Construction Equipment - Examples & Applications
The following progressive examples demonstrate how to calculate equipment production rates, fleet balancing requirements, and the owning and operating costs associated with heavy construction machinery. The equations are written in plain MDX-safe text so the page can prerender without Acorn parsing issues from brace-heavy LaTeX or currency symbols inside JSX component children.
Example 1: Basic Excavator Production Rate
An excavator has a bucket capacity of 1.50 m^3. The average cycle time is 30.0 seconds. The job efficiency is 50.0 effective minutes per hour. Calculate the production rate in m^3/hr.
Step-by-Step Solution
0 of 3 Steps CompletedExample 2: Bulldozer Production Rate
A bulldozer pushes material an average distance of 50.0 m. It pushes at 3.00 km/hr and returns at 5.00 km/hr. Loading takes 0.200 minutes, dumping takes 0.100 minutes, blade capacity is 3.00 m^3, and job efficiency is 45.0 min/hr. Calculate the estimated production rate.
Step-by-Step Solution
0 of 4 Steps CompletedExample 3: Compactor Production Rate
A vibratory roller with a drum width of 2.10 m operates at 4.00 km/hr. The compacted lift thickness is 0.200 m, four passes are required, and job efficiency is 50.0 min/hr. Calculate the production rate in m^3/hr.
Step-by-Step Solution
0 of 4 Steps CompletedExample 4: Scraper Production Rate
A motor scraper has a bowl capacity of 18.0 m^3. It hauls material over 800 m at 20.0 km/hr and returns empty at 30.0 km/hr. Fixed cycle time is 1.50 minutes, and job efficiency is 50.0 min/hr. Calculate the production rate.
Step-by-Step Solution
0 of 4 Steps CompletedExample 5: Fleet Balancing for Dump Trucks
An excavator produces material at 150 m^3/hr. Dump trucks have a capacity of 15.0 m^3 each. The round-trip time for a truck, including spotting and dumping but excluding loading, is 24.0 minutes. How many trucks are required to keep the excavator busy without causing a queue?
Step-by-Step Solution
0 of 4 Steps CompletedExample 6: Straight-Line Depreciation
A contractor purchases a wheel loader for USD 150,000. It has an expected useful life of 5 years or 10,000 operating hours. At the end of 5 years, the estimated salvage value is USD 30,000. Calculate the annual depreciation and hourly depreciation charge using the straight-line method.
Step-by-Step Solution
0 of 4 Steps CompletedExample 7: Sum-of-the-Years-Digits Depreciation
A motor grader costs USD 200,000 and has an estimated salvage value of USD 50,000 after a useful life of 5 years. Using the sum-of-the-years-digits method, calculate the depreciation charge for the first and second years.
Step-by-Step Solution
0 of 4 Steps CompletedExample 8: Hourly Operating Cost - Fuel and Lubrication
A diesel-powered backhoe has a 150 hp engine. The equipment operates under a typical load factor of 0.600. The engine consumes 0.0400 gallons of fuel per hp-hour. Diesel fuel costs USD 3.50 per gallon, and lubrication and filter costs are estimated at 10.0 percent of the fuel cost. The operator wage is USD 45.00 per hour. Calculate the total hourly operating cost.