COURSE PROGRAM

PEDAGOGIC OBJECTIVES

Getting students to:

1. Recognize the machines and machines used in construction sites related to public works
2. Master the principles of operation of these machines
3. Estimate their performance

PREREQUISITES
Knowledge of building, roads and works of art

COURSE CONTENT
FIRST LESSON: Principles of earthmoving site organization
 Introduction
 Principles and sequences of earthmoving operations
 Methods of earthmoving and factor relating to production.
Lesson Two: Pushers or Bulldozer
Lesson Three: Hydraulic Excavators
Lesson Four: Loader Excavators
Fifth lesson: Scrapers or Scrapers
Lesson Six: The Graders
Lesson Seven: Trucks Lesson Eight: Compactors
Lesson Nine: The Cobblers
Tenth lesson: Fixed Installations
 Crushing Stations
 The Coating Stations

Documents used for the preparation of this course:

1- Site Summary - Equipment and Materials - implementation, standardization (D. Didier, N. Girard, M. Le
Brazidec, P. Nataf, R. Pralat and J. Thiesset) - AFNOR NATHAN

2- Mechanical construction equipment by A GABAY EY J ZEMP

3- Training of Site Managers: Construction Equipment. Presented at the Akonolinga CMTP in 2001/2002 by MM.
Ngounou Charles, Nkolo ENGONGA and ONGOLO Jean Marie

4- Construction equipment and methods: Course taught by Mario Robillard at the School of Superior Technology
of the University of Quebec (UQ).

pg. 1
 FIRST LESSON
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION OF EARTHMOVING SITE
1. Introduction
Earthworks consists of modifying the topography of a site in accordance with the indications prescribed by
plans and estimates. These modifications can be modest (excavation required to install the superficial
foundations of a building), (development of a road structure, construction of a dam) or complex (construction
of approaches to a multiple road interchange
2- Principles and Sequences of Earthmoving Operations
There are two major operations in earthmoving activities, excavation and backfilling. Excavation consists of
removing and transporting stripped or excavated soils to the project site or outside it.
Backfilling consists of transporting, from the project site or from outside the latter, in particular borrow
benches, materials that comply with the use and the specifications prescribed by the plans and specifications of
the project
Other operations complementary to the clearing and filling, can also be considered when earthmoving. The
brush cutting which consists of cutting down and removing the trees and shrubs that are found at the site of the
work.
The drying out which makes it possible to remove from the earth, the stumps of the felled trees. This operation
can be done using a pusher if the number of stumps is large or with a hydraulic shovel when the number of
stumps is modest.
During the stripping operation, the organic soil layer that is located on the site of the earthworks is removed.
This organic soil is either piled up to be used later during the final development, or transported outside the work
site by dump trucks or dumpers. Grading/profiling, which consists of roughly moving the embankments in order
to obtain the desired topographic configuration, is done using graders, compactors and water tank trucks.
The final development may include the planting of trees and shrubs, grassing, paving and the construction of
sidewalks and curbs Earthmoving operations are carried out according to the following order
 Brush cutting and drying,
 Stripping:
 Clearing and transport,
 Transport and backfilling,
 Feasting/profiling,
 Compaction ;
 Final layout.
3- Earthmoving Methods and Factors Relating to Production.
The majority of construction machines carry out their operations according to a sequence of repetitive
operations called a cycle. A cycle produces a certain amount of work in a certain time. The production of
earthmoving machines is expressed on more often in soil volume per unit of time or in cubic meter per
hour(m3/h)
In the case of motor graders, the production is expressed rather in distance per unit of time and most often,
the meter or the kilometer per hour is the unit used. The effective working time is of the order of 45 to 55
minutes per actual hour. The effective working time takes into account the inevitable production stops
(refueling, coordination, operator rest, etc.). The majority of construction machines are equipped with
chronometers and the most sophisticated ones, on-board computers and GPS which make it possible to
periodically calculate the effective working time of the machine as well as its production
For earthmoving and road construction operations, the following machines are used: pushers, hydraulic
excavators, loader excavators, strippers, graders, compactors, dump trucks, dumpers, scrapers etc.

