EARTH WORKS

NTA L6
 Intro….
• Estimation of areas and volumes is basic to most
engineering schemes such as route alignment, reservoirs,
tunnels, etc.
• The excavation and hauling of material on such schemes is
the most significant and costly aspect of the work, on which
profit or loss may depend.
• Earthwork volumes must be estimated to enable route
alignment to be located at such lines and levels that cut and
fill are balanced as far as practicable; and to enable contract
estimates of time and cost to be made for proposed work;
and to form the basis of payment for work carried out.
 AREA AND VOLUME
AREA
• The computation of areas may be based on data
scaled from plans or drawings, or data gained
directly from survey field data.
• Calculation of area of a land parcel enclosed by
straight line from triangle, trapezium and
coordinates.
• Calculation of area of a land parcel enclosed by
irregular boundaries by Trapezoidal and Simpson’s
formulae.
 AREA AND VOLUME
• Calculation of volume of the earthwork by
– Prismoidal formula
– Contour lines
– Spot heights
– Mean area
– End areas
TRAPEZOIDAL AND SIMPSON’S RULE
 Trapezoid
Area of 1st trapezoid
ABCD =( h1 + h2)/2 *W
• Area of 2nd trapezoid BEFC =( h2 + h3)/2× w
and so on
• A = w {(h1 + h7)/2+ h2 + h3 + h4 + h5 + h6}
• If the first or last ordinate is zero,it must stillbe
included in the equation
• NB: This methodassumes the short length
between the offsets are straight lines.
 Simpson’s rule
• A = w[(h1 + h7) + 4(h2 + h4 + h6) + 2(h3 +
h5)]/3
• i.e. one-third the distance between ordinates,
multiplied by the sum of the first and last
ordinates,plus four times the sum of the even
ordinates, plus twice the sum of the odd
ordinates.
• NB: This rule assumes the curved boundary
thus it is more accurate than trapezoidal rule.
 Areas by coordinates

Using appropriate field data it may be possible

to define the area by its rectangular coordinates
 CROSS SECTION

• Finding the areas of cross-sections is the first

step in obtaining the volume of earthwork to
be handled in route alignment projects (road
or railway), or reservoir construction
• The shape of the cross-section is defined in
terms of vertical heights (levels) at horizontal
distances each side of the centre line
CROSS SECTION
 CROSS SECTION
• Cross-sectional areas by coordinates
• Where the cross-section is complex and the
ground profile has been defined by reduced
levels at known horizontal distances from the
centre-line, the area may be found by
coordinates.
CROSS SECTION
 VOLUMES
• The importance of volume assessment has
already been outlined.
• Many volumes encountered in civil
engineering appear, at first glance, to be
rather complex in shape. Generally speaking,
however, they can be divided into prisms,
wedges or pyramids, each of which will now
be dealt with in turn.
 Volumes cont…..
• Prism
Volume = AL
 Volumes cont…..
• Wedge and Pyramids
 Volumes cont…..
• Volume of wedge
V= L/6(sum of parallel edges × vertical height of base)
= L/6[(a + b + c) × h]
WHEN a=b=c V=AL/2
 Volumes cont…..
• Volume of pyramid
V = AL/3

• End-area method
 MASS-HAUL DIAGRAMS
• Mass-haul diagrams (MHD) are used to
compare the economy of various methods of
earthwork distribution on road or railway
construction schemes
• A MHD is defined as a continuous curve,
whose vertical ordinates, plotted on the same
distance scale as the longitudinal section,
represent the algebraic sum of the corrected
volumes
 Mass Haul………
Definitions
• Haul refers to the volume of material
multiplied by the distance moved
• Waste is the material excavated from cuts but
not used for embankment fills
• Borrow is the material needed for the
formation of embankments, secured not from
roadway excavation but from elsewhere
 Mass Haul………
Properties of the MHD
• Since the curve of the MHD represents the
algebraic sums of the volumes, then any
horizontal line drawn parallel to the base AB
will indicate the volumes that balance.
• The rising curve, indicates cut (positive), the
falling curve indicates fill (negative).
 Mass Haul………
• As the curve of the MHD rises above the
balance line AB, the haul is from left to right.
When the curve lies below the balance line,
the haul is from right to left.
 Mass Haul………
Example
The volumes between sections along a 1200-m
length of proposed road are shown below,
positive volumes denoting cut, and negative
volumes denoting fill:
 Mass Haul………
• Plot a MHD for this length of road to a suitable
scale and determine suitable positions of
balancing lines so that there is
(1) A surplus at chainage 1200 but none at
chainage 0.
(2) A surplus at chainage 0 but none at chainage
1200.
(3) An equal surplus at chainage 0 and chainage
1200.
Mass Haul………
 Mass Haul………
• Mass ordinates=0,+2.1,+4.9,+6.5,+5.6,+3.6,−1.0,
−5.7,−8.1,−7.0,−3.1,+0.4,+3.2 (obtained by
algebraic summation of volumes)
(1) Balance line AB gives a surplus at chainage 1200
but none at 0.
(2) Balance line CD gives a surplus at chainage 0
but none at 1200.
(3) Balance line EF situated mid-way between AB
and CD will give equal surpluses at the ends.