CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 SIWES

Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme is a programme designed by many

tertiary institutions to acquaint students with the practical or field knowledge of

their profession. It enhances student’s knowledge of the past, present and the

future. By the past, I mean it affords the student an opportunity to witness

practically what has been taught theoretically in the class. And by the present, I

mean distinguishing between theoretical knowledge and what is on ground

i.e. the reality of the 100% assumption by the theories. It also affords student the

current knowledge of what the field is all about, getting familiar with new

development in technology. The future aspect of it is the foreknowledge of what

should be expected when he/she begins to practice the profession. In partial

fulfillment of the award of Bachelor’s Degree in quantity surveying in the school

of environment science, Federal University of Technology, Owerri. The SIWES

programme is very important. Furthermore, it avails the students an opportunity to

learn inter- and intra- personal relationship, office organization and administration,

site management, identification of equipment’s among other opportunities. This

report entails some of the experience I was able to acquire in my little period of

attachment.

1
1.2 Background of SIWES

The programme (SIWES) came to existence through establishment of the

Industrial Training Fund (ITF) under decree 47 of 1971 in bid top boost

professionalism in the construction industry. The fund in its policy statement NO.1

published in 1973 inserted a clause dealing with the issue of practical skill. The

fund will seek to look out co-operative machinery with industry, where students in

institutions of higher learning may rewrite industrial training or mid-career

attachment by contribution to the allowance payable to the students. SIWES is

therefore a skill training programme designed to expose and prepare students of the

universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to practical work on site, this

scheme is for students of engineering and technology including environmental,

technical and business studies. However, in 1979, ITF withdrew the funding

enjoyed by polytechnics and colleges of education, technical and went ahead to

notify all universities that it would withdraw the funding of SIWES as from

January 1980. In view of this, the National University Commission took up the

responsibility of funding the programme for engineering and technology students

of Nigerian Universities, while the National Body for the Technical Education

(NBTE) assumed financial responsibilities for the programme in the polytechnics

and colleges of education. The administration of the programme was still a

Herculean task and was not without a myriad of operational problem so the Federal

2
Government agreed on the funding of the scheme in 1985. In 1985, ITF assured the

administration of SIWES programme.

1.3 Bodies involved in the management of SIWES:

The bodies involved are:

• The Federal Government.

• Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

Other supervising agents are:

• National University Commission (NUC).

• National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

• National Council for College of Education (NCE).

The functions of the agencies above include:

• Establish SIWES and accredit SIWES unit in the approved institutions.

• Formulate policies and guidelines for participating bodies and institutions as

well as appointing SIWES coordinates and supporting staff.

• Supervise students at their places of attachment and sign their log-book and

I. T forms.

• Ensure payment of allowances for students and supervisors.

• Ensure adequate funding of the scheme.

3
1.4 Aims and objectives of SIWES:

The purpose and reason behind the establishment of SIWES by the government are

numerous and they are discussed below:

1. To allow students to apply theoretical knowledge they have gathered in the

four walls of the university to practical issues where the knowledge is highly

needed.

2. To help students on how to interact with people of varying ranks and classes

when they finally get employed.

3. To help prepare students for future challenges and innovations in

establishments.

4. To allow the students develop exceptional skills and instincts in their

individual disciplines by participating actively in the operations of their areas.

5. To increase lecturer’s efficiency. Since students are able to practice what

they are taught, it enhances quick understanding. Lecturer’s effort is therefore

appreciated in this sense.

6. To help balance up in some establishments where there are shortage of

workers to carry out their operations. Students are able to render assistance most

especially in labour intensive organizations.

4
1.5 Importance of SIWES to Building

1. It exposes students to more practical work methods and techniques in civil

engineering.

2. It provides students in builders with an opportunity to apply their theoretical

knowledge to real life situations.

3. It enables students in builders to gain experience in handling equipment and

machineries.

4. It provides an environment whereby students in building can develop their

creativity and interpersonal skills through software design techniques.

1.6 Justification of choice of industry

Theoretical knowledge alone would not usually prepare and prepare an educated

person for the world of work. The worker or productive individual must not only

be knowledgeable but also be versatile in the application of skills to perform

defined jobs or work. Both education and training are important; there cannot be

effective education without some training input and there cannot be effective

training without some educational input. The productive individual, particularly in

this millennium, must be able to combine and utilize the outcomes from the two

forms of learning (Know-How Ability and Do-How Capability) for production of

goods and services which is crucial in pursuing careers in building disciplines.