pg. 2
 SECOND LESSON
THE PUSHERS OR BULDOZER

The pushers OR bulldozers commonly called "bulldozer", can be used for several earthmoving operations The
pushers are used for stripping and dewatering, for the discharge of the
excavation, for the initial regaling of the embankments and finally to assist
the scraper scrapers during their loading The pushers can also break up the
crumbly rocks thanks to their ripper riper teeth mounted on á the back of
their chassis However, it is during the stripping and discharge operations
that the pusher is most often used Its production cycle is composed of four
stages; Forward discharge thrust, reverse gear, reverse gear and Reverse
gear. The production of a pusher is calculated from the following formula
Hourly production= Effective working time per hour ÷ Duration of the cycle* discharge volume.
I.e. HP = EWT ÷ DC * VD
Equipped with a universal type blade or "U", the pushers
obtain good productions
during the discharge of
debris as long as the
discharge distances are
fairly modest (less than
200 m). Compared to a
standard blade, a & U >>
blade allows an increase of
approximately 20% in
production. The
manufacturers' technical data sheets take into account the
production gains obtained with the shape of the blade The
nature of the repressed soil also has an impact on the
productivity of the pushers
Thus, the production of bulldozers in granular soils (sand
and gravel) is higher than the production for rocks and
clayey soils

Application example
A pusher is used to carry out the stripping of an organic soil and the discharge. The universal type "U" blade has
a capacity of 14 m2. The discharge distance is 220 m. The reverse takes 1.5 seconds. The discharge is carried out
in first gear (3.8 km /h) while the reverse gear is done in third (7.9 km /h). What is the daily production of pusher
knowing that the work rate is 55 minutes per hour and that the daily working time is 8 hours?

pg. 3
Solution
Cycle analysis
This cycle includes four stages Pushback + reverse + recoil + running time
Cycle duration in minutes:
(220 m3 800 m/60 min) + (1.5 s/60 s/min) + (220 m-7900 m/60 min) + (1.5 s/60 s/min) =3, 47+0,025 +1, 67
+0,025-5, 19 minutes
Hourly production
Production 55 min 5.19 min/cycle x 14 m3 x 0.95 141.0 m3/h
Daily production
Production 141.0 m3/hx8h/d-1127 m3/d
The production of a bulldozer depends on several variables such as the topography of the site, the skill of the
operator, the nature of the plant debris and several others However, it is the power of the bulldozer which is
the most predominant index.
Light power: 180C.V. 1750 rpm and weighs 10t; medium 220 C.V. and weighs between
10 and 20t, 1800 rpm; heavy 240C.V. 2000 rpm and weighs more than 28t.
The steering: consists of two levers (left and right). The transmission has three gear ratios:
Forward speed:
1 speed 4.6 km/h; 2° speed 6.5 km/h and 3° speed 11.5km/h
Reverse speed:

1st speed 4.3 km /h; 2° speed 6.5 km /h and 3º speed 11.5km /h. The reverse gear is faster than the
forward gear. It cannot start when the transmission lever is in gear.

Areas of employment
Bulldozers are used for deforestation, earthworks, spreading materials, demolition work, stripping,
extraction of materials, towing.

pg. 4
 THIRD LESSON
THE HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS
The hydraulic excavators are equipped with articulated arms and interchangeable buckets that allow excavation
in soils of a varied nature. Most often, hydraulic excavators carry out excavation work in the "retro (backhoe)"
mode for excavations below the level below the base of the excavator
There are two types of hydraulic excavators.
⚫Wheeled excavators used on soils with good bearing capacity.
⚫the hydraulic crawler excavator used on soils with low bearing capacity
Due to their greater mobility, wheeled excavators have a slightly higher efficiency (+ 15%) than excavators
on caterpillars

CRAWLER EXCAVATOR WHEEL EXCAVATOR

The use of hydraulic excavators in the frontal << (front shovel)" is done especially when the excavation is carried
out above the base of the shovel. The top of the
hydraulic excavator is mounted on a platform that
allows it to perform complete 360 ° rotations. To
maximize the production of the excavator, the site is
organized in such a way as to minimize the angle of
rotation necessary for the loading of the trucks. A
good site organization should allow the loading of
trucks with a rotation of 90 °. The duration of the
cycle of a hydraulic excavator varies according to
several parameters such as the skill of the operator,
the angle of rotation and the nature of the excavated
soil.
In practice, for a hydraulic crawler excavator
performing a rotation of 90 °, the following values
are used:
 Light soils (granular): 0.35 minutes
 Ordinary soils (organic earths) 0.40 minutes
 Compact soils (clay soils) and rock blocks
0.45 minutes
The nature of the soil to be excavated also has an impact on the filling volume from the bucket. To be grant clay
and organic soils, the bucket will be filled to about 95%. While for rocky debris and boulders, it will be about
85% respectively and70%

