Vincent T. H. CHU

In the construction of screw pump troughs, trapezoidal-shaped troughs are usually formed by using normal formwork. In order to enhance close contact between screw pumps and troughs, upon lifting the screw pumps into the troughs screeding works is carried out. Screw pumps are set to rotate and screeds are placed between the gap of screw pumps’ blade and trapezoidal-shaped troughs during the rotating action of screw pumps. After the screed sets, it serves to prevent leakage of water during the pumping operation of screw pumps.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

Corbel beams are defined as z/d<0.6 where z is the distance of bearing load to the beams’ fixed end (or called shear span) and d is depth of beams. The design philosophy is based on strut and tie system. To establish the design model, it is firstly assumed the failure surface, i.e. shear cracks extending to 2/3 of depth of beam. Experiment results verified that the failure cracks extended only to 2/3 of beam while the remaining 1/3 depth of concrete contributed as concrete strut to provide compressive strut force to the bearing loading. Horizontal links are normally provided to corbel beams because experimental results indicated that horizontal links were more effective than vertical links when shear span/depth is less than 0.6. For shear span/depth>0.6, it should be not considered as corbel beams but as cantilevers.

In designing corbel beams, care should be taken to avoid bearing load to extend beyond the straight portion of tie bars, otherwise the corners of corbel beams are likely to shear off. Reference is made to L. A. Clark (1983).

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

The purpose of plastering, rendering and screeding is to create a smooth, flat surface to receive finishes like paint, wallpaper etc.

Plastering is the intermediately coating of building materials to be applied on the internal facade of concrete walls or blockwalls. Rendering is the intermediate coating for external walls only. Screeding is the coating laid on floors to receive finishes like tiles, carpet, and marble.

Hence, these terms differ basically from the locations at which they are applied. Due to different locations of application of plasterwork, the proportion of material component for plaster and render is different. For example:

(i) Cement plaster
Undercoat- cement:lime:sand (by volume) = 1:4:16
Finishing coat – cement:lime:sand = 1:12:30

(ii) Cement render
Undercoat- cement:lime:sand (by volume) = 1:2:6
Finishing coat – cement:lime:sand = 1:3:6

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

There are two main advantages for FRP water tanks:

(i) It possesses high strength to weight ratio and this leads to the ease of site handling.

(ii) It is highly resistant to corrosion and thus it is more durable than steel water tank.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

In the design of a waterproofing system at the roof of a pumping station, normally the following components are:

(i) Above the structural finish level of the concrete roof, a screed of uniform thickness is applied to provide a smooth surface for the application of waterproofing membrane. (Screed of varying thickness can also be designed on the roof to create a slope for drainage.) The screed used for providing a surface for membrane should be thin and possess good adhesion to the substrate. Moreover, the screed aids in the thermal insulation of the roof.

(ii) Above the screed, waterproofing membrane is provided to ensure watertightness of the roof.

(iii) An insulation board may be placed on top of waterproof membrane for thermal insulation. In cold weather condition where the loss of heat at the roof is significant, the insulation board helps to reduce these losses. On the contrary, in summer the roof is heated up by direct sunlight and the insulation layer reduces the temperature rise inside the pumping station.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

The commonly used angles of inclination for screw pumps are 30^o, 35^o and 38^o. For screw pumps of relatively high lifting head, like over 6.5m, angle of inclination of 38^o is normally used. However, for relatively lower head and high discharge requirement, angle of inclination of 30^o shall be selected. In general, for a given capacity and lifting head, the screw pump diameter is smaller and its length is longer for a screw pump of 30^o inclination when compared with a screw pump of 38^o inclination.

To increase the discharge capacity of screw pumps, a larger number of flights should be selected. In fact, screw pumps with 2 flights are more economical that that with 3 flights in terms of efficiency and manufacturing cost. Moreover, the discharge capacity is also determined by the screw pump diameter and sizes of 300mm to 5000mm are available in current market.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

Maximum pumping rate = Q_p

Volume of sump= V

Inflow Rate= Q_i

Cycle Time T_c = t₁+t₂

t₁= V/[Q_p-Q_i]

t₂= V/Q_i

T_c= Minimum cycle time

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

In a pumping system, a system curve can be derived based on the static head required to lift up the fluid and variable head due to possible head losses. The pump curves which relate the performance of the pumping to head against discharge can be obtained from pump suppliers. When the system curve is superimposed on the pump curve, the intersection point is defined as the operating point (or duty point). The operating point may not be necessarily the same as the best efficiency point. The best efficiency point is a function of the pump itself and it is the point of lowest internal friction inside the pump during pumping. These losses are induced by adverse pressure, shock losses and friction.

Losses due to adverse pressure gradient occur in pumps as the pressure of flow increases from the inlet to the outlet of pumps and the flow travels from a region of low pressure to high pressure. As such, it causes the formation of shear layers and flow separation. Flow oscillation may also occur which accounts for the noise and vibration of pumps. The effect of adverse pressure gradient is more significant in low flow condition.

For shock losses, they are induced when the inflow into pumps is not radial and contains swirl. In an ideal situation, the flow within the pump should be parallel to the impellers such that the flow angle is very close to the impeller angle. The deviation of the above situation from design causes energy losses and vibration.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

The power of a pump is related to discharge as follows:

Power=K₁Q + [K₂Q²]/tan A

where k₁ and k₂ are constants, Q is discharge and A is the angle between the tangent of impeller at vane location and the tangent to vane.

For A less than 90^o (forward curved vanes) it is unstable owing to unrestricted power growth. Large losses result from high outflow velocity. The preferred configuration is achieved when A is more than 90^o (i.e. backward curved vanes) because it has controlled power consumption and presents good fluid dynamic shape.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.

Specific speed is usually defined for a pump operating at its maximum efficiency. In order to minimize the cost of future operation, it is desirable to operate the pumps as close to the maximum efficiency point as possible. The specific speed for radial flow pumps is relatively small when compared with that of axial flow pumps. This implies that radial flow pumps tend to give higher head with lower discharge while axial flow pumps tend to give higher discharge with lower head.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.