5
 CHAPTER TWO

2.1 About the Place

McMatthy was incorporated as McMatthy Nigeria Limited, under the Federal

Republic of Nigeria Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 Company Limited by

Shares, to provide Civil Engineering and Integrated Services in construction as

well as Oil & Gas sector of the Nigerian economy. McMatthy areas of construction

include but not limited to Bridges and Roads, Private and Commercial buildings,

Geotechnics such as soil investigation, Pile foundations and Jetty Construction,

Steel, Concrete sheet piling and Off Shore jacket leg installation. Structural and

Mechanical fabrications also form major construction activities of the company.

The primary objective of the company is to perform highly technical Engineering

Construction, Oil and Gas production operational activities and undertake

Consultancy Services as well as Manpower Development.

2.2 Services Rendered

i. QUANTITY AND LAND SURVEY SERVICES

ii. CIVIL ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

iii. SOIL EROSION AND FLOOD CONTROL MANAGEMENT

iv. COASTAL /SHORE PROTECTION

v. LAND RECLAMATION AND SOIL STABILIZATION

6
 vi. CIVIL ENGINEERING WORK FOR OIL WELL DRILL-SITE

LOCATION AND RIG MAINTENANCE

vii. JETTY CONSTRUCTION

viii. ELECTRICAL AND INSTRUMENTATION SERVICES

ix. WATER ANALYSIS AND WATER HYACINTH CONTROL

x. MANPOWER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

7
 CHAPTER THREE

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 MATERIALS

3.1.1 Concrete

Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded

together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. When

aggregate is mixed with dry Portland cement and water, the mixture forms fluid

slurry that is easily poured and moulded into shape.

3.1.2 Cements

Cement is a dry powdery substance made by calcining lime and clay, when mixed

with water to form mortar or mixed with sand, gravel and water to make concrete.

It is a binder material. Once hardened, cement delivers sufficient strength to

structures.

3.1.3 Water

A clear colourless liquid, odourless and tasteless when pure, that occurs as rain,

snow and ice, forms rivers, lakes and seas, and is essential for life. Water is one of

the most important elements in construction and is required for the preparation of

mortar, mixing of cement concrete and for curing work e.t.c. The quality of water

used has a direct impact on the strength of the mortar and cement concrete in the

construction work.

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3.1.4 Aggregate

This consists of sand, ground crushed stone, broken blocks and similar such

materials. Aggregate may either be light or heavyweight and also all-in-

aggregates. Aggregates must be clean, structural sound, well graded and weather

resistance. There are two types of Aggregates:

• Fine Aggregate (sand) : These are any natural sand particles or any crushed

rock (stone dust).

• Coarse Aggregate: These are crush rocks used in the production of

concrete, and are of different sizes.

3.1.5 Reinforcement bar

Reinforcement is provided in concrete structures to enhance its tensile strength.

Basically reinforcement bars of different sizes were used in reinforcing the

column- base(basket), retaining wall, columns, beams and slabs e.t.c. Therefore in

all structural members, the reinforcement is provided in the region of the members

that will be subjected to tension. The diameters of reinforcement bars used were Y-

8,Y-10,Y-12,Y-16 and Y-20 respectively.

3.1.6 Binding wires

This is a flexible steel which are used to tie reinforcement together. Binding wire is

used for binding reinforcement slabs, metal mesh processing, beams walls,

9
columns and so on. In particular, it is used in concrete construction. Binding wire

provides a secure hold reinforcing bars of different diameters.

3.1.7 Nails

A slender metal shaft that is pointed at one end and flattened at the other end and is

used for fastening one or more objects to each other. Nails are most commonly

used in joining pieces of wood together, but they are also used with plastic,

drywall, masonry, and concrete.

3.1.8 Sandcrete blocks

Sandcrete blocks comprise of water, sand and cement. Sandcrete blocks are the

building units used in the construction of wall and partitions. Diverse sizes of

sandcrete blocks are used to construct free standing walls and building structure

with load and non – load bearing units. Sandcrete blocks can either be solid or

hollow rectangular types with 450mm x 225mm × 225mm (9inches) and 450mm ×

150mm x 225mm (6inches) being the most common sizes respectively.

