EARTHWORK COMPUTATIONS

Sr SITI NUR ALIAA ROSLAN KLIUC

Introduction

Estimation of areas and volumes is basic to most engineering schemes, e.g. Roads, tunnels and reservoirs. The excavation and hauling of material on such schemes is the most significant and costly aspect of the work. Area are required in connection of purchase or sale of land or subdivision of land. Earthwork volumes enable route alignment to be located at such lines and levels that cut and fill are balances as far as practicable.

AREAS

Computation of areas may be based on data scaled from plans or drawings, or direct from the survey field data. The most common method of measuring areas from plan is to use a planimeter.

Triangular Equation
i) Area = [S(S [S(S-a)(S a)(S-b)(S b)(S-c)] where; S = (a+b+c)

ii) Area = (height x width)

Irregular Areas

A sheet of gridded tracing material maybe superimposed over it and the number of squares can be counted. The proportions of the squares cut by the irregular boundaries can be estimated. When the areas is irregular, boundaries can be reduced to straight lines using givegive-and and-take lines. The areas taken from the total area balance out with extra areas given.

Area of a Trapezoid

b2

b1

Area = h/2 * (b1 + b2)

Note: 1. This rule assumes a curved boundary. 2. Therefore more accurate than the trapezoidal rule. 3. If the boundary was a parabola, the formula would be exact. 4. The equation requires an odd number of ordinates and even number of ordinates.

Y B

Area Calculation using Coordinates

B Area ABCD = Area BBCC + Area CCDD Area BBA Area ADD = A1 + A2 A3 A4 A1 =(XB-XA+XC-XA)(YB-YC) =(XB+XC-2XA)(YB-YC) =(XBYB-XBYC+XCYB-XCYC-2XAYB+2XAYC) C A2=(XC-XA+XD-XA)(YC-YD) =(XC+XD-2XA)(YC-YD) =(XCYC-XCYD+XDYC-XDYD-2XAYC+2XAYD)

A C

X A1+A2=(-2XAYB-XBYC-XCYD-XDYD+YBXC+YBXB+YCXD+2YDXA) A3=(XB-XA)(YB-YA) =(XBYB-XBYA-XAYB+XAYA) A4=(XD-XA)(YA-YD) =(XDYA-XDYD-XAYA+XAYD) A3+A4=(-XAYB+XBYB-XBYA+XDYA-XDYD+XAYD )

Area ABCD=(-XAYB-XBYC-XCYD-XDYA+YAXB+YBXC+YCXD+YDXA )

Area Calculation using Coordinates

Area ABCD=(-XAYB-XBYC-XCYD-XDYA+YAXB+YBXC+YCXD+YDXA ) B 2xArea =[-XAYB-XBYC-XCYD-XDYA +YAXB+YBXC+YCXD+YDXA] A C

A B C D A

XA XB XC XD XA

YA YB YC YD YA

Negative Terms Positive Terms

Area by Coordinates

Exercise.

VOLUME CALCULATIONS

VOLUME CALCULATIONS

Excavation, removal and dumping of earth is a frequent work in Civil Engineering works. In each case, payments for labor and plan are based on the volume of material handled. Therefore engineers in charge should be able to make good estimates of volumes of earthworks. There are three general methods for calculating earthworks.
By crosscross-sections By contours By spotspot-height

Volumes from CrossCross-Sections

Cross-sections are taken at right angles to some Crossline runs longitudinally through the earthwork. Commonly used for long narrow works such as roads, railways, canals,embankments and pipe excavations.
Depth at center line (or height in case of embankment) = h units Formation width = b units. Side width = w Horizontal projection for every single unit vertical rise = m units. Area of cross section = [ 2 ( b/2 + mh) + b ] h = h(b + mh)

1. Sections with crosscross-fall

In this case the existing ground has a cross fall or transverse gradient relative to the centre line and the side width are not equal because the section is not symmetrical about the centre line. Area = 1/2m [(b/2 + mh)(w1 + w2) b2/2]

2. Sections part in cut and part in fill

3. Cross sections of three level sections

4. Irregular cross sections

Computation of volumes
After computing crosscross-sectional areas at different sections along the longitudinal line, volumes can be computed using one the following methods.
a) Mean areas b) End areas c) Prismoidal formula (more accurate)

(a) Volumes by Mean Areas

The volume is determined by multiplying the mean of the crosscross-sectional areas by the distance between the end sections. If the areas are A1, A2, A3, , An-1, An and the distance between sections A1 and An is L, then

This method is not very accurate.

Volumes from Contour Lines

Volumes are calculated for horizontal areas enclosed by contour lines. Due to high cost of contouring large areas, the method is not commonly used. Where accurate contours are available, e.g. Reservoir sites, they can be conveniently used. A planimeter can be used to obtain the areas enclosed by contour lines (from the plan). Volumes can be calculated using the endendareas formula or prismoidal formula.

Exercise

Volumes from Spot Levels

This method is used for large open excavations for tanks, basements etc and for ground levelling operations such as playing fields and building sites. First the area should be divided into squares or rectangles and then the levels should be taken at each of these corner points. Volume within each square = plan area x average of the depth of excavation or fill.
The volume of cut under the first square = d2/4 (ha + hb + hc + hd) where, Length of side of square = d OR d x l . (ha + hb + hc + hd)/4 where, d and l are the side dimensions

Exercise

ANSWER

Volume

= A2/4 [(h x n)] = (10 x 10)/4 [(h x n)] = (100)/4 (58.44) = 25 (58.44) = 1461 m3

MASS HAUL DIAGRAM

Mass-haul diagram is useful in planning and Massconstruction of railways and roads where large volumes of earthwork have to be handled. Aggregate volumes in cubic metres are plotted along the longitudinal section. When evaluating the aggregate volumes, cuttings are taken as positive and fills are taken as negative. In plotting the massmass-haul curve, positive volumes are plotted above the base line and total negative below it.

After excavation most materials increase in volume Bulking After rere-compacted by roller or other means, soils occupy less volume than original volume Shrinkage

Haul

Free haul In the bill of quantities, unit price for excavation will include for transporting the material a certain specified distance (say 0.5km). This distance is known as the free haul. Overhaul If the material has to be moved a greater distance than the free hall, the extra distance is known as overhaul. Haul Volume of cut multiplied by the distance between centroids of cutting and the embankment it forms.