Civil Engineering Report [PDF]

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Attachment Report on Silos Construction.

THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MOMBASA FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

NAME

:

Geoffrey Njeru Juma

REG. NO

:

BEBC/0006/2012

COURSE

:

DEPARTMENT :

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING. BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING.

UNIT

:

PRACTICUM.

CODE

:

ECD 304.

MISSION

:

INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT REPORT AT MULJI DEVRAJ AND BROS LTD.

SUPERVISOR

:

MR. DHANJI.

Attachment Report on Silos Construction.

2

CHAPTER 1. 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4.

Prologue…………………………………………………………………..4

Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………………….5 Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………………6 Objective of the industrial attachment………………………………….....7

CHAPTER 2. 2.1 History of Mulji Devraj and Bros… ……..…………… ………………….. 11 2.2 Organizational structure and Departments………………………………..12 2.3 Their Environment Policy…………………………………………………..13 2.4 Their Health and Safety policy……………………………………………..14 2.5 Their Human Resource policy………………………………………………15 2.6 Their core values…………………………………………………………….16 2.7 Their commitment to quality………………………………………………..17 2.8 Their Civil and Building Engineering Services…………………………….18

CHAPTER 3. 3.1 Activities carried out, Required standards descriptions and relevance……23-42. 3.3 Machines on site, their functions and diagrams…………………………...44-47.

CHAPTER 4. 4.1 Problems/challenges encountered……………………………………….48. 4.2 Recommendation……………………………………………………….. 49.

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4.2 conclusion……………………………………………………………….. 50 4.4 References………………………………………………………………..51.

CHAPTER 1

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PROLOGUE This report explains in depth what I came across and what I gained at Mulji Devraj and Bros. Ltd.This was the most important part in my life since I came across my real life experience in the field of civil Engineering. It also explains in depth the entire work done, successes, shortcomings, observations and recommendations. Am in no doubt that all those who will read my report will appreciate this it and above all, I trust it will be a key driver to the improvements and achievements in future working environment at different levels of my entire life and in different sites at different times. I have come to appreciate what is done in the field since many a times people fail to relate the Engineering regulations and what is done in the field, how people perceive things in the Engineering field.

5

Acknowledgements My heartfelt thanks to my family,Kurui…s family.You are just a perfect combination to me.You inspire me when I feel like loosing hope.This has always given me courage to fight for what lays ahead of me each time. To my mentor, Mary Mutesi,you have always meant a lot to me.I just can…t imagine where I could be at the moment without your inspiring words of wisdom that has kept me going through the hard times in life.In simple terms I can say you inserted a lot of sense to me. My sincere gratitudes and thanks goes to the board consisting of the co-ordinator,governors and lecturers of THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MOMBASA for your continued support and henceforth making this session to be of a great success. My utmost thanks also goes to the management and directors of Mulji Devraj and Bros. Ltd for them giving me that chance to be attached with them and their cooperation and provision of a good learning environment with safety conditions throughout my time with them. Great and sincere thanks goes to my site supervisor, Mr. Dhanji and the Human Resource manager, Mrs. Christine Mwimali for their guidance and the experience they induced to me during my attachment period.I forever owe you a lot in life. My esteem appreciation also goes to my fellow attachee,Paul Kamau Ndung…u whom we gained experience together and sharing ideas at all times.

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Dedication.

W

ith lots of love,I dedicate this report to my Parents Mr. and Mrs. Kurui to my siblings Geoffrey,Meshack,Judith,Abednego,Patricia and Mercy,I hope you will find herein one day to ,the best that your brother could bequeath to the world,an inspiration to walk your

walk.

Also,to my Lecturers and the non teaching staff,I know this are the outcome of your work.You have always been there to keep me walking my walk.I can…t imagine my journey to this point without you.You are just a perfect and the best that the Lord gave me to my journey to the world of success. This will definitely be incomplete without mentioning my classmates.I think and hope that one day I…ll get the best reward for you .You`re such a great men and women that are meant for me or in other words, you are there for me because you make a perfect combination for me.May the almighty God give you the desires of your hearts for there is no greater reward than that. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL IN YOUR DAILY ACHIEVEMENTS AND GRANT YOU MORE.