3.1.9 Timber

Large piece of wood, usually squared, used in a building e.g. wooden form-works.

These were provided for the construction of form-works to columns, beams, slabs

and retaining wall

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3.1.10 Caution Tape

This is also known as barricade tape, construction tape or barrier tape. This is used

in construction zones to notify people about ongoing construction and that there

are possible hazards within the demarcated area. Construction tape usually

employs a yellow-black colour combination and incorporates printed text, such as

"Under Construction", "Caution", "Work Zone", and "Keep Out" (among others).

This type of tape is commonly found at the site of renovations, demolition, and

minor repairs.

3.1.11 Bitumen felt

Bituminous or Roofing Felt is a glass fibre or polyester fleece impregnated with

bituminous material e.g. tar or bitumen which is produced in roll form and is used

as a waterproof material. The bituminous felt was placed on the retaining wall

before backfilling to avoid the Penetration of water and it was applied with the use

of burner.

3.2 EQUIPMENT

The following are various tools used on site.

3.2.1 Trowel

This is a flat metal blade fixed to a short handle used for the application, jointing,

smoothing, and shaping of mortar in masonry. It is also used in trimming of

block/bricks. Trowel size range from 225-350mm measuring from the blade.

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3.2.2 Spirit level

This is a Hand-tools used for indicating true horizontal and vertical of a work, by

means of air bubbles sealed in a marked, liquid-filled glass tube mounted in a

frame; the tube is horizontal when the bubble is between two marks. Spirit levels

are of various lengths ranging from about 250mm - 1.2 mm.

3.2.3 Builder’s square

This is a hand tool of a angle 90 which measures 600mm by 450mm long. It is

used for setting - out walls at right angel triangle to check for square nature of a

section of work.

3.3 Machineries used

The machineries that were used on site were brought into consideration so as to

promote high standard requirement. Machineries are used on site to eliminate

heavy manual work. Such machineries that were used include the following;

3.3.1 Excavator

Excavator is a earthmoving machine that feature a bucket, arm, rotating cab, and

movable tracks. These components provide superior digging power and mobility,

allowing this heavy equipment to perform a variety of functions, from digging

trenches and breaking holes to lifting away waste and excavating mines.

3.3.2 Concrete mixer

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A concrete mixer (often mistakenly called a cement mixer) is a device that

homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to

form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the

components.

3.3.3 Front end loader

A loader is a heavy equipment machine used in construction to move or load

materials such as soil, rock, sand, demolition debris, e.t.c.

3.3.4 Poker vibrator

This consist of a hollow steel tube causing in which is a rotating impeller which

generates vibrations as its head comes into contact with the casting. It is immersed

in fresh concrete to provide compaction through gentle agitation.

3.4 Structural member

These are members that form the skeleton system that supports the structure.

3.4.1 Foundation

A foundation is the substructure on which the whole building rests on. Foundations

are generally considered either shallow or deep and are selected prior to the

structural property of the soil.

Pad foundation

Pad foundations are common for storey buildings which are situated on relatively

good soil. The function of the pad is to spread out the point load coming from the

13
building over an area large enough to make the applied pressure lower than the

soil’s load bearing capacity. As a result, the size of the pad or base depends on the

bearing capacity of the soil. For good soils, the pads are always relatively small

compared to those in low-bearing soils.

Plate 3.0: Showing Pad footings reinforcement works.

3.1.1 Beams

A beam is a structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by

resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a

result of the external loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads

is called a bending moment. Beams are characterized by their profile (shape of

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cross-section), their length, and their material. Also a beam is a horizontal member

of a building which receives load from the slab and the transmitting them to the

column and to the foundation. Generally, beams not exceeding 6.0m are designed

for a depth of 450mm while between 6.0m and 7.0m has a depth of 600mm i.e. the

longer the span of the beam the larger the depth of the beam.

3.1.2 Columns

The column is the structural member that receives load from the beams and

transfers it down to the foundation. The columns are usually compression

members, but are also subjected to bending along their axes. The primary function

of a column or wall is to act as a vertical support to suspended members and to

transmit loads from these members to the foundation below. Hence, its strength

lies in the capacity of the resist compressive stress.

