I need a crash course in Civil Earthworks! - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Bossnass · 04-27-2005, 10:30 AM

On monday I start a new job, a summer position. I decided on my interest in civil engineering in January, and I managed to get this position through a strong resume in other fields and a pair of interviews that went quite well.
I still don't know for sure what my day to day job will entail, but it is on site work, and I phoned to nail down some details. I thought I would be doing some surveying and yelling at high school students to get their shovels moving.

I just learned this morning that I will be a crew leader, in charge of tradesmen and civil technologists. I have no doubt that they all have more expereince and more knowledge than I do. I see this as a potential problem.

Sure I can tell you a pretty solid estimate of the forces acting on the boom and the stick and the bucket of that backhoe, and I should be able to get pretty close with a differential calc equation. But when it comes to literally getting my hands dirty, I just don't know what to do.

I think I could identify the difference between a dozer, a grader, and a scraper. But I don't 100% which is the grader and which is the scraper. I don't know which machine is used in which situation. Ectetera and so on.

Help. I don't want these guys to eat me alive.

Thanks. Anything would be helpful.

jaco · 04-27-2005, 01:17 PM

As someone who has to deal with new people in a similar enviroment. My best advice is just to admit ignorance when you dont know something and go with the ideas of someone with experience. If its a major decision, You can usually call in to your direct superior for final approval.

Besides, if it truely is just an on site engineering job, you will only be called in for making a decision when the plans dont cover specifics. Well, thats what i have seen in my years dealing with engineers anyways. No real getting your hands dirty, you will probably spend more time chatting with supervisors and drinking coffee than anything else :P

BAMF · 04-27-2005, 06:24 PM

if you are on the geotech side you will be inspecting. Probably inspecting lifts with a nuc gage. By your description, it sounds like a construction management position. You just need to work at balancing out the machines so idle time is reduced.

If you are building an embankment you will place it in 6 to 12 inch lifts, and compact on every lift. The material being compacted generally needs to be granualar and within a specific moisture. If there is any wood (logs, roots, etc) they need to be removed, as when they rot the soil will settle.

Bossnass · 04-27-2005, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaco

As someone who has to deal with new people in a similar enviroment. My best advice is just to admit ignorance when you dont know something and go with the ideas of someone with experience. If its a major decision, You can usually call in to your direct superior for final approval.

Besides, if it truely is just an on site engineering job, you will only be called in for making a decision when the plans dont cover specifics. Well, thats what i have seen in my years dealing with engineers anyways. No real getting your hands dirty, you will probably spend more time chatting with supervisors and drinking coffee than anything else :P

I'm pretty sure that I will have to fess up. They wanted me to start on the 25th, but I deferred because of university tests. I was hired by a high-up (possibly owner) of the company. The guy I'll be working under has already refered to me, with distain, as 'college boy'. I want to leave as little room for stupid error as possible.

Here's hoping that I'll spend more time chatting and drinking coffee then actual work... we'll see. I have to be on-site an hour earlier and 30 mins later then the crews. I don't know what that indicates yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAMF

if you are on the geotech side you will be inspecting. Probably inspecting lifts with a nuc gage. By your description, it sounds like a construction management position. You just need to work at balancing out the machines so idle time is reduced.

If you are building an embankment you will place it in 6 to 12 inch lifts, and compact on every lift. The material being compacted generally needs to be granualar and within a specific moisture. If there is any wood (logs, roots, etc) they need to be removed, as when they rot the soil will settle.

It is more on the construction (bottom) management side. A field was being surveyed for the final time before ground breaking earlier this week. It is supposed to be well on the way to a subdivision by the end of the summer.

I can also report that I have just finished my introductory soils course, so I would only have to half-fake it if the topic arrises.

BAMF · 04-28-2005, 04:29 PM

well, first they will clear the area and put up silt fences. The silt fences should be maintained through-out the construction.

Scrappers are pushed by dozers to collect a lot of soil, the soil is placed at the fill, another dozer spreads the soil out, when 6-12 inches are placed the compactors (roller, sheep-foot, etc) compact the soil.

