Declaration

We declare that this report is our own work which contains all things including our experience,
observation and achievements during our four months stay East Shewa zone Oromia region in
Adama Construction Bureau Company basement building (G+5) project. We spent our time
on field and to write report we spent our hour for different activities such as gathering
information, referring some books, daily going to different site, and collecting information and
etc. All writing in this report is things that are done by our effort and we acquire knowledge from
it.we wrote what we have observed from the site work and by asking the company workers like
site engineer, formans, mason, and carpenter. We have responsible for any claim on the
originality of this report and also our advisor confirm it.

Name ID No Signature_____________
KITESA DUGUMA …………………… RU 1733/08
SABBONA GASHE ………………….. RU1806/08
SAGNI SIBAR ………………………. RU1429/08

Advisor
Name Signature_____________
Acknowledgement
At the beginning we would like to give our deepest thank to our almighty God for his mercy and
everlasting support. Next we would like to express our sincere appreciation to Jimma University,
university industry linkage office, for facilitating this internship program, by giving the chance to
find hosting company by our interest and We are so grateful thanks to our mentor Instructor
Yadaa Tesafaye for guiding us through this internship experience. From the bottom of our heart,
we would like to thank all EAST SHEWA ZONE Oromia Construction Bureau Adama town
project (Commercial G+5) basement building) workers specially project manager engineer Tedla
Ergata site engineers Freshwine Gurmu and general forman Chala jifara ,the Adama
construction BUREAU and the TEDCON PLC .Our gratitude also extends to all our friends
with whom we spent good times and for their unfailing cooperation in various ways.
Executive summary
This report is a report about the internship experience that we have under taken during the last
Four months. In this report we have tried to list the overall aspects of the internship experience.
We have briefly summarized what is expected in the next chapters in this report. In the first of
unit of the report, it provides information about the hosting company. It starts from the brief
history of the company and continues to listing of the projects the company has undertaken from
the time it has been established. Also in this unit we will find the missions and visions of the
company. We have tried to establish the organizational structure of the head office. In second
unit of the report it describes mainly about the internship experience. It starts by describing the
sections we had been working on and continues to tell the different types of tasks that we had
accomplished, and the materials and methodology used in the construction task, and also it tells
the challenges that we had faced during the internship experience. In third unit of the report it
describes the overall benefits that we have gained from this internship experience, and also it
tells the challenges that we had faced during the internship experience. It further divides the
overall benefits into details and tries to explain them.
Table of Contents

Declaration ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
List of Tables
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONOMYS
EBCS Ethiopian building code of standard
FFL Floor finishing level
RC Reinforcement concrete
NGL Natural ground level

RGL Reduced ground level

CHAPTER ONE

HISTORICAL BACK GROUND OF COMPANY

1.1 Introduction
The objective of this report is to reflect the understanding of the construction of building and its
processes. The report includes the practice performed in the duration of 120days Adama town of
Tedcon plc. Such away as a result of chance we have obtained from our department we were
able to acquire lots of knowledge from given in the class room with practical
1.2 Objective of internship

1.2.1 General objective

 To gain practical knowledge
 To improve our communication skill
 To increase understanding of work place culture
 To clarify and confirm career goals

1.2.2 specific objectives

The specific objective of internship program is to understand and identify:
Reading drawings: since architectural drawing is produced by architect and also structural engineer
provide reinforcement detailing of different structural members and electrical installation for
buildings. Engineers at construction site will read the drawings and contract the building as per the
provided drawing.
1.3 Brief history of Company






1.3.1 Background of the our hosting organization

The Tedcon plc is aprivate limited company capable of handling challenging projects ranging from
residential, warehouse and office complex buildings, road and bridge construction, and in real-estate
development.

It established in 1992E.C

Here are some examples of works that the Tedcon plc .

Modjo Electric pole plant (with internal road) .
Wolkite Electric pole plant (with internal road).
Compound asphalt concrete.
Akaki kality housing development.
Arada housing development.
Bole bulbula Apartment building.
1.3.2 Objective of Tedcon plc
All types of construction works .
Real estate development.
Construction material import ,production and supply
Machinery ,equipment import and supply.
Engineering Consulting Service.
Transporting Solid,liquid and gaseous materials.

1.3.3 Vision and mission of Tedcon plc

Vision
To create the construction industry endowed with quality, capacity and competitive in the country.

Mission
 To make effective the construction industry those are endowed with strong regulatory system in
our region.
 
 
 
 
 
1.3.4 Main product and service of the Company
 Road
 Bridge
 Earth works
 Water works

Main customers or end users of the products

 University
 Colleges
 Healthy Centers
 Individuals
 Construction bureau


 1.3.5 Overall structure the company
The company has the team of dedicated, self-motivated, skilled individuals that have a proactive
attitude towards every project they undertake.

Since the company is accountant to the privatizate limited company, it has recently made a new
team based and process centered that is flexible and responsive to customers’ requirements.

All the achievement of the company has been made possible by the dedicated effort of executives
and experienced personals

By daily laborers and even the Forman makes the daily labors to redo works that are already
completed, which are reasons of wasting resources (time, money and energy). This result leads to
the delay of the work, and decreases the quality of the work. In case of this the, site work needs
day to day supervision and flow up.
 1.3.6 Work flow of the company
The work flow or the chain of command in any company is very essential in order to have
smooth relation within the employees and also to complete a project within the project period.
This is accomplished in such a way that every employee takes care of his task and answers for
his immediate boss.
The general manager has chief power among different employment. He controls all activities in
the company and makes decision in consultant with management and technical advisors. The
deputy general manager works under the general manager. Together with the secretary and Legal
advisors the deputy general manager supervisors the work of the following departments:
1. Engineering department
2. Finance department
3. Transport and Mechanical department
4. Procurement department
5. Administration department
In each department, there are also organizational subdivisions which have their own
responsibility. The overall organizational set up of the organization is shown below

Secretary General Manager

Project Manager
Secretary

Office Construction engineer Administration

Personnel
engineer and finance

Quantity
Time keeper Accountant
Subcontractor Site engineer

Guard
 Data collector Cashier
General for man

Driver Purchaser
Gang chief
Draft man

For man
Store head

Figure 1: work flow of company

CHAPTER TWO
OVERALL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
In this chapter the following works can be contained, those are describing work piece. The works
which executed when it described and the whole work which is done is leads to the most
knowledge and good experience on building construction which includes both office work and Site
work.