15
Plate 3.1: Showing Columns of different sizes

3.1.3 Staircase

For a building with a suspended floor, or more, the means of moving between

floors are the stairs. A staircase is a set of steps or flight leading from one floor to

another. Stairs could be constructed by timbers, stone/concrete (reinforced).

The following are the components of typical stairs:

• The riser

• The tread

• The concrete waist

• The landing

16
The riser is the vertical side of a step, while the tread or going is its horizontal side.

The concrete waist is the inclined reinforced concrete slab on which the riser and

tread sit.

3.1.4 Slabs

Slabs are constructed to provide flat surfaces, usually horizontal in building floors,

roofs, bridges, and other types of structures. in most cases slabs are horizontal

members but they can be used as vertical members such as walls to infill panels,

side walls to drains and sewer e.t.c. The slab may be supported by walls or by

reinforced concrete beams usually cast monolithically with the slab or by structural

steel beams or by columns, or by the ground.

Plate 3.2: Showing casting of slabs

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3.1.5 Retaining wall

A retaining wall is a structure designed and constructed to resist lateral pressure of

soil when there is a desired change in ground elevation that exceed the angle of

repose of the soil. A basement wall is thus one kind of retaining wall, but the term

usually refers to a cantilever retaining wall, which is a free-standing structure

without lateral support at its top. These are cantilevered from a footing and rise

above the grade on one side to retain a higher level grade on the opposite side. The

wall must resist the lateral pressure generated by loose soils or in some cases water

pressure.

3.2 NON-STRUCTURAL MEMBER

Non-structural member refer to everything in or on a structure other than the

structural member. Unlike structural elements, if non-structural elements fail, the

structure will not collapse.

3.2.1 Expansion joint

In structure, an expansion joint is a mid-structure separation designed to relieve

stress on building materials caused by building movement. this is usually provided

in structures spanning over 10m and above, the material used in construction of

expansion joints is called a Polystyrene board, they are provided between two

structural elements to ensure proper separation between the two elements.

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3.3 METHODS AND TESTS

3.3.1 Slump test

This is the most common, easy and simple test used to measure the workability of

fresh concrete. It is carried out to check the workability or consistency of freshly

mixed concrete in a specific batch. This test was done at construction site before

the concreting process. The use of a metal mould in the shape of a conical frustum

know as a slump cone that has an opening at both ends and has attached handles,

the cone has an internal diameter of 100mm (3.9 inches) at the top and of 200mm

(7.9inches) at the bottom with a height of 300mm (12inches), a tamping rod

(600mm), non-porous base plate, and a measuring tape. The slump test was

prepared according to BS EN 12350-2 (2009) with the specification ranging from

50mm- 100mm.

Procedures of slump test are as follows:

• The inner surface of the empty mould is cleaned and oil was applied.

• The mould is set on a horizontal non-porous and non-absorbent base plate.

• The mould is filled by pouring freshly mixed concrete into three equal

layers.

• Each layer is tamp 25 times each with a tamping rod over the cross-section.

19
• After tamping 25 times the top of the layer was struck off level and the

mould is lifted slowly in the vertical direction without disturbing the concrete cone.

• A measuring tape is use to measure the different level between the height of

the mould and the concrete sample.

• The subsidence of the concrete can either be true, shear, or collapse slump

and it is measured in millimetre (mm).

Plate 3.3: Slump test being carried out

3.3.2 Cube test

Test applied to the concrete, this is the utmost important which gives an idea about

all the characteristics of concrete. By this single test one judge that whether

concreting has been done properly or not.

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Compressive strength is the ability of material or structure to carry the maximum

loads on its surface without any crack or deflection. Under compression test a

material tends to reduce the size, while in tension, size elongates. The formula for

compressive strength is:

Compressive Strength = Load / Cross-sectional Area

For cube test two types of specimens either 15cm X 15cm X 15cm or 10cm X

10cm X 10cm depending upon the size of aggregate are used. For most of the

works cubical moulds of size 15cm X 15cm X 15cm are commonly used. Three

cubes are taken from each sample of concrete. This concrete is poured on the

mould and tempered properly so as not to have any voids. After 24hours, these

moulds are removed and test specimens are put in water for curing. The top

21
Surface of this specimen should be made even and smooth. This is done by putting

cement paste and spreading smoothly on whole area of specimen. These specimens

are tested by compression testing machine after 7days curing and 28days curing

Procedures for concrete cube test are:

• The specimens were removed from the water after 7days and 28days curing,

excess water wiped out from the surface.

