Common thumb rules for civil engineering works

Thumb Rules is very important for any civil engineer, Site engineer or civil supervisor to obtain instant decisions on the construction site. By applying thumb, the engineers can get the solution with a simple mathematical formula and take proper decisions wherever required. Before applying these thumb rules, it should be kept in mind that the thumb rule can only provide fairly accurate results never the correct results.

The following types of thumb rules for civil engineers are commonly used in construction work :-

Thumb rule for measuring the Concrete Volume relating to the area:
The volume of concrete necessary = 0.038 m3/square feet area.

As for instance, if Plan Area = 40 x 20 = 800 Sq. m., total necessary volume of concrete will be as follow :-
= 800 x 0.038m3 = 30.4m3

Thumb rule for Steel quantity necessary for Slab, Beams, Footings & Columns:
Essential quantity of steel in residential buildings = 4.5 Kgs ? 4.75 Kgs / Sq. Ft.
Essential quantity of steel in commercial buildings = 5.0 Kgs-5.50 Kgs/Sq. Ft.

Thumb Rules For Civil Engineers recommended by B N Datta for the Steel quantity that will be applied for several members of the building :-

Proportions of Steel in Structural Members:

1) Slab ? 1% of the total volume of concrete
2) Beam ? 2% of the total volume of concrete
3) Column ? 2.5% of total volume of concrete
4) Footings ? 0.8% of the total volume of concrete

As for instance, suppose the length, width and depth of the slab are 5m, 4m and 0.15m. Now, the quantity of steel for the slab will be computed as follow :-

Initially, it is required to work out the concrete volume.
The total volume of concrete for the slab = 5x4x0.15 = 3m3

Secondly, work out the quantity of steel with formula as follow :-
Based on the guidelines provided in B. N. Dutta reference book, the quantity of steel in slab is 1% of the total volume of concrete used.
Thumb rule to work out the quantity of steel in above slab = Volume of concrete x density of steel x % of steel member.

The weight of steel necessary for above slab = 3x7850x0.01 = 235 kgs

To make perfect calculation, use bar bending schedule.

To learn how thumb rules are applied to calculate the shuttering area and the quantity of cement, sand, course aggregate in several grades of concrete, click on the following link civiconcepts.com

Common thumb rules for civil engineering works