WOLLO UNIVERSITY

KOMBOLCHA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

4th YEAR INTERNSHIP REPORT

BY:
HANAN YESUF EBRAHIM
ID.No. WOUR/0821/09

March, 2021
Kombolcha, Ethiopia
DECLARATION
I, the undersigned, declared that this internship report is my original work and has not been
presented for a report in any other universities, except the company profile and has not been
published anywhere. This internship reports includes all the requirements of an internship reports
format. To accomplish this report I have referred manuals templates different related books,
many students report paper and some websites to have a better understanding on what I have
written on this internship paper. This final internship report is submitted to Wollo University,
Kombolcha Institute of Technology, department of Civil Engineering due March 6/2013 E.C.

Declared by:

Name of Student Hanan Yesuf Ebrahim

Signature ______________

Date ______________

I
Executive Summary
Civil engineering is broad fields of study which can be learning while practicing it. Until this
internship program we students learn civil engineering theoretically in class through different
methods and phases. But actual working environment is different. The diversified nature of the
works I have been assigned to work on throughout this program has enabled me to become well-
rounded, and taught me lots of skills and knowledge. I can apply to many areas of study in the
future. I believe I have developed different areas of expertise.

The first point is professional skills of knowing the society, site and creating a good environment
based on clients and studying economy, material usage and structural requirements. The other
point is communication skills which is challenging because your presentation is the subjects who
needs it, whether if it’s the client or the engineer. The final point is management skills which
involve managing each project like managing time and resource to meet deadlines, managing co-
workers and fellow professionals and also supervising implementation throughout the project. It
involves clear planning of each steps and having smooth relation with all co-workers.

In general to be a better civil engineer the skills mentioned above in proper manner could make a
difference in construction industries. So, in this internship program, I observed how each skill
are performed in sequential and procedural manner, this thought me I have a lot to learn in this
field-civil engineering.

The report is presented into five basic chapters as required. I, first, would state and describe the
company’s profile. Next, my internship experience and works that I have attained will be
presented. The detailed lists of the tasks I have carried out and the specific lesson I have got are
well explained in this section, and the third chapter is about different challenges that I have
observed during the internship. The fourth chapter is about the benefits I have gained during my
internship stay at site. Lastly, my conclusion and recommendation is enumerated briefly as well.

II
Acknowledgement
Anyone who has ever accomplished anything knows there is very little one can do without
enormous support and help from others. I have had a great deal of help and support over three
months it has taken me to complete the internship.

First, I would like to thank our department for preparing this essential internship program to
explore the construction practice of the working environment. It really is important experience
for us students to be exposed and to evaluate what we have got so far. Then, I would like to
thank my advisor for his all kind support and I would like to give my warmest gratitude to all
staff members and workers of Berhanu Ambaye Building Construction Company for making my
internship experience quite worthy, unforgettable and exciting. I would also like to specifically
appreciate Bisrat A. (member of lakomelza consulting enterprise and offering me this chance) for
pulling the best out of me by making me explore quite considerable disciplines and skills a
professional civil engineer needs.

But all is not said, I would like to express my special thanks to my lovely family for their endless
care, love and support in all aspects and appreciate me to spend my all time in the work place during
my internship time.

III
 Table of Contents

Contents Pag

DECLARATION..........................................................................................................................................I
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................II
Acknowledgement......................................................................................................................................III
Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................................IV
List of Figures.............................................................................................................................................V
CHAPTER ONE BACK GROUND OF INTERNSHIP HOSTING COMPANY.......................................1
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................1
2. Background of the Company...............................................................................................................1
2.1. Brief History of the Company.......................................................................................................1
2.2. Main Products or Services of the Company..................................................................................2
2.3. Main Customers or End Users Company’s Product......................................................................2
2.4. Vision...........................................................................................................................................2
2.5. Mission.........................................................................................................................................2
2.6. Objective of the Company............................................................................................................2
2.7. Work Flow of the Section.............................................................................................................3
CHAPTER TWO.........................................................................................................................................7
OVERALL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE.................................................................................................7
2.1. Introduction......................................................................................................................................7
2.2. How I Get in to the Company...........................................................................................................7
2.3. Section of the Company I have been working..................................................................................7
2.4. The Workflow in the section............................................................................................................7
2.5. Site work..........................................................................................................................................8
2.5.1. Under Substructure Working.....................................................................................................8
2.5.2. Under Superstructure working...................................................................................................9
CHAPTER THREE...................................................................................................................................27
BENEFITS GAINED FROM THE INTERNSHIP...................................................................................27
3.1. Objectives of the task that I performed...........................................................................................27

IV
 3.2. Methods and Procedures of the Internship......................................................................................27
3.3. Products that I participate...............................................................................................................27
3.4. Over all Benefits Gained from the Internship.................................................................................28
3.4.1. Practical Skills.........................................................................................................................28
3.4.2. Theoretical Knowledge............................................................................................................29
3.4.3. Interpersonal Communication Skills........................................................................................29
3.4.4. Team Playing Skills.................................................................................................................30
3.4.5. Leadership Skills.....................................................................................................................30
3.4.6. Entrepreneurship Skills............................................................................................................31
3.4.7. Work Ethics.............................................................................................................................31
CHAPTER FOUR.....................................................................................................................................34
CONCLUDING REMARKS AND REFLECTION..................................................................................34
4.1. Challenges I Observe During the Internship...................................................................................34
4.1.1. Lack of Safety Utilities............................................................................................................34
4.1.2. Lack of Construction Materials................................................................................................34
4.1.3. Lack of Certain Construction Machineries..............................................................................34
4.1.4. Machinery Problems................................................................................................................35
4.1.5. Problem of Electricity..............................................................................................................35
4.1.6. Shortage of Labor force...........................................................................................................35
4.2. Conclusion......................................................................................................................................36
4.3. Recommendation............................................................................................................................36