• After the specimen was removed from water and excess water wiped out

from the surface, it was weigh using a weighing balance machine and recorded.

• Bearing surface of the testing machine was cleaned and specimen placed in

the machine in such a manner that the load will be applied to the opposite sides of

the cube cast.

• With the specimen aligned centrally on the base plate of the machine, the

movable portion was rotated gently by hand so that it touches the top surface of the

specimen.

• Load was applied gradually without shock and continuously till the

specimen failed.

• Maximum load applied was recorded.

This same process was repeated for the other cast cubes (specimen) and their

corresponding loads recorded.

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Plate 3.4: Concrete Cube mould

3.4 Quality control of concrete

3.4.1 Batching of materials

The method of estimating or measuring of the various materials used in concrete

mix is known as batch. Before making a concrete mixture, the concrete material

must be properly and accurately batched to achieve the excellent quality of the

concrete. While on site the method used for batching was volume, volume involves

the use of head pans and buckets where used to measure fine aggregate and coarse

aggregate. The mix ratio was 1:2:4 that is the ratio of cement to fine aggregate and

coarse aggregate and water in the required proportion.

3.4.2 Concrete mix ratio

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Concrete mix ratios are the proportions of concrete components such as cement,

sand, aggregates and water. These mix ratios are decided based on type of

construction and mix designs. Mixing water with the cement, fine aggregate and

coarse aggregate will form a paste that will bind the materials together until the

mix hardens. The strength properties of the concrete are inversely proportional to

the water cement ratio. Basically that means the more water used to mix the

concrete, the weaker the concrete mix. The grade of concrete used was M25.

3.4.3 Check for concrete cover to reinforcements

Concrete cover, in reinforced concrete, is the least distance between the surface of

embedded reinforcement and the outer surface of the concrete. Concrete cover

protects the reinforcement from corrosion, insulates the steel from extreme heat

such as fire, and it ensures the reinforcement can be actively engaged without

slipping when loaded. The sizes of concrete covers vary prior to the elements in

which it is provided for, they are checked and provided in to reinforcement before

casting or placement of concrete takes place.

3.4.4 Transportation

This involves the means of conveying materials, concrete from one place to the

other on site. In the case of concrete, concrete where conveyed from the point of

mixing to the point of placement. The choice of transportation depends on the size

and complexity of the site, weather condition and the height of the placement of

24
the concrete. The mode of transportation used was the manual method with the use

of head pans and labours. A Manson’s ladder was made of timber that was

constructed to enhance vertical/inclined movements.

3.4.5 Concreting

This so generally referred to as casting. It is process of working with freshly mixed

concrete especially the placing of concrete.

3.4.6 Compacting

The compacting of freshly placed concrete is to make is a unit mass by eliminating

voids within it. The method and the type of compacting given to concrete depends

on the nature of work. Compacting of a concrete can either be done by the use of a

wooden stick or a poker vibrator. The uses of both methods were used for

compacting of concrete.

3.4.7 Curing

After the placing and compacting of the concrete it is allowed to sufficiently

harden for a day than the curing process comes in which involves the prevention of

the evaporation of moisture in the concrete. The concrete was watered for days

with the use of a hose pipe connected to a bore hole. This was done to avoid

shrinkage of the concrete and cause a more permanent and durable material

produced.

3.5 Construction activities

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3.5.1 Site Clearance

The very first step is site clearance which involves removal of grass and vegetation

along with any other objections which might be there in the site, site clearance can

either be done manually or mechanically.

3.5.2 Setting-out

The process of laying down the excavation line and centre line on the ground based

on the foundation plan is known as setting-out. Before commencing the excavation

process, once the design of the foundation is completed, a setting out plan or

foundation layout is prepared for a suitable scale and the plan is dimensioned

according.