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Objective of the industrial attachment. The Technical University of Mombasa in the civil engineering studies degree introduced the attachment program in its learning curriculum so as to give student a chance to combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills in the real working environment. This move require that a student go for industrial attachment in his /her chosen field of proffesion for period of at least three months .At the end of the attachment program, the student is expected to compile a report that incorporate work experience gained linking it to the theoretical knowledge. The following are objective of industrial attachment; i.

To enable student to marry theory to practice in real world of business situation that often involves decision making.

ii.

To make student develop realistic experience expectation in respect to the real world of work, playing

iii.

The role of being an employee and experience what it takes to work within a generally structured environment in authority and being held responsive for duties performed.

iv.

To afford the student to test the theoretical tools learned in the first three years of program with realities of the environment management studies and running of organization in the environment management.

v.

To expose the student to the behavior of organization both in internal and external environment and encourage them to be productive whilst developing future managers.

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vi.

To afford the student the opportunity to develop hands an experience in the world of work and it…s intricacies hence making the student employable and become fully productive immediately after arriving at work place .

vii.

To expose the student to the structure ,operation and integration of different functional areas such as Human resources , Administration and Harbormaster

9

10

CHAPTER 2. Location and brief History of the company

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History of Mulji Devraj and Bros. Mulji Devraj & Brothers Limited (MDBL) is one East Africa…s leading construction companies. It has been graded as a class A in grouping. This is due to its growth for over 50 years in terms of management, equipments ,organizational flexibility, efficiency and integrity. The company deals with all civil Engineering works including roads , silos, Hotels, Factories, Dams, Bays e.t.c .Its modern equipments like batching plant and concrete pump makes it to be at the top of the other companies. Mulji Devraj & Brothers Limited (MDBL) was founded as a family business by Mulji and his brothers. The company still exists as a family holding up to date with the directors and major offices in the company held by their descendants which include safety, human resource, Engineering, and consultation. With wide expertise and experience in Building, Civil & Structural Engineering, MDBL has a proven track record in all its operations in both small and large scale projects. For over 50 years MDBL has continued to establish an enviable reputation for completing projects on time, and to the complete satisfaction of its clients. MDBL has organized management teams that operate with a vision of each projects… specialized needs. Every project receives careful consideration, from the tender stage to completion, with management team meeting regularly to plan and evaluate the project and also to provide technical and organizational advice to all the trade disciplines and sub contractors. During the entire duration of the project, the project manager is

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principal contact with the client and directors. Whoever we work with and whatever nature of the project entails. Mulji Devraj & Brothers Limited will continue to provide excellence and quality. MDBC has site supervisors who make sure that all the activities in the site run in a smooth way at all times and with no interference at all.

Organization structure and departments of the company. The company uses a matrix form of structure to accomplish its goals.The orders come from above and are directed downwards to be executed.Authority within the functional departments flows vertically while the authority that crosses departmental lines flow horizontally. Board of Directors. Contract Project manager

Staffing Manager.

Consultant Manager.

Accounts Manager.

Chief Engineer. Chief service

Engineer. Project Leader A.

Site Manager

Chief structural Engineer. Chief consultant

Engineer. Project Leader B. Chief Surveyor. Project leader C.

Project Leader D.

Each department has its own responsibilities and are answerable to a specific person. The company is a family venture that has been up and running for over 50 years; therefore, the organization structure is not adequately defined. This is because directors and managers take up two to three roles at a go

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given the intensity of projects that the company handles. However, this does not mean that the company is run by non-professionals. All top level management has graduated with degrees that are related to engineering, finance and project management. The company has several departments that enable it to run smoothly without overstepping into each other…s mandate. The unique factor that sets aside the company from other construction firm is the fact that they are self-sustaining. The company owns its own quarry, batching processing plant and a yard that ensures the quality of the company…s finished products remains consistent over the years.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Mulji Devraj and brothers LTD is committed to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment and assisting our customers by encouraging them to use sustainable resources. To this end the organization has implemented an environmental management system to continuously improve its environmental performance. In order to meet this commitments the organization will pursue the following objectives;  To ensure compliance with all applicable environmental legislation and regulation.  To reduce emissions and other air pollutants.  To improve waste management practices.  To reduce consumption of other natural and manmade resources.  To minimize on noise pollution and other nuisances.  To assist in the management of technology.

