OBJECTIVES:

As a civil engineering student in Oman it is very important to increase ones knowledge on the subject of construction equipment and methods. Through investigation on the local applications and costs of existing construction equipment in Oman students will be familiar with the local application of these instruments and also common problems that occurs in Oman while using these equipment. Therefore they will be able to put this knowledge in practice later in their career to select the appropriate equipment that meets the purpose required to solve a specific problem on construction sites.

OUTCOMES:

• Apply the knowledge gained above to develop safe and sustainable solutions to site situations;

• Appraise the solutions developed above to propose the most desirable solution in the circumstances

• Present the solutions in a form which could be understood and acted on by site personnel

TASKS

1. Review any five of available plants and earthwork equipment in Oman. Write a report regarding the differences you discover in the major four characteristics (e.g. Capacity, speed, economy factor, etc.) of the machines.

2. What is the average cost of hiring or purchasing earthwork plants in Oman?

3. Students are requested to investigate on local applications of the equipment they choose in task 1, in Oman. How are they used in real life situation? i.e., construction site. Explain your observations of the local applications of this equipment in Oman. Moreover report one specific problem that is common in application of this machine in Oman and discuss the possible solutions

Instructions

• Choose a specific machine from one production but different models(e.g. excavator , Caterpillar , model A-2012 and model B-2013) or choose one machine from two different production but with similar applications ( e.g. bulldozer JCB S130LC model and Bulldozer Komatsu D65EX ). Caterpillar produces different models of excavator you can identify the differences between the models or similar model of a plant in different making like Caterpillar and Komatsu.

• You can review the brochures, and catalogues of companies that produce machinery online or through contacts in contractor or consultant offices.

• In order to find out about costs you can contact contractors and companies who offer the plants for rentals or purchasing in Oman.

• Next step is to put this information into a report format. You must use your writing skills to compose an essay. An essay must have introduction, the main part or the body and a conclusion

• For task 2 it is suggested to prepare the answer in a table with proper referencing