2.1 How we get into the company

It was during the end of June 2017 that we were given a letter from jimma university
institute of technology with subject that requests to host qualified for internship. Then we
decided to search for companies that will help as to improve our practical skill, to upgrade
our theoretical knowledge and thinking for our future life concerning with engineering field
work. After this decision, we laid out the following criteria to gather information about the
construction companies.

Consequently, as we were given a letter, we informally and formally were searching for
construction companies and design offices that could give us the chance to practice in their
projects. As a result, we were given positive response from Adama city Administration
construction office. and they told us that the construction project they are going to assign
us with is familiar to train students who are sent from higher education institution and also
told us a project place . We gave a letter that we brought from civil engineering department
to the hosting company and a letter of acceptance is given for us. On November 2018 we
submitted to civil engineering department internship coordinator and a letter is accepted by
a department. After the end of first semester of fourth year on March 2018, the department
sent us to the hosting company with a written for the purpose of internship program. Lastly
when we go back to the host company they took us heartily and assigned us to the site work
which is Tedcon plc construction.

About the project

The site which we were working was found at Adama town.. We were working our internship
program on at construction of site. The site construction of commerical basement with G+5.The
project consist two blocks ; one of it has basement (G+5); while theothers blocks is G+2 The
building is designed by Yonas Birhane Company. Total area of the building is about 400 meter
square.

2.2 Section of the company we have been working in

During our four month internship program, we have been working in different sections of the
company and we have been executing different tasks.
Before start our task we were given high light about the given activity. We were acting as both
site and office engineers with the advice and help of site and office engineers at and also Forman
at the project.
During the first weeks we were making ourselves familiar with the overall construction works
and then we tried to read the structural and architectural drawing and contract document, which
has a detail about the work.
After this we attended the site and started practicing to observe and learn the construction
procedures and also assist the site engineer in all possible way that we can for instance by
checking and supervising what they had done before we join the project.
The main task in this are roughly to calculate the quantity of materials used in each step of the
project and to check the occurrence of enough amounts of material in the site for the upcoming
work, supervising work tasks such as formwork fixing, concrete casting, and preparing take off
sheet. This used to prepare payment and to check the quantity calculated by the consultant and
the actual quantity of the work.
Additionally we tried to estimate amount of form work required for footing pad, footing column
and slab, in given area. Also we calculate what cube of concrete will be required for casting of
the planned number of footing pad, footing columns and slab by taking data from structural
drawing.

2.3 The work flow in the section looks like

The work flow in some sections of the site works was good, but in some sections it was week.
For instance, in the supervision the work flow was not as much going in right and fast way.
Besides the supervision, the flow of work starting from daily laborers up to the site engineers is
very good. They do their tasks in cooperation and respect. But sometimes when the daily
laborers don’t get their salary at the right time, there will be a delay in the work and conflict
between them because of problem budget.

2.4 Work piece or work tasks we have been executing

Work pieces or tasks we have been executed during our internship were divided in to two parts.
Those are site and office work. This division of work is used to facilitate and to share
responsibility. In this report we would like to write the experience we gained both from the site
and office activities. But we spend most of our time on site work. Because executing tasks in a
site for intern student may to relate what they has learnt previously and how the site work is
going according to their academicals view and try to understand how problems are solved
technically. And also at site work how it is possible to have smooth relationship with both
illiterate and educated people at a project, but since office work need educated power it is simple
to do together without any conflict and to familiarize with the words they used at site, because it
has difference that we use previously at academic status. That is why we follow procedural steps
to execute our tasks and for details of works during our internship period.

2.5 Procedures we have been using while performing our work tasks
When we came to the site we get chance to see some substructure and most super structure.
2.5.1 Site work

Site work is a work which is the overall construction mainly managed by site engineer. The
Forman and gang chief are used to have direct contact with labors. They assigned different kind
of works to be done by each labor. In addition they control the speed of their works.
All works in building are categorized in either the substructure or super structure of the building.
Foundation work is included under substructure. Under this heading, we have included both
earth work and concrete work for the constructions of both footing pad and foundation column.

2.5.2 Substructure work

A structure of a building, which is located below the grade beam or the ground floor level, is
known as substructure. In substructure the following activity was working out after we reach the
site.
2.5.2.1 Pit Excavation
The pit excavation is done at the place of foundation column and footing pad after properly
doing setting out of the building and locating the effective position of the building area. Then
locate the center of foundation column and footing pad.for isolated footing 1.8*1.8*2 and for
combinedcgcombined footing different size.

Fig 2.1Pit Excavation

2.5.2.2 Trench excavation: trench is a channel like structure that is excavated for
building of a masonry wall. It has a width of equal with the base of the masonry wall
including a working space in each side of the dimension giving the surface area of the
volume to be excavated and a depth according to the designer need.

Fig 2.2 Trench excavation

2.5.2.3 Cart away

It is a disposal of the waste materials, site clearance, bulk excavation, pit excavation and trench
excavation. The materials excavated in the site if it’s not use full for that site it is transported as a
waste material. This disposal requires a very consideration in the construction process to be
economical in the case of transportation
2.5.3 Construction of foundation
2.5.3.1 Introduction to foundation
Foundation is the lowest artificially built part of a structure which transmits the load of the
structure to the ground. The foundation of a structure is always constructed below ground level
to increase the lateral stability of the structure
Purpose of foundation
Foundations are used for the following purposes.
 To distribute the load of the structure over a large bearing area so as to bring intensity of
loading within the safe bearing capacity of the soil lying underneath.
 To load the bearing surface at a uniform rate so as to prevent unequal settlement.
 To prevent the lateral movement of the supporting material.
 To secure a level and firm bed for building operations.
 To increase the stability of the structure as a whole.
There are many types of foundations. Among them I have a chance to see only isolated footing.
Isolated footing
They are used to support individual column. They are most often used: in small to medium size
structures, on sites with moderate to good soil conditions, on some large structures when the sites
underlain by exceptionally good soil of shallow bedrock.
2.5.3.2 Lean concrete
Is a concrete having a low grade and used to protect the structural concrete from rash conditions.
Lean concrete is concrete of 5mm thick with class, C-5 with minimum cement content of
150kg/m3 of concrete. Approximately at ratio of 1:4:6.
I have informed this kind of concrete used under;
-Footing pad - Retaining wall
-Masonry foundation - Grade beam
Advantages of lean concrete
 It protects all sub-structure elements from extra moisture
 It act like hard stratum
 It prevents the soil particles that are present under substructure from any relative movement.
 It prevents contacts between soil and reinforcements of footing pads. Prevent the corrosion of
reinforcement.

