Constructing a water channel [Day 03]

manuelhooks (72)in Steem4Entrepreneurs • 4 days ago (edited)

Reinforcement and Base Casting

On day three of constructing a water channel, the rebar assigned to the bar bender was completed. Six workers carried it to the blinded trench. Some nails and lines were used to centralise it, giving room for boarding on both sides.

While rebar reinforcement was being positioned, workers were preparing an M20 concrete mixture to be used in casting the base of the water channel. The standard is 1:1.5:3, corresponding to the ratios of cement, sand, and aggregate. To avoid over-diluting the mix, for every kilogram of cement used, we added 0.55 litres of water and thoroughly mixed it together into a slurry.

A peg was established at both ends of the trench, at the expected base level of the trench, two lines were attached. Line 1 is pulled horizontally, leveled and attached to the peg at the other end. Line 2 starts at the same origin but at the other end of the trench it is dropped lower by 4 inches, creating the needed inclination. Now line one which was the horizontal reference could be removed.

The concrete is poured into the excavated trench, binding the rebar cage to the blinding that was cast on day 2. As the M20 concrete was hurled in, a worker with a screed was busy tapping and levelling the concrete while paying attention and following the tensioned line running in the middle of the trench. You remember line two that was dropped by 4 inches. It became the guide for realising an accurate slope.

The trench was filled, tapped and levelled till the whole base was done. The task was demanding, it required constant supervision, a lot of manpower and technical know-how.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, we succeeded in laying the water channel's base. We still have formwork and casting waiting to be executed. I will bring you more updates on the progress of the water channel, stick around for day 4 on the job. I am hoping you may learn or benefit from reading the experience of the third day of my work diary.