V
List of Figures
Figure 1: Detailed Site Arrangement Flows................................................................................................3
Figure 2: Information Flow Section at the Site............................................................................................8
Figure 4: Selected Photo on Pit Excavation...............................................................................................10
Figure 5: Site Photo on Isolated Footing Preparation................................................................................11
Figure 6: Site Photo on Backfilling and Compaction.................................................................................12
Figure 7: Site Photos on Isolated Footing..................................................................................................14
Figure 8: Site Photo on Masonry Foundation Work..................................................................................15
Figure 9: Site Photo on Grade Beam Preparation......................................................................................15
Figure 10: Site Photo on Hard Core and Mesh..........................................................................................16
Figure 11: Site Photo on Column of Reinforcement..................................................................................18
Figure 12: Site Photo on Concrete Casting of Column..............................................................................19
Figure 13: Site Photo on Solid Slab Concrete Cast....................................................................................21
Figure 14: Site photo on Stair Case Working............................................................................................24
Figure 15: Site Photo on Roof Beams........................................................................................................25
Figure 16: Site Photo on HCB Work.........................................................................................................26
Figure 17: Site Photo on Roof Working....................................................................................................27

VI
VII
 Chapter One
Back Ground of Internship Hosting Company
1. Introduction

This paper is prepared as a report of internship program offered for 4th year Civil Engineering
students of Wollo University, Kombolcha Institute of Technology. The internship program has
offered yearly for students in providing real life exposure for construction industries in
contemporary Ethiopia. Moreover, with a semester long time, the internship program gives
students to develop their three and half year’s theoretical background to a practical one.

2. Background of the Company

2.1. Brief History of the Company

As a contractor, Birhanu Ambaye building contractor has grown dramatically since its
establishment in 2005 E.C. The company is established with purpose of providing various
construction services contributing to the development of the construction industry.

Berhanu Ambaye building Construction Company has registered with the construction works
sectors coordinating bureau by virtue of the authority given infrastructure and has been
categorized as building construction two. It has also got a registration certificate for vat from the
federal Inland Revenue authority. The firm has also opened its head office, stores and workshop
building in Dessie, Hotie Sub-City.

2.2. Main Products or Services of the Company

At this time Birhanu Ambaye building contarctor is participating in many governmental and
private projects. As I have mentioned above, some of the products of this company are school,
health center, condominium house, residential building and other type of building construction.

2.3. Main Customers or End Users Company’s Product

As I have mentioned on the history of the company above, school building, health center,
condominium house, residential building and other type of building project are the main products

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of this company. But, as I am working on educational purpose construction I will only describe
end user of this building construction and the advantages they have gained from it. It is known
that educational building is public service which is constructed to help peoples rather than to
make profit.

2.4. Vision

To be nationally recognized as an excellent construction company and Delivering quality

services to the satisfaction of clients.

2.5. Mission

To improve and create job opportunity for the employers.

To develop economy of the country.
Play a significant role in the construction sector.
Through strong man power and material capacity and organization to expand and begin
to undertake projects at an international level.

In general, the company’s mission is “to make its presence felt in the development of the
Country’s economy and the preservation of its social values while remaining target full in the
dynamism of the business world.

2.6. Objective of the Company

As I have mentioned above, the objective of this project is for providing various construction
services like construction of buildings, roads, especial factory, foundations, bridges, and various
types of civil engineering structures contributing to the development of the construction industry.
Now days the company has strong vision for farther strengthen and expand out new established
position and being the first choice.

2.7. Work Flow of the Section

Birhanu Ambaye Building Construction Company has been implemented different work flow in
the site. The chart shown below structure implemented in Dessie Nifas Silk elementary school
G+1 building project.

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 Project
Manager

Site Office
engineer engineer

Forma Data
n collector

Unskill
Time Store
Skilled labor ed
labor keeper keeper
Gange
Carpentor leader
s
s
Labor
Masons force

Barbender
s

Electricians

Figure 1: Detailed Site Arrangement Flows

Project manager (PM)

The project manager is the one who manages the whole project through the project site or
organization. As of starting his duty on the project site, he divides the site in to manageable units
or section by assigning engineers or Forman, in charge of each depending on type of work and
work volume and then allocates the resources according to the needs. He gives special attention
to avoid wastage of material while allocating resources. Overall the project manager responsible
to:

Executes sub contract payment

Approve material request.
Analyses the work process.
Control the project cash flow.
Checking design changes and quantity volume.
Communicating with the client and consultants and solve the problems.
Quality control of according the project scope and specification.

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 Issues and grant of higher power of working class.
Review and checks the reports made by the office engineer etc.

The project manager controls the duties of the site engineer, office engineer and sub-contractors,
submits work progress reports to the project manager. Generally speaking, he acts as an assistant
manager to the project manager.

Site Engineer

Control all the construction activities on the site starting from the very beginning. The site
engineer is responsible to:

Set out the site

Check the excavation and earthwork according to specification and drawings.
Check the construction of all structural and finishing works.
Make all necessary reports to the manager, including all activities on the site and
materials used on the construction site.
Prepare daily laborers output report.
Organize the monthly reports to be sent to head office etc.

Office engineer

Collect data’s by the supervisor or data collector from the site.

Prepare payment and take off.
Report to the project manager.
Make detail drawing to be easy for construction.
Prepare weekly, monthly, and yearly human, materials, machineries, and activity
schedules.
Cost benefit analysis
Break down for variation and new items.
Preparing workshop drawing in details.