Fig 2.3 Lean concrete

2.5.3.3 Footing pad
Formwork for Footing Pad
This is four sided box supported and propped in the correct position and to the desired depth. The
formwork sides have to retain the wet concrete in the required shape and be able to with stand
the initial hydrostatic pressure of wet concrete and to prevent from dust.
After lean concrete is placed and take some time to be stable we have used the following
Procedure
 Point (sign) the corner point of form work using plumbing bob.
 Limit the area and to erect the panel (side panels) fixing the four side using some
supporting timber.
 Set the panel in the position and Fix then place re- bar
 Check before casting.
Reinforcing bars will be provided as per the drawing which is designed by the structural
engineer. For isolated footing, bottom reinforcements are provided in both directions. Now the
pad is ready for casting. But to have the required cover spacers are provided.
Fig 2.4 Isolated footing pad and its Reinforcement bar
Then after the concrete is added to the pad, the vibrator is used compact the concrete to avoid air
voids in the concrete. The depth of the pad will be maintained by making the points to which the
concrete is to be casted.
2.5.3.4 Foundation column
Foundation column is a type of column which is totally underground and it is anchored to the
pad/ footing. The reinforcement bars for foundations columns are bended at their bottom end
they are anchoring to the footing. The construction of foundation column wills proceeds after
casting of the pad.
The formwork will be constructed to construct foundation column having the required depth and
height. The only difference of columns from other RCC structures is that the formwork for
columns will be constructed after the bars are in their positions, but other structures like beam,
stair case, slab, etc. the formwork will be constructed first and bars are placed over them.
After having constructed the form column is ready for the next work which is concrete work or
casting. The concrete type used for construction is C-25.
2.5.3.5 Construction of Foundation wall (Masonry wall)
Masonry wall is a structural wall which retains unstable soil and is used to resist loads mainly
horizontal forces. In addition to load resistance, it has another function; it is strong and provides
security of the building. It protects the grade beam from deflection at mid span and from
buckling failure.
This masonry is constructed in the all external border and in all partition of the building at which
grade beam is constructed with 40cm width and 60m depth below the grade beam i.e. in all
trench excavation and the left part of pit excavation.
In this project the lean concrete is laid under the masonry with 5cm thickness.
Generally this masonry is most important in the strength of the foundation column to hold in its
position without buckling and crushing failure.
Fig 2.5 Masonry Wall
2.5.3.6 Back fill
Back fill is the volume of soil which is required to fill the void. This consists of the selected
material from other site mostly from query wastes to be replaced instead excavated and disposal
one in order to get the good strength and carrying capacity.
Back fill is done:
 Under masonry
 Under foundation
 Under grade beam
 Under hardcore.
When we do the back filling activities by the selected mater from the other site it must be
compacted in 20mm interval with adding water at a maximum dry condition to minimize voids
and get safe beaming capacity of soil
Soil compaction
is may be defined as the process by which the soil particles are artificially rearranged and packed
together into a state of closer contact by mechanical means in order to decrease its porosity and
thereby increase its dry density. The process of compaction involves the expulsion of air only.
The following are the important effects of compaction:
(i) Compaction increases the dry density of the soil, thus increasing its shear strength and bearing
capacity
(ii) Compaction decreases the tendency for settlement of soil
(iii) Compaction brings about a low permeability of the soil actually soil compaction is requires
obtaining a layer having good density.
The importance of compacting and soil selection is to avoid settlement

Fig 2.6 backfill around foundation column

2.5.4 SUPERSTRUCTURE.

Steel reinforcement for super structure

Storage of reinforcement and type of bar
It is observed at site that steel reinforcement is stored in clean condition. It should be reasonably
free from loose rust and other impurities such as grease oil, or tar and other kind of dirt. All
reinforcement has to be free from loose rust, or other harmful matter, which might prevent the
proper adhesion to concrete. The reinforcements should be cleaned before used for as
reinforcement if unwanted harmful matters appear on the surface of the reinforcement and the
Forman might have the obligation to do so. Storing place has to be cleaned to protect steels from
bad conditions.
The steel observed at site is available in the form of round bars and welded wire fabric. But the
most commonly used bars have projected ribs on the surface of the bars which is called ribbed
bars which is to make the bar rough. This roughness of deformed bars improves the bond
between the steel and surrounding concrete in reinforced concrete members by providing
mechanical keys. The bar that doesn’t have rib is also available at site that have 6mm diameter
which is used for stirrup (Staff) work.

Bending and cutting of reinforcement

Important works in the reinforcements are bar cutting and bar bending.
All bars are to be cut and bent cold and accurately to the shapes and dimensions shown on the
drawings and relevant bending sheets. This mean, the diameter, length and shape of the
reinforcement bars (RB) are according to the drawings and specification.
The bending of reinforcement bar is done with adequate bending tools. For example in our site
the bar bender will prepares the bars according to the schedule. They use a table like wooden
material having three bars welded on it to bend the bars. After preparing they put the bars at the
right position.
Heat is strictly not allowed for bending of reinforcement. The type and dimension is from
drawing and the purpose we going to use it, but they may use heat in cutting of reinforcement.
Cutting of bars will be by bar cutter but it need experienced person because it may be harm full
Figure 2.7 cutting and bending of reinforcement

Placement of reinforcement
Reinforcing steel is placed in position in the designed form by bar workers (Ferroye). As the
main beam, slabs and column bars have been prepared before; it should be placed in position
carefully. This should be according to the drawing and specification.
As required for the construction of column, beams and slabs, when all of the reinforcing bars
have been cut to the right lengths and have been bent, then the main beam & column
reinforcements tied with stirrups.
After the reinforcement bar is placed we check the spacing between longitudinal bars, the
spacing between stirrups, diameter of reinforcement, number of reinforcement bars, bends of
each bar, arrangement and number of punching shear reinforcement, depth of spacers and lap
splice positions and splicing length before the concrete is casted.