pg. 5
Application example
A hydraulic crawler excavator is used to excavate a clay soil. The bucket of the excavator has a capacity of
2,500 liters. The rotation for loading truck tippers is 90°. We ask for the theoretical hourly production of this
excavator knowing that the work rate is 50 minutes per hour.

Solution
Cycle time- 0.45 min
Number of cycles per hour 50 min 0.45 min / cycle 111.11 cycles Theoretical hourly production 111.11 cycles x
2.5m3 x 0.95 = 263.9 m3 / h .This is the theoretical production because in this calculation, we do not take into
account the time required for the placement of the truck body under the reach of the bucket of the excavator
Let's complete the data of the problem. The excavator loads trucks of type "10 wheels with a loading capacity
of 12.65 m3. The time required to evaluate a full truck and install an empty truck under the excavator bucket is
0.5 minutes. Let's calculate the real hourly production of this excavator
Number of bucket strokes required to fill a truck body = 12.65 m3 + for 11.875 m3 (2.5 m3 x 0.95) = 5.32 strokes
or 5 strokes = 111875円3 Loading time 1=5 bucket strokes x 0.45 min/cycle = 2.25 minutes
Actual hourly production = 18.18 load. X 11,875 m3/load 215, 9 m3/h
Duration of the installation of the bucket = 0.5 minutes
Total loading time = 2.25 min + 0.5 min = 2.75 minutes
Number of loads per hour 50 min loads 2.75 min/load = 18.18

* For efficiency reasons, a partially filled bucket shot will be given as soon as the volume to be filled exceeds
50% of the bucket capacity

pg. 6
 FOURTH LESSON
THE LOADER EXCAVATORS

Just like hydraulic excavators, loaders are used when filling truck skips, most often with granular backfill
materials such as crushed stone taken from quarries or sand and gravel extracted from borrow benches. Given
their morphology and their low efficiency, loaders are rarely used as excavation machines.
The loaders are available on wheels (tires) or on tracks. The recent wheel loaders consist of two parts articulated
around a pivot and their wheels are fixed. Wheel loaders are by far more efficient (130 to 150%) than crawler
loaders.

Wheel Loader Crawler Loader

Just like hydraulic excavators, the cycle of wheel loaders varies according to the nature of the material to
be loaded. The following values are often used:
 Light soils (granular): 0.40 minutes.
 Ordinary soils (organic earths) 0.45 minutes,
 Blocks of rock or rocky debris: 0.60 minutes.
 Compact soils (clay soils): 0.50 minutes.
For a given loader, there are several bucket models. The choice of a model varies according to the density of the
material to be loaded and the technical specifications of the manufacturer. The filling factor of the bucket varies
according to the nature of the material to be loaded. The current values of the filling factors are:
 100% abundant materials%
 Ordinary land: 95%
 Compact earth 85%
 Rock well blasted 75%
 Blocks of rocks 60%
Application example
A wheel loader is used to operate a gravel pit used as a loan bin. The bucket of the loader has a capacity of
4,450 liters. The gravel exploited has an average water content of 10%, its dry density in place is 1.8 t /m2 and
its initial and final expansion are respectively 14% and 2%. What is the theoretical hourly production of this loader
knowing that the work rate is 55 minutes per hour? The loader feeds "10-wheel" type trucks >>> having skips
with a loading capacity of 16 m2 or 24 tons. The time required to evacuate a full truck and install an empty truck
under the loader bucket is 0.4 minutes. We ask for the hourly production of this loader

pg. 7
 Solution
Density in place w 10%-1.8 t/m x 1.1 1.98 t/m3
Expansion coefficient Cf= 1.14
Less effective loading volume= the least of 16 m2 or (24 t ÷ 1, 98 t/m3) x1, 14 =13, 82 m2
Loader cycle time= 0.40 minutes
Filling factor =100%
Number of buckets required to fill a truck = 13.82 m2+4.45 m3/bucket = 3.1 buckets or 3 buckets for 13.35 m3
Duration of the truck filling cycle = (3 x 0.40 min/ bucket) + 0.4 min =1.6min/load
Hourly production = 55 min ÷ 1.6 min/load x 13.35 m3 = 458.9 m3/h

