UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

SIWES TECHNICAL REPORT

ADENIYI OLUWATOSIN ESTHER

14/30GB031
UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

TECHNICAL REPORT ON
INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT
FOR STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL
WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME
(SIWES)
AT

ELBUNS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

LTD.

ADENIYI OLUWATOSIN ESTHER

14/30GB031
CIVIL ENGINEERING
To all Female Engineers all over the world
YOU CAN DO IT!
CONTENT
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………

 CHAPTER 1 …………………………………………………………………………………
1.1 INTRODUCTION

 CHAPTER 2………………………………………………………………………………….
2.1 ELBUNS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION LTD (EECL)
2.2 EECL OBJECTIVES
2.3 EECL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
2.4 DEPARTMENTS/UNITS IN EECL

 CHAPTER 3………………………………………………………………………………….
3.1 SCOPE OF WORK
3.1.1 PILE FOUNDATION
3.1.2 CUBE TEST

 CHAPTER 4
4.1 PILE INTEGRITY TEST
4.2 PILE LOAD TEST
4.3 CONE PENETRATION TEST
4.4 STANDARD PENETRATION TEST
4.5 SETTING OUT AND LEVELLING

 CHAPTER 5………………………………………………………………………………….
5.1 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
5.2 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED DURING PROGRAMME
5.3 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE SCHEME
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My sincere thanks to the Father of all fathers, the Sustenance of my being and
reason I am all that I am. To the King of the angel armies, I am exceedingly
grateful to be able to participate in this SIWES program.

To my Number One fan who always got my back, Mummy, thanks for all you
do. You are just the BEST. Here is to more wins and milestones together. The
sky is just the starting point!

To my ever supportive Uncle, Elder J.T Ajisafe, thanks for always being there
for me. I’m blessed to have you sir.

To Jesuloluwa, Oluwamayowa and Olaoluwa, you are the best siblings anyone
could have and I mean every bit of it. Oluwatosin loves you!

To Joseph, thank you for being part of my world. You are forever cherished.

To Engr. Mustafa, Engr. Daisi and Engr. Moses, thank you sirs for taking me as
your daughter and making sure I get the best of all you have to offer. I promise
to make you proud.

To the best Supervisor, Engr. Tosin, thanks for your support and
understanding. You made my stay in Elbuns AWESOME.

To Engr. Paul, Engr. Lazarus, Engr. David and Mr Emmanuel, thanks for all the
tutorials and instructions. You are all WONDERFUL.

To Oluoma, Michael, Collins, Foluke, Frank, Moyinoluwa and Ajibola, thanks

for all the time we had together. We will all meet at the top.

To all of Foursquare Family, thanks for praying and looking out for me and
helping in every way you can.

To all FSF Family, I’m glad to be part of this great Family. Thanks for always
checking up on me. Together we can.

To all Civil Engineering Sets of 2019, thanks for information right on time and
cooperating as a group. I see potential in this set and can’t wait to see
professional Engineers amidst us.
CHAPTER 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a program that
fosters and enables students from various Universities and Colleges to learn
outside the classroom, especially the practical aspect of whatever discipline
they want to venture into. Its objective is to let students be exposed and
involved in the practical realities of their discipline.

My industrial attachment was at Elbuns Engineering Construction Limited

which started from April 9, 2018 to October 5, 2018(a period of 6 months).
Most of my experience during this period was centred on the design and
construction of pile foundation and the various tests concerned.

My first place of assignment was at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Ketu, where
the construction of a storey building Father’s house is to be constructed using
pile foundation. The decision of construction of pile foundation was due to the
poor quality of the soil at the proposed site. The pile foundation consisted of
3o single piles in total.

My second place of assignment was at St. Jude Anglican Church in Mende,

Maryland. This site also involves construction of a storey building Vicarage
using pile foundation. The piling was a combination of group and single piles
amounting to a total of 42 piles. The condition of the soil at this site was fair
but still needed a deep foundation due to the swampy area.

Other activities I was able to experience are setting out, taking of level, laying
and alignment of blocks for irrigation system, structural analysis and design of
beams, slabs and columns, the general arrangement of an architectural plan,
detailing of slabs, calculation for determination of number of blocks in a
building etc. Also, I was able to learn administrative and managerial skills on
the coordination of different personnel to achieve a common goal.