Figure 2.8 reinforcement of beam

The placement of reinforcement has need special attention. Among them;
 Spacers, which is produced from concrete has to be placed if it is necessary.
 Checked for the correct dimension and number of diameter is used.
 Checked for levelness of the surface etc…

Depending on their application reinforcements are;

Main reinforcement; Are longitudinal reinforcements provided to resist bending or flexure in
most structures and tensile stresses, but they may also be provided to resist compression in
double reinforced members when depth of section is restricted due to reasons such as
architectural reasons, or basement floors in beam.
Stirrup (Staffa): is a reinforcement to resist shear and diagonal tension stresses in a concrete
structural member. It will be curtailed for length equal to perimeter of main reinforcements and
extra 50mm both ends. Perimeter of main reinforcements is equal with depth or width of
structural member minus two times clear covers each side. This mean perimeter equal to the sum
of four sides of main reinforcement before concrete is casted. It may rough surface or have rib or
smooth bar. In our site they used smooth bar of 6mm diameter for column and ribbed bar of
8mm for beam
Generally stirrups used to;
 To resist sheer force
 To increase the strength
 To restrict the growth of diagonal tension cracks
 To tie longitudinal bars
 To improve ductility
Figure 2.9 Stirrup for beam and column
Binding bar: is small in diameter and smooth surface used to tie reinforcements at their
intersection. But it may be by using approved form of binding where directed so that the
reinforcement will not be displaced in the process of depositing the concrete. For example to
bind stirrup with main reinforcement it is preferable using binding bar.

2.5.5 Formwork
A formwork is as its name indicates it is a form which is constructed temporary to hold and
support fresh concrete up to it is hardened and hold the applied load including live load by itself.
The construction of formwork involves considerable expenditure of time and material, because it
shall be designed and erected carefully to safely support the applied vertical and lateral loads that
might be applied until such load can be supported by the concrete structure and fully preventing
leakage of concrete. When the concrete has reached the strength and matured the form work is
no longer needed and it can be removed. The operation of removing form work is called
stripping. After stripping the removed formwork can be reused for another structural element.

Requirements needed from good form work

To say every form work is good there are a requirements needed to be fulfilled. Those are listed
below;
 It should be strong enough to carry safely the dead weight of the wet concrete placed on
it, together with the live loading from the men and machines used in placing the concrete
in position and the impact loading caused by concrete being discharged in to the form
work.
 It should be practically water proof so that it does not absorb water from concrete. Also,
its shrinkage and swelling should be minimum.
 The joints between forms should be smooth, so that no unwanted surface irregularities are
apparent on the finished unit.
 The forms should be designed to be strong and rigid enough not only in use but also for
handling and stripping purpose s well, since durable form work is also economic and
reuse able.
 It should be stiff enough so that deflection is minimum.
 It should be as light as possible
 The material of formwork should be cheap and it should be suitable for re use several
times.
 It should be locally produced.
Form work may be steel or wooden depending on material from which they made. In our site
they have used steel form work for columns and side of slab and wood (ply wood) form work for
bottom of slab and stair. Both have advantage and disadvantages.
Let we compare;
Steel form work Wooden form work
Expensive relatively Cheap relatively
Modification is difficult Modification is simple relatively
Not liable to shrinkage or distortion Liable to shrinkage and swelling
Relatively heavy in weight Light in weight
More durability Less durability

Whether wooden or steel form work doing carefully during fixing time is very crucial. Because
to avoid loss of concrete material and unwanted shape on the structure. Proper fixing also
minimizes great chiseling to remove the unwanted shapes.
minimizes great chiseling to remove the unwanted shapes.

Figure 2.10 steel and wooden form work

Formwork removal time

The removal of form work also called as strike-off or stripping of formwork should be carried
out only after the time when concrete has gained sufficient strength, at least twice the stress to
which the concrete may be subjected to when the formworks removed. It is also necessary to
ensure the stability of the remaining formwork during formwork removal. It depends on
temperature.
For example, the time required for removal of concrete in winter will be more than time required
during summer.
Also it is different from structure to structure, for example, formwork removal time of column is
shorter than slabs and stair. The striking time of concrete formwork depends on the strength of
structural member.
Stripping time of form work
Stripping is the process of removing formwork. The time required for this phase is different for
different structure. The time required for most common structure is listed in the following table.

Table 1stripping time of formwork

SECTION PERIOD OF REMOVAL

For vertical formwork to column 16hours
For soffit formwork for slab 21days
For soffit formwork to beams 21days
For stair case 7 days
The strength development of concrete member depends on:
 Grade of concrete
 Grade of cement
 Type of cement
 Temperature
 Size of the concrete
 Accelerated curing and etc.
The separation of formwork should not be done by forcing crowbars against the concrete. It may
damage the hardened concrete. This should be achieved by using wooden wedges.

Scaffolding :Is a temporary structure erected against construction existing or being built, its
purpose is to provide a working platform for building work which cannot be reached from the
ground and also a means of enabling materials to be brought up to the work area and to support
the bottom form work of slab. It is constructed for free movement of workers in the construction
site. It may be a wooden or steel structure. In our site they use wooden, because they can get
locally and is lower in cost steel. They are constructed for plastering and painting works.
Scaffolding is also constructed to have circulation between parts of structure.