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 To continuously assist in the regular environmental performances.  To assist in the investigation of environmental incidents in which it is involved in during site operations.  To make its environmental information available to interested parties. The necessary personnel and financial resources will be allocated to assist the organization in meeting its environmental objectives and targets that will be reviewed as appropriate. In addition, the Organization will continue to raise the level of environmental awareness throughout its workforce and to improve this awareness to its customers and suppliers. The organization is committed to operate its Environmental Management System in a manner that attains and sustains compliance to the international Environmental Management Standards.ISO 14001: 2004.

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY. Mulji Devraj and brothers ltd, recognizes that the discipline of health and safety are an integral part of its management functions.the organization views these as the primary responsibility and to be the key to good business in adopting appropriate rules in regards to safety standards. Mulji devraj and brothers ltd Health and safety policy calls for contious improvements in its health and safety management activities and business will be conducted according to the following principals: We will;  Comply with all applicable laws and regulations.  Follow a concept of continuous improvement and make best use of its management resources in all matters of health and safety.

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 Communicate its objectives and its performance against these objectives throughout the organizations and to interested parties.  Take due care to ensure that activities are safe for employees, associates and subcontractors and others who come into contact with our work, including the general public.  Work closely with our customers and suppliers to establish the highest health and safety standards.  Train our staff in the needs and responsibilities of health and safety management.

THEIR HUMAN RESOURCE POLICY. The HR department has a policy to provide and maintain adequate and efficient human resource for the effective function of the organization. It has the following functions:  To liaise between the employees and management.  To understand the needs of the employees and make a proposal to the chief operating officer.  Personnel recruitment and manpower development.  Liaise with the department heads in identifying training programmes for the employees to make quality, conscious and customer focused decisions.  Co-ordinate staff performance reviews. The human resource has different procedures undertaken in its departments. These procedures are as follows:  Recruitment procedures.

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 Departmental head interviews.  Training procedures.  Annual appraisal procedures.  Succession planning.  Disciplinary action procedure.  Succession planning.  Disciplinary action procedure.  Exit from employment.  Employee satisfaction/culture surveys.

Vision and Core Values Mulji Devraj is based on, 

Personal Values - We continue to honor these principles through the application of the Golden Rule. These principles include trust, honesty, fairness, integrity, compassion and an appreciation for the unique contribution each of us has to offer.



Work Environment - We are one of the best companies in the Kenya where dedicated employees can't wait to get to work. There is a feeling of belonging, and we are supportive of one another. We are encouraged to balance our personal and professional lives.

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

Our employees feel privileged to work in a safe and enjoyable environment where there is enthusiasm, free expression, pride, laughter and genuine good fun.



Individual creativity is encouraged, and innovative ideas put forward by any of the staff is welcomed, and whenever found beneficial to the welfare of the staff or the company; they are implemented.



Customer Relations and Service - We are proud of our contribution to the industry; always maintaining excellent relations with our Client's and Project Consultants. We provide a proper blend of personnel and resources to understand our customers' needs and strive to exceed their expectations. Our commitment to lifelong learning allows us to interpret the external environment, understand technical, interpersonal and management issues and deliver optimum solutions, thereby providing the most effective service to our customers.

Their Commitment to Quality Trust, honesty, fairness, integrity, compassion and an appreciation for the unique contribution each employee offers to our company are integral components of the reputation we have earned over the years. We express thankfulness for the blessings we have experienced through our commitment to quality and excellence.

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Their civil engineering services.  

Building Architectural/Drawing Civil Engineering Services



Building & Construction Consultancy



Water & Sewerage treatment works



Storm Water Drainage & Canalization



Water Reticulation



Roads & Car Parking



Industrial and Domestic Plumbing & Drainage

Their building Engineering services.  