Procedures in setting out of a foundation are:

• The initial step is to mark the corners of the building. After which the

lengths of the side are checked by diagonal measurement.

• The centre lines of the trenches are marked with the help of profile, nails,

lines and pegs.

• The trenches positioning is controlled by outline profile boards. Profiles are

set 2m away from the outline so that they do not interrupt the excavation process.

• The cross walls positioning is performed by measuring along the main walls

and squared.

3.5.3 Excavation

26
Excavation work generally means work involving the removal of soil or rock from

a site to form an open face, hole or cavity, using tools, machinery or explosives.

Excavation was carried out both manually as well as mechanically.

27
Plate 3.5: Excavating of the column base(footings) and foundation strips.

3.5.4 Blinding

These was actually done before the placement of the footing baskets, usually

2inches(50mm) of weak concrete was poured into the column-base, which was the

thickness or depth. Mostly concrete is used, this is just the mixture of cement, fine

aggregate and coarse aggregate and water in the required proportion. Blinding

prevents the base reinforcements not to come in contact with the ground surface.

There is a tendency that when the reinforcement bars come in contact with the

ground surface it easily weaken the reinforcement due to capillary action. The

concrete was well tampered using a wooden range and a plumb was also used to

check if the surface is levelled.

28
Plate 3.6: Blinding of the column-base(footing).

3.5.5 Levelling

Levelling is a process of determining the height of one level relative to another.

These have to deal with the transfer of horizontal height or horizontal line of sight.

This was done by the use of a levelling instrument which is called DUMPY

LEVEL and a LEVELLING STAFF and a TRIPOD STAND. Mostly used in

determining heights of columns, ground beams, retaining wall before casting takes

place and also cut and back filling of lateral.

3.5.6 Form-work

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This is a temporary or permanent mould erected to contain concrete during placing

and initial hardening it is used to give temporary support for in-situ concrete while

it hardens. The inside of a form-work are thoroughly clean and a release agent

(lubricant) was placed on the surface of the form-work before fixing. Before the

fixing of the form-work, concrete biscuit are tied to multiple places of the

reinforcement bars so that the reinforcement can flush uniformly to create a

concrete cover after casting. Materials used for form-work are marine board and

steel panels.

Plate 3.7: Form-work for the slab and beam

3.5.7 Block-work

This is the process of laying concrete masonry units to form either external walls

as in-fills or lock wall which are load-bearing or non- load bearing or internal walls
30
as partitions. These masonry units are commonly hollow sand-crete blocks which

are much economical per unit of wall area. The standard sand-crete block wall is

explained below;

Sequence of laying of sand-crete block wall:

• A bed of mortar is spread on the footing/floor.

• The first course of blocks for a lead is laid on the mortar. The mortar for the

head joint is applied to the end of each block with the trowel before the block is

laid.

• The lead is built higher. Mortar is normally applied only to the face shells of

the block and not to the webs.

• As each new course is started on the lead, its height is checked with either a

folding rule or a story pole marked with the height of each course.

• A line is stretched between the lead*s on line blocks.

• The course between the leads are laid rapidly by aligning each block with

the stretched line.

• The last block to be installed in each course of infill blocks, the closer must

be inserted between blocks that have already been laid then the block is lowered

carefully into position.

3.5.8 Lintel

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This is a structural element usually horizontal that spans the space or opening

between two vertical supports. It is used to support and transmit the load above the

opening to the sides. Lintels are usually placed above doors and windows

openings. On site in-situ lintels were used. A marine board is used for the form-

work and was casted on site. The lintel generally ends into the masonry wall so as

to convey the weight carried by them to the masonry walls and its width is same to

the wall width. It can also be used as decorative architecture element.

3.5.9 Backfilling: Backfilling is the process of reusing or replacing the soil that is

removed during the excavation of foundations or other groundworks to support and

strengthen a structure. It protects foundations and forms part of the substructure of

slabs, roadways, walkways and other groundwork elements.

32
Plate3.8: Backfilling of the basement using a front end loader

3.5.10 Placing of DPM (Damp proof membrane)

A DPM (damp proof membrane) is a plastic sheet membrane that sits between a

concrete slab or screed, and acts as a barrier to stop moisture and contaminants

entering a building from the ground. DPM membranes are laid either under a new

concrete slab or on top of it to prevent moisture transmission. Ordinarily you will

have a bird of hard core on the ground then either a blinded surface or a DPM

before a layer of concrete, or placed the DPM on top of the concrete slab before

final flooring.

