Paddy Engineering Consultant

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A construction project is a product of different information and designs from different professionals. If these information and designs are to be adhered to, the presence of their producers and designers are required. The Architect According to Bamisile (2004), the architect should be visiting site periodically for inspections to ensure that in general, the work being carried out on site is in compliance with architectural designs and specifications. Engineering Consultants Bamisile (2004) noted that during the construction phase, engineers (geotechnical, structural, electrical and mechanical) should visit the site regularly for inspections to ensure that in general, is in compliance with their engineering drawings, schedules and specification. A Structural Engineer should be concerned with the monitoring and ensuring that the design (structural) performance criteria are met in the construction methods and materials. Similarly, the mechanical and electrical engineer should m...

Limestone Slab Limestone slab is increasingly being used in making houses. Limestone slab is used for designin, as floor tiles, wall tiles and furniture. It is made up of a kind of calcium carbonate called calcite. The crystallization of calcium carbonate leads to its formation. It takes many years for Limestone to be formed usually at the bottom of deep water bodies. Limestone slab is also used extensively for building construction purposes. It can be used for interior or exterior designs. The smooth surface and the soft look of Limestone make it very popular. Limestone is not only great to look at, but it has a lot of historical significance too. It is very durable and can withstand the test of time. Advantages of Limestone Slabs The reason for such immense popularity of Limestone slab amongst homeowners, homebuyers and interior designers is its ability to match with the appearance of any place. It beautifully complements both modern and traditional styles. It also mixes wit...

At the high temperatures experienced in fires, hydrated cement in concrete gradually dehydrates, reverting back to water (actually steam) and cement. This results in a reduction of strength and modulus of elasticity (stiffness) of concrete. In some fires, spalling of concrete occurs – fragments of concrete break loose from the rest of the concrete, sometimes violently. This article addresses questions that manufacturers of precast concrete have regarding fire resistance and fire ratings of precast concrete products. Most fire-resistance rating requirements are dictated by building codes, depending on the type of building and its occupancy. Ratings are given in hours. For example, the required fire-resistance ratings for columns in high-rise hospitals are much more stringent than those for single-story buildings used for storage of noncombustible products or materials. In the highrise hospital the columns might need a four-hour rating, whereas in the single story building exterior wa...

Soil improvement in its broadest sense is the alteration of any property of a soil to improve its engineering performance. This may be either a temporary process to permit the construction of a facility or may be a permanent measure to improve the performance of the completed facility. The result of an application of a technique may be increased strength, reduced compressibility, reduced permeability, or improved ground water condition. Need for Stabilization of Earth Roads An earth road is one whose foundation and wearing surface is composed of solely of the natural soil present originally on the site. Soils can be classified into two categories – cohesion less and cohesive soils. It has been observed that regions that are predominantly clayey do not usually have sandy materials. Clays must be considered as very important and often determining soil component since it has two objectionable qualities that make it the most troublesome of the materials to be dealt with. It swells wh...

Pool plaster mix refers to the finishing coat given to a concrete pool . Its purpose is to make the pool surface smooth and to provide a watertight seal. It also gives an aesthetic appeal. Approximately 0.25 to 0.5 inches thick plaster layer is used. White is the most common color, but other colors can be obtained by the application of pigmented aggregates. Proper maintenance is required to give a life of 20 years. Ingredients The pool plaster mix elements include, White Portland Cement along with aggregates such as limestone, quartz sand, marble dust, etc., in the ratio 1:2. Liquid acrylic concrete fortifier is needed to mix these constituents. It provides durability to the Pool Plaster Mix due to its constant immersion in water. Maintenance of the mix Pool plaster mix offers a higher expected life. In practical terms, it boils down to the maintenance and the water chemistry. Acidic conditions (low pH) etch the plaster, causing a pitted, rough surface leading to faster degr...