General Forman

Checks the hole work process

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 Assigns and controls the gang leaders and carpenter
Quantifies some materials and makes request
Check daily quality of workmanship
Manage skilled labor outputs.
Report daily work activities for site engineer.

Gang leader

The gang leader controls a group of daily laborers to do their job efficiently and report any
difficulties to the general foreman.

Time keeper

Control the time, the work start, break and end

Register ordinary time amount and over time works
Report a summary of working time to project administrator for salary

Data collector

Collect data’s about the daily work activity including the type and amount of material used, the
type and number of workers participated on the work. Data collectors has responsible for office
engineer. His responsibilities are:

Each and every daily work executed quantity report with takeoff sheet.
Reporting actual materials are used by skilled labor
Reporting machines output per day

Store keeper

Store keeper is crucial in a site and his responsibilities are:

Recording types of material for consumption daily activities.

Balancing materials in and out
Hand tools out and in daily
Keeping materials in safe placing like cement, Fuels etc.

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 Chapter Two
Overall Internship Experience

2.1. Introduction

In this section I tried to list the overall work what I had seen in my company, the process of getting
the company, the section that I perform my task, work flow of the section and the detail expression of
the site work.

2.2. How I Get in to the Company

After successfully completing three and half year’s academic study and taking holistic exam, I
was able to at look this internship program. To get into this, first I had applied for my hosting
company (Lakomelza consulting Architects and Engineers), which is found in Dessie City
Administration, and I had accepted as they promised by the confirmation paper. The project was
building of ground plus one (G+1) School building build by BIRHANUE AMBAYE
BUILDING CONTRACTOR.

2.3. Section of the Company I have been working

On the company there were two working sections, office engineer and site engineer. But I was
able to work at the site section, because there are a lot of activities in the site which are related
with our classroom theoretical knowledge and can be applied practically.

2.4. The Workflow in the section

In the project manager work section there are three main working sectors and other assistance
working sectors that play a great role in the success of the project. This is because in any
construction project one section of work is highly dependent on another working section. To
have a good quality in any kinds of construction each member of the working section must
cooperate and work together.

6
 Project Manager

Skilled and
Site engineer unskilled labor

Figure 2: Information Flow Section at the Site

2.5. Site work

In this section of my report, I will try to describe activities and practices that were done in my
hosting company during my internship time. During my internship time I was able to see the
practical works starting from excavation to superstructure working. I used observation method as
well as participate in all activities that have done in the site to achieve my task and to find out the
practical knowledge. I will try to describe the activities in my intern time in to two parts:

2.5.1. Under Substructure Working

 Bulk excavation
 Pit and trench excavation
 Back filling with selected materials
 Hard coring
 Lean and concrete working
 Rebar placing and tying
 Form work preparation
 Masonry works

7
2.5.2. Under Superstructure working

 Concrete work of elevation columns, slab, beams and stair

 Rebar placing of elevation columns, slabs beams and stair
 Formworks of elevation columns, slab, beams and stair
 Hollow concrete block(HCB) wall construction
 Roofing work
Substructure Works
Sub-structure is a part of the building located below the furnished ground level. By the time I
arrived at the site, the setting out had already been completed. Rather than setting out works, I
have seen different sub-structure works have been carried out as indicated here under part of the
report:
1. Preparation of the Project Site
This is the first stage in construction work. At this stage the site is prepared as follows:
 Clearing the site usually average 20cm top grasses and soils.
 Dewatering if any water exist etc.
 Demolishing existing structures.

A) Bulk Excavation: removal of unwanted soil for construction from the construction site to
specified depth to provide space for the intended work. In my site there was terrain difference,
then leveling the structure high points the terrain volume excavated. It also refers to removal of
huge amount of soil from the site to fulfill the structural requirements. Excavation to get reduced
levels of every structural element below the ground level is called bulk excavation.

B) Pit excavation: this excavation work for the purpose of footing is expressed as pit. The pit
excavation depth is 1.85m from reduced level and the area of footing pad is 1.5m by 1.8m adding
working allowance 0.25m in both sides. Excavated materials have been reused for back fill since
the material was good for back filling.

The procedure to excavate pit excavation:

 Get the center of column from profile board

8
  Offset the point from center of column to the edge of excavation point and assume
working space each side
 Get excavation point from rope by using plum bob
 After excavation, the coordinate points are carefully transferred to edge of footing
formwork using plum bob and set pad formwork
 The depth, width and length of pit excavation is excavated based on specification

Figure 3: Selected Photo on Pit Excavation

Foundation
Footing is the lowest part of the structure which transmits the weight of the structure, together
With the effect of live loads and pressure, to the material on which the structure rest, soil strata,
in such manner that the underlying material is not stressed beyond its safe bearing capacity.
Generally, the foundation is placed below the ground level to increase the stability of a structure
or building. Thus the objective of providing foundations may be outlined as follows:

 To distribute and transmit the total load coming on the structure or building to a large
area of underlying support.
 To prevent excessive settlement and differential settlement of the structure

9
  To provide stability to the structures agaqinst many disturbing dynamic forces, i.e., wind,
rain, earth quake, etc.

The type of structure and the nature of the underlying soil are two main factors in selection of the
material and type of foundation. In our site the foundation type consist both combined and
isolated footings, and the material used for construction of this foundation is reinforced concrete
of quality C-25.
Isolated footing: is provided under columns to transfer the concentric load that is imposed by
the columns safely to the soil bed. Since all columns carry heavy load, isolated footings were
provided with bottom reinforcement in both direction directly over spacers.