2.5.6 Concrete Work

Concrete is a mixture of cement, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates and water. It is strong in
compression, is relatively weak in resisting tensile and shearing stresses which develop in
structural member. Is the most crucial part of any construction, all construction work greatly
needs concrete. Concrete is very important for the structural constructions as in beams, slab,
column, retaining wall, concrete pavement, shear wall, bridge etc.
Concrete is selected because of its unique advantages such as;
 Concrete is highly resistance to compressive force
 It is highly resistance to fire
 It is good insulator
 Easily molded into any shape
 Water proof, if it properly mixed, vibrated, chiseled and plastered.
 It doesn’t require complex equipment and special skill.
 It is good compression and used as a complex material with steel.
 It is less costly.
Also concrete has following disadvantages;
 It is less in tensile strength
 It is difficult to dismantle
 It requires form work and time consuming
 It is difficult to supervise after pouring
 Less speed of construction
Preparation of concrete
Concrete can be prepared by mixing one fabricated and two modified naturally occurring things
with water. Those are cement; fine aggregate and coarse aggregates respectively.
Cement; is the product of industry and one component of concrete
 It is used for making plastic behavior of the concrete.
 It is used as a joint between other particles of concrete
 It should be free from dampness and wet condition
 Type of cement should be selected;
Aggregates; are mixed with cement to form concrete and greater in size than cement. They are
naturally occurring sand and basaltic stone gravel. Aggregates divided in to two depending on
their size; fine aggregates (sand) and coarse aggregates.
Fine aggregate is a sand small in sizewhich is used as a fill between aggregates and this limits
presence of voids between concrete materials. Also the presence of sand in concrete mix with a
certain ratio is needed to reduce the quantity of cement to be used. But excess sand will also
result in consumption of much cement.
Coarse aggregate is a crushed basaltic stone or gravel of approved quality and large in size
than concrete particles. It is uncrated rock fragments which is hard and durable. Its strength
determines the strength of concrete, so it should be free from any clay, soft sand that decreases
the strength of aggregates and other component of concrete is water.

Figure 2.11 fine and coarse aggregate

Water is to react chemically with the cement and sand and to lubricate all other materials and
make the concrete workable. As a chance in our site they are excess in water, because our
construction site is near the river and they use directly. Since it is not stored it is free from any
particles affecting concrete strength. Generally, water should be cleaned and free from impurities
which are likely to affect the quality or strength of the resultant concrete.
Generally, as we stated above concrete is a proportioned and well monitored mixture of cement,
fine and coarse aggregate and water. These ingredients are combined to give desirable properties
of concrete like hardness, durability, soundness and mould able. To meet these intended
properties the constituent parts have to be of good quality and mixing process should be handled
properly and correctly.

Mixing of concrete
Concrete is made by mixing of cement, water, coarse and fine aggregates and admixtures (if
necessary). The aim is to mix these materials in measured amounts to make concrete that is easy
to transport, place, compact, finish and which will set, and harden, to give a strong and durable
product. The amount of each material (i.e. cement, water and aggregates) affects the properties of
hardened concrete. For the concrete to meet its intended purposes its ingredients have to be of
good quality and the batching and mixing of the ingredients or constituents should be handled in
A concrete friendly environment. So they mixed by the wanted proportion. For instance the mix
proportion in our site is 1:2:3 (cement, fine aggregates and coarse aggregates). Where cement is
in weight (50kg) and aggregates are in volume in our site the mix is proportioned by using a
gauge box, manufactured from ply wood with dimensions 40 by 50cm, the depth varies
depending on the grade of concrete.
For example, for c-25 and c-30 grade of concrete the mix ratio 1:2:3 and the depth of box are
different.

Figure 2.12 box size

Grades of concrete
In our site they used grade c-25 concrete for construction of footing column and column
structure, beam and slab. Also as they told us they used grade c-5 as lean concrete .

Concrete mix methods

There may different method to mix constituents of concrete. The selection is depend on which
method is preferable in economy and to give the required property like strength, durability,
workability and through mixing of materials is should be for the production of uniform concrete.
The mixing should ensure that the mass becomes homogeneous uniform in colours and
consistency. There are two methods practiced at our site; by hand and using mixer.Mostly it is
done by mixers and manually if the project is small and the concrete needed is small enough to mix with
hand. For example for production of spacers they used hand mixing. But it is time consuming. Hand
mixing is practiced for small scale concrete works. Also mixing cannot be through and efficient.

By using mixer is more preferable than hand mixing.This process ensure uniform color,
consistency, and homogeneity of the concrete. Less segregation take place during process of
mixing. Machine mixing obviously gives better and uniform mixes than the method of hand
mixing. Because of this reason, it is generally recommended one.
The following procedures are during concrete mix using machine mixer;
 Cleaning the mixer by washing and removing unnecessary things
 Adding half the volume of water to machine
 Adding cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate according to specific grade and
proportion of concrete.
 Adding sufficient water that will result in a workable mix in required proportion.
The mixing process will progress until ingredients mixed sufficiently.
Preparing the storage place for discharged concrete
Discharging it from the mixer if it is properly mixed, having a uniform color and consistency
Figure 2.13 mixer

It is important to know at what time of mixing we can produce concrete of uniform composition,
and of reliable strength. The mixing time or period should be measured from time all the
cementing materials and aggregates are added in mixer till the concrete is discharged. Mixing
time depends on the type and size of mixer, on the speed of rotation, and on the quality of
blending of ingredients during charging of the mixer. Approximately mixing 1.5 to 2 minute is to
produce a good condition of concrete.

Transporting and casting of concrete

After concrete is discharged from mixer it will transported to where it is intended to use. This
may be by human force or other method. In our site they use barilla made from corrugated iron
sheet and two woods carried by two people for construction of structures height less or can be
reached simply like G+1 .
Casting involves placing and vibrating concrete in its final position to have the desired shape and
thickness. It should be done carefully by considering the following;
 Checking placement of reinforcement
 Checking level and alignment of formwork and cleanness of formwork
 Checking amount of produced concrete whether it is enough or not to cast proposed
structure
 Checking that oil gas was painted to form work to release easily.
 Checking that it is possible to cast continuously at same time the started structure,
specially, if it is column.

Curing and protection of casted concrete

Curing is the process where the concrete surfaces are kept wet for certain period after casting of
concrete so as to promote the hardening of cement. It consists of a control of temperature and of
the moisture movement from and into the concrete
All casted concrete should be properly protected using temporary cover like leftover cement’s
bag and paper until it becomes solid unless it may be affected by sun and wind.

