One drawing, one decision · PE Civil Construction · Episode 01
Can this earthwork plan meet the two-shift export target?
A roadway widening has usable cut, unsuitable export, a fill shortage, and a two-shift haul window. Follow the site drawing and the mass-balance exhibits, then choose a defensible construction plan.
The planning decision
This original study gives soil suitability, compaction yield, swell, truck capacity, cycle time, productive hours, and excavator output as case assumptions. Check quantities in their stated bank, compacted, and loose units before judging the fleet. Field testing, acceptance, site access, and traffic circulation still govern an actual construction plan.
Reveal the mass balance and decision
Of 2,400 bank cubic yards of cut, 1,440 are assumed suitable, yielding 1,152 compacted cubic yards against 1,200 required. Arrange 60 bank cubic yards of suitable borrow at the same assumed yield. The 960 bank cubic yards of unsuitable cut swell to 1,200 loose cubic yards for export. At 15 loose cubic yards per load, that is 80 complete trips. Four trucks can make 40 trips per eight-hour shift at a 45-minute cycle, leaving no two-shift reserve. A five-truck plan provides 50 trips per shift, subject to verifying the full haul cycle, export gate, and excavator output. Reserve and test the suitable cut, arrange approved borrow, and verify the five-truck operation before committing to the two-shift window.
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