The soil can also be moved with dump trucks.

The earthwork team is probably different than the building construction team. When the house construction crews come in they will work their own sites.

Bossnass · 05-26-2005, 06:41 PM

A month later...

I'm 55 hours into my 4th 80 hour week. Takes alot out of anyone. I was tempted into this job by the wage... the time and a half makes it almost worthwhile. I hope I'll last the summer.

We spent the first two weeks at a residential subdivision. We spent the last two and the will spend the next 6 at a commercial subdivsion.

I'm an assisant foreman/coordinator. I have a surveyer/gradesman who I work closely with, a soils tech who I share with another site, and a crew of operators (2 push-cats, 1 shaping cat, 7 scrapers, 1 tractor with disc/sheepsfoot, 1.5 graders and 1.5 packers (one of each floats between sites)). I also have a go-for guy/ mechanic on call.

I help the surveyor mark out sites. I tell the crew where to cut a pit, where to fill, where to grade. I call in the soils guy when the material in the pit is questionable. I decide where to stockpile black dirt and I have to make the call when we are into usable clay. I have the surveyer/gradesmen mark out stakes with cuts and fills for the grader. And in general I try and make things run smoothly. Downtime, scapers waiting in line, etc, are bad things.

For the most part things have gone smoothly. I was a bit overwhelmed the first couple weeks, but the kinks are working out. I don't have enough control over staffing... it has rained this week, I told the head foreman (who runs 4 sites) that I didn't need any packers to work. They showed up anyway. The old potheads bug me, but are pretty good hands. The young guys all have attitudes, but it was a simple matter of yelling at the alpha jackass and acting like I knew what I was talking about. I did fire a guy who showed up drunk (at 700AM) with puke on his pants smelling like alcohol the day after payday.

All in all, it has been a bunch of learning and way too many hours.

reiii · 05-26-2005, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bossnass

A month later...

I'm 55 hours into my 4th 80 hour week. Takes alot out of anyone. I was tempted into this job by the wage... the time and a half makes it almost worthwhile. I hope I'll last the summer.

We spent the first two weeks at a residential subdivision. We spent the last two and the will spend the next 6 at a commercial subdivsion.

I'm an assisant foreman/coordinator. I have a surveyer/gradesman who I work closely with, a soils tech who I share with another site, and a crew of operators (2 push-cats, 1 shaping cat, 7 scrapers, 1 tractor with disc/sheepsfoot, 1.5 graders and 1.5 packers (one of each floats between sites)). I also have a go-for guy/ mechanic on call.

I help the surveyor mark out sites. I tell the crew where to cut a pit, where to fill, where to grade. I call in the soils guy when the material in the pit is questionable. I decide where to stockpile black dirt and I have to make the call when we are into usable clay. I have the surveyer/gradesmen mark out stakes with cuts and fills for the grader. And in general I try and make things run smoothly. Downtime, scapers waiting in line, etc, are bad things.

For the most part things have gone smoothly. I was a bit overwhelmed the first couple weeks, but the kinks are working out. I don't have enough control over staffing... it has rained this week, I told the head foreman (who runs 4 sites) that I didn't need any packers to work. They showed up anyway. The old potheads bug me, but are pretty good hands. The young guys all have attitudes, but it was a simple matter of yelling at the alpha jackass and acting like I knew what I was talking about. I did fire a guy who showed up drunk (at 700AM) with puke on his pants smelling like alcohol the day after payday.

All in all, it has been a bunch of learning and way too many hours.