The excavator can perform the following works:

 Quarry pick-up and loading
 Excavation of accessible excavations
 Loading on level vehicle
 Unloading on hoppers
 Adjustment of the slopes with the lower part of the bucket
 Mixing of the extracted materials
Wheeled excavators and tracked excavators have advantages and disadvantages.
WHEEL EXCAVATORS CRAWLER EXCAVATORS

Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages

• Fast moving  poor lift soft ground  low ground pressure  slow moving
 extended on-site  Limited in size.  good stability  requires a machine
availability and by weight in high power carrier for long travel

Conditions Average speed in Km/h

general conditions
of the construction site 10 to 15 15 to 25 More than 25

Favorable 1.5mn 1.8mn 2.2mn

averages 1.9mn 2.3mn 3.0mn

Unfavorable 2.6mn 3.0mm 4.0mn

pg. 8
 FIFTH LESSON
THE SCRAPERS OR SCRAPERS
The scrapers are machines of earthmoving used when the soil to be cleared is powdery, also when the volumes
of excavation are large and the distances to
be covered are relatively short (less than
5kms) The strippers take care of themselves
by moving and lowering a blade that allows
the soil to be housed in their bucket. Some
models of stripper are equipped with a
second motor placed opposite the rear
wheels of the bucket in order to increase
the driving power during the loading phase.
In certain working conditions, the scrapers
may require an additional thrust during the
loading phase. This additional thrust is
given by one or two bulldozer pushers". Just
like trucks, the payload of scrapers is
limited by the volume of their bucket and
their structural and mechanical capacity.
Strippers are off-road vehicles.
The cycle time of the scrapers is calculated by adding together the transport times between the loading /
unloading points and the fixed times for loading, unloading, turning and acceleration maneuvers / braking The
fixed times depend on the one hand, the general conditions at the site (organization, weather, density of site
traffic, need to use pushers) and on the other hand, the average speed of transport.
Application example
A fleet of 8 scrapers of 16 m2 and 28 tons is being used for the construction of a dam for a hydro-electric complex.
The average distance between the loading and unloading point is 4.83kms.
The soil to be transported has an abundant density of 1.554 /m3. Filled, the scrapers will have average
speeds of 18 km / h while once emptied, their average speed will be 28 km / h. We ask for the hourly production
of this fleet knowing that the work rate is 45 minutes per hour and that the general site conditions are average.
Solution
Payload of the bucket =the least of 16 m3 or 28t ÷ 1,554t/m3 = 16 m3
Average speed = (28 km/h + 18 km/h) ÷ 2 = 23 km/h
Fixed times = 2.3 min
Cycle duration
Fixed times = 2.3 min
Full load: 4.83 km ÷ 18 km/h x 60 min/h = 16.10 min
Empty: 4.83 km ÷ 28 km/h x 60 min/h = 10.35 min
Total 28.75 min
Hourly production for a stripper = 45 min ÷ 28.75 min/cycle x 16 m3 =25.04 m3/h
Hourly production of the fleet 25.04 m3/h x 8 strippers = 200.3 m3/h