Figure 4: Site Photo on Isolated Footing Preparation

Back Filling

After the formwork of the foundation column has been removed, the space around the footing
was filled by selected soil that was bringing from outside of the site up to the depth where
foundation wall is to be constructed. This filling was done by hand compaction at an average
depth of 20 cm. All external backfilling around foundation was done with select material
imported from another place, which is capable of being compacted, and form a stable filling.

10
Organic material such as pieces of wood, roots, bushes and black cotton soil were removed from
backfill materials. In each layer must be well rammed and consolidated with the required
compaction.
Compaction: is the process by which the soil particles are artificially rearranged and packed
together into a state of closer contact by mechanical means in order to decrease its porosity and
thereby increase its dry density. This is usually achieved by expulsion of air. Eventually the
compacted soil will have a greater load bearing capacity and tolerable differential settlement. It
will compact at an average depth of 20cm.

Figure 5: Site Photo on Backfilling and Compaction

Steps conducted during constructing of foundations are:

 Linearity and alignments of foundation were kept by stretching line like thin string,
 Area are excavated to required depth and cross sectional area of footing pad area, plus
50mm spacer thickness used for preferable working space for mason and carpenters to
move freely during activity carried out.

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 Then footing formwork is placed and footing area was casted with C-5(lean concrete) of
mix ratio of 1:4:6 for the purpose of resist the corrosion may occur between steel and
soil.
 After the curing of lean concrete is complete, interlocked frame reinforcement bar was
placed with gap (space under footing) left to be casted with standard concrete mix ratio
1:2:3. Box size is 50x40x18cm.
 Then foundation column reinforcement tied by chain like stirrup was fixed with the
footing reinforcement.
 After the center of each column found and marked the engineer under take the process of
going half the column width minus cover depth on both sides before tying the string.
 The crossover of this strings from box like shape indicating the position of where
reinforcement will placed. Vertical stability and alignment of the column for work
checked by plump bob or ‘tumbi’.
 Then concrete cast wills proceeded .Vibrator was used while casting to improve strength
by avoiding segregation may occur.
 Column and side formworks removed in 16hr and cured for a week or depending on
environmental condition. And will prepare for next step.

12
Figure 6: Site Photos on Isolated Footing

Masonry Works

During masonry wall working, the following points were checked:

 The trench to be clean from grass, bushes and piece of woods

 The stone has to be hard, sound, free from crack and not weathered
 The stone is freshly quarried from approved quarry

Method of Construction:

 Fill and compact selected soil on the excavated soil, then place a lean concrete on the
compacted soil.
 Separate each course divided by the total height of foundation wall to the height of each
course and assumes mortar thickness (joint) of 2cm. Mortar is a mixture of sand, cement
and water. The mortar used for this joint has proportion of 1:4-cement: sand, which
means one bag cement and four box of sand.
 Lay each course of foundation wall constructed by keeping the vertical and horizontal
alignment and mortar thickness.

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Figure 7: Site Photo on Masonry Foundation Work

Grade Beam
Grade beam is a beam that rests on the foundation wall and compacted soil (for external and
partition beam respectively). In case of partition grade beam, lean concrete is placed on the
compacted soil before the bar reinforcement is placed. The grade beam carries and transfers the
supper structure and external load to the foundation columns. The difference of grade beam to
that of structural beam is that grade beam does not suspend as structural beam, instead it rests on
masonry wall or lean concrete. In our site they use 4Ф14 reinforcement bars top and bottom.

Figure 8: Site Photo on Grade Beam Preparation

Hard Coring

Hard core is the layer of stone crushed and leveled under

ground floor slab to give uniform support for the floor. After
back fill and selected soil filling is completed, the next step
was hard core filing. It was done in vertical direction to
resist axial load. The thickness of the hard core is 25cm.
The upper surface of the hard core is covered by small size

14
crushed blinded stone to minimize the voids as much as possible. The stone used for hard core
was hard, sound, and free from cracks. In addition to this small size crushed stone (blinded), lean
concrete was also provided at surface.

The advantage of lean concrete during casting on hard core:

 To resist the water that up lift to the ground floor.

 To separate the reinforcement bar from hardcore for resist corrosion that may come from
contact with the hardcore.
 To blinded the hardcore and have uniform layer.

Figure 9: Site Photo on Hard Core and Mesh

SUPERSTRUCTURE WORKS

These are works which are carried out above the ground level. The structural components that
are mainly grouped in to super structure are columns, beams, slabs, stairs and all other finishing
works.

Columns

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Are reinforced structures they transmit the axial loads to the foundations. Columns vary in size
and shape. There are different shapes of columns; however, at our project site rectangular shaped
columns were used. Any building structure loads increase as we go down to the ground and so
bottom structural members are properly configured that they carry all super structural loads
above it and transfer safely to the foundation.

Column Reinforcement

Column reinforcement was standing on (erect) after two days grade beam concrete casted on the
ground. Before stand on the reinforcement, it has been tied with the stirrups by using black wire
with a given spacing. Stirrup used to keep the position of the column reinforcement bar with a
given spacing and also to prevent structural failures.

The stirrup have small spacing at the bottom and the top of the column up to one meter of the
column height from bottom to top, because at the bottom and the top of the column there is high
amount of interaction of load pressure or maximum moment exist. Therefore, to prevent
structural failures and to increase the resisting capacity of the column (building) the amounts of
stirrups were provided with in high amount with small spacing. In the site they use 8Ф16
reinforcement bar used for each columns.

Figure 10: Site Photo on Column of Reinforcement

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Form Work for Column

 Form works are made after the placement of bars.

