Sneak Peek
Learn how to move earth properly and fully understand the implications of what you are doing
Often earthmoving is planned and/ or carried out by people who may know how to physically do the job, but don’t appreciate the ramifications of what they are doing. Changing soil surface levels can change drainage patterns leading to flooding or erosion. Changing the nature or structure of soil can affect it’s stability and it’s biological health. People who plan or execute the movement of earth changing soil characteristics and topography; can easily cause issues that will create unnecessary additional work and costs later on. Undertaking this course can be an important step toward managing risks created by ill informed earthworks.
Course Code: SGT2
THE CONTENTS OF THE COURSE
LESSON 1 SCOPE & NATURE OF EARTHWORKS
Nature of Earthworks
Surveying and levelling
Excavation
Shoring
Installation of services and drainage
Fill
Earthworks applications
Landscaping and landscape architecture
Agriculture and farming
Environmental management and land rehabilitation
Civil engineering and construction
Land clearance
Grading and levelling land
Levelling terminology
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 2 SITE PREPARATION
Surveying and Levelling
Levelling
Taking levels
Triangulation
Site Investigation, Soil and Subsoil
Investigating soil characteristics
Soil types
Land Clearing - topsoil, weeds, location of services, water bodies, access
Surveying techniques
Trigonometrical levelling
Field work
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 3 GROUND SURFACE SHAPING
Earth Forming
Ground Shapes
Limitations imposed by machines and materials
Cost factors
Functional aspect of land use
Site physiology, water table
Angle of slopes
Plant cover
Creating Mounds
How To Build a Raised Garden Bed
Shaping sloping ground
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 4 GRADING & EARTHMOVING
Stripping and siting topsoil
Planning grading operations
Filling
Weather conditions and water table
Phasing topsoil requirements
Preparation prior to topsoiling
Grading Principles and Methods
Grading considerations
Site grading drawings
Earthmoving Tools
Earthmoving Machinery
Fixed machines
Moving machines
Tractors
Loaders
Back hoes
Bull dozer
Excavator, graders, scrapers, etc.
Earthmoving
Shape stability
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 5 EARTHWORKS CALCULATIONS
Cut & Fill Calculations
Measuring cross sections
Prismoidal Formula/ Simpson’s 1/3 Rule
Other methods
Earthworks calculation software
Angle of repose
Drainage Considerations
Earthwork calculation
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 6 STABILISING METHODS
Compaction
Required degree of compaction
Dynamic compaction
Types of rollers
Tampers
Avoiding compaction
Surface Treatments
Drainage
Improving water infiltration
Machine or hand cultivation
Mixing soil additives
Chemical treatments - lime, gypsum, buffered poly-lignosulphonates, etc
Improving Surface Drainage After Construction
Sand slitting, Aerating, Subsoiling
Points To Remember When Designing a Drainage System
Drainage Effectiveness
Rate of Excess Water Reaching Soil
Soil stabilisation material
Soil stabilisation methods
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 7 SOIL STORAGE & FILLING
Removal, Storage and Reinstatement of Topsoil
Stockpiling procedures
Removal
Storage/ Proper storage
Reinstatement of topsoil
Filling Materials waste materials, water borne soil transportation
Working With Filled Land
Rehabilitation
Mining sites
Building sites
Growing plants
Phytoremediation
Dealing with erosion
Sediment and erosion control
Final Assessment
LEARN TO APPRECIATE ALL THE FACTORS THAT IMPACT WHAT YOU DO
Earthworks can be more complicated than what might first meet the eye.
The nature of soil structure, plant populations and ground shapes in any natural area is something that develops over thousands of years, eventually reaching a position of relative environmental equilibrium. That ecosystem will have become relatively stable. When we carry out earthworks, we are always disturbing nature's stability. In doing so, we are creating unseen potentially significant and uncontrollable problems. This is why it is important to be properly educated in earthworks and to apply the knowledge to maximise on site stability after disturbing natural stability.
After deciding to change the ground surface of a site, it is critical to apply principles such as the following:
Stripping Topsoil
Topsoil stripped after site clearance operations may be removed from the site to be utilised elsewhere or temporarily stored in heaps to be respread after grading or building operations have been completed.
Siting Topsoil Storage
Temporary top- and subsoil heaps are sited in consideration of the site works, building operations and the planning of grading operations, and taking into account the flow of surface water drainage during site operations.
Planning Grading Operations
Grading operations need to be planned in accordance with the building operations, and in a way which minimises excessive surface compaction by machines and the mixing of top- and subsoil.
Filling
If filled areas must hold true to level, it may be necessary to deposit fill in horizontal layers using separate compaction operations for each layer.
In large projects involving artificial mounds or hills, a distinction can be made between the following types of fill:
- Dumped fill – here the excavated material is dumped without selection as it is excavated
- End dumping – here the excavated material is pushed over the edge of a valley
- Selected fill – here the excavated material is divided for different levels and tasks in the filling operations
Weather Conditions
The grading operations should be planned with respect to the anticipated weather conditions occurring throughout the year. In periods with long, relatively dry weather conditions, the operations are likely simplified and therefore less costly.
Water Table
Grading operations may affect the existing water table. If an excavations cuts across a water table, adequate drainage must be provided. If mounds are created above the normal land surface, an artificially elevated water level may need to be produced to supply proposed vegetation on the mound, using flat saucers formed in an impervious topping to the basic grading (beneath the topsoil).
Phasing Topsoil Replacements
Topsoil replacement operations should be phased so that the topsoil is not left in temporary heaps longer than necessary, and compaction of respread topsoil by machines operation on the site is prevented.
Preparation Prior to Topsoiling
Surface of areas which have been excavated into impervious or heavy subsoils should be ploughed or otherwise broken up before topsoil is respread to improve the drainage of these areas.
Where Can this Knowledge be Applied?
Knowledge of earthworks is essential for building and land management, in both urban and rural locations, both of developed and undeveloped sites. Even redevelopment of an old site will commonly require some earthworks. Changing ground surface slopes or the structure and fertility of soil without due consideration can have a big impact on whatever a piece of land is used for moving forward. Earthworks are often carried out for many different purposes, including the following:
- Preparing land for farming, road or building construction.
- Installation of services such as water, power, gas or other services to homes and commercial properties
- Landscape construction – from home gardens and parks to golf courses and sportsgrounds
- Building water storage dams, lakes or reservoirs
- Diverting natural watercourses (rivers, streams, creeks)
- Drainage, erosion and flood control
- Providing access to inaccessible areas for better resource management (eg. fire access, walking trails, etc)
- Burying household or industrial waste (landfill tipping)
- Mining operations.
- Railway construction
This course can be valuable training for anyone working or hoping to work in any of these areas.