pg. 9
 SIXTH LESSON
THE GRADERS
The graders are used for several purposes such as grading, primary grading and agent, a most useful application
during finishing work on road construction sites remains the profiling of embankment sections, pits and pits
These profiling operations require plucking
passes The efficient operation of graders
requires a lot of experience on the part of the
operator The grader is one of the most difficult
construction equipment to operate during
profiling operations. Also for productivity
reasons, the responsible for the organization
of cheater should take care of assigning the
most experienced operators to the graders.
The velenes are equipped with transmission
which has several forward gears and several
reverse gears. This allows the operator to
select the best ratio taking into account the
delicacy of the profiling to be carried out. An
experienced operator will be able to
determine the optimal length of the passes by considering several parameters including the nature of the
material, safety, and the organization of the site. The ideal value of the distance of each of the passes is normally
between 75 and 250 m
Application example
What is the hourly production of a grader that must perform four profiling passes for each 100 m section
of road under construction? The reversal between the forward and reverse gear as well as the adjustment of the
blade height requires 4 seconds. The average forward speed will be 3.8 km /h while the rear speed will be an
average of 18.6 km / h. The skill of the operator will allow you to go directly from the fourth pass to the first pass
of the next section. The work rate is 55 minutes per hour.
Solution
Cycle analysis
 Forward speed profiling of the 1st pass, reverse gear and adjustment of the height of the blade, reverse
speed recoil, reverse gear and adjustment of the height of the blade
 Forward speed profiling of the 2 pass, reverse gear and adjustment of the blade height, reverse speed,
reverse gear and adjustment of the height of the blade forward
 Speed profiling of the 3 pass, reverse gear and adjustment of the height of the blade, reverse gear recoil,
reverse gear and adjustment of the height of the blade.
 Speed before profiling the 4 pass.
Cycle time for profiling of 100 m
[((0.1 km ÷ 3.8 km/h x 60min/h) + (4s ÷ 60 s/min) + (0.1 km ÷ 18.6 km/h x 60 min/h) + (4 ÷ s60 s/min)) x 3 passes]
+ (0.1 km ÷ 3.8 km/h x 60min/h) =7.73min
Hourly production = 100 m/cycle x 55 min/7.73min/cycle = 711.513m/h

pg. 10
 SEVENTH LESSON
THE TRUCK
There are two categories of trucks, trucks for normal road network traffic that have 6, 10 or 12 wheels
and off-road off-road trucks >> whose dimensions and weight do not allow them to travel on public roads. We
find off-road trucks especially for quarrying or mining. 6, 10 or 12-wheeled trucks are frequently used on civil
construction earthmoving sites. Trucks have several functions during earthmoving operations
 The transport of excavated or backfill materials
By four- or six-wheeled dump trucks motor skills. La emptying the bucket is
obtained either from the rear, either from the right, or from the left. The bucket has
a canopy at the front that protects the cabin against accidental falls of cuttings.
These are also self-propelled dump trucks with wheels. These are trucks equipped
with an open bucket to transport, dump laterally, from
the bottom or from the back, or to spread materials, but
staying inside the site. Their loading is ensured by
external means. They have a greater transport capacity
than dump trucks and are not allowed to circulate
loaded on the road network; their use is reserved for
large earthworks. The mass of earth actually transported is only limited either by the
volume of the bucket in the case of light materials, or by the PTC in the case of heavy
materials.
 The transport of water, fuel or lubricant
Is the case of tank trucks? Instead of dumpsters, we find tanks with variable volumes depending on the power
of the truck. These tanks have various destinations and we distinguish:
O Water tanks
These trucks are equipped with a tank, a motor pump and watering is done either manually with appropriate
hoses, or directly using the watering can placed at the back of the tank.
O Fuel tanks
These trucks are equipped with a tank divided into compartments that can receive different types of fuel, a
pump equipped with a hose and a spray gun to facilitate service.
O Binder spreaders
These are trucks equipped with a tank, a motor oven that keeps the binder at an optimal temperature, a hose
equipped with a gun to spread the binders on small places and a spreader of variable dimensions depending on
the width of the road to be paved.
O The gravel trucks
These are dump trucks without a sidewall on which a gravel harvester is installed. It is a material that allows
the gravel to spread on the ground at a constant rate. During the spreading of the materials, the driver actuates
the bucket, puts it in the unloading position and engages the reverse gear at a constant speed depending on the
opening of the meshes given to the gritter and the speed of the binder spreader.
 The transport of the maintenance equipment of the machines
This is the case of caravan trucks equipped with a whole arsenal of equipment and mechanical materials, it is a
mobile garage. There is usually an electronic unit, a compressor, complete mechanical toolboxes, all other
professional tools and locations for lubricant barrels (SA E40, SAE10, SAE90, grease). At each location, pipes are
provided equipped with a gun connected to each pipe