 They used cratcheries with the wedge at the first step to support the erected panels.
 These cratcheries are made by leaving the space for the panels in addition to width of the
column and length around the reinforcement.
 After the cratcheries are made panels will be erected then this cratcheries will continued
with uniform gaps up to the required level to make the panels firm to resist forces of
vibration for the concrete.
Concrete Casting of Column:
Procedures to Construct Column
 Erecting the given bars in the given perimeter of the column. The number of bars is given
from structural drawing.
 From the estimated dimension of the column we can produce form work by considering
2.5 cm for concrete cover (by using spacer) according to EBCS manual & also form work
thickness.
 If there is simultaneous or aligned column of the same elevated column check the
linearity of the columns by using leveling tube (plastic).
 Pour the concrete in the column form work use vibrator for avoiding void & segregation
etc.

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Figure 11: Site Photo on Concrete Casting of Column

Beam
It is one part of a building used to carry and transfer loads to the consecutive columns and used
as a confining element for the slab. As that of grade beams, supper structure beams are subjected
to moments and shear loads. Detail provision and reinforcement are provided as that of grade
beams. But the difference is it does not have contact with the ground and thus the construction
needs bottom formwork (soffit) and props for casting. When the slab and beams are to be made
of the same concrete quality they are casted monolithically. On our site all beams are rectangular
dimension and fixed ended.
Beam Reinforcement
Beam reinforcement placement was started after the form work of slab and sponda of beam were
placed and slab reinforcement started. The reinforcement bar size were used in a beam is
diameter of 8 for stirrup, for main bar the diameter of the bar vary based on the plane. During
beam reinforcement placement the bottom bar over lap at the support and the top bar overlap at
the middle of the span, because at the bottom tension force is high and to resist slippery of bar.
All quantity of beam reinforcement bar passes through the supported reinforcement bar. Because
to proper transfer of load without sliding of beam down ward.
When two equal span length cross each other, the top one have high amount of negative
reinforcement bar to increase the capacity of the beam. The location of stirrup on the beam
reinforcement bar changes at each tied. The use of stirrup is to hold the bar in a given spacing
and to keep the position of reinforcement bar and to keep the shape of the beam also prevent the
shear failure on the structure. Stirrups are tied on the beam reinforcement in alternate way to
resist failures.
Form Work for Beams
The main form works for beam are Sponda and fondo:
 Fondo (soffit): a form work which could be sited on the bottom of the beam.
 Sponda: side form work of the beam.

Concrete Casting Beams:

 Both longitudinal bars and stirrups are provided according to their spacing
 Spacers are tied with bars and then formwork is constructed for the member

18
  Its verticality is checked with plumb bob
 Concrete is poured into formwork and vibrated around rod reinforcement
 Formworks are removed after expiry of their period and the concrete surface is watered
until it sufficiently cures.

Slab

Slab is a structural part of the building having plate shape and used to cover the distance between
beams and possibly columns. Generally slabs are constructed monolithically with beams and
concreted in one operation for the full depth. The top surface of the slab is kept rough to create a
proper bond with any type of floor finish desired.
At our project site they incorporated solid slab. It was constructed from a concrete quality C-25.
A concrete slab or solid slab is a common structural element of modern building. It is a plane
horizontal structural element used to support live loads and dead loads and transfer these loads to
the supporting beams or walls.

Slab Reinforcement Placement

Before slab reinforcement placements were started the formwork was painted gasoline and the
formwork of the slab and the beam is carried by props. Then after, reinforcements have been
placed completely. During slab reinforcement was placed, first the bottom (mesh) bar was placed
in two (x and y) direction with in the same spacing. Then the reinforcement bar has been tied by
black wire to keep the position of the bars and the given spacing. The bars have bend at one end
and extended up to one third of the slab for each partition in external side. The top (negative)
reinforcement bar of slab has been placed up to one third of the span length from the beam or
support. Because, around one third of the span length there is high interaction of load and the
load would be transferred to the column from different parts of the structure through this way.

After have been finished bottom and top reinforcement placement of slab, cabbalito and spacer
was placed. Cabbalito was made from wastage bar by bending both sides, which is placed
between bottom and top reinforcement of the slab to prevent the overlap of the bottom and the

19
top reinforcement during concrete caste and to keep the thickness (space) of bottom and top
reinforcement of slab. Spacer was placed between the formwork and the bottom reinforcement of
the slab to keep the clear cover of the concrete.

Figure 12: Site Photo on Solid Slab Concrete Cast

Solid Slab Concrete Cast

 After the completion of ground floor slab, rising or erecting false column or scaff hold.
The height of false column determined by the clear height of the room
 Laying the purlin in horizontal direction. The aim of laying the purlin horizontally is for
supporting the panel and also the workers who cast slab.
 Placing the panel most of time it is metal and nail them by hammer.
 Varnishing the panel with black oil for reducing the bond between panel & concrete
 Mesh the re-bar in the panel according to their details and spacers are placed between
panels and reinforcement bars.
 Check the level of slab by using leveling mechanism this helps to know the levelness of
the slab.
 All fixtures such as sanitary, electrical and water pipes are positioned and installed
according to their drawings.
 Pour the concrete in RC- mesh and mix with vibrator.

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  Removed the form work after 21 day.

During concrete casting the freshly casted concrete of slab and the beam was compacted with
vibrator. It was done to:

 Create bond between concrete particles.

 Reduce the air void.
 Increase the strength, durability and workability of the concrete mix.
 Decrease the segregation or separation of concrete particles.

