ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First I would like to thank God for being with me all the way from the beginning to the end of
this practice. I am highly indebted to Ato/Eng. Ameha, site engineer at the net consult, who spent his
precious time explaining to me all the things that was done on the field and office. I am also grateful to
the help and support I got from my family all the way from the field practice to the writing of the
report.
It is also my wish to express my gratitude and appreciations to Eng.kedir, Eng. Mekbib and Eng.
Samson for their contribution in clarifying some inconvenience that happen on the site and office. I
would also like to express my gratitude for Behayilu Stegaye for his tireless help in this report.
Last but not least I would like to thank ArbaMinch University department of civil engineering
for arranging this field practice session based on my interest on the allocation of site.

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INTRODUCTION
It is a known fact that our country, Ethiopia, is showing some impressive progress in the building
construction field these days. Private constructions and real estates are giving cities like Addis Ababa
a spectacular look. Apart from these high cost constructions the city municipality by itself is trying to
help the middle and lower class society live a better life by building condominium apartments. These
condos are almost every where on the peripheries of Addis and they come in different forms and
designs. Besides, these buildings are also special in that they are designed to cost a lesser amount of
money. In addition the government is trying their best in the construction of service sectors like health
center, youngs center, schools and other service sector buildings for the public use.
Among the various building designs of these buildings, most of them are done by the
office of works and urban development where I was able to take my practical attachment. The sub
office is called governmental and public organization design and execution office. Their work is
supervision and execution of these organizational, governmental and public buildings.

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Part one
Sub structure work
Sub structure is one part of a structure which is found below the ground surface. It is used to
transfer load from super structure (i.e. the structural part which is found above the ground surface) to the
ground surface mainly soil mass or bed rock. In this stage of construction work the following works are to
be done at the site of the project:

1.1 Preparation of the project site

This is the first stage in construction work. At this stage the site is prepared as follows:
Clearing the site,
Dewatering if any water exist,
Preparing place for storing construction material,
Preparing a haul road and other such things are done.

1.2 SETTING OUT

The very first task before the erection of any building is the proper setting out. Setting out, which
is a task of field surveyors, is a process of putting the exact/actual form of the building from a plan or
map provided to the ground. Given the site plan, the surveyors will indicate the posterior column
edges of the buildings corners using pegs. Take the figure below for instance. Here the surveyor will
mark points A, B, C and D using pegs.

Fig. 1 setting out (Pegs showing posterior edge of columns)

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Once these points are indicated, the construction site has to be cleared of any obstruction to the work.
Following the clearance bulk excavation will be held. In most cases bulldozers are utilized both for the
site clearance and bulk excavation at once. For the bulldozers to operate in an accurate manner they
will be given a minimum of 1 meter working space. Here is what has been done by the engineers
before the excavation as not to miss the pegs during the bulk excavation.

1.3 EXCAVATION
EXCAVATION:

is the process of removing a certain depth/thickness of soil below a given level of

reference. This level of reference could be either the NGL or the RGL.
NGL (Natural Ground Level): is the elevation of the natural surface of the ground where there may be life
forms such as grass. The grass and any other obstruction to the construction are cleared off.
RGL (Reduced Ground Level): is the ground level attained after trimming off the top fertile soil layer with
a thickness range of usually 20-60cm. In which the later depth is trimmed in the case of soils like
black cotton.
Three types of excavation were mainly held on the building at the project where I practiced.
They are:
Bulk excavation,
Pit excavation, and
Trench excavation

Bulk Excavation: is the first excavation that takes place on site. It involves the removal of the top
soil. The top soil is removed to different depths according to the type of the soil at hand. If the soil is
believed to have good engineering qualities/properties, the excavation could be done only to a depth of
20cm below the NGL. On the contrary if the soil possesses poor engineering properties, the top soil
may need to be excavated to a depth of 60cm and more. In the case of black cotton soil ,it has been
recommended to remove the top soil to a minimum depth of 60cm of the entire building area including
walkway around the building and replace it with non-expansive selected material and compact it in
layers not exceeding 20cm by sprinkling water until it attains 95% modified AASHTO dry density.
Other type of excavation where not performed during I was there. In foundation work the things that I
saw was this.

