Mechanics and Power of

Construction Equipment
Equipment Power
◼ Construction equipment needs power to function:
❑ Mobility (gerak)

❑ Mechanism of work (manuver)

◼ Type of power generator

❑ Self-propelled (exca dengan akinya)

❑ External sources (cth crane butuh genset)

◼ Type of power
❑ Internal combustion engine (ICE)

❑ Electrical

❑ Compressed air

❑ Hydraulics

❑ Combination

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Mobility and Movement

Construction equipment needs power to function:

• Mobility
• Mechanism of work
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Electrical power
◼ Relatively safe, and non-polluting
◼ P = V.I  P = power (watt); V = potential different (volt); I = current (ampere)
◼ P = I.R2  R = resistance (ohm)
◼ Not suitable for working in wet condition
◼ Source of power
❑ Portable battery
❑ Electric lines

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Internal Combustion Engine
Combined
air (oxygen), fuel (CH), fire)

Piston
Crankshaft

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Internal Combustion Engine
◼ Torque, T = Ft * r
❑ Ft ; tangential force
❑ r ; radius of the crankshaft

◼ Power, P = (2NT)/33,000 (HP)

❑ N ; shaft speed, rpm
❑ T ; torque, lb-ft

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Some Unit of Measurements
▫ 1 HP = 500 ft-lbs/second
▫ 1 HP = 1.014 PS = 0.7457 kilo watts
▫ 1 mph = 1.609 km/h
▫ 1 lb = 0.4534 Kg
▫ 1 mile = 5,280 ft = 1,760 yards
▫ 1 foot = 12 inches = 0.3048 meter
▫ 1 gallon = 3.785 liters
▫ 1 ton = 2,000 lbs
▫ 1N = 0.10197 Kg
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Power to Overcome Moving Resistance
o In order to move, a mobile equipment must be able to
overcome resistance
o Two type of resistances
▪ Rolling resistance
▪ Grade resistance

o Type of Power
▪ Required power (needed to overcome resistance)
▪ Available power (provided by the power of engine)
▪ Useable power (traction left to overcome resistance)

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 Moving Resistance
◼ Rolling Resistance (RR)
❑ Resistance of a level of surface to constant velocity motion of a moving object
❑ Governed by the total weight of equipment and type of supporting surface
❑ RR = Coeff. RR x Tot. Weight
◼ Grade Resistance (GR)
❑ Force-opposing movement of a machine up a frictionless slope
❑ Governed by the total weight of equipment and slope of road surface
❑ Positive grade (unfavorable) and negative grade (favorable)
❑ GR = slope x Tot. Weight
◼ Total Resistance (TR)
❑ Combination of rolling and grade resistance
❑ TR = RR + GR
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Rolling Resistance

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Movement and Resistance

MOVEMENT

ROLLING
RESISTANCE

GRADE
RESISTANCE
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 Grade Resistant

Effect of Grade on the Tractive Effort

Slope (%) lb/ton kg/ton Slope (%) lb/ton kg/ton
1 20.0 10.0 12 238.4 119.20
2 40.0 20/0 13 257.8 128.9
3 60.0 30.0 14 277.4 138.7
4 80.0 40.0 15 296.6 148.3
5 100.0 50.0 20 392.3 196.1
6 119.8 59.9 25 485.2 242.6
7 139.8 69.9 30 574.7 287.3
8 159.2 79.9 35 660.6 330.3
9 179.2 89.6 40 742.8 371.4
10 199.0 99.5 45 820.8 410.4
11 218.0 109.0 50 894.4 447.2
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Power to Overcome Moving Resistance
◼ Available Power (by engine)
❑ Rimpull = [375 x hp x eff.]/speed (mph) = (lbs)

◼ Useable Power: Traction (by contact force between surfaces)

❑ Traction = (coeff. of traction) x weight on driving wheels (lbs)

◼ Weight on Driving Wheels

❑ Track-type → use 100% of total weight

❑ 4-wheels → use 40% of total weight

❑ 2-wheels → use 50% of total weight

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 The Mechanic of Traction

engine
traction
torque gear

drive
torque differential

wheel
rotation

Tc traction force

WD
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 Traction MATERIAL
TRACTION FACTOR
Rubber Beadless Tracks
• Force created during the Tires Tires *)
motion of wheel caused by Concrete 0.90 0.45 0.45
the contact between the Clay loam, dry 0.55 0.70 0.90
wheel and road surface Clay loam, wet 0.45 0.55 0.70
• The magnitude of traction is Rutted clay loam 0.40 0.55 0.70
governed by the weight on Dry sand 0.20 0.25 030
driving wheel and the type of Wet sand 0.40 0.45 0.50
surface contact (coefficient of Quarry pit 0.65 0.70 0.55
traction) Gravel road (loose, not hard) 0.36 0.40 0.50
Packed snow 0.20 0.25 0.27
Ice 0.12 0.10 0.12
Firm earth 0.55 0.75 0.90
Loose earth 0.45 0.50 0.60
Coal, stockpiled 0.45 0.50 0.60

*) elevated sprocket track-type tractor provide 15% more

Tc efficient tractive effort

WD
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Check Traction
◼ In order to move (avoid slippage), an
equipment must be able to generate
adequate traction to overcome resistance
Traction > Total Resistance
◼ The remaining traction will be used for
develop speed (travel)

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Rimpull
◼ If the coefficient of traction is high enough to
eliminate tire slippage, the maximum rimpull
is a function of the power of the engine and
the gear ratios between the engine and the
driving wheels.
◼ If the driving wheels slip on the haul surface,
the maximum effective rimpull will be equal
to the total pressure between the tires and
the surface multiplied by the coefficient of
traction
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 Effect of Altitude
to Power of
Equipment

◼ Higher altitude
would reduce
volume of air
and O2 need for
combustion
engine

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Effect of Temperature to Power of Equipment

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Exercise
A piece of 2-wheel scraper weighting 3,000 lbs is trying to climb a
3% slope of a wet clay road at 25 mph
Payload
6 = 2,500 lbs; Power = 100 hp, efficiency 85%
◼ Available power (Rimpull) = (375 * 85% * 100) / 25 = 1,275 lbs
◼ Useable power (Traction) = 0.45 * [0.5*(3,000 + 2,500)] = 1,237.5 lbs

◼ Rolling resistance = (350lbs/ton) * (3,000+2,500)/2,000 = 962.5 lbs

◼ Grade resistance = 60 lb/ton * (3,000+2,500) /2,000 = 165.0 lbs
◼ Total resistance = = 1,127.5 lbs
◼ The scrapper will move, no tire slippage.

◼ Maximum rimpull: 1.275 lbs.

◼ Power available for towing a load: 1,237.5 – 1,127.5 = 110 lbs.

@ 2,000 ft and 50oF

Correction factor : 0.938
Available power = (375 * 85% * 0.983 * 100) / 25 = 1,253.325 lbs
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Drawbar Pull
Forces available
to help moving
other equipment
(push or pull)
At speed of 4.4 Km/hr,
the equipment will be
able to provide pull
forces of:

4,5 ton @ 3rd gear

5.5 ton @ 2nd gear

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 Rimpull –
Speed Chart
A fully loaded dump-
truck weighing 48 tons
is running against 15%
total resistant:

@ 3rd gear:
Speed: 10 km/hr
Rimpull: 7.5 tons

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Mechanism to reduce
speed in declining
slope for safety reason

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