Earthworks

Lesson Structure

There are 7 lessons in this course:

1. SCOPE AND 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
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
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
4. LESSON 4 GRADING & EARTHMOVING
   • Stripping and siting topsoil
   • Planning grading operations
   • Filling
   • Weather conditions and water table
   • Phasing topsoil requirements
   • Preparation prior to laying topsoil
   • 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
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
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
7. SOIL STORAGE AND 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