PERFORMANCE OF CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY

What are construction machinery?

Construction machinery is a set of machines that are used to replace, assist or

improve the work of man in the construction industry. Since ancient times, the
the ingenuity of man led him to conceive tools and machines that allowed him to increase the
production and dignifying their work, facilitating a more noble use of their abilities. The machines, when
increase performance and reduce costs and deadlines, have allowed for works that improve the
level and living conditions of humanity.

CONCEPTS USED IN MACHINERY

Power: It is the energy of action or the ability to perform work at a speed.

Determined. Power is required to push or pull a load.
Available power: It is the one provided by the machine to execute a certain amount of
work, that is, the ability of a machine to perform work
specific to a determined speed.
Usable or necessary power: It is the minimum amount that has to be developed by a
machine for a specific job considering the restrictions imposed by the
working conditions.
Traction force or drawbar pull: It is the force that the vehicle generates through its driving forces.
or traction multiplied by the traction coefficient.

The study of the different classes of power and the factors that affect each of them gives us
to know the reasons why a machine may or may not perform a specific job.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE PERFORMANCE

Rolling resistance: It is the force that the ground opposes to the rotation of the wheels.
the vehicle will not move while this force is not overcome. This resistance is measured in
kilograms and the force required to move it is expressed in kilograms of traction.
It depends on the type of soil and the inflation of the tires (when applicable).
Resistance due to slope: Due to the force of gravity acting on the vehicle, the
The slope of the terrain provides resistance to the movement of the machine during ascent. This
resistance is measured in kilograms. When descending a slope, the force of gravity
it is favorable and is called assistance in progress.
Operational effectiveness: It is the percentage of time that the machine is actually working.
during the eight hours of the workday. This factor is determined by each employer or
contractor and is generally 5/6 which means that the machine works 50 out of 60
minutes (0.83).
 Weather conditions: The effective working hours of a team are affected by
the rain, wind, and unfavorable weather conditions.
Effects of altitude on sea level: It should be taken into account that as altitude increases...
Altitude above sea level decreases atmospheric pressure and reduces power output.
natural suction engine. Logically, the vehicle's traction force is reduced.
Skill and expertise of the operators
Distances at which materials must be transported or moved: To establish the type
and the number of machines to be used, considering: length, slope, conditions
of the haul road, surface of the loading areas.
the availability of spare parts

CALCULATION OF A MACHINE'S PERFORMANCE

The optimal efficiency of a machine is the ratio between performance and expenses that results in
resulting in the lowest possible cost per unit of material moved. Directly influencing the
productivity factors such as the weight-to-power ratio, capacity, type of transition
speeds and operating costs. There are other less direct factors that influence the
operation and productivity of machines such as ease of service, safety;
availability of parts and the conveniences for the operator; which cannot be displayed in
tables and graphs and will depend on the judgment and experience of the people involved with the
calculation of these productivities.

There are several ways to understand the performance of a machine, having to take into account the
necessary care to apply the values obtained with any of them, as they would see some
regarding others:

General formula to determine performance

A formula that can be used to determine the performance of any machine with
regular cycle is:

Where:

Q = Capacity, leveled or full

K = Efficiency factor of the bucket or box

E = Machine efficiency factor

 F.V. = Abundance factor

RPM = Revolutions per minute

If the result needs to be expressed in cubic meters in the bank, F.V. has a value that is
determines the abundance observed below in the abundance factors table.

If the efficiency is about 0.80, it takes 50 minutes instead of 60, per hour.

The K factor can be suppressed when full compacted loads are taken.

Under these conditions, the following simplified formula can be used:

If a duration of 45 minutes is used, this formula becomes:

Volumetric capacity of the machine

Cycle time

Where:

Tf = Fixed time. Which is one that does not change for the same type of machine and
small duration work, maneuvers, loading and unloading.

Tv = Variable time. It is one that depends on the distance to be covered and of the
speed.
Number of cycles per hour

Theoretical performance

⁄ ( )

Performance of efficiencies

Factors:

Factor of abundance

Classes of earth Percentage of abundance

The arena or clean recording From 5 to 15
Artificial soil From 10 to 25
Lama land From 10 to 35
Common land From 20 to 45
Clay From 30 to 60
Solid rock From 50 to 80

Factor by soil type

Work performance factor based on site conditions and
quality of management

Conditions of management coefficient

work Excellent Good Regular Bad
Excellent 1.00 0.84 0.81 0.76 0.70
Good 0.95 0.78 0.75 0.71 0.65
Regulars 0.85 0.72 0.69 0.65 0.60
Bad 0.75 0.72 0.69 0.65 0.60

Work type factor or carrying factor

Factor by slope
 Factor by operation or effective time
Factor by type of operator
Load factor

It is logical to think that not all factors apply to all machines. They must
to select according to the working conditions that arise for each one
of them.