2.5.7 Columns work

Column is defined as a member of a structure, which is subjected to axial compressive load. If
the member of the structure and both of its ends are fixed rigidly while subjected to axial
compressive load, the member is known as column, for example a vertical pillar between the
roof and floor. It is used to support and transmit the upcoming loads from upper part of
construction to lower structures. So we can say is the base of one building. It is made from
concrete and reinforcement, is reinforced concrete member. The reinforcement is necessary to
with stand tension and concrete to with stand compression. It may be circular, rectangular and
squire depending on its shape.
In our site they used only rectangular shape using the following procedures of construction:
 Preparation of reinforcement with the required dimension.
 Fixing stirrup with proposed spacing.
 Positioning the prepared reinforcement.
 Preparation of bracing (Krachery) giving advance dimension.
 Fixing and erection of form work in side prepared bracing.
 Checking the verticality alignment of form work using plump bob (Tumbi).
 Pouring the concrete in to form work up to the required height of column.
 Compacting the casted column using compaction method, for example in our site they
used vibrator for the compaction purpose.
 Removing form work keeping the removal time.
 Chiseling, removing unwanted shape created on column.
Figure 2.14 column construction

2.5.8 Beam work

Beam is structural element used to withstand slab and wall loads and transfer these loads to the
supporting columns. It is to carry vertical gravitational forces and also used to carry horizontal
loads. It is constructed from concrete and different types of reinforcement. Concrete is used to
resist compression and reinforcement is against tension forces. Beam may be constructed from
those types of reinforcement;
Main bar-is provided at the bottom of continuous and fixed beams and at the top for cantilever
beam. Its diameter ranges from 12mm to 24mm but in our site they used 14mm mostly. It will
overlap at support and should be spaced as it allow pass of concrete.
Negative bar- is provided at the top of continuous beam and is to resist tensile stresses
developed around supports. The overlapping is at middle span. In our site they used diameter of
14mm as a negative bar.
Stirrup- is to keep the shape of beam and to resist shearing force. It may be 6mm or 8mm in
diameter.

Figure 2.15 fixing stirrup of beam

2.5.9 Slab work
Slabs are a plane horizontal structural element used to support live loads and equipment loads
and transfer these loads to the supporting beams or walls. Their aim is to provide a level
surface capable of supporting the occupants of a building, equipment’s, furniture’s and
sometimes internal partitions. Slabs can be one way or two ways depending on the ratio of long
span to short span. If the ratio is greater than two, it is said to be one way and if this ratio is less
than two it said to be two way slabs. When a slab is one way, the bending is one directional and
when it is two way, the bending is two directional.
Slab also solid, ribbed and flat slabs depending on its structure in our site we used solid slab.

Solid slab: It is the combination of reinforcement bars and concrete. Reinforcement bars are
used to resist the tension loads whereas the concrete used to resist compression loads. Solid slab
is durable, strong and esthetically good but it is expensive.
Advantages of solid slab:
 Water tight (good for dampness).
 Used for toilet and bath rooms.
 Suitable for heavy weight constructions.
 Avoid crack and failure during transportation b/c of cast in situ concrete for the slab.
Disadvantages of solid slab:
 Consumes many reinforcement bars.
 Expensive or uneconomical.
 Requires too many form works scaffolding for supporting the concrete until its curing
time.
 Wastage of time during construction.
 Not suitable for longer span buildings
 .

Figure 2.16 solid slab

Spacers: - are manufactured from cement and sand mortar. It is used as concrete cover and
interconnect between bar and formwork. Also to keep the level of reinforcement of solid slab
Figure 2.17 spacer

2.5 .10 Stair Construction

Stairs are used to connect and act as passage between floors. Stairs are set of steps leading from
one floor to another and provide in building to afford a means of communication between the
various floors.
A step arranged in series and placed in an enclosure is called Stair Case. Usually stairs are
stretched between landings that are supported on beams and these beams are in turn supported by
columns. Construction of stair case is very difficult and time taking and needs to be precise. Stair
may be straight or turning stair. In our site U shape turn stair is provided
Figure 2.18 form work
Office works we have performed
The above we tried to explain are activities done at site. Although our activities are more at site,
we tried to observe what will be done at office and we perform to participate in.
Some activities done at office are;
Analysis of technical drawing
Preparation of takeoff
Unit cost analysis
Bar scheduling
Example of takeoff sheet form
Table 2 take off sheet
Tim sing Dimension Squaring Description

2.6 How good we have been in performing tasks

We attended the training relentlessly and actively by taking important notes about the work being
done. In addition, we ask the project manager, who was very open and friendly for all of us, and
also site engineer, the Forman and the workers if there is any ambiguity.

2.7 Challenges and measures

During our staying period in the site we were faced some challenges and we was trying to
overcome them by using appropriate remedial actions. The main challenges we were faced are:-
Unfamiliar with the site names of construction materials
The main challenge that we have faced during the internship time understood the site language
and terminologies applied by different work groups. As this being our first experience at site, we
were in trouble to understand the site language and terminologies used by carpenters, masons,
bar-benders and daily labors. We tried to resolve this by translating the terminologies to their
English equivalent and having a lesson about the points with the help of General Forman.
Some of unfamiliar names and their meaning;
Modino- horizontal wooden member at which bottom panel of slab formwork is place.
Pondo - bottom panel of beam reinforcement
Staffa – stirrup
Berga-pcs
Sponda - side formworks of beam and slab
Tumbi- plumb bob
Shenkello -bucket like tool used to transporting concrete for pouring

Location of site from our home:-the site is located far from our home and other problems
such as traffic loading it was difficult to reach on time
We were also obligated to eat our lunch in restaurant around the site because of distance. That
exposed me to additional cost rather than transportation.
To minimize these problems we were trying to wake up early and to come on time.

Shortage of space and uncomfortable place for storage of material at the site
Since the building covers the whole site there were two very small offices (one for site engineer
and office engineer and the other for workers).As a result, it decelerates the work progress
because materials like reinforcement bars and formworks are stored in working places, so they
should transported to another place and it takes time. Also the site is very sloped so it is not
comfortable for storage of construction material like aggregates, reinforcements, rocks and etc.

