Cut and fill
Encyclopedia
In earthmoving
, cut and fill is the process of constructing a railway, road
or canal
whereby the amount of material from cuts roughly matches the amount of fill needed to make nearby embankments
, so minimizing the amount of construction labor. This technique is widely practiced in mining applications.
Cut sections of roadway or rail are characterized by the roadway being lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. From an operational standpoint there are unique environmental effects associated with cut sections of roadway. For example, air pollutants can concentrate in the ‘'valleys'‘ created by the cut section. Conversely, noise pollution
is mitigated by cut sections since an effective blockage of line of sight sound propagation is created by the depressed roadway design.
, exposure of nearby residents is generally increased, since sound walls and other forms of sound path blockage are less effective in this geometry.
There are a variety of reasons for creating fills, among them reduction of grade along a route or elevation of the route above water, swampy ground, or areas where snow drifts frequently collect. Fills can also be used to cover tree stumps, rocks, or unstable soil, in which case material with a higher bearing capacity is placed on top of the obstacle in order to carry the weight of the roadway or railway and reduce differential settlement.
, or DynaRoad
can be used to calculate the balance of cut and fill.
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
, cut and fill is the process of constructing a railway, road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
or canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
whereby the amount of material from cuts roughly matches the amount of fill needed to make nearby embankments
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
, so minimizing the amount of construction labor. This technique is widely practiced in mining applications.
Cut section
Cut slopes are rarely created greater than a slope of two to one (horizontal to vertical dimensions).Cut sections of roadway or rail are characterized by the roadway being lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. From an operational standpoint there are unique environmental effects associated with cut sections of roadway. For example, air pollutants can concentrate in the ‘'valleys'‘ created by the cut section. Conversely, noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
is mitigated by cut sections since an effective blockage of line of sight sound propagation is created by the depressed roadway design.
Fill section
Fill sections manifest as elevated sections of a roadway or trackbed. Environmental effects of fill sections are typically favorable with respect to air pollution dispersal, but in the matter of sound propagationRoadway noise
Roadway noise is the collective sound energy emanating from motor vehicles. In the USA it contributes more to environmental noise exposure than any other noise source, and is constituted chiefly of engine, tire, aerodynamic and braking elements...
, exposure of nearby residents is generally increased, since sound walls and other forms of sound path blockage are less effective in this geometry.
There are a variety of reasons for creating fills, among them reduction of grade along a route or elevation of the route above water, swampy ground, or areas where snow drifts frequently collect. Fills can also be used to cover tree stumps, rocks, or unstable soil, in which case material with a higher bearing capacity is placed on top of the obstacle in order to carry the weight of the roadway or railway and reduce differential settlement.
Software
Software such as Agtek, Roctek, QuantmQuantm
Quantm is a software package that is used to optimise the routes of roads and railways. This was hitherto a tedious and laborious task as huge amounts of data are involved and the number of options is large as well...
, or DynaRoad
DynaRoad
DynaRoad is a project management software for heavy civil engineering projects. It is used for planning the mass haul of an earthworks project, creating a construction schedule, and monitoring the progress of the project....
can be used to calculate the balance of cut and fill.
See also
- Cut-and-cover
- Cut (earthmoving)Cut (earthmoving)In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil or rock material from a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for a canal, road or railway line....
- Fill dirtFill dirtFill dirt is earthy material which is used to fill in a depression or hole in the ground or create mounds or otherwise artificially change the grade or elevation of real property....
- Slope
- TrenchTrenchA trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....