http://www.slideshare.

net/hamo92/5-construction-equipment-building-construction

Excavation is the process of moving earth, rock or other materials with tools, equipment or
explosives. It includes earthwork, trenching, wall shafts, tunneling and
underground. Excavation has a number of important applications including exploration,
environmental restoration, mining and construction.

The Many Uses of Excavators

By Gottlieb Wendehals  |   Submitted On July 29, 2008

  
1 1

An excavator is a type of engineering and construction vehicle made for

many types of roles. They require special training to operate correctly,
and the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools was
established to help train people for use in heavy machinery like
excavators or bulldozers. The multi-purpose role of excavators allows
them to be used in many locations. They have a unique look with a long
arm, a cab mounted on a pivot point, with an undercarriage that has
wheels, or more commonly, tracks. They can be customized very well
with the capability of changing the thumbs or buckets. We will discuss
the different roles of excavators, the training required for the use of one,
and explain the uses of the customization.

Many excavators are made to be multi-purpose construction and

engineering vehicles. They are used most commonly in the digging of
trenches and holes or demolition of old buildings. An excavator is also
used frequently in heavy lifting and placement of pipes and in mining,
primarily open-pit mining. The machines can have the bucket
customized to fit the job needed, because there are many types of
buckets available for construction use.

The customization of an excavator involves changing the bucket or

adding hydraulic attachments. The bucket can be swapped out for larger
or smaller buckets, depending on the type of hole needing to be made.
Examples of hydraulic attachments include breakers, grapples, or
augers. Large thumbs can be added to a bucket or grappler to allow
excavators to grip large objects in order to move them around. This
allows the excavator to be used in the placement of objects such as
large pipes.

In order to properly use an excavator, a person must be trained. The

National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools has
established the use of specialized excavator schools and programs to
train people. These schools instruct students in the controls, the safety,
and the proper use of these massive construction machines.

An excavator has a design that is very distinguished and can be

recognized almost anywhere. The long arm is the most prominent part of
the machine. The cabin is attached to a base that usually has tracks, but
can have wheels. Most excavators seen have tracks instead of wheels,
so when somebody thinks of one, they see tracks. Because they are so
recognizable, many toy-makers have created models of excavators to go
along with bulldozers and tractors for little children.

From the distinguished look to the wide variety of uses, excavators are
very useful construction machines. They have uses in many different
areas, from digging holes and mining to demolition and heavy lifting.
These machines can be customized to fit the job needed. A person must
be trained in the controls and safety before being able to drive an
excavator. These large vehicles are very useful in the construction world.

Gottlieb Wendehals owns and operates [http://www.backhoe-

equipment.com]

Backhoe [http://www.backhoe-equipment.com]
 Excavator
written by: Finn Orfano • edited by: Swagatam • updated: 11/26/2009

An excavator is extremely useful for the construction industry, and can perform gigantic tasks that may not be possible by the
human effort. Thus, the excavator has increased the speed of work to a great extent. Efforts are being made to reduce the
excavator weight, and make it a quiet function.

 Description Of An Excavator
An excavator is a useful machine that is utilized in the construction industry, and other useful applications. It consists of an
undercarriage that has wheels or tracks for the provision of mobility. Active research is being conducted to improve the excavator
characteristics, namely more ground clearance, less noise, and improvement in ride. The older excavators had an extended
counterweight that was suspended at the machine rear. It provided additional lifting capability and the force for digging. The
modern excavators have been designed such that the counterweight remains inside the track width during swinging. Thus the
movement is safe and the maneuverability of the excavator increases during operation in restricted areas. The common
excavators are fitted with diesel engines that generate hydraulic pressure for the numerous excavator operations. The modern
excavators are being fitted with electric motors that obtain power by fuel cells. The fuel cells are efficient and environmentally
friendly. Furthermore, the fuel cells are much lighter and smaller than a diesel engine. The operator cabin is being made more
spacious and comfortable.

 Applications
The excavator has increased the work speed tremendously. It is used extensively in numerous fields, including the following:

 
 Wood removal in forests
 Normal grading work and landscaping
 Cutting of brushes with attachments
 Demolition of structures, and removal of debris
 Mining industry
 Dredging of rivers
 Installation of piles in foundations
 Digging of foundations, holes and trenches
 Handling of heavy materials
 Laying of heavy pipes

 Excavator Components
The fundamental mechanism of an excavator consists of the undercarriage that includes the tracks, track frame, blade and the

final   drive. The final drive has a hydraulic motor and gears that provide drive to the tracks. The
operators cabin, engine, counterweights, hydraulic and fuel tanks are attached to the undercarriage, enabling the excavator to
swing 360° without any hindrance. The main function of the excavator engine is to drive the hydraulic pumps that provide oil at a
high pressure to the slew motor, rams, track motors, and several accessories. Mostly, the boom can move only up and down, or in
addition also shift towards the left and right of the machine. An arm is attached to the boom end that imparts the force for digging
into the ground. A bucket is fixed at the arm end for carrying the soil. In addition, there are numerous other categories of
attachments with the excavator that are used for boring, crushing, lifting, and ripping.