pg. 11
 • The mobile shop of the construction site
This is the trucks equipped with a van to keep small equipment and some materials.
 The transport of the machines from the base to the construction site
It's about the gear carriers:
The execution of earthworks and the realization of road surfaces require the use of heavy machinery such as
excavators, bulldozers, loaders, pavers, compactors, which, most often, cannot access the site by their own
means. They are transported using vehicles designed for this purpose. The most common are trailers and semi-
trailers with gear carriers.
These transports pose safety problems; loading, moving and unloading operations pose risks for the driving
personnel and for their assistant. It is therefore necessary to follow the following safety rules:
During loading and unloading
 The hitch maneuvers of the trailers to the towing vehicle must be done under the direction of a chief
maneuverer.
• The towing vehicle must move backwards very slowly and no one should be between this vehicle and the
trailer.
 Ensure the correct coupling of the air pipes and the electrical cables, the proper functioning of the braking
system.
The production of trucks depends on the site conditions, the size of their bucket, their loading capacity, fixed
times, their speed and the distances to be covered.
The fixed times include the expected time for turns, acceleration, unloading and placement under the excavator
or loader for each of the truck cycles.
To determine the number of trucks required to service a loader or a mechanical excavator, it is necessary to
make the ratio between the duration of the truck's cycle and the time required to load it Loaders and hydraulic
excavators are equipment that often affect the performance of an earthmoving site. The shutdown or slowing
down of these machines called "critical equipment" results in a slowdown in the overall productivity of a
construction site. It is therefore necessary that the complementary equipment such as trucks, compactors,
pushers are in sufficient quantity so that the excavator or the loader is never in a waiting situation. Thus, when
the number of trucks is less than 6, we complete up to the upper unit. When the number of trucks varies
between 7 and 13, we complete up to the upper unit and we add a truck. Finally, for more rare cases, when the
number of trucks exceeds 13, it is necessary to complete to the nearest unit and add 2 trucks.
Application example No. 1
We ask for the number of trucks of 14 m3 required to serve a hydraulic excavator with an effective capacity
of 1.2 m2, knowing that the cycle time of the excavator is 0.45 minutes and that of the truck is 12 minutes.
Solution
Number of buckets required = 14 m3 ÷ 1.2 m3/bucket = 11.66 buckets or 12 for 14 m3
Filling time= 12 buckets x 0.45 min = 5.4 minutes
Number of trucks required = 12 min ÷ 5.4 min = 2.22 trucks or 3 trucks
Application example No. 2
What is the number of trailer trucks of 20 m2 required to serve a wheel loader of 6 m2 of effective capacity
knowing that the cycle time of the loader is 0.4 minutes and that of the truck is 14 minutes?
Solution
Number of buckets required = 20 m3 ÷ 6 m3/bucket = 3.33 buckets or 3 for 18 m3
Filling time = 3 buckets x 0.4 min 1.2 minutes
Number of trucks required = 14 min ÷ 1.2 min = 11.66 trucks or 13 trucks.

pg. 12
 EIGHTH LESSON
THE COMPACTORS
The compactors are used to stabilize the soils by reducing the amount of voids inside them. There are three
principles of compaction, shock compaction, vibration and rolling.
 The compaction by shocks and by mechanized vibrating
plate is used where the area to be compacted is restricted.
The compaction is carried out by shocks using a mechanical
lady also called Jump Jack, hand lady, rammers or damsels,
compressed air rammers or 2 or 3 ton rammers mounted on
mobile crane.
 Vibration compaction is mainly used for powdery (granular)
soils such as sands, gravels
and crushed stones. The
presence of a certain
amount of water (optimum
proctor) on material
particles granular facilitates
compaction. We can vibrate
the plates of smooth wheels or tires. The vibrating plates are
maneuvered using an arm while the smooth wheels are vibrated by a
Gasoline engine.
 Rolling compaction is used for coherent soils and bound materials (zero subsidence mixtures).
There are a variety of types of compactors suitable for specific compaction works. The most common for road
construction work is the smooth and vibrating roller compactor and the tire compactor. The vibration can be
activated or deactivated by the operator. Compactors on smooth steel rollers are fairly easy to operate
machines. The experience of the operator is useful when judging the achievement of the required compaction
which is usually located in the estimates, at about 95% of the proctor optimum. The efficiency of a compactor is
conditioned by its speed, the thickness of the layer of materials or soil, the number of passes required to achieve
the desired compaction. The hourly production of a compactor is determined using the following formula:

