Pipe & Excavation Contracting

Question 1

Slope as a percent is calculated how?

Answer 1

Slope = Rise / Run

Question 2

What is a 45° angle in slope percentage?

Answer 2

100% slope

Question 3

How is vertical rise expressed as slope?

Answer 3

Rise or fall, compared to a horizontal distance of 100 units.

Question 4

What is heaped capacity in excavation?

Answer 4

the buckets maximum capacity when the material is heaped above the edges of the bucket.

Question 5

What is struck capacity in excavation?

Answer 5

the contents of the bucket when its filled to the level of the rim, with no material heaped over the rim.

Question 6

How do you calculate Load Factor?

Answer 6

Load Factor = Bank Volume (Bank Volume + Swell %)

Question 7

What is the example load factor for 14 CY of clay with 25% swell?

Answer 7

Load Factor = 14CY / 17.5CY = 0.80

Question 8

How do you calculate compacted volume with shrinkage?

Answer 8

Bank volume - shrinkage % = compacted CY volume

Question 9

What is the compacted volume of 750 CY with 20% shrinkage?

Answer 9

750CY -150CY (20%) = 600 compacted CY

Question 10

When is a sheepsfoot roller a good choice?

Answer 10

When you have a wide trench and no crosslines.

Question 11

When is a hoe-mounted vibratory compactor ideal?

Answer 11

For narrow trenches and compacting around crosslines.

Question 12

What is standard practice for horizontal distance on plans?

Answer 12

Show horizontal distance in multiples of 100 feet as station numbers.

Question 13

What is a hub in surveying?

Answer 13

A small stake driven into the ground to identify some reference point.

Question 14

What does the reference stake’s distance indicate?

Answer 14

The distance shown is a horizontal measurement from the hub to centerline of the cut or fill, also called the ‘Offset’.

Question 15

What is the water table?

Answer 15

The level of the underground water.

Question 16

What problems does groundwater cause?

Answer 16

Unstable soil that’s dangerous to work in and impossible to use as backfill.

Question 17

What system works well in sandy soils with groundwater?

Answer 17

Wellpoint systems

Question 18

What is a ‘set’ in backhoe production?

Answer 18

The length of trench that a hoe can excavate from one position.

Question 19

How do you calculate time to excavate a set?

Answer 19

Volume of dirt in set / Dirt removed per cycle = Digging cycles per set

Question 20

What is the swell allowance for heaped capacity?

Answer 20

About 130 percent of the struck capacity

Question 21

A backhoe bucket has a struck capacity of 5 to 6 loose cubic feet. If the heaped capacity is 30% greater than the struck capacity, what would be the heaped capacity?

Answer 21

5CF x 1.30 = 6.5CF
6CF x 1.30 =7.8CF
So the heaped capacity is about 6.5CF to 8CF

Question 22

What are two common soil compaction methods?

Answer 22

Water settling or puddling and a combination of weight and vibration.

Question 23

What is the easiest soil compaction method?

Answer 23

Puddling.

Question 24

Why are manholes used in sewer systems?

Answer 24

To change the direction of lines and at intersections of lines coming from different directions.

Question 25

Where are push scrapers used?

Answer 25

On extremely large earth moving projects.

Question 26

What helps a self-loading scraper be more productive?

Answer 26

Being assisted by a dozer pushing on the push blocks.

Question 27

What are road graders used for?

Answer 27

Trimming the cut and fill area and processing material.

Question 28

What is the hardest part of a grader's work?

Answer 28

Finish blading

Question 29

What are light utility dozers used for?

Answer 29

-Residential and commercial foundations -fine grading -trench backfill -landscaping -light logging -and swamp dozing

Question 30

What are mid-sized production dozers used for?

Answer 30

-Trench backfill -logging -road building -land leveling -light duty ripping -tree and stump removal -and short distance production dozing

Question 31

What are heavyweight dozers used for?

Answer 31

Production dozing, push scraper work, and road building.

Question 32

What happens if you don't lift, tilt, and angle the blade?

Answer 32

You'll lose most of the load before you get where you're going

Question 33

Why are crawler tracks efficient?

Answer 33

They convert engine power and machine weight into pushing power more efficiently on dirt surfaces.

Question 34

What are the two blade positions in dozing?

Answer 34

Bulldozing (90 degrees to travel) and angle dozing.

Question 35

What are windows in dozing?

Answer 35

Rows of spoil lost off the blade as you work an area.

Question 36

What is a positive grade?

Answer 36

An uphill slope.

Question 37

What is a negative grade?

Answer 37

A downhill slope.

Question 38

What happens when dozing down a negative 40% grade?

Answer 38

Blade capacity and production double; production time is cut in half.

Question 39

What happens when dozing up a positive 40% grade?

Answer 39

Blade capacity and production are cut in half; production time doubles.

Question 40

What does blade angling do?

Answer 40

Increases the versatility of the machine.

Question 41

What can an angled (A) blade do?

Answer 41

Side cast material in a windrow and position it at 90 degrees to the line of travel.

Question 42

What does an S blade do?

Answer 42

Allows material to spill to each side and is not as efficient as an A blade.

Question 43

How can you reduce load loss over distance in dozing?

Answer 43

By slot dozing.