2.8 Measures to overcome these problems

In the theoretical aspect, we have preferred to read more on the specific problem and
Engineering aspects which could lead me to convince them.
We tried to resolve the problem of understanding the site terminologies by translating the words
to their equivalent English and having a lesson about the points with the help of general Forman.
CHAPTER THREE

OVERALL BENEFITS WE GAINED FROM

INTERN SHIP
During our internship time, we could able to be beneficiary in many ways. We tried to know
what we have already learned theoretically in regular classes, which are applicable in the work
place. Some of these benefits are:

3.1 In terms of improving practical skill

We never had a chance of working at a construction site being one of the interns undergoing this
program helped us in many ways. Fortunately the project we have been working for the last 4
months is a complex type which gave us an opportunity to have a wider view of the construction
world. During those months the project site offered us a tremendous amount of practical skill
regarding current way of construction on sub structure and some the superstructure. These
include how to transfer the data on paper in to the ground accurately i.e. setting out, how to
construct footing, re-bar works, related earth works and so many more.
As its commonly practiced, most of the course we took in class deal with the theoretical side of
Engineering some lectures took the initiative and tried to illustrate the practical part of this field
by displaying different graphical images in their lecture or suggested materials that were more or
less illustrative or even took us to the site to show what the actual Engineering looked like.
The following benefits are gained in terms of improving my practical skills:-
 Reading drawing and understanding it.
 Creativity and an innovation approach to solving problems.
 The ability to analyze and interpret diverse, complex data
 Critical thinking and the ability to evaluate designs, plans, and projects.
 Effective assessment and management of risk, resources and time
 Interpersonal sensitivity, persuasiveness and the ability to work as part of a team.
 Clear written and oral communication skills.

3.2 In terms of upgrading theoretical knowledge

This internship program was a good time for us to develop a firm knowledge on some courses
that we have taken in the past. The internship helped us to develop and improve our skill on
foundation Engineering, construction material and RCC.
To mention some, we didn’t know reinforcement is placed footing pads, footing columns how
beams and slabs can monolithically be casted, how columns of different floor are joined, how the
reinforcements in the beams, column, the slabs are placed, how it is possible to keep a uniform
spacing between reinforcement bars, how double reinforcement bars are kept in place while
casting, how reinforcement bars are joined when columns of different floors are casted and so
on. But after seeing the casting process of each structural section in a building, the entire
question we had in mind was answered.
In addition, we understand the reason behind each supervision check points and improve our
skill in reading technical drawings.

3.3 In terms of improving interpersonal communication skill

To live with people and to share ideas communication is the basic things for human beings. At
the beginning of this program we were not much understood or knew about the work procedure
and this situation forced us to ask different people a lot of question and get several responses
from each of them. Unless we couldn’t agree and share information which is very complex to
compute with the life. Here in civil Engineering field of study it needs a good communication
skill to share ideas with the people or workers engaged in the projects
In the last 4 months in addition to theoretical and practical knowledge we have got an interesting
improvement regarding with our interpersonal communication. In the company we have been
executing the people engaged in the job of the project is the assembly of different nations and
nationalities of our country. Therefore they speak different languages. But most of them
communicate in Afan Oromo language and some of them speak Amharic so we were trying to
communicate with them in Amharic and share ideas openly and gathered a lot of knowledge
about the practical works of civil Engineering

3.4 In terms of improving team playing skill

Besides communication, team playing is a vital part of work flow. During our stay in the
Company, we made every effort to be as cooperative as we can. We are also knowledgeable
about the labor force employed in construction. In this regard we have experienced a team work
culture and improve our communication skill. With these experiences we believe that we will be
enthusiasm to work in the future.
Being trained in a project office which has a lot of experience, working with people possessing
lot of experience in all aspects of life and getting a chance to work with people from different
parts of the country gives me a lot of social benefits regarding to :-
 Improving interpersonal communication
 How to resolve conflicts that arise during work
 How to compromise problems that arise in interpersonal relationships
 How to explain situations in ways most understands.
3.5 In terms of improving our leadership skill
Leadership skills can play a great role in leading career of the company. Often, your technical
skills can only take you so far. To help you move forward in your career, you need soft skills
such as the ability to be a good leader. Therefore, leadership skills are considered to be important
traits which can help you get to the top of your career field. You're more likely to be hired or get
a promotion if you've been successful in leadership roles in your professional or personal life.
There are many skill sets that can help us to become a successful leader. This are:-

Critical thinking:-To be hired for a high-profile job, you will need to be a critical thinker. Good
leaders are able to fore see potential problems before they happen.
Listening effectively
One of the most important skills for a leader is listening. Without listening skills, you are not
able to get feedback from others and get a sense of what team members like about the projects
they work on. To listen effectively, you need to maintain eye contact, avoid distractions and
respond appropriately. Keep in mind, communication is not only about verbal communication.
Be aware of body language and gestures to determine what people are really saying
Motivate others
A true leader should positively influence people. When employees or coworkers lose their
ambitions and passions, a true leader can energize and motivate them.
Sometimes, people lose their motivation because they are facing difficulties, tired of doing the
same repetitive tasks or disappointed they are not being asked to get involved. As a leader, you
should talk to them, ask them what’s going on, and share your personal stories with them to
encourage them to get involved
Discipline
Discipline is required in order to execute the goal. Even if you have a vision or a good idea, it's
useless without discipline.
If you want to execute effectively, you need discipline. To be a good leader, you need to be self-
disciplined and make sure others on your team are disciplined.
Know How to Delegate
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done.
A successful leader won't micro-manage. Delegate work to your employees and let them feel
empowered. If you do this, they will feel more involved and have more opportunity to develop
new skills. Delegating will allow you to better concentrate on the goals you need to achieve
yourself.
If you are a project leader, you are still responsible for the work in the end. This is why it is
important to oversee the project when delegating
Handling Conflicts
Leaders have to know how to handle difficult people and resolve conflicts. If an employee
doesn't work to the best of his or her ability and brings a negative attitude to work, leaders have
to step up and talk to that person in private. Leaders have to be honest and straight to the point.
This requires a lot of courage. It is not easy to point out a problem or fire someone. Always listen
to the employee's side of the story before you reach a conclusion
Be a Follower
Leaders should learn to recognize the value of team members, learn from them and encourage
other team members to learn from them. Learn things that you didn't know from a person who
specializes in that area

3.6 In terms of understanding about work ethics

While the main objective of the internship program is to get a good perspective on the lessons we
took in the class room and their practical sense on the field.
We can say that purpose is adequately fulfilled. But there is another and equally important
benefit attached with it. And this is the student’s progress as a future professional and as creative
and sociable member of the society. The following are some of the common professional ethical
principles what we gained in the internship period.
Punctuality:-Means keeping the companies work beginning and ending time and to complete a given
task within the given period. That was challenging to become punctual for the 1st days of work. But
gradually I began to start and end my tasks on time.