Time or duration of the cycle

The time required to go and return is called cycle time. In any

Work, the machines adapt to a determined work cycle. In this cycle, there are
including loading, hauling, unloading, and returning to the original place, with some
variations in certain cases.

The cycle time, as already mentioned, consists of two parts: fixed time and variable time.
Fixed time is the time a machine spends, during a cycle, on everything that is not
transportation and return. Includes the time to load, unload, and maneuver during the course of
work. All these times are more or less constant, regardless of the distance to which it is
carry or haul the material. The variable time is the time needed for the hauling, or, in other
words, the time spent on the way carrying the material and returning empty, and it varies with the
distance to be covered and the speed of the machines.

VIBRATING PLATE COMPACTOR (DANCER)

In road construction, long stretches of asphalt are compacted with

heavy machinery. For smaller jobs, such as filling potholes or resurfacing
to pavement the roadway the vibrating plate compactor is used

The following presents different models of these machines with their respective
yields

Dimensions Weight without Dimensions Elevation Strength No.

Wide x Combustion Pie del of Hits Rnto
MODEL Motor
Width x Height ble Length x Width Pestle Impact for m²
mm Kg mm mm Kg Minute
HONDA
770x 398x
PC60H4T 65 333 x 280 60 1300 700 GX 100 190
1038
3 hp 4t
ROBIN EH
770x 398x
PC70R4T 75 93360 70 1430 650 12 DU 200
1038
4 hp 4t
 HONDA
770x 398x GX 120
PC80H4T 71 333 x 280 70 1540 650 210
1038 DKR
4 hp 4t
YANMAR
770x 398x
PC85YD 81 333 x 280 70 1510 650 L48AE 205
1038
DIESEL

MOTOCONFORMERS

Equipment used to move earth and other loose material. Its function generally consists of
to level, shape, or provide the necessary slope to the material being worked on to give it
default configuration.

The general way to calculate the performance of these machines is based on the time of
work and according to the following formula:

Where:

T = Time required to complete the work

Distance traveled in each pass

N = Number of passes required to perform the

work

Operation speed (km/hour)

E = Work performance factor

The following table presents earnings in various types of jobs

Machine Type ofType of material Observations

work A B C
Motor grader Tune embankment 42 N/A N/A In a street box
street m3/hour
Motor grader Tune land 600 N/A N/A In a street drawer
natural m2/hour
Motor grader Fine-tune base 118 N/A N/A On platform
platform m3/hour
Bulldozer 50 N/A N/A From 50 to 120 m2/hour.
m2/hour Depending on the type of
land
Motor grader tender filter 42 N/A N/A N/A
texontle m3/hour
Motor grader conform sub- 42 N/A N/A N/A
base m3/hour
Motor graderShape base 30 N/A N/A N/A
m3/hour

TRUCKS

Trucks are vehicles that transport material. This operation includes the transportation of
excess soil from the excavation, or the transportation of the necessary soil to carry out a
embankment or a fill.

Trucks are open box vehicles designed for transporting loads exceeding
500 kg. They must always be tiltable.

Calculation of performance:

Where:

Performance

Q = Capacity

G = Efficiency factor

CM = Time per cycle

F = Sponge factor

Example:
The following data is available about a motor grader:

Efficiency factor E=50/60=0.83

Capacity QU= 10m³

Transport distance 1.00 km.

Sponge factor 1.10

Speed of the loaded journey 10 km/h

Download speed 15 km/h

Download time 1 min

Loading time 3 min

It is requested to determine its cycle time and its performance.

Work cycle:

tf = download time + upload time

tf = 1 min + 3 min = 4 min

tv = 0.1 h x + 0.067 h
tv = 6 min + 4 min
tv = 10 min

Cm = 4 min + 10 min
Cm = 14 min

Performance:
 MOTOR GRADERS

The motor grader is a very versatile machine used for moving

soil or other loose material. Its main function is to level,
mold or give the necessary slope to the material you work with.
It is considered as a surface finishing machine. Its
versatility is given by the different movements of the leaf,
like the series of accessories it can have.