Slab Formwork Removing

The formwork was providing to keep the shape of fresh casted concrete and also it was removed
after the concrete gain the maximum strength. The formwork of the slab was removed after 21
days of concrete caste.

Removal Period of Supports or Formworks

Supports or form works were removed in different period length when used for different
purposes. The following table shows the length of time for formwork removal for different
activities.

Types Form Work Minimum Period of Removal

Soffit of slab 21
Props to cantilever slab 14
Soffit to beam 21
Props to cantilever beam 14

Stair Case
Stair case is a vertical transportation component on a building. It comprises of landing, rise,
trade, and etc. to construct a stair case the following is the procedure. There are different types of
stair among those I have observed the construction process of one types of stair case. That is dog
led type of stair

Procedure

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  Inclined formwork is prepared
 Inclined bars are laid on the inclined board
 Transverse bars are placed according to the design
 Vertical board is fixed
 Bars for landing and riser is fixed
 After all types of bars (bottom, negative bars) are placed concrete is casted slowly and
vibrated
 The formwork is removed after one day
 Water is poured for seven days

Figure 13: Site photo on Stair Case Working

Roof Beams

Roof beams are carrying loads truss members and roof covering weights and their own self
weight. The reinforcement bar size were used in a beam is diameter of 8 for stirrup, for main bar
the diameter of the bar 14mm on roof beam. During roof beam reinforcement placement the
bottom bar overlap at the support and the top bar overlap at the middle of the span, because at the
bottom tension force is high and to resist slippery of bar. The over length of beams at the top and

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top bars is 40ø. On roof beam there is plain bars dia.6mm for tying bottom truss members on
specifiedposition.

Figure 14: Site Photo on Roof Beams

HCB Work

HCB work in my site is materials for walling. There are 40x20x20cm for external parts wall and
40x20x15cm for internal partition all used. Materials and ratios are cement and sand 1:3 ratios.
Water use for work is in town water supply system. Mortar binding of blocks is 1.5cm thick
vertically and horizontally. Construction method is full blocks in a layer finally and initially half
blocks are used. The box size for measuring sand is 50x40x20cm. In side blocks there are
flexible conduits inserted for electrical wiring. For a day only 4 courses of block masonry were
constructed because fresh mortar is not enough to carry above mentioned.

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Figure 15: Site Photo on HCB Work

Roofing Work

Roofing work includes that truss with vertical and diagonal chords, purling, and CIS/EGA
coverings. In my intern G+1 school block project truss structure is wooden horizontal upper
lower members are dia.10-12cm eucalyptus with c/c spacing 1.25m and diagonal and vertical
members dia.8-10mm thick are protects the truss wind pressure on nodes they connect with nails
and pondas (flat steel). 5x7cm size of zigba batten used in spacing of 90cm for connecting G-28
CIS. Finally the roof structure covered with CIS size 200x90cm. The effective area of CIS is
1.44m2 . The roof two side flow types. It extends 60 cm both 60cm from the edge of roof beam to
protect rain fall entrance around structure.

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Figure 16: Site Photo on Roof Working

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 CHAPTER THREE

BENEFITS GAINED FROM THE INTERNSHIP

As we know that before doing any tasks there must be their own consideration to make the work
possible and easily understandable for others. Those considerations are like objectives, method
and procedure, the products that you participate and the overall benefit of the internship.

3.1. Objectives of the task that I performed

The objective of the engineering task is as follows:

 To introduce ourselves in professional fields.

 How house projects are effectively and efficiently made practically.
 To enable us an experience sharing.
 To develop our knowledge of the work flow and harmonious communication.

3.2. Methods and Procedures of the Internship

Before I began the work there was some discussion with my supervisor he had gave a clear
orientation how the work was going on until my intern period is up. He classified the time in to
twelve weeks. In those weeks he ordered me to give a report for each of the weeks. This method
made the communication easy with my supervisor. The time that classified in to 12 weeks are the
working procedure of the intern period. The procedure is from excavation to finishing work but I
had seen up to roofing work.

3.3. Products that I participate

I haven’t been doing some maintenance and also manufacturing some items but I have been
doing some works with that of the workers like bending, cutting and tying the bar by using the
drawing. And also depending on the column size I made (prepare) a formwork with that of the
carpenter.

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3.4. Over all Benefits Gained from the Internship

During my internship experience at Birhanu Ambaye General Contractor, I have benefited a lot
from the internship experience. Birhanu Ambaye general contractor is a perfect platform for a
student who wants to have awareness on building constructions. I benefited greatly from working
with the dedicated professionals in the company. The company has provided me a conductive
working atmosphere when I perform my activities.

The internship program as it is known was started with a major plan of enabling students acquire
enough technical and practical knowledge concerning how the works are performed in the
practical world in relation to their field of study. Therefore it was a very interesting period where
I was able to grasp technical knowledge, participate in real construction activity, enjoyed
working with experienced professionals and have been successful in performing activities. Here
under section of the report, I will try to describe what I have learnt in the different aspects:

3.4.1. Practical Skills

I have been able to accumulate certain practical skills which are important in running a
construction project. As I have noticed this sector requires the availability of enough practical
knowledge and very educated professionals. In the time elapsed I have worked with
professionals that helped me acquire practical skills at the site. On the site I have practiced the
works of various structural parts by following the procedures utilized for each specific categories
of work. In this respect the concrete works, bar bending, formwork preparation, and demolishing
works were included. Another practical activity I have obtained was the skill of supervision
which includes controlling, commanding and leading a group of workers in performing a task.