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Part two
Material preparation (concrete preparation)
Concrete:

is a material that forms by the proportioned and well monitored mixing of aggregate,
cement and water. Concrete is known for its high compressive strength. After the mix has been cast, it
will take it 28 days to attain its maximum compressive strength.
Concrete is made by mixing: Cement, water, course fine aggregates and admixtures (if
required). The aim is to mix these materials in measured amounts to make concrete that is easy to:
Transport, place, compact, finish and which will set, and harden, to give a strong and durable product.
The amount of each material (i.e. cement, water and aggregates) affects the properties of hardened
concrete.
The three ingredients of concrete: aggregate, cement and water are combined to give a hard and
monolithic solid that would take the form of the container (formwork) it has been casted in to this while
it was fresh.
For the concrete to meet its intended purposes its ingredients have to be of good quality and the
batching and mixing of the ingredients/constituents should be handled in a concrete friendly
environment.
Aggregate falls in to two categories based on size:
1. Coarse aggregate
2. Fine aggregate

2.1. Measurement of the Ingredients of Concrete

Cement comes from the factory in bags/sachets. It is with the number of bags of cement consumed
that that we measure the amount of cement. However the other ingredients do not come in bags, so a
field measurement is essential. The amount of both fine and coarse aggregate could be measured in two
ways:
i.
Measure by weight
ii.
Measure by volume

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1. Measure by weight
This is a method where a beam balance or scale balance is used to measure and adjust the right
quantity (in grams, kilograms) of sand and aggregate. For a person to use this method, its better to
have the mix ratio by weight.

For instance: for a mix ratio by volume of 1:2:3 (1 cement, 2 sand & 3 aggregate) the ratio could
be converted in to weight as follows.
1 bag/sack of cement weighs 50Kg
Therefore the sand should weigh 2*50Kg = 100Kg and
The aggregate should weigh 3*50Kg = 150Kg.
But this method of measuring is time taking and not applicable in smaller constructions.

2. Measure by Volume
This method is highly practiced on site and is seen to be widespread on the project sites I was
practiced too. In applying this method it is usual to see people in the construction world use boxes made
either from wood or metal of various sizes and volumes.

As in most building constructions in our country, this method of measuring was the one that was
mostly adopted on the bole summit condominium houses project. The mix ratios were delivered to the
contractors and the site engineer taking in to consideration the use of measuring boxes. Thus a box
having a volume of 32,000cm3 were used. Accordingly boxes of the following dimensions were
produced:
i.40cmx50cmx16cmwhen struck volume is used, and

ii.40cmx50cmx18cmwhen hipped with an inclination of 1:2 (H: V)

2.2 Batching Of Concrete

According to the material specification provided the ingredients of concrete are mixed with a
certain ratio for different concrete works. They are of different grade (i.e. their strength, durability)
are different. And hence they are used in different structure according to the structural
requirement. For instance concrete of type:
C5is used for lean concrete.
C15for ground floor slabs.
C25for all other structural elements.
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The mixing ratio of the sand, cement and coarse aggregate + water differs from one concrete type
to another. The mix design by volume specifies that for lean concrete a mix ratio of 1:6:7 (1 cement: 6
sand and 7 aggregate) should be used. A mix of 1:2:3 was adopted for all other concrete works. Refer to
the table below for more information.

Design mix
quality

Max. size of
coarse
aggregate
C15
20mm
C20
20mm
C25
20mm
Table concrete mixes.

Minimum
Cement
content
200kg/m3
250 kg/m3
360 kg/m3

Minimum crushing
Alternative
strength of test cubes
Nominal
Mixes by weight
7 days
28 days
9.0N/mm2
15.0 N/mm2 1:4:8
2
14.0 N/mm 20.0 N/mm2 1:4:6
17.0 N/mm2 25.0 N/mm2 1:4:6

Max. w/c
Ratio by
weight
0.7
0.7
0.7

The ESCP-2: part 1:1983 also has another method of preparation of different type of
grade of concrete using standard box sizes measured in cm .the volume of coarse
aggregate sand and water used is given in the table below per 50 kg bag of cement for
different grade of concrete.

Fig. measuring boxes

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2.3 Desired properties of concrete

Workability: The concrete mix should be workable, so that it can be placed and consolidated
properly by the workmen.
Hardness, cohesiveness and strength:
Concrete must be resistant to freezing, thawing, water tight( permeable), wear resistance, and
strength.
Economy:
Since the quality mainly depends on the w/c ratio, the water requirement should be minimized
to reduce the cement requirement and hence cost.
Curing: the process of setting or becoming rigid and strong.
2.4 Mixing of concrete
The process of combining the ingredients of concrete to give the required property such as:
strength, durability, workability and other. Mostly it is done by mixers and manually if the
project is small and the concrete needed is small enough to mix with hand.

