ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY (SOUTH)

DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
AND MANAGEMENT

COTM 4202: Construction Equipment & Plant

Management
Final Exam
2009/10 A.Y 1st
Semester
Prepared by: Solomon Sertse (Ato)
Date: 25th Jan 2010
Instructions:
Attempt all questions Examination
is open book
Marks are shown in front of each question
Time allowed: 2:30hrs

1. ABC construction is working on Shashemene-Dodola

Road Upgrading Project. As part of his duties, at one
of the stretches, the contractor has to fill an extended
embankment of 15km length (average width of 9m)
with two layers of compacted thickness 20cm each
selected borrow material to be imported from the
borrow site indicated. Tests on the selected material
indicate that it is a hard to cut clay material which has
a compacted volume that can be averaged at 90% of
its loss volume and a loss density of 1.6g/cm 3.

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 Tables 1, 2 and figures 1, 2 below provide the
particulars of the machines and working conditions.
a. If the contractor can provide only one dozer for this
particular job, determine the shortest possible time
(in days) that the above work can be completed.
Assume 10% material loss at loading. Hauling can
only be completed two days after production is
finished and placing can only be completed the
earliest a day after hauling. Take 8 working hours per
day.
b. For the envisaged working conditions, compute the
optimum cost that the work incurs on the Contractor.
The operator’s and assistances (together) expenses
can be averaged at 12,000Birr/month while each
driver’s and his helper’s can be assumed to be
9000Birr/month. Other labor and machinery expenses
can be neglected.
c. Provide the mechanisms that you may adopt; be
machines related, working condition related, operator
and management related such as organization set up,60pts
controlling (monitoring) mechanisms, work
approach, incentives or any mechanism to maximize
the efficient utilization of the machineries at your
disposal.

Loader Details
Rated capacity 200HP
Type Wheel mounted
Cost of purchase 1,872,500.00
Salvage value 10% of initial cost
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Economic life 6 years
Cost of sets of tyres 40, 000.00
Tyre service time 2,000 hrs
Interest rate 12%
Inflation and currency 8%
devaluation rate
Modified discount
[ {(1+ interest rate %)÷(1 + inflation
rate rate%)} – 1] x 100%
Cost of Insurance and3% of Average Annual Value
Tax (AAV)
Repair cost 80% depreciation cost
Service cost 30% fuel cost
Fuel factor 0.14
Fuel price 10.98 Birr/l
Overhead cost 15% of Owning and Operating cost
Profit 10% of Owning, Operating and
overhead costs
Use Sum of Year’s Digits method to calculate depreciation
Table 1 Loader details

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Work Borrow Borrow Borrow Borrow Borrow
type Production loading Hauling placing compaction
Machi Dozer D8R Loader Hitachi Grader Roller:
ne EH600 D. Cat815F
used Truck
Machi Blade Univ Heape Speed. 75% Mold 4.26 Whee 1.5m
ne/ type ersal d 2.5 Ave. of board 7m l
attach bucke m3 Max. lengt width
ments t Speed h
charact Mountin Whee capaci Unloa 30,00
eristics g type l ty ded 0Kg
weight
Operat Doze 50m Estim Route See. Speed 4km/ Speed 6km/
ion dist ated Fig hr hr
charact Doze Slot cycle 1.2 Spot .45 Mold 200
eristics type time min time min board No.
for (positi angle of 5
Doze 10% envisa oning) Overl .6m passe
grade ge ap s
loadin width
Operator Aver g Mane 1min Num 3/

4
 capacity age setup uver ber of layer
Supply 30% time return
Problem loss s
in requir
produ ed
ction
Job 50mi Effici 50m Efficie 45mi Effici 50mi Effici 50min
efficienc n/hr ency in/ ncy n/hr ency n/hr ency /hr
y hr
Rental 1200 Rental To Rental 150Bi Rent. 900 Rent. 400Bi
rate Birr/ Rate be Rate rr/hr Rate Birr/ Rate rr/hr
hr calc hr
ulat
ed
Table 2 Particulars of the machines in use and the operating conditions

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 Figure 1 Dozer productivity & job condition correction factors
Length = 4km
Slope = 5% Averaged dumping site
Length = 5km
Slope = 7.5%
Compacted earth
Take RR factor 25Kg/t

Burrow Site

Figure 2 Hauling route and its characteristics

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2.
a. If the Contractor in question #1 above bought his
Hitachi dump trucks three years ago at Birr
800,000.00 and found out that maintenance costs
for the machines can be taken to be 20% of the
purchase cost for the first year with 5% increase
per year from then on, purely on economic
terms, should the Contractor use his existing
fleet of trucks or should he replace it with a
newer trucks which cost 1.2million in purchasing
but whose maintenance cost can be assumed to
be 10% of initial cost for first year with a 2%
increase per annum. Assume other variables to
be constant. Use a double declining balance
method to calculate depreciation and assume
economic life of the machines to be 6 years.
b. Given the current Ethiopian market/condition in
general and the characteristics of the work 20pts
at
hand in particular, what do you advise your
contractor in terms of buy/rent decisions of the
machineries he uses for his work?
3.
a. Provide the relative advantages of telescoping
boom, lattice boom and tower (both bottom and
top slewing) cranes. Also present the major
operations the respective cranes are better suited
for.

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b. Present the major factors that dictate asphalt
mixing plant selection, site (location of the
20pts
plant), and productivity. Thoroughly and
sequentially present the processes and associated
plant parts of asphalt mixing in asphalt mixing
plant.