Refresher MODULE – GROUND ENGINEERING METHODS

(CE BOARD NOV. 2021)

SOIL VOLUME-CHANGE CHARACTERISTICS 8. Find the expected production in loose cubic meter (LCM) per hour of
a small hydraulic excavator. Heaped bucket capacity is 0.57 m3. The
material is sand and gravel with a bucket fill factor of 0.95. Job
efficiency is 50 min/h. Average depth of cut is 4.3 m. Maximum depth of
cut is 6.1 m and average swing is 90.
Hint: Production (LCM/hr) = C x S x V x B x E
Cycle output = 250 cycles/60 min
Swing-depth Factor = 1.00.
Typical soil volume change during earthmoving process. a. 131 b. 111 c. 113 d. 133

Weight/Bank Volume
Swell (%) = (Weight/Loose Volume − 1 ) × 100% 9. Find the expected production in loose cubic meters (LCM) per hour
of a 2.3 cu.m hydraulic shovel equipped with a front-dump bucket. The
material is common earth with a bucket fill factor of 1.0. The average
Weight/Bank Volume
Shrinkage (% ) = (1 − Weight/Compacted Volume) × 100% angle of swing is 75° and job efficiency is 0.80.
Hint: Production (LCM/hr) = C x S x V x B x E
Weight/Loose unit volume Cycles Output = 150/60min
Load Factor, LF = Swing Factor = 1.05
Weight/Bank unit volume
or a. 290 b. 145 c. 330 d. 233
1
Load Factor, LF = 1+swell
10. Estimate the production in loose cubic meters per hour for a
Weight/Bank unit volume medium-weight clamshell excavating loose earth. Heaped bucket
Shrinkage Factor, SF = Weight/Compacted unit volume capacity is 0.75 cu.m. The soil is common earth with a bucket fill factor
or of 0.95. Estimated cycle time is 40 s. Job efficiency is estimated at 50
Shrinkage Factor, SF = 1 − shrinkage min/h.
a. 65 b. 44 c. 53 d. 71
1. Find the swell of a soil that weighs 1661 kg/m3 in its natural state
and 1186 kg/m3 after excavation. LOADING & HAULING
a. 40% b. 30% c. 50% d. 20%
2. Find the shrinkage of a soil that weighs 1661 kg/m3 in its natural Total Resistance = Grade Resistance + Rolling Resistance (lb or kg)
state and 2077 kg/m3 after compaction. TR = GR + RR
a. 20% b. 60% c. 40% d. 30%
Rolling Resistance, RR
SIT. (CE BOARD NOV. 2018) RR = RRF x WVEHICLE
A soil weighs 1163 kg/LCM, 1661 kg/BCM, and 2077 kg/CCM. Rolling Resistance Factor, RRF = 40 + (30 x in. penetration)
3. Find the load factor for the given soil. (lb/ton)
a. 0.90 b. 0.33 c. 0.66 d. 0.70 Rolling Resistance Factor, RRF = 20 + (6 x cm penetration)
4. Determine the shrinkage factor. (kg/t)
a. 0.20 b. 0.80 c. 0.50 d. 0.30
5. How many bank cubic meters (BCM) are contained in 593,300 LCM Grade Resistance, GR
of this soil? GR = GRF x WVEHICLE
a. 415310 b. 553043 c.33248 d. 203841 Grade Resistance Factor, GRF = 20 x grade (%)
6. How many compacted cubic meters (CCM) are contained in 593,300 (lb/ton)
LCM of this soil? Grade Resistance Factor, GRF = 10 x grade (%)
a. 442828 b. 553043 c.332248 d. 203841 (kg/t)

