4.1. Balancing Trucks and Excavators

But the loading time will be number of bucket loads multiplied by the bucket cycle time. Another important thing you have to keep in mind is, for any machine whatever maybe the mission we have discussed about different types of machines so far. All the machines we are concerned about the safe gravimetric capacity of the machine. For every machine what is this safe operating load in terms of weight is given by the manufacturer, so that we call it as a gravimetric capacity.

Gravimetric capacity refers to the maximum weight that a machine can safely handle. Every machine has an operational limit provided by the manufacturer, which should not be exceeded. To determine if a load is safe, we must consider the density of the material being handled and compare the actual weight against this gravimetric capacity.

Think of a gravimetric capacity like a weight limit on a roller coaster. Just like a roller coaster can safely hold a certain number of people, machines are designed to carry loads within specific weight limits for safety and efficiency.

Check the load weight against the gravimetric capacity of the truck, how to check that? For that you need to know what is the unit weight of your material, if you know the density of your material you can multiply it by the volumetric load to get the actual weight of material in the truck.

To ensure a truck is not overloaded, you first need to know the material's density. By multiplying the density by the volume of material in the truck, you can calculate the weight of the load. This weight must be less than the truck's gravimetric capacity to operate safely.

Imagine you are filling a backpack with books. You need to know how many books you can fit without exceeding the weight limit of the backpack. By weighing the books (density) and considering how many you plan to add (volume), you can safely fill your backpack without overloading it.

…if the material is going to be denser like wet sand or other denser material, what happens is there are more chances that your machine may be overloaded. That means the weight of material in the truck will be above the safe gravimetric capacity defined by the manufacturer.

Overloading occurs when the weight of the material in a truck exceeds the manufacturer's recommended limits. Denser materials, such as wet sand, significantly increase the risk of overloading, which can lead to increased wear and tear on the machinery.

Think of it like trying to ride a bicycle with too many heavy bags attached. Just as the bike can become difficult to handle and wear out faster, overloading a truck leads to similar issues like tire damage and reduced efficiency.

So, balancing the capacity of the hauling equipment and the excavator bucket size will result in maximum loading efficiency, and reduce total cost. Based upon the studies, they have found that the truck capacity should be 4 to 5 times the bucket capacity…

Balancing the sizes of the truck and excavator is crucial for optimizing efficiency on a construction site. Ideally, a truck's capacity should be 4 to 5 times larger than the excavator's bucket capacity to ensure that both machines work synchronously without delay.

Imagine a waiter trying to balance plates and drinks for a large dinner party. If she has smaller plates, she’ll need to make more trips to the kitchen, slowing down service. If the plates are too large, she may struggle to carry them. The right balance ensures smooth and efficient service.

So, let us find the balanced number of trucks…that depends upon the cycle time of your truck and the cycle time of your excavator. So, divide the truck cycle time by the excavator cycle time…

The balanced number of trucks for an excavator can be calculated by dividing the truck's cycle time by the excavator's cycle time. This figure indicates how many trucks are ideally needed to maintain continuous operation without causing delays.

Consider a bus stop where multiple buses pick up passengers. If one bus takes longer to load, it might create a backlog of waiting passengers. By calculating how many buses should be at the stop (trucks), we ensure no one has to wait too long—for smooth, uninterrupted service.

In the case when I round it to the number greater than the balance number…the trucks will have idle time, truck will be waiting for the loader, loader will be critical here.

If we choose to use more trucks than the balanced number indicates, trucks may end up waiting and not working effectively, leading to idle time. This scenario slows down the entire operation, as the productivity is now tied to the loader's availability rather than the trucks.

Think of a restaurant with too many servers but not enough customers. If the servers are waiting around for customers to take orders, they aren't effectively utilizing their time, similar to how excess trucks might wait without work.

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