Civil Engineer Expert

Project Management in Construction, 5th Edition

For more than thirty years, Construction Project Management by Clough and Sears has been considered the preeminent guide to the Critical Path Method (CPM) of project scheduling. It combines a solid foundation in the principles and fundamentals of CPM with particular emphasis on project planning, demonstrated through an example project.

This Fifth Edition features a range of improvements. New pedagogical devices improve absorption of the material. Updated labor, material, and equipment pricing is incorporated into the text. Coverage is enhanced by discussions of contemporary planning and management methods such as Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and the Earned Value Management System (EVMS).

A highway bridge with a complete cost estimate, including SI units, illustrates each of the principles of project management. Using this basic information and the case studies in the appendix, readers are given project management problems and hands-on project management experience.

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Oldcastle Materials Inc. considers rebuilding larger wheel loaders when they reach the end of their first life.

Extreme maintenance practices can help you extend equipment life spans — but be aware you are managing risk.

In today’s economy, we’re all trying to stretch things as far possible. Whether it’s stretching time between oil changes in your car or holding off on buying that new pair of work boots you know you need, we’re pushing the limits.

The construction industry is no exception. Its economic downturn has prompted many contractors to run equipment for more hours than normal. Capital for new machines is scarce so equipment is being kept longer and worked harder. Knowing that the equipment has to last, managers carefully watch oil samples for wear particle signals that mean component failure is approaching. And some equipment managers are even replacing small components, such as water pumps and alternators, before they fail.

“We’re probably adding 20 percent more to the life of our equipment than we would in normal economic times,” says Rex Davis, a vice president at RMCI Inc., Albuquerque, N.M. “Sooner or later we have to make some decisions (about trading in equipment). It doesn’t do any good to have new equipment if you don’t have work for it. Hopefully the economic tide will turn soon.”

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Estimating and Tendering for Construction Work

Estimators need to understand the consequences of entering into a contract, often defined by complex conditions and documents, as well as to appreciate the technical requirements of the project. Estimating and Tendering for Construction Work explains the job of the estimator through every key stage, from early cost studies to the creation of budgets for successful tenders.

 This new edition reflects recent developments in the field such as new tendering and procurement methods; the move from basic estimating to cost-planning and the greater emphasis placed on partnering and collaborative working. It also includes changes to pricing, rates, terminology and technology to bring the book completely up-to date. Clearly-written and illustrated with examples, notes and technical documentation the book is ideal for students on construction-related courses needing to understand these essential processes or professionals beginning in industry.

Audience
Students learning estimating and tendering as part of building surveying, construction management, quantity surveying and civil engineering courses. May be of interest to professional estimators beginning in industry.

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Twinkle Kisogawa bridge

An extradosed bridge employs a structure that is frequently described as a cross between a girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. The name comes from the French word extradossé, which is derived from the word extrados. Extrados is defined as the exterior curve of an arch.

This description is somewhat deceptive, since many cable-stayed bridges have some sort of box-girder deck. The difference is one of degrees.

A typical cable-stay bridge has a tower with a height above the deck at least half the span to the next support, since the cables are the vertical support and must come at a relatively high angle.

In an extradosed bridge, the deck is directly supported by resting on part of the tower, so that in close proximity to the tower the deck can act as a continuous beam. The cables from a lower tower intersect with the deck only further out, and at a lower angle, so that their tension acts more to compress the bridge deck horizontally than to support it vertically. Thus the cable stays act as prestressing cables for a concrete deck, whether made with I-beam girders or a box girder. The deck of an extradosed bridge can be thinner than that of a comparable span-beam bridge, but must be thicker than that of a conventional cable-stayed bridge of comparable span.
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Written by Barbara Mulhern

For Roger Friede, saving more than $12,000 per employee in workers’ compensation premium costs over the past ten years only partially explains his strong commitment to safety.

How Your Construction Company Can Make Safety Pay

Friede, president of Friede & Associates, LLC, a thirty-employee commercial construction firm in Reedsburg, WI, says what drives him the most in emphasizing safety is that “I don’t ever want to have to explain to somebody why that person’s father or husband isn’t coming home that night.”

On May 15, 2009, Friede’s company, which has never had a job-related fatality, celebrated six and a half years with no lost-time incidents. In an industry where serious hazards are an everyday part of the job, Friede & Associates’ example shows that making safety part of your company’s corporate culture can significantly reduce costs and save lives.

“Most people look at small businesses and see safety as being challenging because of resource issues. This is understandable. They are resource limited,” said Mei-Li Lin, executive director of research and statistical services at the National Safety Council. “However, small businesses are a lot more sensitive to safety and health outcomes. If there is an injury, they do not have the luxury of having somebody to replace the injured person. Also, every loss has a huge impact on small businesses.”

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