All these experiences put together, I can affirm, are paramount steps put in
place in enhancing and preparing students for the various professional skills
and techniques needed in their various disciplines.
CHAPTER 2
2.1 ELBUNS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION LTD
ELBUNS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION LIMITED is a fast growing indigenous
engineering company with experience and expertise in the areas of Civil,
Structural, Electrical and Power, Geotechnical, Marine Engineering, Harbour
and Dredging services Project Management and General Construction
activities. The firm is well experienced and adequately equipped with the right
machinery in all her areas of operation.

ELBUNS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION LIMITED as a commercial enterprise

intends to place its resources in terms of technological know-how, equipment
and skilled manpower at the benefits of clients. The commercial venture has
been very successful as could be attested to by jobs recently executed for
various private/public clients.

ELBUNS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION LIMITED specializes in different types

of engineering works such as Production of Precast Piles, Deep Foundation
Works, Driven Precast cast in place of concrete piles, Steel Tubes and H-Piles,
Boring Vibro Compaction, Stone Column Installations, Shore Protection, Jetty
and Harbour Works, Dredging Works, Building Works, telecommunication,
Substation, project management and Bore Hole Drilling Activities.

ELBUNS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION LIMITED has under its employment,

highly skilled and dedicated staff that has acquired over 25 years of relevant
working experience in the construction industry. The company is led by Mr
Akinyode B. Elijah {CEO} who is a manager of note with vast experience in the
construction industry.
2.2 EECL OBJECTIVES
 To maintain a significant position in the Nigerian construction industry
through quality, timely and innovative services to the satisfaction of
diverse clients.

2.3 EECL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

MD CEO

DESIGN ACCOUNT
OPERATIONS CONSULTANTS
S
SITE CIVIL aSTRUCTURAL
MAINTENAN
ENGINEER /STRUCTURES b)GEOTECHNI
CE
SAFETY SURVEYORS CAL
YARD
MANAGER c)CIVIL
FOREMEN QS
QUALITY d)QS
GEOLOGISTS
CONTROL a)MECHANIC
MARNE e)ELECTRICAL
MANAGER AL
ELECTRICAL
a)QA/QC b)ELECTRICAL DESIGN

LAB
b)SAFETY
ANALYSIS
PERSONN
EL a)DESIGNS
DRIVEER

SITE b)DRAUGHT MEN

SSUP.
PRECAST a)DRIILLERS
SECTION
SURVEY b)MANUAL
LABOUR
2.4 DEPARTMENTS/UNITS IN EECL
1. Building/Civil /Foundation Engineering and Harbour works
Department

 Civil Engineering/Harbour works unit assist clients with their

general civil engineering works. Specific services include.

 Civil Engineering Construction, Roads, Water works, Dams,

building etc.

 Construction of jetties and landings

 Production and driving of precast piles of any length ranging from

3 meters to 48 meters and size from 275mm to 650mm.

 Bored pile of any depth and size usually from 350mm to 1200mm

 Driving of steel cased piles and sheet piles for both off shore and
on shore projects.

 Construction of pile cap and reinforced concrete structure

(beams, column, floor etc.)

 Vibro floatation, soil compaction etc.

 Bridge foundation works.

 Stone columns installation for storage tanks.

 Shore protection and Harbour works.

 Subsoil investigation.

 GS/Water bore hole and water treatment plant.

 2. Project Management /Consultancy Department

ELBUNS offers project management services of diverse scale to both corporate

and public agencies, this includes:

3. Telecommunications, Electrical and Power, General Services and

General Cleaning Department

This unit offers telecommunication and general construction engineering

services including:

 BTS Transceiver station for MTNN, CELTEL, GLO, STARCOM (turnkey/civil

work)
 Buildings
 Roads
 Industrial wiring, trucking and conduit wiring
 Drainage Work
 Underground structures
 Water works etc.
CHAPTER 3
3.1 SCOPE OF WORK ON SITE
3.1.1 PILE FOUNDATION
A pile is a column usually of reinforced concrete driven or cast in situ below the
same soil surface to transmit the load from the superstructure to a firmer soil
stratum below. The load carrying capacity can be in the form of frictional
resistance or end bearing or both.

 END BEARING PILES: are piles that mainly transmit loads by the bearing
of the toe of the pile on substratum and is useful when the subsoil
where the pile will terminate is a hard stratum e.g rock.

 FRICTION PILES: are piles that mainly transmit loads by the frictional
resistance of the pile and the surrounding soil strata. Thus, they behave
like a suspended column held in position by the adhesion properties of
the soil.
 FRICTION AND END BEARING PILE: are piles that permit a larger load
carrying capacity.