Fig. Concrete mixer

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Mixing time:
It is important to know the minimum mixing time necessary to produce a concrete of
uniform composition, and of reliable strength.
The mixing time or period should be measured from time all the cementing materials and
aggregates are in mixer drum till taking out the concrete.
Mixing time depends on the type and size of mixer, on the speed of rotation, and on the quality
of blending of ingredients during charging of the mixer. Generally, a mixing time of less than 1
to 1.25 minutes produces appreciable non-uniformity in composition and a significant lower
strength; mixing beyond 2 minutes causes no significant improvement in these pro

Table: Recommended minimum mixing times

Capacity of mixer (yd) Mixing time (Minutes)

Up to 1
1
2
1.25
3
1.5
4
1.75
5
2
6
2.25
10
3.25

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Part three
Super structure work
3.1 column work
Column is as structural part of a building which is a vertical member that support vertical,
horizontal and moments coming from the beam ,slab, stair and other member of the structure and
transfer it to the sub structure i.e. foundation.
A column in structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through
compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the
purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces.
Other compression members are often termed "columns" because of the similar stress
conditions. Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on which the upper parts
of walls or ceilings rest. In architecture "column" refers to such a structural element that also
has certain proportional and decorative features. A column might also be a decorative or
triumphant feature but need not be supporting any structure e.g. a statue on top.

Construction:
A column is constructed at the site of the project, they may be pre stressed or not according to
the need. The supporting structure is built (i.e. form work) to the correct dimensions, in order
to make the column may fit. The in situ concrete columns are built on the building site using
form work (a type of boxing in to which the wet concrete is poured to produce good bond
between steel reinforcement and concrete. The reinforcing bars are positioned with in the form
work according to the drawing before the concrete is poured in. plastic tipped metal, or plastic
bar chairs are used to hold the reinforcing bars away from the bottom and the sides of the form
work, so that when the concrete sets it completely envelops the reinforcement.
The form work is commonly built from wooden planks and boards, rigid plastic,
or steel. After the concrete has set the wood may be removed, or left there permanently.
Foundations column:
A column that carries the load down to a foundation must have means to transfer the load
without overstressing the foundation material. Reinforced concrete and masonry columns are
generally built directly on top of concrete foundations. A steel column, when seated on a
concrete foundation, must have a base plate to spread the load over a larger area and thereby
reduce the bearing pressure. The base plate is a thick rectangular steel plate usually welded to
the bottom end of the column.

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Extensions column:
When a column is too long to be built or transported in one piece, it has to be extended or
spliced at the construction site. A reinforced concrete column is extended by having the steel
reinforcing bars protrude a few inches or feet above the top of the concrete, then placing the
next level of reinforcing bars to overlap, and pouring the concrete of the next level. A steel
column is extended by welding or bolting splice plates on the flanges and webs or walls of the

columns to provide a few inches or feet of load transfer from the upper to the lower column
section. A timber column is usually extended by the use of a steel tube or wrapped-around
sheet-metal plate bolted onto the two connecting timber sections.

Fig.(a)foundation Column

fig.(b) extension column

3.2 beam work

A beam is a structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending.
The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight,
span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.
Beams generally carry vertical gravitational forces but can also be used to carry horizontal loads (i.e.,
loads due to an earthquake or wind). The loads carried by a beam are transferred to columns, walls, or
girders, which then transfer the force to adjacent structural compression members.
Construction: The construction of beam is the same as the case of column, but in this case the form
work is set up in the horizontal direction, while in the case of column it is laid vertical. The placing,
compacting and curing processes are the same.

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Fig. Beam

3.3 slab work

Concrete slabs are used for the foundations of houses and other buildings. They are reinforced
by the steel framework, but for simple houses, theyre enough to serve as a foundation. Thick slabs
that are about 10 to 50 centimeters thick are usually used for the flooring of buildings and also for
the roof or the ceiling. Thinner slabs can be used for the pavement of walkways and driveways.
What makes concrete slabs so great is because they are so durable. Concrete is made of
cement mixed with water and other aggregate materials such as gravel, sand, limestone, and
other chemicals that are bonded together in such a way that creates one of the best building
materials in the world. Not only that, concrete is also hailed as the most popular building
material due to its durability, workability and affordability.
In building concrete slab, a number of steps need to be taken before the pouring of the
concrete. To prevent cracks, the earth beneath it must be compacted very well. Also, sand and
gravel is usually placed down between the earth and concrete to protect the foundation from
moisture.
Construction:
A concrete slab may be prefabricated or in situ. Prefabricated concrete slabs are built in a
factory and transported to the site, ready to be lowered into place between steel or concrete
beams. They may be pre-stressed (in the factory), post-stressed (on site), or unstressed. It is
vital that the supporting structure is built to the correct dimensions, or the slabs may not fit.
In situ concrete slabs are built on the building site using formwork - a type of boxing into
which the wet concrete is poured. If the slab is to be reinforced, the rebars are positionined
within the formwork before the concrete is poured in. Plastic tipped metal, or plastic bar chairs
are used to hold the rebar away from the bottom and sides of the form-work, so that when the
concrete sets it completely envelops the reinforcement. For a ground slab, the form-work may
consist only of sidewalls pushed into the ground. For a suspended slab, the form-work is
shaped like a tray, often supported by a temporary scaffold until the concrete sets.