33
3.5.11 Casting of the DPC (Damp proof course)

This is a type of moisture control applied to building walls and floors to prevent

moisture from passing into the interior spaces due capillary action.

3.5.12 Lapping of Reinforcement bars

This is the overlapping of two bars side by side to up to the design length. Usually,

the stock length of steel bars is limited to 12m. This is for easy transportation of

steel bars to the construction site. This amount of overlapping between two bars is

called “lap length”. Lapping is usually done where minimum bending stress is

encountered. In general, lap length is 50d which means 50 times the bar diameter,

if both bars are of same diameter.

3.5.13 Cranking of reinforcements

This is mostly carried out in order to ensure that column reinforcements or

reinforcement’s bars that are out of position are being brought back to position to

ensure adequate concrete cover.

3.5.14 Scaffold

A Scaffold is a temporary framework used to support people and material in the

construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a

modular system of metal pipes, although it can be made out of other materials. The

purpose of a working scaffold is to provide a safe place of work with safe access

suitable for the work being done. All scaffolds must be equipped with a toe board

34
to eliminate the possibility that tools or debris will be kicked or pushed onto people

below. A scaffold must be designed to support four times the weight of the workers

and the materials resting on it.

3.5.15 Plastering

This is the application of a building material called plaster on a wall for protection

and decoration. Plasterer is referred to as the type of aggregate when mixed with

cement and water is used to spread over coarse textured walls and ceiling surface

to provide a smooth level finish plaster basically is a mixture of cement and very

fine aggregate (soft sand).

3.5.16 Rendering

This is a term used for plastering done on the external or outer part of the building.

It mix ratio is slightly differs from plastering due to its functional requirement.

Although mix ratio 1:3 can be used, most times mix ratio 1:4 (i.e 1 part cement and

4 part sand) is used for more strength. Rendering serves as a protection from

weather condition.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

4. 1 Summary

The industrial training enlightened me on practical and field aspects of

engineering. During the training, I also came across people from different tribes

and different parts of the world thereby improving my human relations.

4.2 Conclusion

The industrial training over years has been found to be effective and efficient in

closing the gap between the scientific study and practical study. The Student

Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) has exposed me to practical works

but also has opened me up in the way to interact with senior colleagues in the field,

which has exposed me to industry based skills necessary for a smooth transition

from the classroom to real-time practice of the profession. Training has exposed

me to the following important spheres of development:

4.3 Recommendations

In view of the relevance of the SIWES program, it is important that it is sustained

by the government through the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) as it exposes the

student to work tools, facilities, and equipment that may not be available in their

respective institutions in relation to their course of study. To this end, I recommend

that the following under-listed points should be implemented:

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i. Students’ Industrial Works Experience Scheme (SIWES) needs to be

strengthened by all concerned stakeholder in order for its objectives to be fully

realized.

ii. Regular monthly allowances for students on attachment should be paid

promptly.

iii. Organizations should always accept students for SIWES and subsequently

assign them to relevant jobs.

iv. Experience staff should always be made to train the students on attachment

v. There should be more funding of the scheme by the government in order for

it to be more effective.

vi. The companies should put in place all the necessary facilities needed to

enhance the knowledge of the student in industrial attachment.

vii. It will be of great benefit if the institution can create a platform whereby

student can obtain PRE-SIWES knowledge or excursion programs, before student

embark for general 6 months industrial training programme.

4.4 Challenges encountered during my SIWES

1. The industrial training fund (ITF) delay of payment to SIWES students

reduce the level of seriousness which students put into the scheme.

2. Many students were not given remuneration or allowance. Prior to that,

some were faced with difficulty in getting placements.

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3. During my first few weeks, I had difficulties understanding a lot of the terms

and terminologies that was used at the office because a lot of them were very new

to me. This made it hard for me to follow the procedures.

4. I wasn't able to visit other on-going projects by McMatthy Nigeria Limited

hence; no experience was gained in regard to their operations.

5. Inadequate equipment to carry out some tests in the quality control section

limited my experience concerning test for re-bar.

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