Hey guys. I’m going to be digging a 63x 680ft long cattle barn with 12ft deep pit with 5ft of over dig all the way around and a one to one slope. I have to compact the fill back in the overdig as there will be concrete alley on both sides plus feed bunks on one side. I’m trying to figure out the most economical way of filling the trench in with dirt and compacting. I’ve been debating on renting a big plate compactor for my Cat 323F and packing it in. Does anybody know how much lifts at a time I can place in before compacting with one? Also not saying this is the route I will go so if anybody has any ideas or suggestions I’m open for anything as it’s going to take quite a bit of time. Thanks in advance
Plates work good or a wheel either one will work if your going certified test then 1 foot lifts if your not testing depending on material you could get away with 2 to 3 foot lifts if you can put enough weight down For the record I like my plate more than my wheel it works much better over pipe and things with shallow lifts and in stuff with more rock the vibration does more than the weight and a plate will leave a cleaner finish pass than a wheel
Like AzIron says, a lot depends on the soil type... not knowing the type I would agree with Az.. don't go over a foot if you don't want the concrete alleys sinking too much When you say economical do you mean including labor hours??? because I would go with a roller for that size of fill just to finish off the lifts halfway fast and not be tying up the excavator when it could be working the other side... unless time does not matter here? again a lot depends on the type of material being used...
are you going to compact the whole are or just narrow strips, if the whole thing I would go with a self propelled vibrating peanut roller , faster and cover a lot of area
No more than 1 foot, use a sheepsfoot roller. If they are testing compaction, they should be giving you a rolling schedule.
I agree. Even if you have to over dig it another foot or so to get a 48" ride on sheepsfoot behind the wall. 680' long 12' deep and 5' wide is a lot of material to compact. In order to make money on this your going to need something that can compact and cover ground quickly. I would put a CTL and 48" ride on sheepsfoot in the trench and feed the trench fill with dozer or hoe from above. Preferably a large hoe and position the material in the center of the fill lift as it makes it easier and faster to spread. Redneck I wish I could just get the testers to show and stay on the job. With the kids we have running the nukes nowadays they wouldn't know what a rolling schedule is.
I just learned how to run a nuke gauge last summer on a PennDOT FDR job and it is really straight forward. We also laid out the rolling schedule with the nuke gauge with the rollers they had on location. One sheeps foot, 2 smooth drum vibratory and a multi wheel roller. It was actually pretty interesting to watch the compaction change after every pass and when the aggregate finally broke down. I never learned much about that in school but being in the construction industry and the oil& gas industry has taught me a lot about how things should be done and not just how the book says it should be done. Still have a year to go to get my PE though! The firm I work for will gladly send out the testers on a per hour basis if the client is willing to pay for them. That PennDOT job was almost 3 weeks long. You are right about the kids though, they don't seem to know which way is up sometimes.
Redneck, good on ya man ! Sounds like you are well on your way to being a great Project Engineer someday. You have learned that it isn't always how the book says. I worked with a great project engineer on a Michigan road job years ago that had the best understanding of the real world, and the job, of any engineer I worked with in over 40 years. His words to me were, "the book is all there in black and white. Nearly everything you need to know. But if you hold the book out at arms length it all goes gray. Now, we're going to build this road, and we're going to do it right and nice. But there are multiple ways to get to the same destination. Because a man might choose to use a shovel doesn't mean he's dumb. Listen to all your people, there may be a better way. But the most important thing, on this job or any job, is it's just a road, or a bridge or a building. The most important thing is, everyone goes home at night". I never forgot that...
For sure Sleddog. My experiences outside of engineering have been invaluable in keeping my head out of my behind. The gas industry was HUGE on the safety stuff. Almost to a fault. Someone could do something stupid (literally smacking themselves in the face with a wrench for example and yes it did happen) and soon we would have a new policy on it instead of calling it like it was. That kind of stuff drove me nuts. I have learned to tell the boss I won't do something or let someone do something that I don't think is safe. The job isn't worth hurting someone permanently.
JJH what kind of equipment do you have at your disposal for this job? I should've asked that question in my post above. RNR and Sled - ditto on the commentary. The way I look at it is the "book" is a guide like an old Rand McNally road map my parents kept in the car for long road trips. That map will take you to where you need to go if you know how to read it, however there are thousands of experiences along those red, green or black roads printed on the paper. Best analogy I could come up with.
We use an Allis Chalmers WD-45 compactor when nothing else will fit in . The narrow front allows you to compact everywhere in the ditch / keyway . As the lift comes up & gets wider hop in with a Minneapolis Moline . Finish it off with a WABCO C-Pull .
Do not get anywhere close to a new poured wall with a motor scraper ! The wall won't take the compaction . Nope ! LOL