Civil Engineering Photos

Photo Credit: Alex Mead

Seen here is a concrete placement boom. The boom is basically a small crane type structure to help hold a pipe filled with concrete with the goal of making the placement of concrete easier. The end of the pipe which is visible in the picture is being controlled by two workers, one in orange and one in florescent yellow, and is depositing concrete in the form work for a large mat foundation. The other end of the pipe is connected to a concrete pump, perhaps in a concrete pumper truck or a stand along pump. These types of booms in various types and configurations are common in large concrete pours.

Photo Credit: Alex Mead

This picture illustrates many lessons for actual construction and also gives a perspective of the actual scales necessary for use in even moderate size concrete construction. To begin, it is clear the snow on the ground and in the air means the temperature is below freezing, single degree Fahrenheit temperatures to be specific. This means workers will be slower and must take more frequent breaks to warm their bodies. Also, the construction site is slippery and objects become covered in snow leading to increase fall and trip hazards. One final interesting fact is the size of the rebar cage the workers are building. Notice how the workers are standing fully upright in a volume that will be filled completely with concrete. This mat-foundation job was poured in several pours ranging from 2 000 to 6 000 yards in size.