Effective Grade, EG
EXCAVATING & LIFTING RRF (lb/ton)
𝐄𝐆(%) = Grade (%) +
20
Production, P = Volume per cycle X Cycles per hour RRF (kg/t)
(Volume/hr) 𝐄𝐆(%) = Grade (%) +
10
P = 𝑪 × 𝑺 × 𝑽 × 𝑩 × 𝑬 (LCM/h) SIT. (CE BOARD NOV. 2019)
11. A wheel tractor-scraper weighing 91 t is being operated on a haul
Where: C = cycles/hr (Table) road with a tire penetration of 5 cm. What is the total resistance (kg)
S = swing-depth factor (Table) when the scraper is ascending a slope of 5%?
V = heaped bucket volume (LCY or LCM) a. 9100 b. 4550 c. 5300 d. 10440
B = bucket fill factor (Table) 12. What is the effective grade when the scraper is ascending a slope
E = job efficiency of 5%?
a. 10% b. 20% c. 25% d. 15%
7. Estimate the actual bucket load in bank cubic meter for a loader
bucket whose heaped capacity is 3.82 cu. m. The soil’s bucket fill factor 13. A crawler tractor weighing 36 t is towing a rubber-tired scraper
is 0.90 and its load factor is 0.80. weighing 45.5 t up a grade of 4%. What is the total resistance (kg) of
a. 2.75 b. 1.24 c. 5.42 d. 6.37 the combination if the rolling resistance factor is 50 kg/t?
a. 11070 b. 5535 c. 2768 d. 1384
 a. 56289 lb b. 52869 lb c. 58268 lb d. 59862 lb

Refresher MODULE – GROUND ENGINEERING METHODS

Loader Production, P
Production, P = Volume per cycle X Cycles per hour
(Volume/hr)

(CE BOARD NOV. 2021)

14. Estimate the hourly production in loose volume (LCM) of a 2.68m3
wheel loader excavating sand and gravel (average material) from a pit
and moving it to a stockpile. The average haul distance is 61 m, the
effective grade is 6%, the bucket fill factor is 1.00, and job efficiency is
50 min/h.
Use: Basic Cycle Time = 0.50 min
Travel Time = 0.30 min
a. 176 b. 173 c. 168 d. 175

Dozer Production, P
Production, P = Volume per cycle X Cycles per hour
(Volume/hr)

(CE BOARD APRIL 2023)

15. A power-shift crawler tractor has a rated blade capacity of 7.65
LCM. The dozer is excavating loose common earth and pushing it a
distance of 61 m. Maximum reverse speed in third range is 8 km/h.
Estimate the production of the dozer if job efficiency is 50 min/h.
Hint: Fixed Time = 0.05 min
Dozing Speed = 4 kph
a. 127 b. 271 c. 217 d. 172

Number of Haul Units, N

Haul Unit Cycle Time
𝐍=
Load Time

Haul Unit Capacity

𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 =
Loader Production at 100% Efficiency
or
𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 = Number of Bucket Loads × Excavator Cycle Time

16. Given the following information on a shovel/truck operation,

Shovel Production at 100% efficiency = 283 BCM/hr
Job efficiency = 0.75
Truck Capacity = 15.3 BCM
Truck Cycle Time, excluding loading = 0.50 hr
Calculate the number of trucks theoretically required and the production
of this combination.
a. 9 b. 10 c. 11 d. 12

FOUNDATIONS

Pile Load Capacity

17. From the driving data below, determine the safe load capacity of a
6-in. - square concrete pile 60 ft long. Assume that the unit weight of
the pile is 150 lb/cu ft.
Pile driver energy = 14 000 lb-ft
Ram weight = 4000 lb
Weight of driving appurtenances = 1000 lb
Average penetration last six blows = 1/5 in./ blow

2𝐸 𝑊𝑟 +𝐾𝑊𝑝
Hint: 𝑅=( )( )
𝑆+0.1 𝑊𝑟 +𝑊𝑝
R = safe load (lb)
S = average penetration per blow, last six blows (in.)
E = energy of hammer (ft-lb)
K = 0.20 coefficient of restitution
Wr = weight of hammer ram (lb)
Wp = weight of pile, including driving appurtenances (lb)