The job of a civil engineer is all-encompassing. They have to initiate, plan, manage, and timely complete projects like building bridges, highways, and waterways. To get the job done, they use specialized equipment, tools, and instruments that help them throughout the process.
Civil engineers rely on heavy machinery, survey equipment, earth moving equipment, and other tools to make their job easy and comfortable. Without proper equipment, it becomes difficult for engineers to follow the design build and construction plan efficiently.
Civil engineers also use geographic information systems and various drafting techniques to plot and map out specific locations. In addition to this, they use software that helps them build virtual structures and come up with feasible designs.
In addition to these, civil construction also involves the use of various survey equipment to measure land and water areas. This usually involves the use of sophisticated GPS devices designed especially for these applications.
This blog discusses some of the most commonly used heavy machinery in civil construction.
Excavator
Excavators are essential for civil construction. Along with performing the excavation job, excavators also help in heavy lifting, demolition, tree cutting, and river dredging.
Excavators contain a digging bucket attached to a long arm. The operator operates and regulates the heavy machine from the cab of the excavator. The cabin of the excavator can be rotated 360 degrees, allowing the operator to work on multiple areas of the site from one place.
Excavators are available for both wheeled and tracked forms of a vehicle.
Backhoe
This is another widely used earth-moving equipment used to perform multiple functions in construction.
The digging arrangements are at the backside of the equipment while the loading bucket is at the front.
Backhoe loaders are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment used in civil construction. They have a wide span of uses across the construction industry. They can be used as
- Digging holes
- Excavation
- Earthmoving equipment
- Landscaping
- Small demolitions at the construction site
- Breaking up of concrete and asphalt
- Loading and unloading materials
- Digging trenches
The front bucket can also be replaced with other equipment like an auger, hammer, or grappler.
Bulldozer
Bulldozers are another widely used type of equipment in the construction industry. Due to its wide track, bulldozers can deal with difficult terrain no matter the construction site. The track helps to disperse the bulldozer’s weight across the wide footprint. This special track allows bulldozers to work on sites that are muddy and slippery for other equipment or vehicles to work on.
It is primarily used as earth moving equipment, the blade in front of the bulldozer is used to remove soil, debris, and sand on the construction site. The blade plate is lowered and pressed by hydraulic pistons.
The bulldozer can also have an attachment at the back called a ripper. The ripper is used to cut surfaces like pavement, asphalt, surface rock, or concrete.
Grader
Motor graders or simply graders are types of heavy equipment used in the construction of roads. They are mainly used to level the soil or wet concrete surface.
Graders have a blade between the front and rear wheels. This blade is lowered to the ground while working. The operating cabin is on the top of the rear arrangement of the machine. Motor graders are earth-moving equipment and are also used to remove snow from the roads, unnecessary soil from the surface, and level the surface before laying asphalt.
While the bulldozers are used for rough grading at the construction site, graders are used to finishing grading. Thanks to the adjustable blade of the grader they can be adjusted to achieve a high level of precision.
Some of the other heavy equipment used in the civil construction projects are
- Trencher
- Wheel tractor scraper
- Loader
- Tower crane and more
Final thoughts
Like any other industry, the construction industry can produce excellent, strong, and successful projects only when they have the necessary equipment and tools. So, if you are planning to invest in any construction project may it be of any scale from civil construction to residential construction, knowing the required tools and equipment is a plus point. This knowledge will help you determine the expected efficiency from a construction contractor.
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