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The formwork is commonly built from wooden planks and boards, plastic, or steel. On
commercial building sites today, plastic and steel are more common as they save labor. On
low-budget sites, for instance when laying a concrete garden path, wooden planks are very
common. After the concrete has set the wood may be removed, or left there permanently.
In some cases formwork is not necessary - for instance, a ground slab surrounded by
brick or block foundation walls, where the walls act as the sides of the tray and hardcore acts as
the base.

Fig.slab reiforcement

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Part four
Placing, Casting and compaction of concrete
4.1 Concrete Casting In the Pad
Formwork: is a temporary structure built to contain fresh concrete so as to form it to the required shape
and dimensions and to support it until it becomes self supporting.
A formwork includes the surface in contact with concrete and any necessary concrete supporting
structure. The surface should be smooth. A formwork should be sufficiently rigid and by no means
defective throughout the placing, ramming, vibrating and setting of the concrete without visible
deflection. A formwork must not buckle or deflect in any way more than the specification. For this
reason it will be supported every 50cm if it is made of timber and every 60cm if made from steel/iron.

Back Filling:
Backfill is a selected and approved material that is used to fill a void/depression/pit/or trench dug.
And backfilling is the process of filling a depression or void with a selected material and compacting it.
A backfill should not have organic material such as pieces of wood and roots embedded with in it.
If the soil on the site is capable of being compacted and forming a stable filling, it is useful/better to do
the backfilling with material excavated on the site.

4.2 Placing of concrete

The operation of placing and compaction are interdependent and are carried out
simultaneously. They are most important for the purpose of ensuring the requirements of
strength, impermeability and durability of hardened concrete in the actual structure i.e. beam
column or slab. As for as placing is concerned, the main objective is to deposit the concrete as
close as possible to its final position so that segregation is avoided and the concrete can be
fully compacted. The aim of good concrete placing can be stated quite simply.
It is to get the concrete into position at a speed, and in a condition, that allow it to be
compacted properly.
To achieve proper placing following rules should be kept in mind:

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1. The concrete should be placed in uniform layers, not in large heaps or sloping
layers.
2. The thickness of the layer should be compatible with the method of vibration so
that entrapped air can be removed from the bottom of each layer.
3. The rate of placing and of compaction should be equal. If you proceed too slowly,
the mix could stiffen so that it is no longer sufficiently workable. On no account
should water ever be added to concrete that is setting. On the other hand, if you go
too quickly, you might race ahead of the compacting gang, making it impossible
for them to do their job properly.
4. Each layer should be fully compacted before placing the next one, and each
subsequent layer should be placed whilst the underlying layer is still plastic so
that monolithic construction is achieved
5. Collision between concrete and formwork or reinforcement should be avoided.
6. For deep sections, a long down pipe ensures accuracy of location of concrete and
minimum segregation.
7. You must be able to see that the placing is proceeding correctly, so lighting
should be available for large, deep sections, and thin walls and columns.

4.3 Compaction of concrete

Once the concrete has been placed, it is ready to be compacted. The purpose of compaction is
to get rid of the air voids that are trapped in loose concrete.
It is important to compact the concrete fully because:

Air voids reduce the strength of the concrete. For every 1% of entrapped air, the
strength falls by somewhere between 5 and 7%. This means that concrete
containing a mere 5% air voids due to incomplete compaction can lose as much as
one third of its strength.
Air voids increase concrete's permeability. That in turn reduces its durability. If
the concrete is not dense and impermeable, it will not be watertight. It will be less
able to withstand aggression and its exposed surfaces will weather badly.
Moisture and air are more likely to penetrate to the reinforcement causing it to
rust.
Air voids impair contact between the mix and reinforcement (and, indeed, any
other embedded metals). The required bond will not be achieved and the
reinforced member will not be as strong as it should be.
Air voids produce blemishes on struck surfaces. For instance, blowholes and
honeycombing might occur.