Office Blocks - Sky Scrapers /High Rise Buildings or Complexes, Conference Halls etc Residential Premises … Multi Storied Buildings, Individual Executive Bungalows & Maisonettes, Five Star Estates etc



Banks



Hotels



Educational Institutions - Universities, Colleges, Schools etc



Industrial Buildings & Warehouses



Church & Auditoriums



Petrol Stations

  

Silos Code Compliance Approvals Cabro Tile Manufacture and Layering and Sales

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OVERVIEW OF ATTACHMENT LOCATION The project was located at the Grain Bulk Handlers Limited in Shimanzi area,20km from Moi international airport, 5 km from the Kenya Ports Authority along the Dar-el Salaam road .Grain Bulk Handlers limited is a company dealing with the storage and packaging of imported grains like cereals. Due to the high demand of this grains on the country, the company has been forced to embark on silos extention for storage of excess grains.

thus to create room

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The project is known as …Silo 2B extention…. The illustration is shown below.

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Aerial view of a section of the silos.

22

Below is the side view of the silos that is complete.

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CHAPTER 3. WHAT WAS DONE ON THE SITE FROM WEEK 1-12.

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The supervisor introduced me to all site places such as Batching plant,steel bending sections,washrooms,offices,store and the actual construction ground. After being introduced to the site by our site supervisor,I knew that I had a lot to accomplish and gain during the attachment period hence I had to get down to work. First and foremost,I took a detailed analysis of the architectural and structural plans of the site.This gave me a clear vision of what laid ahead of me at that moment. Thereafter,I moved on to the site whereby I familiarized myself with the actual site as per the plans provided.This enabled me to appreciate something in practice.I was guided by the site supervisor who made me adapt to the work at the site.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS: 1.)LEVELING. Leveling instruments available on the site were dumpy level and the total station. i.

DUMPY LEVEL

It is an optical instrument used in surveying and building to transfer,measure or set horizontal levels. The work at that time was to take the levels for the concrete for the ring beam which is at the 700mm mark from the ground which translates to 300mm below the Zero level.The reading at the T.B.M was 1400 and hence the concrete level for the ring beam translated to 1700mm.

ii.

TOTAL STATION

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Electronic theodolite intergrated with an Electronic Distance Meter(EDM) to read slope distances from the instrument to a particular point. It was used to set the position of the J-Bolt.The bolt was at 10 degrees.This means that there are 36 degrees.The reinforcement was clear of holding down bolts with 1551mm from one bolt to another in the horizontal distance.

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Total station in used to mark the position of the J-Bolt.

2.)STAIRCASE. Straight flight staircase with a going of 250mm and a riser of 200mm was used.The unobstructed width was 1000mm.

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A section of the straight flight staircase.

Standards Required. Riser

Going

Pith

Unobstracted width.

Min. Opt. max.

Min. Opt. max.

Opt. max.

Min

100 175 190

225

35 40

800mm.

250 350

Things to be noted. 1.Equal rise for every step or landing. 2. Equal going for treads.

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3. Maximum pith angle to the horizontal is 42 degrees. 4. Riser of a tread at least 220mm. 5. Head of at least 2m. 6.Handrail

to

be

provided

at

a

height

between

840mm

and

1000mm

above

the

pith

line and at least 900mm at the landing. 7.Balusters spaced at an interval of 125mm giving 100mm diameter sphere maximum. 8.Going of tread at least 225mm. In the 3 staircases for the entrance to the tunnel, the risers and goings were 12 hence giving a total going of 3000mm and a total riser of 2400mm.

Straight flight stairs.

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2.SLUMP TEST. Concrete slump test is an empirical test that measures the workability of fresh concrete.More specifically, it measures the consistency of the concrete in that specific batch. This test is performed to check the consistency of freshly made concrete. Consistency is a term very closely related to workability. It is a term which describes the state of fresh concrete. It refers to the ease with which the concrete flows. It is used to indicate the degree of wetness. Workability of concrete is mainly affected by consistency i.e. wetter mixes will be more workable than drier mixes, but concrete of the same consistency may vary in workability. It is also used to determine consistency between individual batches.

Apparatus. 1. Metal mould, in the shape of the frustum of a cone, open at both ends, and provided with the handle, top internal diameter 102 mm, and bottom internal diameter 203 mm with a height of 305 mm 2. Metal rod. 3. Tape measure.

Slump test was done to every silo when concrete of class 25 was placed to the ring beam and when the top concrete for the slab.

Procedure 1.The coned shaped cylinder of height 305mm was used with Y16 of length 600mm and diameter of 16mm. 2.Concrete was placed onto the cone 5 times and given 25 blows after every placement. 3.When the blows has been completed,the cone was slowly removed and the height measured.