Hourly Production (m3/h) =Lₐ x V max x Ep x Fo ÷ Np where

Lₐ, is the width of the rollers of the compactor in meters
V max the average speed of movement in kilometers per hour
Ep is the thickness of the layers in millimeters
Fo: Operating factor that takes into account the reverse gear, the superposition of the passes, the waiting The
value of 70% is often used for smooth and vibrating roller compactors.
Np: Number of passes required.
Application example
We ask to calculate the hourly production in m3/h of a roller compactor smooth and vibrant. The compactor
which will be used at a roll width of 1,035 mm. In order to adequately compact the crushed stone (0-20mm), the
compaction will be carried out in 300 mm thick layers, at a speed of 2.1 km/h and in 4 passes.
Solution
Hourly production (m3/h) = 1.035 m x 2.1 km/h x 300 mm x 70% ÷ 4 = 114.1 m3/h

pg. 13
 NINTH LESSON
THE PAVERS
Paving machines are used to spread layers of bituminous mixtures In Quebec, two maximum spreading widths
are used, 2.44m and 3.05m. Paving machines facilitate
the spreading of layers of bituminous mixtures of uniform
thickness and width In addition to the main operator who
ensures the driving and the supply of the tipper of the
paving machine, several workers are required for the
proper operation of a paving machine Usually, two or
three workers ensure the proper operation of the auger
which feeds the leveling table located behind the paving
machine and they continuously ensure the adjustment
with the ground level. This adjustment makes it possible
to regularize the thickness of the layer. A worker ensures
the operation of feeding the bucket by trucks (usually of
the 10-wheel type) and finally two workers placed behind
the paving machine, ensure the quality of the junction
with the
adjacent layer.
The efficiency
of a paving
machine is
conditioned by its speed which itself is conditioned by the thickness of
the spreading layer. The hourly production of a paving machine is
determined using the following formula Hourly Production Theo.
(m3/h) = La x Vmoy x Fo with:
 La :The Width of the spreading and spreading table in meters
 V moy: Average speed of movement in meters per hour during
spreading
 Fo : Operation factor which takes into account the reverse
gear, the movement of the paving machine and the placement of the trucks filling the bucket The value
of 60% is often used for paving machines
Application example
We ask to calculate the daily production of a paving machine knowing that its speed of 0.12km / h, that the width
of its spreading table width is 2.44m and that its height is adjusted to 100 mm. The work rate on the site is 45min
/ h and that a working day consists of 9 hours.
Solution
Hourly Production Theo. (m2/h) = La x V moy x Fo
Hourly Production Theo. = 2.44 x 120m/h x 60% = 175,6m²/h
Daily production = 175,6m²/h x 45min/60min x 9h = 1,185m2/d

The compaction of the layer of bituminous mixture is generally carried out using a compactor with smooth steel
cylinders or smooth tires. The productivity of this type of compactor is conditioned by the width of its cylinders
or tires, its speed and the number of passes required to achieve the desired degree of compaction.

pg. 14
Hourly Production Theo (m3/h) (La x V moy x Fo) ÷ N avec:
 La : Compaction width in meters
 V moy: Average speed of movement in meters per hour during compaction
 Fo: Operation factor that takes into account the reverse gear, the displacement of the compactor and
the superposition of the layers. The value of 70% is further used for bituminous mixture compactors
 N: Number of passes required to achieve the required degree of compaction.
The value of N is conditioned by the thickness of the layer to be compacted and by the characteristics of the
bituminous mixture. The experience of the operator and the foreman are often the most accurate indicators
that can be used to determine the number of passes necessary for a good compaction.
In the absence of this information, we can use the following formula developed according to empirical
observations.
N = (ep ÷ 20) + 2 with
 ep. : Uncompacted thickness of the layer of bituminous mixture or height of the leveling table of the
paving machine in millimeters.
Application example
We ask you to calculate the number of compactor required to supply the paving machine from the
previous problem. We will use a Caterpillar CB 34 compactor at a speed of 1.8 km/h and whose compaction
width is 1.3 m
Solution
N=(100+20)+2 = 7
Theoretical hourly production = (1.3 m x 1,800 m/hr x 70/100) ÷ 7 = 234 m²/h
Actual production = 234 m²/h x 45min/60min = 175.5 m²/h
Number of compactor required =Paving production ÷ Compactor production
(175.6m3/h x 45min/ 60min) ÷ (234 m3/h x 45min / 60min) = 0.7504
A single compactor will be sufficient