Your experience kinda reminds me of the classic army situation where green college educated men are put in charge of less educated but more experienced men. Of course I know nothing about how the army works and am basing my comparison off of World War II movies.....

anyway congrats on staying afloat

04-27-2005, 10:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Bossnass Détente Location: AWOL in Edmonton	I need a crash course in Civil Earthworks! On monday I start a new job, a summer position. I decided on my interest in civil engineering in January, and I managed to get this position through a strong resume in other fields and a pair of interviews that went quite well. I still don't know for sure what my day to day job will entail, but it is on site work, and I phoned to nail down some details. I thought I would be doing some surveying and yelling at high school students to get their shovels moving. I just learned this morning that I will be a crew leader, in charge of tradesmen and civil technologists. I have no doubt that they all have more expereince and more knowledge than I do. I see this as a potential problem. Sure I can tell you a pretty solid estimate of the forces acting on the boom and the stick and the bucket of that backhoe, and I should be able to get pretty close with a differential calc equation. But when it comes to literally getting my hands dirty, I just don't know what to do. I think I could identify the difference between a dozer, a grader, and a scraper. But I don't 100% which is the grader and which is the scraper. I don't know which machine is used in which situation. Ectetera and so on. Help. I don't want these guys to eat me alive. Thanks. Anything would be helpful.

04-27-2005, 01:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
jaco Crazy	As someone who has to deal with new people in a similar enviroment. My best advice is just to admit ignorance when you dont know something and go with the ideas of someone with experience. If its a major decision, You can usually call in to your direct superior for final approval. Besides, if it truely is just an on site engineering job, you will only be called in for making a decision when the plans dont cover specifics. Well, thats what i have seen in my years dealing with engineers anyways. No real getting your hands dirty, you will probably spend more time chatting with supervisors and drinking coffee than anything else :P __________________ "How soft your fields so green, Can whisper tales of gore" "Thou art god"

04-27-2005, 06:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
BAMF Crazy	if you are on the geotech side you will be inspecting. Probably inspecting lifts with a nuc gage. By your description, it sounds like a construction management position. You just need to work at balancing out the machines so idle time is reduced. If you are building an embankment you will place it in 6 to 12 inch lifts, and compact on every lift. The material being compacted generally needs to be granualar and within a specific moisture. If there is any wood (logs, roots, etc) they need to be removed, as when they rot the soil will settle.

04-28-2005, 04:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
BAMF Crazy	well, first they will clear the area and put up silt fences. The silt fences should be maintained through-out the construction. Scrappers are pushed by dozers to collect a lot of soil, the soil is placed at the fill, another dozer spreads the soil out, when 6-12 inches are placed the compactors (roller, sheep-foot, etc) compact the soil. The soil can also be moved with dump trucks. The earthwork team is probably different than the building construction team. When the house construction crews come in they will work their own sites.

05-26-2005, 06:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bossnass Détente Location: AWOL in Edmonton	A month later... I'm 55 hours into my 4th 80 hour week. Takes alot out of anyone. I was tempted into this job by the wage... the time and a half makes it almost worthwhile. I hope I'll last the summer. We spent the first two weeks at a residential subdivision. We spent the last two and the will spend the next 6 at a commercial subdivsion. I'm an assisant foreman/coordinator. I have a surveyer/gradesman who I work closely with, a soils tech who I share with another site, and a crew of operators (2 push-cats, 1 shaping cat, 7 scrapers, 1 tractor with disc/sheepsfoot, 1.5 graders and 1.5 packers (one of each floats between sites)). I also have a go-for guy/ mechanic on call. I help the surveyor mark out sites. I tell the crew where to cut a pit, where to fill, where to grade. I call in the soils guy when the material in the pit is questionable. I decide where to stockpile black dirt and I have to make the call when we are into usable clay. I have the surveyer/gradesmen mark out stakes with cuts and fills for the grader. And in general I try and make things run smoothly. Downtime, scapers waiting in line, etc, are bad things. For the most part things have gone smoothly. I was a bit overwhelmed the first couple weeks, but the kinks are working out. I don't have enough control over staffing... it has rained this week, I told the head foreman (who runs 4 sites) that I didn't need any packers to work. They showed up anyway. The old potheads bug me, but are pretty good hands. The young guys all have attitudes, but it was a simple matter of yelling at the alpha jackass and acting like I knew what I was talking about. I did fire a guy who showed up drunk (at 700AM) with puke on his pants smelling like alcohol the day after payday. All in all, it has been a bunch of learning and way too many hours.