Interpretation of results. The slumped concrete takes various shapes, hence slump is termed as either 

True slump.



Shear slump.



Collapse slump.

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If a shear or collapse slump is attained, a fresh sample should be taken and the test repeated. A collapse slump is an indication of too wet a mix and can be used only for blinding as its strength is too weak. Only a true slump is of any use in the test. A collapse slump will generally mean that the mix is too wet or that it is a high workability mix, for which slump test is not appropriate.

Slump relevance.  

Very dry mixes with slump of 0 … 25 mm are used in road making. low workability mixes with slump of 10 … 40 mm are used for foundations with light reinforcement.



medium workability mixes; 50 - 90 for normal reinforced concrete placed with vibration.



high workability concrete of 100mm and above are used in places with highly reinforced concrete and where it may be so hard to drain the concrete. Collapse

Shear

True

In a true slump the concrete simply In a collapse slump the In a shear slump the top portion of the subsides, keeping more or less to concrete collapses completely. concrete shears off and slips sideways. shape.

European classes of slump According to European Standard EN 206-1:2000 5 classes of slump have been designated, as tabulated below. Slump class

Slump in mm

S1

10 – 40

S2

50 – 90

S3

100 – 150

S4

160-210

S5

≥220

We obtained a slump of 85mm which is good for mass construction works.

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Anything above 120mm is a total slump and should not be used.

Limitations of the slump test The slump test is suitable for slumps of medium to high workability ranging from 5 – 260 mm, the test fails to determine the difference in workability in stiff mixes which have zero slump, or for wet mixes that give a collapse slump. It is limited to concrete formed from aggregates of less than 38 mm (1.5)

3.CONCRETE MIXING. Concrete which is a mixture of aggregate,sand and cement was mixed using batching plant.The plant has a computerized system that allows the the required amount of either to be released at the set rate depending on the different classes required.Batching Plant makes work to be so simple and also a perfect mix is obtained.Although it may be abit expensive at the initial setup,it is generally cheaper as less labour is used.Batching plant also enables the concrete to achieve a perfect mixture.Its disadvantage is that it may fail during the working time which may lead to a delay for many hours or even days.This is because it consists of many connections that may make it difficult to easily identify and correct especially in the cement section when there is a blockage.

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33

A section of the batching plant in operation.

4.DETERMINATION OF COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE. Apparatus. 1. Testing machine. 2. Auxilliary platens,i.e spacers. 3. Balance. 4. Steel rule. Testing procedure. 1. Measure and record the dimensions of the cubes. 2. Weigh and record the weight of the cubes. 3. Rid the testing machine bearing surface of any loose grit or other extraneous materials. 4. Locate the cube centrally on the lower platen and ensure that the load will be applied to two opposite cast faces of the cube. 5. Apply and increase the load continuaslly at the nominal rate within the range of 0.2N/mm^2/s to 0.4N/MM^2/S until no greater load can be sustained. 6. Record the maximum load applied to the cube. 7. Record the mode of failure,wheather satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Calculation and Expression of Results. 1. Calculate the cross-sectional area of the cube from checked nominal dimensions. 2. Calculate the volume of the recorded nominal dimensions of the cube.

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3. Calculate the compressive strength of the cube by dividing the maximum load by the cross-sectional area.Express the results to the nearest 0.5N/MM^2. 4. Calculate the density of the cube by dividing the weight of the cube by the volume of the cube.

Test Report. The test report to include the following:1. Labaratory sample number. 2. Cube reference. 3. Date of casting of cube. 4. Date of testing of cube. 5. Age of cube at test. 6. Class of concrete used to make the cube. 7. Density of the cube. 8. Maximum load recorded. 9. Compressive strength of the cube. 10. Mode of failure.

5. REINFORCEMENT. This is the most important part of any construction works since without proper reinforcement,there will be

failure. Reinforcement bars were used to reinforce every section of the silos foundation. Below is a section of the ring beam with the Y-16 being used with the center to center being 180mm for the horizontal and 200mm for the vertical reinforcement bars and binding wire used to bind.

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Reinforcement being done on the ring beam.