Civil engineers use different types of brick in different construction structures such as buildings, bridges, road construction, pavements etc. The types of brick for a particular construction project is determined according to its purpose, life time expectations, expected weight, Eco conditions, etc. The standard format of laying bricks is to lay them flat on the structure or surface and bind them together to provide stability and strength. Brick types Here are some of the most commonly used types of brick used in different construction projects. 1. Standard burnt clay bricks These bricks come under the most common types of brick used in building construction. Burnt clay bricks are created from molds. Once the formation is done by pressing the mixture in molds, the bricks are fired in a kiln. Fire bricks are made out of ceramic masonry construction material. Burnt clay bricks are sized in a way that they can be positioned with one hand. Once the bricks are laid they are fuse...

A concrete slab is the most common structural element of modern buildings. Concrete slab is used for flooring, rooftops, foundations etc. The concrete slab thickness is a very important matter when you are building a house or any concrete structure. Thickness of the concrete slab has been a contentious issue for quite some time. The tolerance level of the thickness of the slabs was changed in the year 2006. For on ground slabs there is no maximum tolerance. There is simple minus tolerance, which means that further thicker slabs have not been prohibited by the specifier. According to the official tolerance, that every sample should be more than ¾ inch thicker than the specified thickness and the overall average of all the slabs put together cannot be more than the specified thickness i.e., 3/8 inches. This amendment in 2006 is different from what was mentioned in 1990. From 1990 till 2005 the thickness tolerance was set at +3/8 inch, -1/4 inch. The tolerance which has been set as a y...

Many people often come to a common question how to lay bricks? Laying bricks is basically a systematic approach and it should be done with precision to provide enough strength to the construction. Bricks are considered as foundations of any establishments and thus, this job not only requires precision, but also needs sheer accuracy. When it comes to how to lay bricks, standard methods as well as the approaches are followed. No matter what kind of bricks you choose for the conduction job, brick laying process remains always the same for all cases. In the following section of this article, we shall have a look at the step by step guide to the brick laying process. Step 1: First stage of Laying Bricks At the first stage to lay bricks, you need to create a straight line, which is often referred as a mason’s line. This line is actually created by a thread from one end to another end. The first end of the thread should be your starting point for placing brick and the last end of the thr...

Waffle Slab A waffle slab gets its name for its appearance as it visually resembles its namesake, the food. Waffle slab is a reinforced concrete roof or floor containing square grids with deep sides. This type of slab is used in construction projects needing intense strength to weight ratios. Waffle slab is a popular option for commercial construction work such as industrial building projects, bridges and others needing extra stability. Design process Concrete slabs are created according to three basic designs of which waffle slab is the most innovative. Each slab design is focused on enhancing the structure’s strength to weight quotient. All three designs contain a flat top surface with modulated undersides which makes them different from one another. The modulated undersides can be ribbed, corrugated or waffle. Ribbed slabs are used to add foundation strength in one direction while corrugated slabs are used to prevent the foundation from sagging. The concrete waffle slab is u...

Thermal Cracking of Concrete and Prevention Temperature difference within a concrete structure may be caused by portions of the structure losing heat of hydration at different rates or by the weather conditions cooling or heating one portion of the structure to a different degree or at a different rate than another portion of the structure. These temperature differences result in differential volume change, leading to cracks. This is normally associated with mass concrete including large and thicker sections (³ 500mm) of column, piers, beams, footings and slabs. Temperature differential due to changes in the ambient temperature can affect any structure. The temperature gradient may be caused by either the centre of the concrete heating up more than the outside due to the liberation of heat during cement hydration or more rapid cooling of the exterior relative to the interior. Both cases result in tensile stresses on the exterior and, if the tensile strength is exceeded, crackin...

What is a floating slab? These slabs are constructed in two stages. In the first stage the footings are poured separately. The center floor of the floating slab is poured only after the footings have been cured. The slab is not anchored to the floor. This type of slab is typically used for shallow foundations like garages, sheds and light home extensions. Floating slab construction A building construction typically needs a solid foundation in which it can bear the weight of the entire structure, including the roof, floor and other loads it may contain. However, small structures such as sheds, garages, backyard extensions do not need elaborate and extra strong foundations as they are generally light in structure. Floating slab is an ideal solution for such basic foundation structures. This type of slab foundation is mostly used in northern climates as the slab does not require concrete footing with deep extensions below frost line. Floating slab is sometimes known as a raft founda...