Diagram 1: Rotary drilling machine at work

USES OF PILE FOUNDATION
 Pile foundation is used for superstructure that is to be built over water
such as bridges and jetties.
 It is used for resisting lateral loads and for underpinning work to arrest a
failing foundation.
 It is used for superstructure that has to be built on soil strata liable to
swelling and shrinking depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
 It is used when the lateral forces on the superstructure predominate and
tend to lift the superstructure e.g tall structures (due to wind action) and
jetties (due to berthing vessels).
 It is used when settlement due to the underlying strata is unpredictable
but there is a reliable or firmer stratum underneath which can be
reached easily and economically.
 It is used when the building load cannot be spread sufficiently over the
available land area without exceeding the ground bearing capacity of the
soil. This situation includes where there the bearing capacity will not be
exceeded but the resulting settlement becomes unacceptable.

Piles can also be classified as;

 DRIVEN PILE: are precast piles that are driven to the required depth.

 BORED PILES: are constructed through the use of boring implement

to the desired depth and the hole filled with reinforced concrete.
During boring, bentonite(a mud slurry) can be used to prevent of the
hole. The bentonite is withdrawn as concreting progresses. The end
of the bored pile can also be enlarged to increase its load carrying
capacity. Another example of bored piles is large diameter bored
piles usually used when heavy structural loads are anticipated such as
in tall structures, bridges and the water front structures (jetties,
wharves).
Diagram 2: Flushing and casting of concrete into drilled point

PILE CAP
Piles are always designed as groups, starting from 2 or 3 and more
piles in the group; except for large diameter bored piles where a
single pile can be used to support the proposed load. These piles are
joined together by concrete structures referred to as PILE CAPS. Pile
caps are designed for moment, shear and checked for punching
shear. In addition, lateral bars should be provided to resist bursting
action.

Diagram 3: Reinforcement cage and form work of pile cap

PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED DURING PILING ACTIVITIES
 During drilling of pile points, some obstructions were encountered due
to underground beams and slab that went in to the ground before. This
prevented the drilling bit from penetrating through the pile points.
 Most of the problems encountered involve the technical maintenance of
equipment on the site. The equipment are rarely taken care of until a
fault is detected which often leads to delay of scheduled work.
 Influence of too many professional personnel (engineers, architects,
surveyors, quantity surveyors, geologists) with differing techniques
creates mayhem of confusion for project managers and site engineers
on site.

RESOLVE OF PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED DURING PILING

ACTIVITIES
 To allow for penetration of the drilling bit, the underground beams and
slab was excavated.
 Safety Officers and Technical Personnel were employed to take charge
of maintenance of equipment and safekeeping of personal protective
equipment.
 Professional personnel brought in their ideas with a unifying agreement
to solve technical problems and make sure a quality job is done.
3.1.2 CUBE TEST
Cube Test of concrete is one of the most important tests done on concrete. It is
also known as a test to determine the compressive strength of concrete. This
single test is enough to do a quality check on the type of concreting that is
being done on site.

The factors that determine the compressive strength of concrete are water-
cement ratio, cement strength, quality of concrete material and the quality
control that is been done during production of concrete.

The steps involved in conducting the cube test for concrete are;

 A cube of 15cm×15cm×15cm is cast in a cubicle mould with aggregate. It

is made compact and densely filled so as to avoid any voids.
 After 24 hours, these cubes are removed from the mould and cured
under water. The edges must be smooth before they are inserted in
water for curing.
 Compression testing machine test the samples by gradually applying
load till the specimen fails. At the failing point, the compressive strength
of the concrete and is determined.
CHAPTER 4
4.1 PILE INTEGRITY TEST (PIT)
Pile Integrity Test is a low-strain and non-destruct integrity test method which
only involves the impact from a small hand-held hammer. This low-strain test
can be applied to any concrete piles (e.g. Pre-stress concrete pile, drilled
shafts, auger cast piles, concrete filled pipe piles).Acceleration and stress wave
which is generated by the impact of the small hand held hammer is the input
of this test method.

Based on stress wave propagation and reflection theory; a stress wave

(compression/tension) in a uniform rod is reflected if the wave encounters an
impedance change. Structurally sound shafts made with concrete should have
reflection wave from shaft toe with only minor variations of the record
amplitudes between impact and toe reflection .Sound shafts may also be
indicated by negative velocity reflections which are often caused by bulges
(softer soils), auger-wobble or excess grout pressure allowed for an
enlargement of the bored hole.