For the top slab,Y-16 was used as reinforcing bars with a centre to center being 200mm as shown below. The top slab was 300mm and hence the distance from top1 to bottom 1 is 200mm to allow for concrete space.

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Top reinforcing bars in place[Y-16] with a C-C of 200mm.

6.SITE INVESTIGATION. On a wide range of site investigation is the complete aspect of investigations to assess the suitability of a site for civil engineering works.

Objectives of site investigation. Objectives of making investigation on a site is to determine:

Suitability,Quality and Quality-For the assessment of the general suitability of the site and environs for the proposed works.



Design-To enable an adequate and economic design to be prepared including design of temporary works.



Construction-Planning provides the best method of construction to forsee and provide against difficulties and delays that may arise during construction due to ground and other conditions is necessary also to explore source of indegineous and cheap materials for use in construction.

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

Choice of site-Where alternatives exist to advise on the relative suitability of different sites or different parts of the same site.

Further site investigation may be necessary on reporting upon the safety of existing works for the design of extension horizontal or vertical to existing or proposed works.

Procedures of site Investigation. Type and extend of site investigation depends on :1. Available resources. 2. Project stage. 3. Condition of the site. 4. Proposed Works. This was done to the site in which all the possible excavations could not be done without the proper investigation .

7.CONCRETE CURING. After concrete is placed,curing of concrete is a fundamental requirement of concrete quality.Concrete curing has a strong influence on the properties of hardened concrete such as; 

Durability.



Strength.



Watertightness.



Abrasion Resistance.



Volume stability.



Resistance to freezing and thawing and deicer salts.

Curing of concrete aids the chemical reaction called hydration.Most freshly mixed concrete contains considerably more water than is required for complete hydration of cement and any loss of water by evaporation will delay the curing process. If temperature are favourable,hydration is relatively rapid in the first few days when concrete is placed and retaining water during this period is very important.

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Curing Methods. 

Liquid membrane forming compounds sprayed onto the surface are effective,economical moisture barriers for moist curing concrete.



Moist kept saturated with water is an effective medium for moist curing concrete.

concrete curing in progress Curing of concrete was done to the concrete after 24hrs from when it was concreted.This was done in order to attain the 28 days required strength

8.BACKFILL AND EXCAVATION. The depth of excavation from the ground level was 38.85m.The main excavation done on site was the trench excavation which mainly dealt with the removal of soft or disintergrated rocks which can be removed with a hand pick or power-operated excavator or shovel, or previously blasted or broken stones in rock fills or elsewhere with individual volumes less than one cubic metre, or boulders or pieces of fractured rocks which do not occur naturally within the excavated volume but fall into the excavation from the adjacent area. Due to

39

the huge depths in which the excavation had to be done, power operated excavators were used. Murram was used to backfill using an excavator and compacted by a roller after every 6 inches to ,enhance strength to the foundation of the silos.

40

excavator for the silos ring beam in action.

41

9. COMPACTION.

Roller compacting the debugging area. All structures have their foundations placed on natural soil.Incase the soil below is compressible,the structure above is likely to settle due to the compression in the compressible stratum.In clayey soils,time is required for water in the pores to squeeze out and hence it settlement takes a number of years. It is therefore important to be able to compact the soil more in order to reduce the settlement rate.In this silos and other structures,it is assumed that water travels in the vertical direction onlyand Terzaghi one dimensional consolidation can be used to predict the time-rate of settlement and also the total settlement. In real terms,uniform settlement of foundation of a building is not harmful but if there is differential settlement of various parts of the foundation on which a rigidly connected structure rests,it may lead to cracking of the structure and incase the differential settlement is excessive,the building will automatically collapse. This is among the most important works done since without proper compaction,there will be differential settlement in which it will later result to failure of the structure.

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The backfill was compacted after every 6 inch.This was done when the moisture content was less in order to attain a almost perfect compaction. Factors affecting soil compaction include: 

The moisture content of the soil.



The mode and amount of compaction.

