Lab. Exercise #3 - Volumes, Areas & Capacities

ACSM 520 - Planning Facilities

For each problem, parts (i.e. a-c) all apply to the same situation, so transfer given information from one part to the next. To receive full credit for your efforts, you must show your work, including all intermediate steps, any formulas you use, and any assumptions you make.

Problem #1

Pete Moss is updating his landscape and yard maintenance operation. Planned improvements include the construction of a commodity-storage shed. The shed will store a variety of materials, but the most critical storage needs are for treated wood chips and premium sand. Key characteristics of these materials include:

Treated wood chips: Bulk density = 30 lb./cu. ft.;

Material must stay dry until applied; and

Design usage rate ~ 5 ‘yards’ (short-hand for cubic yards) per day

Premium sand: Bulk density = 150 lb./cu. ft.;

Material is white & graded - must be clean (no dirt, rocks, etc.); &

Design usage rate ~ 20 ‘yards’ per week.

Pete wants to design the commodity bins to hold 120% of the hauling capacity of a semi-trailer and have the trailer at least be able to dump a load half-way into the bins (an employee can push and pile dropped loads further back into a bin. After contacting a couple of distributors, he gathers that the largest expected size (inside dimensions) of such a semi’s bed is 7’-6” wide, 30’ long and, when material is mounded, effectively holds about 6 [level] feet of material.

a) If the legal weight limit for these semi-trailers is 80,000 lb. (40 ton) gross and the tractor & trailer weigh 5 tons, determine both the maximum volumes and weights of wood chips and sand, respectively, that can be delivered by one semi.

b) Pete has decided that 4-foot high concrete walls will be poured on three sides to form the bins, wood planking will extend an additional 4 feet and material can be effectively stacked to a 7-foot depth (equivalent level depth). Estimate the required width and length of each of the bins - specify whether inside or outside dimensions. Assume that the materials can be stacked clear to the rear of a bin, but will slope 45^o downward at the front of the bins.

c) During the peak season (i.e. design usage rates apply), what will be the days-between-deliveries for the wood chips and sand, respectively?

Problem #2

T. J. Hoofer raises beef cattle in Galia County on a cow-calf operation. His hay bales and feeding area consistently get muddy and require a lot of maintenance. He’d like to improve the lot conditions for his animals and reduce the hassle involved with mud. He considered pouring concrete. He typically has about 250 round bales [each approximately has a dimension of 4’ x 5’] for 25 cows.

a) What pad dimensions are needed for bale storage if he wants to store the bales in 10 rows?

b) What pad dimensions are needed for bale storage if he’d like to have the pad width be 40 feet?

c) To save money, develop a bale layout, which requires minimum pad area.

d) If the concrete thickness is 4” and 2” sand underneath the concrete are needed, how much concrete and sand are needed in terms of volume, respectively.