Exercise set

Construction Site Logistics, Temporary Works, and Handover Exercises

Solved site-operations exercises for crane capacity, truck queues, laydown, concrete delivery, temporary loads, dewatering and handover.

Branch: Civil and Construction Engineering
Content: Exercise set
Updated: Jul 03, 2026
Revision: v1.0.0 · reviewed

These exercises treat site operations as a physical-capacity and release-evidence problem. The focus is crane time, gate queues, laydown area, concrete delivery, temporary loads, formwork release, dewatering, spoil haul-off, workface density, quality hold points and handover records.

Assume simplified screening calculations unless an exercise states otherwise. Real site release should also follow temporary-works design, lifting plans, method statements, inspection and test plans, environmental permits, traffic management, safety controls and contractual handover requirements.

Release Evidence Notes

Site logistics evidence should be measured where the work actually happens. A plan can pass by volume but fail because trucks cannot enter the gate, the crane is overbooked, the laydown area overloads the slab, the pump cannot place concrete fast enough, or inspection records do not support closing hidden work.

Temporary works and quality hold points are release controls. A calculation should identify the competent person or authority that can release the stage, the measured value, the acceptance limit, the location and the stop-work trigger.

Engineering Boundary Notes

These exercises are screening calculations. They do not replace engineered temporary-works design, lifting-plan approval, structural verification, geotechnical monitoring, traffic authority approval, environmental compliance review or product-specific safety procedures. If a temporary condition can cause collapse, flooding, injury or irreversible hidden defects, the numerical screen must be backed by formal review and field measurement.

Scenario Map

Scenario	Exercises	Primary check	Engineering decision
Logistics capacity	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15	Crane time, gate occupancy, laydown, pour rate, truck cycle and access window	Decide whether the site can physically support the planned work.
Temporary works and geotechnical controls	6, 7, 8, 9, 16	Temporary load, formwork strength, pumping reliability, spoil haul-off and monitoring	Decide whether temporary conditions are releasable.
Quality and workface release	11, 12, 13, 14	Crew density, defect rate, hold-point risk and handover completion	Decide whether the workface or record can be closed.
Integrated site release	17, 18	Environmental hold and final operations gate	Decide whether site operations support the next stage.

Exercise 1: Crane Cycle Capacity

A tower crane can complete one material lift every $7.5\ \text{min}$ . The shift allows $7$ productive crane hours after breaks and exclusion periods. The plan requires $52$ lifts. Check capacity.

Solution

Available lift cycles are:

N=\dfrac{7(60)}{7.5}=56

Margin:

M=56-52=4\ \text{lifts}

Engineering Comment

The crane has only four lifts of margin. The release plan should protect the crane from unplanned lifts, wind stoppage and priority conflicts.

Plausibility Check

At about eight lifts per hour for seven hours, capacity near the mid-fifties is expected.

Exercise 2: Delivery-Window Truck Queue

A gate can process one truck every $6\ \text{min}$ . A delivery window lasts $90\ \text{min}$ and $18$ trucks are booked. Determine whether the gate can process all trucks within the window.

Solution

Gate capacity is:

N_g=\dfrac{90}{6}=15\ \text{trucks}

Shortfall:

N_s=18-15=3\ \text{trucks}

Engineering Comment

The booking fails the gate-capacity screen. The site needs a longer window, second gate, changed arrival plan or fewer trucks.

Plausibility Check

Ten trucks per hour for one and a half hours gives fifteen trucks, below the booked count.

Exercise 3: Laydown Area by Unit Load

A laydown zone is $220\ \text{m}^2$ . Access aisles require $30\%$ of the area. Each pallet occupies $2.4\ \text{m}^2$ . How many pallets can be stored?

Solution

Usable area:

A_u=220(1-0.30)=154\ \text{m}^2

Pallet count:

N=\left\lfloor\dfrac{154}{2.4}\right\rfloor=64

Engineering Comment

The area screen gives $64$ pallets before structural load, fire access and sequencing checks. It is not a permission to overload the slab.

Plausibility Check

About $150\ \text{m}^2$ divided by about $2.5\ \text{m}^2$ per pallet gives roughly sixty pallets.

Exercise 4: Concrete Delivery Capacity

A pour requires $180\ \text{m}^3$ of concrete in $5$ hours. Each truck carries $7.5\ \text{m}^3$ , and cycle time from batch plant to return is $70\ \text{min}$ . Find required average truck arrivals per hour and minimum number of trucks cycling.

Solution

Required pour rate:

q=\dfrac{180}{5}=36\ \text{m}^3/\text{h}

Truck arrivals per hour:

n_h=\dfrac{36}{7.5}=4.8\ \text{trucks/h}

Cycle time in hours:

T_c=\dfrac{70}{60}=1.167\ \text{h}

Trucks cycling:

N=4.8(1.167)=5.6

Minimum whole trucks:

N=6

Engineering Comment

Six trucks is the minimum screen result. A real pour plan should include traffic variability, washout, pump interruptions and backup supply.

