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Civil Engineering Construction Methods, Schedule & Quality Control (Type 2 Practical)

Construction (SSW 2) · 建設分野(2号) · Written by Tokutei Pass based on the official study texts; not copied verbatim.

Procedures for Earthwork, Slopes, Soft Ground Treatment & Earth Retaining Shoring

Cut slopes are excavated in stages from top to bottom with slope protection applied, while embankments are spread and compacted layer by layer with a cross-drainage gradient.

On soft ground, vertical sand drains or paper drains are installed with a surcharge embankment (preload) to expel pore water and accelerate consolidation settlement in advance.

In deep excavations, steel sheet piles or soldier piles with lagging are installed; wales and struts are mounted sequentially from top to bottom as digging progresses, and removed from bottom to top during backfilling.

Procedures for Earthwork, Slopes, Soft Ground Treatment & Earth Retaining Shoring

Key points


  • Benching (Dangiri): When widening an existing embankment or building on a slope, cut steps into the slope to prevent sliding along the interface.

  • Boiling & Heaving countermeasures: Ensure adequate sheet pile embedment depth and lower the groundwater table using wellpoint or deep well dewatering systems.

  • Structure backfilling uses free-draining crushed stone, spread thinly and compacted evenly on both sides to prevent eccentric earth pressure.
WordMeaning
Benching (stepping) & Slope widening embankment
Vertical drain & Preloading surcharge embankment
Wellpoint dewatering & Deep well dewatering
Boiling (sand piping) & Heaving (clay bottom heave)

Rebar, Formwork, Concrete Placing & Curing, and Special Concrete

Rebar splices must be staggered rather than concentrated in the same cross-section to avoid stress concentration, ensuring proper lap splice length and cover thickness via spacers.

Concrete must be placed within 120 minutes of mixing when ambient temperature is <= 25°C (or 90 minutes when > 25°C), dropped from <= 1.5 m, and vibrated vertically penetrating ~10 cm into the lower layer.

Hot-weather concrete requires a placing temperature <= 35°C with moisture retention, whereas cold-weather concrete requires 5-20°C placing temperature and insulated curing against early freezing.

Key points


  • Preventing cold joints: Place the upper concrete layer before the lower layer sets, inserting the vibrator ~10 cm into the lower layer to bond them together.

  • Formwork & shoring stripping: Vertical side forms (columns/walls) can be removed earlier, whereas slab and beam soffit forms cannot be removed until specified compressive strength is reached.

  • When placing underwater concrete for cast-in-place piles, keep the tip of the tremie pipe submerged at least 2 m inside the fresh concrete at all times.
WordMeaning
Lap splice & Gas pressure welded splice
Cold joint & Honeycomb defect (rock pocket)
Hot-weather concrete & Cold-weather concrete
Tremie pipe & Slime removal treatment

Specialized Construction of Road Pavements, Bridges & Tunnels (NATM & Shield)

In asphalt paving, a 'prime coat' of asphalt emulsion is sprayed on the granular base course for waterproofing and bonding, while a 'tack coat' bonds successive asphalt layers together.

In mountain tunneling via NATM, loose rock is scaled from the face after blasting/excavation, and the surrounding ground is supported by shotcrete, rock bolts, and steel ribs.

In urban shield tunneling, slurry or earth-pressure balance shield machines stabilize the face while advancing, assembling segment rings behind the shield and injecting backfill grout.

Key points


  • Prime coat is applied between the granular base and asphalt binder/surface course, whereas tack coat is applied between the binder course and surface course (or existing pavement).

  • In prestressed concrete (PC) bridges, PC tendons are tensioned to pre-compress the concrete, and PC grout is injected into the sheaths for corrosion protection.

  • Inside tunnels, continuous ventilation using blowers and ducts along with strict gas concentration monitoring are essential to prevent flammable gas, oxygen deficiency, and dust hazards.
WordMeaning
Prime coat & Tack coat
NATM tunneling (Shotcrete & Rock bolts)
Shield tunneling method & Tunnel segments
PC tendon tensioning & PC grouting

Schedule Control (Network Diagrams) and Quality & As-Built Control Charts

Schedule charts include 'bar charts' plotting tasks on the vertical axis against days on the horizontal axis, and 'network diagrams' clearly showing task dependencies and float time.

In a network schedule diagram, the longest path with zero float—where any delay directly delays the overall project completion date—is called the 'critical path'.

Quality control utilizes 'histograms' to examine data dispersion and distribution shape, and 'control charts (X-bar R charts)' with control limit lines to detect process abnormalities over time.

Schedule Control (Network Diagrams) and Quality & As-Built Control Charts

Key points


  • Time-distance (sloped line) schedule charts show progress speed via line slope and are ideal for linear projects like roads and tunnels.

  • The PDCA management cycle—Plan -> Do -> Check -> Act—is continuously rotated to maintain and improve construction quality and safety.

  • As-built control and construction photos: Concealed work such as rebar arrangement, cover depth, and base thickness must be photographed with a chalkboard and measuring rod before burial or concreting.
WordMeaning
Network schedule diagram & Critical path
Histogram & Quality control chart
As-built dimension control & Photos of concealed work
PDCA cycle (Plan - Do - Check - Act)

Civil Engineering Methods

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Official references