pg. 15
 TENTH LESSON

FIXED INSTALLATIONS

CRUSHING STATION

The materials
The choice of quarries is decisive for the installation of a crushing station
Drilling is done with a jackhammer
and extraction at the mine. The
explosive is chosen depending on the
nature of the stones and also on the
destination of these stones. In large
quarries the felling in large blocks by
deep mines is practiced. The pick-up
is done with a loader excavator and
the transport to the station by trucks
of large capacities, belts, and railcars
mounted on rail or by dumpers.

The materials

a) The crushers
We distinguish:
 The jaw crushers, one fixed
and the other mobile consisting of removable manganese steel plates changing after wear.
 Gyratory crushers, characterized by a high speed of rotation and an increased impact effect.
 Smooth cylinder crushers for the manufacture of quarry sand.
 The hammer mills used for hard rocks. As an advantage, it gives gravel of small dimensions and regular
shapes.

b) Disposal of crushers
Depending on the importance of the quarries, the crushers are arranged as follows:
 The primary crusher: it is intended to reduce large blocks. They are adjustable jaws to have an intake
opening as strong as possible (1 to 2.50m)
 Secondary crushers: or rotary crushers for the transformation of blocks from the primary crusher
 Tertiary crushers: or smooth cylinder crushers.
At the exit of each mill, the materials are conveyed to screens with holes or on sieves with grids. These screens
select cubic materials (sieves) and retain flat or very large materials (refuse) according to the dimensions of the
sieve mesh.
At each stage, the refuse either returned to the preceding crusher, or transported by the belts or conveyor belts
to the storage locations. The process is stopped once the required aggregates are obtained.

pg. 16
c) Diameter of the meshes of the screens or sieves.

Diameter Nature of the aggregates

<0.1 Flour or fines or fillers

0.1 to 0.4 Fine sand

0.4 to 1.6 Medium sand

1.6 to 6.3 Big sand

6.3 to 10 Small chippings

10 to 16 Medium chippings

16 to 25 Large chippings

25 to 40 Small gravel

40 to 63 Medium gravels

63 to 100 Large gravel

>100 Blocks

COATING STATION

Description
A coating station is formed:
 Of a generator set to actuate the operation of the station
 A cabinet or dashboard with a main switch for switching on, a blood pressure monitor, a frequency table
and indicator lamps for the operation of the various devices.
 A control panel comprising the circuit of the bitumen heating system in the melter, the heating circuit of
the binder pump, the control circuit of the mixing burner and the control circuit of the pneumatic system.
• A pre-metering aggregate consisting either of a shield equipped with a take-up device at the base, or by pre-
metering hoppers. The shield is a retaining wall behind which the aggregates are stored. The pick-up device at
the base of the wall is a drawer feeder which extracts a constant amount of material back and forth with each
cycle. Pre-dosing hoppers come in a wide variety of models. They can be equipped on the walls with vibrators
whose intensity is adjustable according to the desired flow rate.
 A rotary drum dryer for heating and drying aggregates. The temperature of the aggregates depending on
that of the binder is maintained at a value of 10° C. to 15° C. lower than the latter

pg. 17
• Two dust collectors (primary and secondary) at the outlet of the dryer.
 Coating stations which receive the dried and dehydrated aggregates coming either from the drying drum
or from the dust collector.
 A conventional particle size control station composed of a screen with three or four grids, and a storage
hopper for each fraction of aggregate.
 A station for dosing binder aggregate. The main purpose of the coating station is to achieve a fixed
dosage of the binder and to maintain this constant dosage
 Of the binder circuit. The binder is stored in fixed or mobile tanks with capacities varying between
40,000 and 80,000 liters. This binder is delivered hot, thus these tanks serve at the same time as a reheating
center in order to bring the binder to the coating temperature, and the binder circulates permanently
between the station and the tank, with automatic return in case of shutdown of the station.
• A mixer, here the binder and the aggregates are intimately mixed
 Transport and processing: At the exit of the mixer, the mixes are stored either in a hopper attached to
the mixer, or a waiting hopper located under the mixer on a raceway or come to park transport trucks for
delivery to the sites.

pg. 18