Honesty:-We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of
those we represent and in communicating with the public.
Cooperation:-Each worker should interact and cooperate with each other while working. That is
because it is through such system problems could be easily solved.

Fairness: - I deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the
general public. I respect all opinions and support the right of free expression

3.7 In terms of entrepreneurship skills

Participating in an internship allows us to gain a better perspective of post-graduation
employment by applying the principles and theories we’ve developed in the classroom. This
practical application creates an easier transition for us from the classroom to the working world.
While participating in this internship we realize that creativity and problem solving is one of the
starting points of entrepreneurs. This internship motivates us not to be employee because it
enables us to know more about our career, the real challenges, and way of business establishment
in this profession.
PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED AND SOLUTIONS PROPOSED ON THE PROJECT
We attended the training relentlessly and actively by taking important notes about the work being
done. In addition, we ask the project manager, who was very open and friendly for all us, and
also site engineer, the Forman and the workers if there is any ambiguity.
4.7.1 Challenges and measures

Challenges are common to occur during the engineering works. In our internship program we
have seen both office work challenges and site work challenges. Many problems on the project
carried out both by naturally and human made. By nature the rainfall the main cause of runoff
and erosion of soil, also soil property.
By human made:
 Lack of office and office materials like computers.
 Lack of educated engineer to perform activity
 Not having practically skilled labors that could have shown the students how construction
works are done.
 Lack of laboratory test
 Lack of position of the site place.
 Lack of measure of construction material
 There was no sufficient construction engineer from which we ask and get necessary
knowledge and experience for our future journey.
 The other problem at site is there is no enough working space that on which concrete is
mixed, construction material is stored.
4.7.2 Measures to overcome these problems

During our staying period in the site we were faced some challenges and we were trying to
overcome them by using appropriate remedial actions.
In the theoretical aspect, we have preferred to read more on the specific problem and
Engineering aspects which could lead us to convince them.
we tried to resolve the problem of understanding the site terminologies by translating the words
to their equivalent English and having a lesson about the points with the help of general Forman
It tried to resolve problem these site when we used construction material we must to be measure.
For the case of no enough working space, it has confused us and we have performed our activity
by any mean.
Since the companies haven’t enough engineers, we have observed some activity in other
company.
Chapter 4

Conclusion and Recommendation

Conclusion
The internship has helped us greatly in upgrading our theoretical knowledge that we had learned
in the class towards a practical knowledge. It played a great role in giving us self- confidence and
also introducing us to the world of construction. The company has helped us to see a lot of things
in civil engineering during the intern especially; it gave us an insight in to the professional side
of construction.
We have seen a lot of tasks in the site like;

 Reading drawing and Relating to the site activities

 Facing construction problem and finding solution
 Managing overall activities of the work
 Controlling of every activities of the site
 How to check the quality of materials used at the site
 How to check whether the work is according to the drawing provided by the design or
not, and so on
Generally, internship program has played a tremendous role in equipping, students with the
practical knowledge of understanding and implementing field exercises in civil engineering.
Also it helped us for getting good communication skill for our future job. So the internship
program is very interesting, knowledgeable, real and educational.

Recommendation
Depending on the time we had during internship program, the recommendation we had for both
university and the company are;
 The departments arrange internship program students to know not only one project. But
as much as possible two month like building projects and the remaining month on
highway, hydraulic structure, or water supply projects.
 In the site the engineers are very busy, so they didn’t know how we are doing and they
didn’t evaluate properly about the program. So we were responsible to get all the things
from the site and from them by asking, attending and working with them. The companies
have to prepare or facilitate the contact mechanism with the student and also force the
engineers to follow the student in order to get the sufficient knowledge. We conclude, the
company must give more intension for the program for the future and the university also
should have to have a proper care and contact with the company from the starting time of
the internship up to the end.
  Also during the intern time we have faced a financial problem, so the department should
give consideration on the budget allocation.
 Generally, as this internship has a great role for giving a practical knowledge the
university should work widely and deeply on the quality and continuations.
 Since the test is done at another place by the company, so student are unable to see any
tests at the site, so the company should have to done the tests at the site.

Reference

ABEBE DINKU (Dr. Eng), building construction, AAU press, 2000

ARORA, Dr. K.R. Soil mechanics and foundation Engineering. DELHI: A .K .JAIN, 2003.
Ministry of works and urban development, EBCS 2, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1995
Ministry of Works and Urban Development, EBCS 7, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1995
R. Crudely and R.Greeno (6th edition 2009) building construction hand book 4. S.P.ARORA & S.P.BINDRA
(6th edition 2009) the text book of building construction
Appendices
 Barella:- This is wooden supported flat plate used to transport concrete works like cement,
aggregate, sand etc.
 Armata:- concrete
 Penci:- is `panel but is small in size which is used to fill the small opening in form work.
 Berga :-is a bar having 12m(one pcs) which is used for reinforcement
 Tumbi:- This is used to check verticality alignments of column formwork and also used in
masonry works ̸ plumbing bobs.
 Segeto:-is materials cutting blade.

 “Staffa” ………………………stirrup: shear resistant bar of the column, beams,

and shear walls
 “Sebago”……………..string: used to maintain alignments
 Shenkello -bucket like tool used to transporting concrete for pouring