Calculation of total time:

T =∑

Where:

T = Cycle time

L = Length to be profiled

V = Speed of the pass

E = Efficiency

Calculation of performance:

Where:

Yield

L = Length to be profiled (in meters)

a = Width of the roadway plus shoulder (in meters)

Total time (in hours)

 EXCAVATORS

Self-propelled machine on wheels or tracks with a

superstructure capable of performing a 360° rotation,
that excavates, loads, elevates, rotates, and unloads materials by the
action of a spoon fixed to a set of feather and
balance, without the chassis or the supporting structure being
displace

The previous definition specifies that if the machine is not capable

to rotate its superstructure a full turn (360°), no
is considered as an excavator. The pressure of the planes
of work, such as pen, scale, supporting structure,
etc.; fixes and unifies the classification criteria

Only those machines that work with a bucket are included in this study, such as:

Ladle paddles
Drag hook
 Clam ladle
Backhoe

Where:

Volume of the ladle

The full capacity is considered to be affected by the filling factors.

The capacity of the bucket or basket is measured when full, with a 1:1 slope.

Efficiency: The efficiency of an excavator can reach 50 min/hour

Cycle time: A cycle is considered as the total of the cutting operations, turning with load,
displacement or trip, download, empty turn and empty return.

work phase time in seconds

volume of
I turn with
ladle (m3) load download Empty giro total
load
0.76 5 4 2 3 14
0.76 - 1.15 6 4 2 3 15
1.5 - 1.9 6 4 3 4 17
 2.3 7 5 4 4 20
2.7 7 6 4 5 22
3 7 6 4 5 22
3.8 78 7 4 6 24

Volume factor

Cutting and Turning Factors

% Angles of rotation
depth
45° 60° 75° 90° 120° 150° 180°
optimum
40 0.93 0.89 0.85 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.59
60 1.10 1.03 0.96 0.91 0.81 0.73 0.66
80 1.22 1.12 1.04 0.98 0.86 0.77 0.69
100 1.26 1.16 1.07 1.00 0.88 0.79 0.71
120 1.20 1.11 1.03 0.97 0.86 0.77 0.70
140 1.12 1.04 0.97 0.91 0.81 0.73 0.66
160 1.03 0.96 0.90 0.85 0.75 0.67 0.62
 BACKHOE

Type of Type of material

Machine Observations
work A B C
The yields
in m3/hr
Excavation
Backhoe 23 m3/hr 20 m3/hr 4 m3/hr depend on
in cut
state of the
machine
Excavation
of the ditch From 0.5 m of
Backhoe loader greater than 0.5
18 m3/hr 16 m3/hr 3 m3/hr depth in
m en forward
forward
The performance
Excavation decreases due to the
of ditch type of work
Backhoe loader 13 m3/hr 11 m3/hr 2 m3/hr
less than 0.5 what is greater
m care and the cut
is more precise
All the
Load
volumes are
material with they calculate in
Backhoe 27 m3/hr N/A N/A
the ladle
cubic meters
frontal
compressed

ASPHALT PAVERS OR FINISHERS

The wheeled pavers offer high mobility.

for projects that require a lot of movement from the
paver along with the undercarriage with absorption of
impacts promoted by uniform paving.
Cat wheeled pavers have high power and options for
all-wheel drive to handle applications
more demanding.

Activity: Installation of asphalt sheet

The performance of the finishers is determined by:

Where:

speed in m/h

F.E = effectiveness factor is dimensional, usually a 70% is used.

e = thickness of the asphalt layer in meters

L = width of the machine in meters

ROLLERS

The rollers are self-propelled machines used in the

compaction of soil with thicknesses of 20 to 30 cm. Its weight varies
from 5 to 15 tons and the working speed between 2 and 10 km/h.

The goat foot rollers are machines towed by tractors.

of small or medium power, which can be normal or
vibrant, and used for soil compaction with
exception of sands, gravels, and crushed stone. They have
ballast tanks, which can be empty or filled with water or
sand, which allows increasing the pressure they transmit to the ground.

Calculation of the compacted loose material in one hour

Where:

D=Depth of the loose material layer (in meters)

Effective width of the compactor (in meters)

N=Number of passes necessary to compact 4.

R=Material loose compacted in an hour (in m3)

V=Speed of the machine that compacts (in km/h) 0.8 km/h.

E=Preparation Efficiency

BULLDOZER AND ANGLEDOZER

It is a type ofbulldozerthat is mainly used for the

earthmoving, excavation, and pushing by other machines.
Although the blade allows for a vertical lifting movement, with
this machine cannot load materials onto trucks or
he/she reads, so the earthworks are carried out by dragging.

