower crane
• Used solely for concrete placing
• Stationary concrete pumps on ground floor
• Fast and efficient, but expensive
• No need to re-connect pipeline during
concreting
• Serve column and beam/slab
• Used in prime building where time is $$
• Reduce the demand on tower crane
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Concrete
Placement
Boom
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Concrete
Pipeline
Mast of
I-beams to
Concrete Distribute
Loading
Placement
Boom Passing
Through Slabs
of Lower Floors
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Mobile Placing Boom

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8) Formwork Hoist/Lift
• Special lift mounted on the external
wall of the topmost 3 or 4 storeys
• Transport the formwork (e.g. table
form) and falseworks to topmost floor
• Reduce demand on tower crane
• Can install more formwork hoists in
different wings for speedy erection
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Traditional Way – by Tower Crane &

Loading Platform
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Table Form
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https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Benefit%2Fcost-analysis-of-a-robot-based-
construction-Kim-Lee/a16a4a43b63f18c024131233917ddbdab540d0d3
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9) Construction Automation
• Provisional roof to shelter the site and
make it weather-proof
• e.g. Penta-Ocean : “FACES” and “SEIJU”
systems; Obayashi Corporation : “Super
Construction Factory” and “Big Canopy”
systems
• Roof frame will be lifted hydraulically
• Shuttle crane under roof frame and is
controlled by central computer
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9) Construction Automation

• RFID (radio
frequency
identification)
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Robotic – Brick Laying

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Robotic Welding
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Laying Paving Blocks

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Construction Automation – Better to

Use in Factory e.g prefabrication
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3D Printing
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Augmented Reality (AR)

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Augmented
Reality (AR)
[Google
Glasses/iPad]
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Use of Drone
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Robotic Exoskeleton - improve

productivity; reduce safety and
occupational health
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Reduce
fatigue –
ageing
workforce