EARTHWORKS:

Volume of Cut and Fill

Cut and Fills in Earthworks

Sample Works
Earthworks

Excavation, hauling, and placing of soil,

rock, gravel or other material found
below the surface of the earth

Definition
Earthworks

1. Measurement of earth materials

in the field.

2. Computation in the office of the

volume of such material.

3. Determination of the most economical

method of performing such work

Use
Unit of Measurement

• CUBIC YARD/ CUBIC FT.

• CUBIC METER

• Conversion
• 1 yard = 0.9144 m
• 1 yard = 3 ft

SI, Metric and English

Swell and Shrinkage

• BANK MEASURE – volume of earth

in its natural state

• LOOSE MEASURE – volume of earth

in the vehicle

• COMPACTED MEASURE – volume of

earth after compaction.

Definitions
Swell and Shrinkage

SWELL
• change in volume from its natural state to
loose state
• expressed as percent of natural volume

( NaturalState)  ( LooseState)
S% 
( NaturalState)

Swell Formula
Swell and Shrinkage

SHRINKAGE
• change in volume from its natural state to
its compacted state
• expressed as percent of natural volume

( NaturalState)  (CompactedState)
S% 
( NaturalState)

Shrinkage Formula
Example: Swell and Shrinkage

• Natural State: 1 m3
• Loose State: 1.2 m3
• Compacted State: 0.85 m3
• Using the equations of Swell and Shrinkage:

Swell: S% = (1 – 1.2)*100/1 = 20%

Shrinkage: S% = (1 - 0.85)*100/1 = 15%

Illustration
Shrinkage Factor

NaturalState
SF 
CompactedS tate
NaturalState  SF * (CompactedState)

( NaturalState)  (CompactedState)
S% 
( NaturalState) SF  1
S% 
S% 
( SF * CompactedState)  (CompactedState) SF
( SF * CompactedState)
Shrinkage Factor

( SF * S %)  SF  1

SF ( S %  1)  1

1
SF 
( S %  1)

1
SF 
1 S%
Classification of Materials

• COMMON EXCAVATION/ROCK
EXCAVATION – refers to soil;
excavated material
Borrow is necessary
• COMMON BORROW where there is not
enough material in
• soil found outside the roadway the roadway
and brought in to the roadway. excavation to
provide for the
embankment.
• WASTE – materials excavated and
thrown away which is no longer
necessary to form embankment.
Cut and Fill

• CUT
• earthwork which is excavated, or is to be
excavated

• FILL
• excavation which is placed in embankment, or
is to be placed in embankment
Payment for Earthwork

Payment is normally either:

• for cut and not for fill or
• for fill and not for cut.

To pay for both would be paying for the same

earth twice.

• Highway work - for cut

• Dam work - for fill
Payment for Earthwork

Two types of Earthwork contracts:

1. The contractor bids a lump sum for the

work, handling the materials as he sees fit.

2. The contractor is paid per cubic yard for

excavation (includes excavation, hauling and
placing of embankment)
Payment for Earthwork

However, cost of hauling a unit volume of

earth over a long distance can easily become
greater than the cost of excavation, so
that it is often practical to pay a contractor for
excavating and hauling earth.
Cross-Sections

• profiles of the earth taken at right angles to

the centerline of an engineering project:
highway, canal, dam, or railroad.

• taken in order to obtain volume measurement

or estimate earthworks
Cross-Sections

• usually taken at each full station and

breaks in the ground along the centerline

NOTE: Assumed change in earth’s surface from

one cross-section to the next is uniform.
Volume Determination

End Area Method

A2

A1
L
Volume Determination

Prismoidal Formula
A2

Am

A1 L/2

L/2
Am = intermediate
area, determined by
getting the average
of the coordinates of
A1 and A2
Volume Determination

Volume with Prismoidal Correction

- applicable to 3-level section only

D1 D2 C1, C2 – center heights

D1, D2 – center widths

C1 C2

A1 A2
Volume Determination

Borrow Pit Method

Where:
h1 = elevation of point adjacent to 1 square
h2 = elevation of point adjacent to 2 square
h3 = elevation of point adjacent to 3 square
h4 = elevation of point adjacent to 4 square
Volume Determination

Borrow Pit
Method
Sample Problem 1

End Areas by Simple Figures. Compute the

end areas of the following cross section notes:

Width of Road = 9 meters

Side Slope in Cut = 1:1
Side Slope in Fill = 1.5:1

Note: Slope (horizontal : vertical)

Sample Problem 1
Solution
 Solution

Atotal = A1 + A2 + A3 + A4
Atotal = 0.5(4.5)(3) + 0.5(5)(4.5+4.5) + 0.5(5)(4.5+9) + (0.5)(4.5)(6)
Atotal = 76.5 m2
Solution
Solution

Atotal = A1 + A2 + A3 + A4 + A5 + A6
Atotal = 0.5(3)(5.25) + 0.5(3)(4.5) + 0.5(5)(4.5) + (0.5)(5)(4.5)
+ 0.5(7.5)(4.5) + 0.5(7.5)(10.5)
Atotal = 93.375 m2
Solution
Solution

Acut = 0.5(4.5)(1.8) = 4.05 m2

Afill = 0.5(4.5)(2) = 4.5 m2
Sample Problem 2

End Areas by Coordinates. Compute the

end area of the irregular cross section
described below:
Solution
Solution

0(-6-4.5) = 0 -6.1(7-0) = -42.7

-5.2(-3.8+4.5) = -3.64 -7.4(9-5.5) = -25.9
-6.8(0+6) = -40.8 -9.6(4.5-7) = 24
-7.2(5.5+3.8) = -66.96 0(-4.5-9) = 0
Solution

(double check answer using simple figures)

Note:
Negative net area – Fill
Positive net area – Cut
Sample Problem 3

Volume Determination. Given the following

cross section notes:
Width of the road = 12 m
side slope is 2.5:1
• Compute the volume
between the two stations
using the end area method
• Compute the volume
between the two stations
using the prismoidal formula
Solution

A1 = 0.5(6)(10) + 0.5(5)(31) + 0.5(5)(13.5) + 0.5(6)(3)

A1 = 150.25 m2
 Solution

A2 = 0.5(6)(14) + 0.5(7)(41) + 0.5(7)(17.25) + 0.5(6)(4.5)

A2 = 259.375 m2
Solution

a) Compute the volume between the two

stations using the end area method.
Solution

b) Compute the volume between the two stations

using the prismoidal formula.

Am = 0.5(6)(12)+0.5(6)(36)+0.5(6)(15.375)+0.5(6)(3.75)
Am = 201.375 m2
Solution

b) Compute the volume between the two

stations using the prismoidal formula.
Solution

• For 3 level sections, we can check using

prismoidal correction.
Sample Problem 4

Unit Area or Borrow Pit Method. A 90 m x 90 m

square lot is divided into square sections, and the
elevations at every corner were recorded. If the
ground is to be leveled at an elevation of 10 m, solve
the volume of excavation.

A1 = 16.2 m B1 = 17.1 m C1 = 14.3 m D1 = 12.7 m

A2 = 15.62 m B2 = 12.9 m C2 = 16.7 m D2 = 13.3 m
A3 = 14.5 m B3 = 15.4 m C3 = 12.2 m D3 = 15.9 m
A4 = 13.1 m B4 = 16.5 m C4 = 13.8 m D4 = 16.6 m
Solution
Solution

Total area = 90 m x 90 m

Unit area = 30 m x 30 m