The addition of water to a dry soil sample helps in bringing solid particles together since the water coats the solid soil particles. At low moisture content, the soil is stiff and it is difficult to pack it together and as the water content increases,it starts acting like a lubricant and the particles start to come together due to increased workability and under a given amount of compaction,the soil-water air mixture starts occupying lesser volume thus affecting gradual increase in dry density. As more and more water is added under a given amount of compaction carried out,a stage is reached when the air content of the soil attains a minimum volume under this given compaction.The dry density at this given compaction is maximum.The moisture content corresponding to this maximum dry density is called optimum moisture content. Addition of water beyond this stage reduces the dry density because the extra water starts occupying the extra space that the soil could have occupied.

10. SAFETY MEASURES. Safety measures in Mulji Devraj is one of the most observed criteria since safety guarantees the wellbeing of everyone. This went in hand with all the workers having a meeting for 15 minutes every day only to ensure that all the workers are reminded that nothing is more important than being safe at all times. Safety devices used by all workers include; 

Helmet.



Overall.



Reflector.



Safety shoes.



Gloves.



Gumboots.

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Workers with the safety requirements. Apart from that,all the workers would be treated for all the first aid when they are injured.They were however to report to the authorities of any injuries within that day.

11.FORMWORKS Timber formwork was mainly used for the formwork purposes.Timber formwork was used to support the ring beam. Marine boards where used at the tunnel both at the top and at the sideways. Steel formworks where used mainly to support in the mini silos.

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Marine board in place before the concrete is poured to the cover of the main tunnel.

45

12.ASSEMBLING OF SILOS.

Aerial view of the silos being assembled. Silos assembling is an interesting and technical in its own way. Silos are assembled beginning with the top cover and later being lifted using a crane.

46

CHAPTER 4. Machines on Site.

47

1. Excavator. 2. Vibrator and poker-used to compact wet concrete and to remove any air within the concrete. 3. Dumpy level. 4. Total station.

Concrete transporting truck. 5. Batching plant. 6. Roller.

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7. Concrete Pump. 8. Concrete Transporting trucks.

49

9. Steel Cutter.

50

Concrete truck pouring concrete to the concrete pump.

51

Concrete pump in action.

52

CHAPTER 5.

Challenges I Endured.

53

o

Language constrains.All supervisors were of Indians origin who were neither fluent in Swahili nor English.This made it extra difficult to communicate with them.

o

Scramble for power.There were power challenges since atimes the supervisors wanted to control the attachees in order to show how powerful they were.

o

Rainfall.It could atimes rain the whole day since during my attachment from may to end of July,it was a rainy season.This greatly reduced the number of working hours.

o

Low esteem.As usual with human beings there are ups and downs of life and hence atimes the workers or the supervisors were unco-operative when they had low esteem.

o

Failure of working machines.The batching plant atimes failed to work especially whn we were concreting the silo`s foundation.The concrete pump also failed a number of times which made the work on site to be stopped for hours or days

o

Unco-operative workers.The operators of the machines especially the batching plant could atimes skip coming to work because no one else could operate it.This greatly affected the construction works.

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Racial Disrimination:Working in an environment with different races and especially Indians was a great challenge as they a times discriminated Africans.

Recommendations

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 The institution should be upto date with all the activities in the field as I had trouble with some machines in the site and was not available in the institution.  The company should have incentives to motivate the workers since atimes they had low working esteem.  The Learning institution should come up with a regular time for the students to be directly be engaged in the field since our learning is mainly theorytical which makes students to be less inventive.  Companies should be up to date with the modern technology in order for them to have more output within a less period of time.  The company should improve the working conditions to motivate the workers henceforth increased output.  Students should be more creative in order for them to invent more things in the field of Engineering and be more conversant with the things in the field.

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Conclusion In other words, my attachment was the most fundamental part of my learning curriculum since I got first hand experience in the field.This is because I interacted with different races and professions of different fields. It has also been able to sharpened my leadership skills through the many times I was given the responsibilities to supervise the workers.It also gave a me a wide picture of how I should deal with people in the field. Also,it has made me understand in depth on how companies are run and managed with the structure of the company. In general,it was the best experience ever Academic wise,socially and leadership skills gotten at the field which broadened my way of thinking and perceiving things.

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References 1.Strength of materials by R.S Khurmi,1st Edition. 2.Building Construction by S.K Sharma and B.K Kaul,1st Edition. 3.Elements of Public Health Engineering by K.N Duggal. 4.Google. 5.Fundamentals of structural Analysis by S.Chand.