Summing up, fully compacted concrete is dense, strong and durable; badly compacted
concrete will be porous, weak and prone to rapid deterioration. Sooner or later it will have to be
repaired or replaced. It pays, therefore, to do the job properly in the first place.

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Stiff mixes contain far more air than workable ones. That is one of the reasons why a lowslump concrete requires more compactive effort than one with a higher slump - the compaction
needs to continue for a longer time, or more equipment has to be used.
Even air-entrained concrete needs to be compacted to get rid of entrapped air voids. The
difference between air voids and entrained air bubbles should be noted at this stage. The air
bubbles that are entrained are relatively small and spherical in shape, increase the workability of
the mix, reduce bleeding, and increase frost resistance. Entrapped air on the other hand tends to
be irregular in shape and is detrimental to the strength of the mix. It is to remove this air that the
concrete must be properly compacted. There is little danger that compaction will remove the
minute air bubbles that have been deliberately entrained, since they are so stable.

Vibration:
To compact concrete you apply energy to it so that the mix becomes more fluid. Air trapped
in it can then rise to the top and escape. As a result, the concrete becomes consolidated, and you
are left with a good dense material that will, after proper curing, develop its full strength and
durability.
Vibration is the next and quickest method of supplying the energy. Manual techniques
such as rodding are only suitable for smaller projects. Various types of vibrator are available
for use on site.
1. The workability of the concrete: the less workable the mix, the longer it must be
vibrated.
2. The energy put in by the vibrator: bigger vibrators do the job faster.
3. The depth of the concrete: thick sections take longer.

Fig.vibrator

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Part five
Bill of Quantity and specification
This is office work where civil engineers are selecting the type of material they used at the
construction site and specify the quantity of the material they use and also the cost of each
material used and total cost of the whole project.
Procedure of calculation
The specification and bill of quantity is done in tabular form. I will try to explain the
procedure as follows. We prepare a column that shows the following item in each column.
These are: description of the work, the unit in which it is expressed, the quantity, rate of price
per unit measurement and the total amount as shown in the sample of bill of quantity and
Specification loundary of health center below. Column six is the total cost of the work which is
found by multiplying column five with column four.
The description of the material is divided in to two measure construction work, sub structure
and super structure. And further they are classified according to the element (member) of the
structure. See s sample of bill of quantity and material specification shown in the next page.

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Part six
Conclusion and Recommendation
6.1 Conclusion
The field practice has played a tremendous role in equipping, students with the practical
knowledge of understanding and implementing field exercises in civil engineering. It helped us develop
self confidence and introduced us to the world of construction. It helps the student to practically
understand the theory they learned in the class. It also acquainted us with the knowledge required to
monitor construction sites.
On the site I worked I have tried to see the excavation, setting out, slab construction, beam
construction and other construction stages stated above. Foundation is the structure that transfers load
from the building to the soil underneath. And this is the part of the construction work where high
precision and control is necessary. My being there at the time of construction of this structure was
helpful in all manners.
The whole process beginning from the sub-surface investigation to the finalizing steps in the
construction of the foundation is basic and needs a little more care than do others. This is because the
minimum of mistakes made in the construction of the foundation may lead to a disastrous collapse/
failure of the whole building. Therefore the processes and activities mentioned on the report should be
strictly followed and controlled.
I have taken good lessons out of what I used to see on site while the site engineers were
doing their job (following up and controlling the construction) and I believe that by the time I move out
to the field, I will be able to conduct the supervision work with only little help from those who had long
years experience in the field.

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6.2 Recommendation
During the stay I had on site, I was able to see construction of the foundation, beam, and column
and slab elements deeply. With the assistance of various site engineers, I followed up the construction of
various apartments. As I have mentioned in the conclusion, high care should be given to the foundation
work as the slightest mistake may result in a risky situation. But wrong handlings and practices were
seen being made by contractors (contradicting the contract agreement they signed), knowingly or
unknowingly. Some wrong doings are listed below.
Some individuals:

Fail to begin construction on time.

Tie reinforcement bars and stirrups in a way that dont match the design.
Use stones and other materials of unknown thickness in place of spacers.
Use volume mixing, which is not permitted. This is because the weight of damp aggregate must
be adjusted to take in to account the weight if water in the aggregates, which in turn affects the
amount of water to be added to the mix.
Fail to cure the concrete and many expose the concrete surface to direct sunlight.
Over vibrate the concrete.
Remove the formworks and panels carelessly, which highly disturbs the setting/hardening
concrete.

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