Basically, the performance of these machines depends on the

type of the sheet and its capacity, as well as the efficiency of the
operator and the type of material the machine works with. Its
calculation is made using the following formula:
Where:

R = Performance in m3/hour (measured in the bank)

E = Overall Efficiency

Q = Blade carrying capacity in m3

K = Load coefficient

F. V. = Abundance factor

T = Time of a cycle

CHARGERS

The front loader is a tractor equipment, mounted on tracks and in

wheels, which has a large scoop at its end
frontal.
Front loaders are loading and hauling equipment.
eventually excavation. In the case of hauling, it is recommended
carry it out in short distances.
Performance calculation

Where:

Capacity of the front loader bucket

Efficiency

F = Sponginess factor

Efficiency of the ladle

T = Cycle time

Example:

The following data is available on a front loader:

Front loader model FR 140

Efficiency 50/60=0.83

Sponge factor 1.10

Efficiency of the ladle 85%

Distance to transport 50 m.

Lap speed 10 km/h

Outbound speed 5 km/h

The ascent-descent time 20 sec

Bucket capacity in m3 2.5m3

It is requested to determine its cycle time and its efficiency

Solution:
Cycle time

Calculation of the number of dump trucks required for a loader

 MOTOCROSS

They are machines that are mounted on four large

tires, designed to move large volumes of
materials and deposit them at distances away from the site. They are
formed by a rectangular metal box at the bottom
it has a fitted cutting blade or teeth, and at the part
the front has a adjustable sliding plate, with which it
controls the thickness of the cut, inside it is equipped with
an ejector plate, to gradually extract the material
excavated, all this operated by a hydraulic system. The box
it is connected to the tractor by means of an articulated structure in the shape of a gooseneck.

To obtain your performance, it will be necessary to calculate the speed at which the work is done, since
The speed is different when loading or unloading than when transporting.

Once the speed, the distance traveled, the number of passes, and the factor are known
performance, it will be possible to determine the time it takes for the motorcycle scraper to carry out its work.

Therefore, the following formula according to the previous performance criterion will be:

Where:

T = Time to complete the work

N = Number of passes until the completion of the work

S = Distance traveled by passes

V = Speed during work

Where:

R = Yield in m3/hour

Q = Machine capacity in m3

E = Performance factor

F. V. = Abundance factor
 T = Time to perform the work

COMPACTORS

They are machines made of a metal structure.

hollow rectangular trough shape that allows for loading for
increase their weight, which rests on trains of 7 or more
small tires mounted on a chassis. There are also
four giant tires.
These types of compactors are very efficient and in some
essential cases, such as in the compaction of sub-bases, bases and
asphalt folders, their bulbs are similar to those of the rollers
metallic, but the contact area remains constant because of
that the pressure bulb reduction effect does not occur.
On the other hand, the bridging effect of the metal roller on
soft areas, eliminated with independent suspension tires
The performance of these machines is generally measured through an average in
the number of passes that a machine is considered to need to make, to obtain the
desired compaction.

The formula to determine the yield is:

Where:

R = Yield in m3/hour

A = Width compacted by the machine in meters

Speed in km/h

e = Thickness of the layer to be compacted in centimeters

Reduction coefficient (0.6 to 0.8)

N = Number of passes until the required compaction is achieved

Vibratory Compactor

The compactor vibratory has the same function as the roller, the
the difference is that this is used for lower jobs
proportion. It is used in patching, trenches, buildings among
others where their size is required.

Type of Type of material

Machine Observations
work Filter Sub-base Base
All the
volumes are
Vibratory compactor Compress 80 m3/hr 56 m3/hr 42 m3/hr they calculate in meters
compact cubes
Type of Type of material
Machine Observations
work A B C
Type A material to
Compress
Vibratory compactor 60 m3/hr N/A N/A 90% of
embankment
compaction
Type A material at
Compress
Vibratory Compactor 42 m3/hr N/A N/A 95% of
earth embankment
compaction
Tables where the performance of some machines is calculated (supplement)
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Machinery and equipment - Control and supervision of works - Tools - Costs

Indirect presentation of Eng. Jorge Farah Berrios Manzur, Tacna, March 2014
Returns of Caterpillar products. Mexico City 1988
Consult books, brochures, and magazines about machinery used in construction.
Caterpillar Machine Performance Manual Edition 39
[Link] yields