Plausibility Check

Nearly five trucks per hour with a bit more than one hour cycle needs about six trucks.

Exercise 5: Pump Rate and Cold-Joint Window

A slab strip needs $42\ \text{m}^3$ placed before the cold-joint limit of $75\ \text{min}$ . The pump can place $30\ \text{m}^3/\text{h}$ . Check margin.

Solution

Required time:

t=\dfrac{42}{30}=1.4\ \text{h}=84\ \text{min}

Margin:

M=75-84=-9\ \text{min}

Engineering Comment

The plan fails by nine minutes before considering interruptions. The pour needs a higher rate, smaller strip, retarder strategy or revised joint plan.

Plausibility Check

At $30\ \text{m}^3/\text{h}$ , forty cubic meters takes more than an hour, so exceeding a $75$ minute limit is plausible.

Exercise 6: Temporary Construction Load Check

A slab area of $18\ \text{m}^2$ is used for temporary storage. Stored material weighs $72\ \text{kN}$ . The temporary load limit is $5.0\ \text{kPa}$ . Check utilization.

Solution

Applied pressure:

p=\dfrac{72}{18}=4.0\ \text{kPa}

Utilization:

U=\dfrac{4.0}{5.0}=0.80=80\%

Engineering Comment

The load passes the simple pressure screen. The temporary-works review should still check point loads, slab age, support condition and load distribution.

Plausibility Check

Four kilopascals is below the five kilopascal limit, with one kilopascal margin.

Exercise 7: Guarded Formwork Release Strength

Formwork may be released at $22\ \text{MPa}$ . Maturity testing estimates $24.5\ \text{MPa}$ , but the project requires a $2.0\ \text{MPa}$ guard. Decide status.

Solution

Guarded strength:

f_g=24.5-2.0=22.5\ \text{MPa}

Since:

22.5>22.0

release passes by:

M=0.5\ \text{MPa}

Engineering Comment

The margin is narrow. The release authority should confirm calibration, curing temperature and whether the tested location represents the coldest concrete.

Plausibility Check

The measured value is only $2.5\ \text{MPa}$ above the limit; applying a $2.0\ \text{MPa}$ guard leaves a small margin.

Exercise 8: Dewatering Pump Availability

Two pumps are installed, each with availability $0.92$ . At least one pump must run. Assuming independent failures, find system availability.

Solution

Probability both pumps fail:

P_f=(1-0.92)^2=0.08^2=0.0064

Availability of at least one running pump:

A=1-P_f=0.9936=99.36\%

Engineering Comment

The redundancy screen passes, but independence may be false if both pumps share power, suction blockage or discharge routing.

Plausibility Check

Two high-availability pumps in parallel should produce availability above either pump alone.

Exercise 9: Excavation Spoil Haul-Off

Excavation produces $320\ \text{m}^3$ bank volume per day. Bulking factor is $1.25$ . Each truck carries $16\ \text{m}^3$ loose volume. How many truckloads are required per day?

Solution

Loose spoil volume:

V_l=320(1.25)=400\ \text{m}^3

Truckloads:

N=\left\lceil\dfrac{400}{16}\right\rceil=25

Engineering Comment

The site must schedule twenty-five departures per day plus queuing and wheel-wash time. If gate capacity is lower, excavation will be constrained.

Plausibility Check

Four hundred loose cubic meters at sixteen per truck is exactly twenty-five loads.

Exercise 10: Laydown Slab Load Margin

A pallet stack imposes $18\ \text{kN}$ over a bearing area of $3.0\ \text{m}^2$ . The temporary bearing limit is $7.0\ \text{kPa}$ . Check margin.

Solution

Pressure:

p=\dfrac{18}{3.0}=6.0\ \text{kPa}

Margin:

M=7.0-6.0=1.0\ \text{kPa}

Engineering Comment

The stack passes, but pallet damage, uneven bearing and stacked height can invalidate the simple pressure calculation.

Plausibility Check

The applied pressure is close to, but below, the limit.

Exercise 11: Crew Workface Density

A workface is $96\ \text{m}^2$ . The site rule allows at least $12\ \text{m}^2$ per worker for this task. The crew proposes $10$ workers. Decide status.

Solution

Area per worker:

A_w=\dfrac{96}{10}=9.6\ \text{m}^2/\text{worker}

Required area is $12\ \text{m}^2/\text{worker}$ , so the crew is too dense.

Maximum workers:

N_{max}=\left\lfloor\dfrac{96}{12}\right\rfloor=8

Engineering Comment

Adding people may reduce productivity or increase safety risk. The release action is to reduce crew size, split the workface or resequence.

Plausibility Check

Ten workers in less than one hundred square meters is denser than the stated rule.

