SC401:CONSTRUCTION

TECHNIQUES AND SITE

ORGANISATION
CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENTS
LECTURER: Eng. HAPPYNESS PAUL

Friday November 18th 2022 – 08:00hrs – 10hrs

 TRANSPORTING PLANTS
Movement of materials and /or personnel around and between sites can be very time consuming
and non-productive. Therefore wherever economically possible contractors will use some form of
mechanical transportation.
The movement required can be horizontal, vertical or a combination of both.
• Lorries and trucks
These are used for transportation of men and materials around the site and between sites. Vast
ranges of lorries are available for construction works with refinements such as tipping , tail host and
self-loading facilities using hydraulic lifting gears. Some trucks , like concrete mixer trucks are
designed for specific types of materials.
• Dumpers
Dumpers have often been rightly described as the “maids-of-all-work” on construction sites because
they can be used for many on site transportation duties. They are available in different capacities.
• Folk lift trucks
Folk lift trucks are used for handling mainly paleted materials quickly and efficiently around
construction sites over the rough terrain normally encountered. Designs available offer the choice of
front- or rear wheel drive and four wheels with various mast heights and lifting capacities.
 TRANSPOTING PLANTS
• Hoists
Are a means of transporting materials or passengers vertically by means of a moving level platform.
Some designs permit combined materials and passenger movement. Under no circumstances should
passengers be transported on hoists designed specifically for lifting materials only.
Static and mobile
Two types are available, static and mobile. The static version consists of a mast or tower with the lift
platform either cantilevered from the small section mast of centrally suspended with guides on either
sides within an enclosing tower.
Both forms need to be plumb and tied to the structure or scaffold at the intervals recommended by the
manufacturer ensure stability.
Mobile hoists usually have a maximum height of 24 m and do not need tying to structure unless
extension pieces are fitted when they are then treated as cantilever hoist. All mobile hoists should be
positioned on a firm level base and jacked to ensure stability.
• Cranes
A crane may be defined as a device or machine for lifting loads by means of a rope. The use of cranes
has greatly increased in construction industry due mainly to the need to raise the large and heavy
prefabricated components often used in modern structures.
 TRANSPOTING PLANTS
• Cranes cont’d
The range of cranes available is very wide and therefore actual choice must be made on the basis of
sound reasoning, overall economics, capabilities of cranes under consideration, prevailing site conditions
and the anticipated utilization of the equipment.
• Mobile cranes
Mobile cranes come in a wide variety of designs and capacities, generally with 360 degrees rotation or
slewing circle, a low pivot and luffing jib, the main exception being the mast crane. Mobile cranes can be
classified into self-propelled, lorry-mounted , truck mounted and mast and gantry cranes.
• Self-propelled cranes
These are wheel-mounted mobile cranes that are generally of low lifting capacities of up to 10 tonnes.
They can be distinguished from other mobile cranes by the fact that the driver has only on cab position
for both driving and operating the crane. They are extremely mobile but to be efficient they usually
require a hard level surface from which to work.
• Lorry-mounted cranes
These consist of a crane mounted on a specially designed lorry or truck. The operator drives the vehicle
between sites from a conventional cab but has to operate the crane engine and controls from separate
crane operating position. The capacity ranges from 5 to 20 tonnes in the free-standing position but using
the jack outriggers built into the chassis can increase this.
 TRANSPOTING PLANTS
Cranes cont’d
• Truck-mounted cranes
This form of mobile crane is usually based on the standard power unit. Capable of being rigged as an
excavator. These cranes can traverse around most sites without the need of firm level surface and have
capacity ranges similar to the lorry-mounted cranes.
• Mast cranes
These cranes are often confused with mobile tower cranes. The main differences are:
• Mast is mounted on the jib pivots and held in the vertical position by ties;
• Cranes are high pivot machines with a luffing jib;
• Operation is usually from the chassis of the machine.
Mast cranes can either be lorry- or truck-mounted machines.
• Gantry crane
Gantry or portal crane is a rail-mounted crane consisting a horizontal transverse beam which carries a
combined driver’s cab and hook supporting saddle. The beam is supported by rail mounted “A” frames on
powered bogies situated on both sides of the building under construction. This is a particularly safe form of
crane as it requires no ballast, give the driver an excellent all round view and allows the hook three-way
movement of vertical, horizontal and traverse directions.
 TRANSPOTING PLANTS
Cranes cont’d
• Static or stationary cranes
These cranes are fixed at their working positions and are used primarily for lifting heavy loads such as
structural steelwork.
• Guyed derrick cranes
Simple and inexpensive form of static crane consisting of a lattice mast with a pedestal bearing stabilized
by five or more enchored-guy ropes. The jib is of low pivot type and is slightly shorter in length than the
mast height so that it can rotate through the whole 360 degrees without fouling the guy ropes if raised in
the near vertical position.
• Scotch derrick cranes
Consists of mast and a luffing jib which is usually longer than the jib used on a similar capacity guyed
derrick crane. Stabilisation is obtained by using lattice members called guys and stays. Two guys are fixed
to the top of the slewing mast at an angle of 45 degrees with the horizontal and at an angle of 90
degrees in plan, the lower ends of the guys are connected to the end of horizontal stays fixed to base of
the mast forming an angle of 90 degrees in plan. A horizontal brace is fixed between the ends of the guys
and stays , forming a complete triangulation of stabilising members together with the mast. These cranes
are only capable of slewing 270 degrees, being restricted in further rotational movement by the sloping
lattice guys. Resistance to overturning can be provided by a kentledge applied to the struts and brace, or
these members can be bolted to temporary concrete bases.