በኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፑብሊክ The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

አዲስ አበባ ሣይንስ እና ቴክኖሎጂ ዩኒቨርሲቲ Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

Individual assignment for Heavy Construction Equipment and Plant management

(CENG6106)

Total Marks: 50%s

Submission date: January 27,2024

1. A machine cost $245,000 to purchase. Fuel, oil, grease, and minor maintenance are
estimated to cost $47.64 per operating hour. A set of tires cost $13,700 to replace, and their
estimated life is 3,100 use hours. A $15,000 major repair will probably be required after
6,200 hr of use. The machine is expected to last for 9,300 hr, after which it will be sold at
a price (salvage value) equal to 17% of the original purchase price. A final set of new tires
will not be purchased before the sale. How much should the owner of the machine charge
per hour of use, if it is expected that the machine will operate 3,100 hr per year? The
company's cost of capital rate is 8%.
2. A construction company engaged in constructing sewage treatment plant is considering the
economics of furnishing an in-house water-testing lab instead of sending samples to
independent labs for analysis. If the lab is furnished so that all the tests can be conducted
in-house, the initial cost will be 1,250,000 Birr. A technician will be required at a cost of
650,000 Birr/year. The cost of power, chemicals, etc., will be 250 Birr per sample. If it is
partially furnished, then initial cost will be 500,000 Birr and a part-time technician at
250,000 Birr per year. The cost of in-house analysis is 150 Birr/sample, but since all tests
cannot be conducted by the company, outside testing will be required at the cost of 1,000
Birr per sample. If the company elects to continue with the present condition of outside
testing, the cost will be 1,750 Birr per sample. If the lab equipment will have a useful life
of 12 years and the company’s MARR is 10 per cent/year, how many samples must be
tested each year in order to justify
i. the complete lab system and
ii. the partial lab system?
If the company expects to test 175 samples per year, which alternative among the three
should be selected?
3. An engineer is trying to decide between two ways to pump concrete up to the top floors of
a seven-story building under construction. Plan 1 requires the purchase of equipment
costing 3,000,000 Birr and costing between 200 Birr per ton and 350 per ton to operate
በኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፑብሊክ The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
አዲስ አበባ ሣይንስ እና ቴክኖሎጂ ዩኒቨርሲቲ Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

with the expected cost of Birr 250 per ton. The equipment is able to pump100 tons per day.
If purchased, the equipment will last for 5 years, have no salvage value, and can be used
for 50 to 100 days per year. Plan 2 is an equipment-leasing option and is expected to cost
Birr 1,250,000 per year for equipment, with an optimistic cost of 900,000 Birr and a
pessimistic value of 1,600,000 Birr per year. In addition, a 2500 Birr per-hour labor cost
will be incurred for operation of the leased equipment. Plot the equivalent uniform annual
cost of each plan versus total annual operating cost and lease cost at 𝑖 = 12 per cent.
Determine which plan should be selected for use of
a. 50 days per year and
b. 100 days per year
4. The purchase price of an earthmoving equipment is ` 10 lakh. The predicted resale value of
the equipment, the operating, and the maintenance cost, and repair cost are given in Table
below. The cost of capital is 15 per cent. Calculate the optimum replacement age

5. The scraper whose performance curve is shown in figure1 below (refer the curve for scraper)
is operating at an altitude at which the derating factor is 10%. The scraper is operating up
a grade of 3% over a haul road having a rolling resistance factor of 100 lb/ton (50 kg/t).
What is the maxi- mum speed of the scraper when carrying its rated load?
6. Estimate the production in compacted cubic yards (meters) per hour of a self-propelled
tamping foot roller under the following conditions: average speed = 5 mi/h (8.0 km/h),
compacted lift thickness = 6 in. (15.2 cm), effective roller width = 10 ft (3.05 m), job
efficiency = 0.75, and number of passes = 8.
7. The data in the accompanying table resulted from performing Modified Proctor Tests on a
soil. Plot the data and determine the soil’s laboratory optimum moisture content. What
minimum field density must be achieved to meet job specifications that require compaction
to 90% of Modified AASHTO Density?
በኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፑብሊክ The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
አዲስ አበባ ሣይንስ እና ቴክኖሎጂ ዩኒቨርሲቲ Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

Dry Density
lb/cu ft g/cm3 Moisture
Content (%)
109 1.746 10
112 1.794 12
116 1.858 14
115 1.842 16
110 1.762 18
106 1.698 20

8. Evaluate cost and production using a 3-cy hoe to load wet gravel into 14-cy-size trucks.
Assume a bucket fill factor of 105% and that the hoe bucket swing cycle time is 24 sec.
Use the information in Fig. 1 below, a truck net empty weight of 36,860 lb, and a rated
payload of 40,000 lb. Dump time will be 1.3 min. The haul distance is 2.5 miles from the
pit to the plant up a 3% grade. The rolling resistance of the haul road will be maintained at
3%. The hoe and operator cost $97 per hour, and trucks cost $49 per hour. What is the most
cost-effective mix of bucket loads to use in loading the trucks and number of trucks to place
on this job?
9. List the four principal methods for achieving ground modification or soil stabilization.
Provide one example of each.
10. Why might the laboratory and field optimum moisture contents vary for a particular soil?
11. Explain briefly that what consideration you take in determining the appropriate timing to
replace a piece of equipment?
12. Prepare a short summary of ‘Drilling Rock and Earth’ Activity including the following
details “Introduction, Drilling, Blasting, Rock Ripping, Drilling Methods and Production,
Estimating Drilling Production”
13. List the four principal methods for achieving ground modification or soil stabilization.
Provide one example of each.
14. Why might the laboratory and field optimum moisture contents vary for a particular soil?
15. Explain briefly that what consideration you take in determining the appropriate timing to
replace a piece of equipment?
በኢትዮጵያ ፌደራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፑብሊክ The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
አዲስ አበባ ሣይንስ እና ቴክኖሎጂ ዩኒቨርሲቲ Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

Figure1. Performance chart for a 22-ton rear-dump truck.