Exercise 12: Pre-Pour Defect Rate

A pre-pour inspection finds $9$ defects across $150$ checklist items. The project trigger for hold-point escalation is a defect rate above $4\%$ . Check status.

Solution

r=\dfrac{9}{150}=0.06=6\%

Because:

6\%>4\%

the hold point requires escalation.

Engineering Comment

The issue is not only count. Defect type matters because rebar cover, embed position or cleanliness can affect hidden quality after the pour.

Plausibility Check

Nine defects out of one hundred fifty is clearly above one in twenty-five.

Exercise 13: Hold-Point Risk Priority Number

A missed hold point has severity $9$ , occurrence $3$ and detection $5$ . A new signoff rule reduces detection rating to $2$ . Compute RPN reduction.

Solution

Initial:

RPN_0=9(3)(5)=135

After control:

RPN_1=9(3)(2)=54

Reduction:

\Delta RPN=135-54=81

Engineering Comment

The RPN improves, but the signoff rule must be auditable. A spreadsheet control is weak unless field records prove it was applied.

Plausibility Check

Only detection changes from five to two, so the RPN should drop substantially.

Exercise 14: Handover Record Completion

A handover dossier requires $84$ records. Seventy-eight are accepted, four are submitted with comments and two are missing. The release rule requires all records accepted. Decide status.

Solution

Accepted completion:

C=\dfrac{78}{84}=0.929=92.9\%

Because commented and missing records are not accepted, handover is blocked.

Engineering Comment

Handover is not a percentage-only gate. Missing test certificates, as-built drawings or commissioning sheets can prevent safe operation.

Plausibility Check

Six records are not accepted, so the package cannot satisfy a one hundred percent acceptance rule.

Exercise 15: Access Window Capacity

A restricted access route is open for $3.5$ hours. Each delivery movement occupies the route for $14\ \text{min}$ . The plan needs $16$ movements. Check status.

Solution

Available time:

T=3.5(60)=210\ \text{min}

Movement capacity:

N=\left\lfloor\dfrac{210}{14}\right\rfloor=15

The plan needs $16$ , so it fails by one movement.

Engineering Comment

One missing movement may be recoverable, but not if the route also serves emergency access or other trades.

Plausibility Check

Fourteen minutes per movement gives just over four movements per hour; in three and a half hours that is about fifteen.

Exercise 16: Excavation Monitoring Trigger

A braced excavation has an alert limit of $18\ \text{mm}$ wall deflection and an action limit of $25\ \text{mm}$ . The latest reading is $21\ \text{mm}$ . Determine response category.

Solution

The reading is above alert:

21>18

and below action:

21<25

So the response category is alert, not action.

Engineering Comment

Alert should trigger increased monitoring and engineering review. It is not a normal condition just because the action limit has not been reached.

Plausibility Check

The reading lies between the two thresholds, so the intermediate response is correct.

Exercise 17: Environmental Control Hold

A site discharge limit is $50\ \text{mg/L}$ suspended solids. Two measurements are $42\ \text{mg/L}$ and $58\ \text{mg/L}$ . The release rule requires all readings below the limit. Decide status.

Solution

The second reading fails:

58>50

Therefore discharge release is blocked until controls are corrected and retested.

Engineering Comment

Environmental compliance is an all-sample condition in this rule. Averaging the two readings would hide a failed discharge.

Plausibility Check

One measured value exceeds the limit, so a rule requiring all readings below the limit fails.

Exercise 18: Site Operations Release Gate

A site operations release requires crane utilization below $90\%$ , gate plan passing, temporary load utilization below $85\%$ , no open quality hold and handover records above $98\%$ accepted. Results are $84\%$ , pass, $80\%$ , no open hold and $96\%$ . Decide status.

Solution

The first four conditions pass. Handover completion fails:

96\%<98\%

Therefore release is blocked.

Engineering Comment

Physical logistics can be ready while records are not. The release gate should not allow work to be hidden or turned over without accepted documentation.

Plausibility Check

The only failing condition is handover percentage, and the rule is all-of, so release must be blocked.

Common Release Mistakes

Checking material volume without gate, crane, pump or access-window capacity.
Treating temporary loads as ordinary storage decisions.
Releasing formwork from average maturity instead of the governing cold or critical location.
Ignoring common-cause failures in dewatering or temporary power.
Closing a hold point with missing, commented or unaccepted records.
Averaging environmental or quality readings when the rule requires every sample to pass.

Validation Package Checklist

Crane, gate, access-route and delivery-window calculations tied to the work sequence.
Laydown area and temporary load checks with location, slab condition and competent review.
Concrete delivery, pump, cold-joint and formwork-release evidence.
Dewatering redundancy, monitoring trigger and response plan.
Spoil haul-off, truck cycle and environmental control records.
Pre-pour, hold-point, defect and handover records with acceptance status.
Named release authority and stop-work triggers for temporary and hidden works.

REF