PIT testing method is limited to shaft integrity assessment of major shaft

defects or material quality changes .The location is of the defect is only as
accurate as our knowledge of applicable wave speeds .PIT result should not be
the only means for checking the quality of foundations . Field installation
observations including grout or concrete volume and analysis of standard
geotechnical borings, should be included in the foundation evaluation process
Diagram 4: a) Pile Integrity Test in progress, b) Pile Integrity Tester

4.2 PILE LOAD TEST (PLT)

Pile Load Test is used to determine settlement under working load and
ultimate bearing capacity of piles. In general, there are 2 types of pile load test;

 Initial test
 Routine test

The initial test is performed before the start of the construction to access the
design adequacy. The routine test is performed on a working pile. This test is
also known as work test. In initial test, the test load is 5/2 times the working
load. In work test, the load is 3/2 times the design load.
 Diagram 5: a) Pile Load Test setup, b & c) Hydraulic Pressure Pump
mounting pressure on the jack, d) Gauge and spirit level

4.3 CONE PENETROMETER TEST (CPT)

The Dutch Cone Penetrometer test consists of forcing hardened steel
continuously into the ground and measuring its resistance to penetration .The
Penetrometer machine consist of a steel frame carrying a driving head which
houses a hydraulic pressure capsule. The driving head can be raised or lowered
by a manually operated winch or a motor drive hydraulic raw. The cone
assembly is pushed in the ground by means of steel rods connected to the
driving head .These are protected from friction with the soil by hollow outer
rods.

The cone, driving rods and outer rods are pushed together into the ground for
the a Scheme distance of 250mm.The driving pressure is then applied to the
inner rods only and the cone is advanced independently of the outer rods for a
distance of about 40mm at a rate of approximately 100 mm/sec. The pressure
required to advance the cone is transmitted in through the capsule in the
driving head to a gauge and the penetration resistance registered on and the
gauge is recorded .The outlet tube is then advanced the whole assembly is
driven further to 250mm where the operation is repeated .This process is
continued to the required depth or until one of the following occurs;

 The total resistance to penetration of the rods and cones reaches the
capacity of the machine.
 The anchor starts to lift out of the ground
 The rods start to bend due to insufficient lateral support to in softer
deposits.

4.4 STANDARD PENETRATION TEST (SPT)

This test is carried out in accordance with B.S. 1377: 1975, Test 19. A split
barrel thick-walled sample (split spoon ) of about 35mm internal diameter is
driven 450mm into the soil by repeated blows from a trip hammer weighing
balance 65kg and falling through 760mm.The Standard Penetration Test
Resistance, or ‘N’ value gives an empirical measure of soil consistency and is
also used to estimate the bearing capacity and compressibility of granular soils.
The cutting shoe is often replaced with a solid cone for use in gravel .The test
can also be used to provide a guide to the relative strength of weathered rock.

Depending on the load type, soil investigation can be limited to penetrometer

tests for relatively good soil and light loads. For heavier loads, a combination of
both penetrometer tests and borehole tests are required. The soils recovered
are taken to the laboratory and the following tests are carried out;

 Soil classification tests

 Atterberg (liquid and plastic) limit
 Hydrometer analysis
 Natural moisture content
 Particle size distribution
 Triaxial tests
 Soil deformation test i.e settlement characteristics through oedometer
tests.

Diagram 6: a) Percussion rig boring hole, b) Taking and labelling of sample

4.5 SETTING OUT AND LEVELLING
Setting out is a fundamental activity that needs to be carried out before any
construction can be carried out. A building can be set out by taking referencing
from an already established baseline. An irregular building or a building having
a complex geometry can also be located using the same method. For each
corner of the building, a grid line can be established from the baseline.

Diagram 7: Taking of level

CHAPTER 5
5.1 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
 Piling
 Soil Investigation Tests(Cone Penetration Tests and Standard
Penetration Tests)
 Cube Test
 Test
 Pile Load Test
 Setting out
 Taking of level
 Design of beams, slabs and columns
 General arrangement of architectural plan
 Detailing of slabs
 AutoCad design
 Quantity Survey

5.2 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED DURING THE

PROGRAMME
 Inadequate orientation of the pros and cons of the company/industry to
students undergoing the SIWES programme.
 Inability of SIWES supervisors locating students’ company/industry.
 Difficulty on the part of students in getting Industrial Training
placement.
5.3 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE
SCHEME
 Adequate orientation should be made available for students to allow for
proper adherence of rules and regulations.
 Students should ensure proper description of their various company’s
address to ensure easy visitation for supervisors.
 Industrial Training placement should be made available for students who
are yet to get a placement.