Common design and detailing errors in construction arises due to either inadequate structural design or due to lack of attention to relatively minor design details. These types of design errors are discussed below: (1) Inadequate structural design Due to inadequate structural design the concrete is exposed to greater stress than it can handle or strain in concrete increases more than its strain capacity and fails. The symptoms of such kind of failures due to inadequate structural design shows either spalling of concrete or cracking of concrete. Excessively high compressive stress due to inadequate structural design results in spalling of concrete. Also, high torsion or shear stresses results in spalling or cracking of concrete. High tensile stresses also results in cracking of concrete. To identify the inadequate design as cause of the structural damage, the structure shall be inspected and locations of the damage should be compared to the types of stresses that should be pres...

Refractory brick , also popularly known as fire brick , is a type of brick that is designed or manufactured to cope with high heat environment. For example, to construct kilns and furnaces this kind of brick is used. Numerous manufacturers around the world produce refractory bricks in different sizes, shapes and styles. Most of the manufacturers also deliver customized fire bricks to their clients. The major benefit of using refractory brick is that it can easily withstand with high temperature without failing. Whereas, other bricks get heated up so easily, this type of brick is known for insulating nature. Advantages of Using Refractory or Fire Bricks Using a fire brick or refractory brick is advantageous from different aspects. For its unique high end insulating power, it is obvious that this kind of brick is costlier than other bricks. However, in exchange of your extra investments, it provides some unique benefits that you can enjoy. Here are some of the common advantages ...

Construction of concrete foundation is divided into number of work activities with specific objectives and completion time for each activity is defined. Each activity for construction of concrete foundations has to be planned, as it requires specific equipment's at every stage. Activities for construction of concrete foundations can be divided into following: 1 . Marking of foundation layout at site. 2. Earth excavation up to the required depth by means of machine. 3 . Earth excavation and leveling of soil by means of hand operated tools. 4 . Placing of PCC. 5 . Placement of reinforcement steel 6 . Erection of concrete formwork's for footings. 7 . Placement of concrete and vibrating and leveling of concrete surface. 8 . Removal of formwork after the concrete has set. 9 . Curing of concrete for the required number of days. 10 . Applying finishing coats on concrete surface. 11 . Site cleanup. 12 . Back-filli...

Permanent formwork construction method  is used to: Speed construction, especially of down-stand beams Provide high-quality finishes Promote low tolerances The units can act solely as permanent form-work, i.e. they may be designed for construction loads only without contributing to the strength of the completed beams. More efficiently, they can act compositely with the in-situ concrete. Indeed some beams, particularly in seismic areas are designed to act both compositely and non-compositely in the same span. Non-Composite Permanent Formwork: Non-composite precast permanent formwork is used to speed the erection process and assure quality finish. This is particularly useful on exposed spandrel beams which require specialized finishes or profiles. Polystyrene void formers can be introduced into rectangular sections to reduce self weight. The above units can be used in the main elevations supported by trestles and column formwork used ...

Structures are design for some intended use, and when it gets damaged, it is essential to restore original strength of building so that it can continue to serve the purpose. In case of un-reinforced load bearing masonry works, even a fine cracks can reduce its strength very largely. Therefore it is essential to locate the damages and repair them to restore the original strength of structures. These repair works can be done in many ways. We will discuss the techniques to carry out repairing work to restore the original strength of structures. Techniques to Repair and Restore Strength of Structural Members: 1. Repair of Small cracks: Cracks of small openings i.e. 0.075mm can be repaired by pressure injection of epoxy. The procedure for pressure injection is given below: Clean the external surface thoroughly and make free from dust particles. Place the plastic ports along the crack surface on both sides of the member and secure it in place with an epoxy sealant. The c...