Some of the technical skills I have obtained are listed below:

 Preparation of take-off sheets including take off sheets of chiseling, plastering and
reinforcement works.
 Preparation of breakdown of certain materials such as HCB, marble tiles and EGA sheet.
 Ways of taking measurements on the construction site.
 Supervision and checking of reinforcement, formwork, concrete and plastering works.
 Ways of keeping the alignment and perpendicularity of column formworks.

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  Methods of solving some construction errors on the site.
 Techniques of assigning , coordinating and supervising workers

3.4.2. Theoretical Knowledge

The internship program has given me a chance to enhance my theoretical knowledge to a great
extent. When observing the activities performed on the site; there were various points which
attract and require the closer analysis and assistance from professionals working there. Since I
have been working on an RC structure; I have utilized the knowledge I have got from the
courses. I have tried to focus on relating the concepts from the courses taken with working
principles and mechanisms followed on the site. Reinforcement works were mainly related with
the course that I had taken enabling me understand the application of design concepts covered in
the course.

Some theoretical concepts that I have obtained:

 Concrete works which includes material proportioning ,mixing, transporting(conveying),

casting and curing
 Use of cement water mixture (buaka) in concrete casting.
 Use of Nitobond as a binding material.
 Reinforcement works including bar cutting, bending and placement, preparation of mesh
for slabs, staircases, use of distribution bars and use of submerged beams.
 Method of solving problems on between contractor and consultant.
 Ways of reporting design and drawing problems and asking for design revision.
 Techniques of site management and labor administration.
 Payment and cost related ideas in connection with the Contract agreement.

3.4.3. Interpersonal Communication Skills

Construction projects involve the participation of different parties, and there is a fast flowing
internal communication and interaction between the sections of a certain unit and between
different parts of the working units within the construction site. Based on this concept; the
interpersonal communication activities as guided by the work flow provided in the organizational
structure on the site. When working with the site engineer who was my company supervisor, I

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had an interactive relationship with the supervisor during all the internship period when
receiving explanations, commands and submitting our work results and reports.

I have also developed communication skills on site works when working with the foreman and
other workers on the site. During the execution of assigned activities on the site such as checking
the appropriateness of certain works, follow up and supervision activities; I have been interacting
with various workers like carpenters, masons etc. which helped me understand the ways of
discussing and analyzing problems in a constructive way by giving enough chances to hear and
respect the ideas of the workmen.

3.4.4. Team Playing Skills

The activities I have conducted in the site were undertaken by group of workers where certain
activities were taken into account by making discussions and executing a task through bringing
the individual effects together into a specific item of work. The procedures employed in these
team based activities were the analysis and discussion of the activity to be performed where the
basic principles and working procedures are carefully identified and stated. These proven
techniques and procedural steps were then related with the scientific principles by conducting
thorough discussions on the concepts covered on theoretical courses and the incidents they were
applied to.

3.4.5. Leadership Skills

Leadership skills, as another important type of practical skill, have also been given attention
while conducting activities and participating in assigned tasks which are important in deciding
the perfection and accuracy of some work types. Sometimes the appropriate and well analyzed
decisions are absolutely essential in undertaking activities since problems arise which makes
things difficult and require certain specific actions to fix problems and complete that piece of
work successfully. Decision making skills are also important by giving a chance to enhance self
confidence in handling work tasks and leading group of workers to perform a certain activity
with the required quality and speed of work.

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3.4.6. Entrepreneurship Skills

Developing the skills and ideologies of entrepreneurship is another important achievement that I
have got from the internship experience. I have tried to analyses the step by step development of
the hosting company by identifying the development cycle and its core elements functioning as
basic components in the makeup of the company. As the company is founded and owned by an
entrepreneur; it has given me a chance to observe the organizational structure, back ground and
basic achievements which was important in understanding its entrepreneurial activities.
Understanding the basic principles of entrepreneurship including the existence of vision and
passion and commitment to organize and lead an organization and other entrepreneurial
characteristics such as need for achievement, willingness to take risks, self-confidence and
innovative skills.

3.4.7. Work Ethics

In every profession, there are ethics to be followed. These rules help workers maintain
appropriate professional discipline. Without these ethics, it would be difficult to conduct ones
work effectively. There is labor discipline that each worker should observe and respect. These
could relate to norms, mode of carrying out a work, protection of the property and means of
working and managing activities. Failure to observe such ethical rules would result in penalty
which ranges from suspension to dismissal. Thus workers are expected to observe professional
rules so as to be more productive and to establish good rapport with other workers. Some
important ethical values that should be followed are discussed below.

 Punctuality
One of the major work ethics component that is so important in ensuring proper progress
of the project and effectively use the project period to complete the work on the project
termination time. The working periods were 8:00am up to 12:0pm in the morning and
1:00pm up to 5:00pm in the afternoon. The entrance and exit times of the workers were
are checked by a time keeper who controls and reports the working periods, absentees,
overtimes of each worker.
I have been working on my activities based on the working period and giving the
required attention on the use of working periods effectively. This has helped me

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 understand the importance of respecting time and work towards maximum utilization of
the available time when performing the activities.
 Accountability
Working on construction activities has its own working principles which require the
specified personnel to take responsibility of his activities in their positive and negative
outcomes. When running activities provided; taking the accountability of these activities
will help to carefully undertake the specific task by giving enough attention for the
working procedures and principles in conducting these items of work. Since construction
companies have accountability of their construction activities which continues even for a
certain period after the completion of the project. Developing this skill is thus of prime
importance in the future professional working period where taking the accountability of
performed activities is required and is one of the capacity measures utilized in estimating
the capacity of professionals.
 Honesty and Truthfulness
Having an honest and truthful behavior is also important when working in the
construction sector .Being able to take the risks of one’s action and cooperating an
finding the solutions of some inconveniences related to the mistakes committed is so
useful to maintain a good working environment and proper interaction between various
workers. Thus; being honest in every action conducted is one of the fundamental
requirements of workers on the construction site.
 Transparency
This work ethics value is mainly concerned with following clearly pointed out procedures
and using relative scientific principles in conducting activities. This allows the concerned
body to closely follow up and control the progress and quality of specific tasks under
action. The existence of such working condition is also important in realizing the usage
of appropriate materials and equipment’s and other inputs for the task under action.
Advantages of following transparent working methodology is the ease of handling
important data, increased speed of task execution and existence of workable environment
in which activities are performed with a better quality and speed.
 Appropriate Handling and use of Instruments

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All workers are expected to handle and appropriately use the instruments given to that
specific profession. When working in office and site various materials equipment’s are
used thus using the materials effectively and carefully is important both for the company
and the worker himself. Another equally important idea is the appropriate and efficient
use of construction materials such as cement, sand and aggregates which are determinant
in ensuring the proper material consumption based on the project’s specifications.
Minimizing wastage is of predominant importance in realizing the effective material
usage and increase the profit level to be gained by the company.

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 CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUDING REMARKS AND REFLECTION

4.1. Challenges I Observe During the Internship

Working on a construction site has its own challenges that occur frequently which originate from
various sources. These problems have more or less effect on the construction process. Some of
these problems were out of the control of the constructing company while others can be solved
with certain corrective measures. The major sources of challenges may be natural occurrences,
challenges originating from the construction company and those which arise from indirect
sources such as problems with electricity, water supply, communication and transport facilities.
Some major challenges that I faced during the internship period are presented as follows.

4.1.1. Lack of Safety Utilities

When working on a construction site; ensuring the safety of oneself is of primary importance
both for the worker and the company. Since the company is subjected to medical expenses; In
case of harsh accidents on the site. With respect to this concept; there was a lack of safety
utilities such as helmets. The company is working to fulfill every needed materials and
instruments but these utilities were not found in enough amounts.

4.1.2. Lack of Construction Materials

There was a problem of timely deposition of construction materials which was slowing the speed
of construction and minimizing the overall productivity. With respect to this the lack of cement
and aggregates can be mentioned. Sometimes cement was not transported on time and workers
were not able to continue their activity.

4.1.3. Lack of Certain Construction Machineries

The site requires the use of many kinds of construction machines. Starting from the mixer &
dumper; they play an irreplaceable role in fastening the construction activity. The site is
equipped with most of the important construction machines. The major construction machinery
that was causing problem was a pulley. They were using a pulley by rental service with a certain
value per day which is resulting in the loss of large amount of money.

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4.1.4. Machinery Problems

Apart from the above mentioned problems; the breakdown of certain machineries is posing a
problem to the construction process. The frequently affected machine was the dumper that was
used to transport mixed concrete from the mixer to the bottom of building where the pulley takes
up the concrete with a carrying container.

4.1.5. Problem of Electricity

The frequent stopping of electricity is the major problem which greatly slows down the
construction process. The power problem is frequently occurring and stopping overall activities
which need electricity. Some of these are mixing place, concrete work and office works. The
breakdown of electricity therefore was a significant problem.

4.1.6. Shortage of Labor force

Another problem that was occurring frequently was the lack of workers such as carpenters and
masons, since they were leaving out when getting a better work place and salary. Replacing the
open working places consecutively was becoming another activity of the site. At times they get
workers they may not have the required skill and experience which makes it difficult to hire
workers on time and results in retarding the speed of construction.

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4.2. Conclusion

During my internship program I have got a lot of knowledge in terms of improving my practical
skill. The various types of orientation programs, tasks and trainings that I have been undertaking
on the site enhanced my knowledge in building construction. I am very glad to see that what I
have learnt in the university can be a repeated in the working world. I was able to apply my
theoretical knowledge of designing and construction works in the real life situation. This
program played an important role to break the conventional thought that field works can be only
implemented by students who hold a degree or people who have an experience in building
construction. I was able to acquire a high level of confidence to deal with problems that arise in a
building construction, and have been able to see the different theoretical aspects, methodologies.

Generally, the internship program laid sound foundation for me to start my career. I am very
proud to be able to contribute towards nation building during the country's extremely critical
period of the history. I will be definitely sensible to scale this practice up and to replicate it in
other disciplines as well.

4.3. Recommendation

During my intern time, I could observe different hard working activities in the site. However
there are some points to be recommended, because those activities have negative impact on
safety, economy or motivation on workers.
 I was observed in the construction site the bars used for construction is affected by
corrosion this is danger for construction. So the bars should be cleaned by anti-rust and
should be stored in roofing and concrete casted storage.
 Most of workers do not use safety wearing that used to identify easily what workers
he/she is and keep themselves from injuries. I recommended them to use safety wearing
like helmet.
 During concrete mix they do not use proper water ratio, they simply use the amount of
water by taking a guess and this resulted to difficulties during compaction and hence
decrease strength of concrete. I recommended them to use the specified amount of water
properly to get good reaction between the ingredients and to insure the required
proportion is obtained.

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 During column casting the concrete is added (casted) from the top of the formwork
through long distance when casting is beginning. Therefore this results in segregation i.e.
the ingredients separate each other and hence the concrete lost its property.
 During foundation casting there was some water before concrete is placed but the
workers poured the concrete without taken out the water this lead to minimize the bond
strength of the concrete. This mistake is done due to the absence of the Engineer due to
some cases. So, the Engineer must be present when concrete casting takes place.

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