Earth-work volume calculation

[Eddies2010]

Hello colleagues, could anyone help me out?
I need a free software to carryout earthwork volume calculation for excavation work on a large area borrow pit(s).I tried the software "surfer 8" but when compared the result with a prototype manual calculation, there seems to be great error.

Somebody please help.

Edson

 

[msquared48]

Off by a factor of 27?

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask

 

[IDS]

What format is the data in?

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[svtolman]

If you are able to do the calculations on paper I would suggest doing them in a excel file. This way youu can just change the dimensions of the excavation and the math will already be done. Using someone elses tool to do the calculations for you will in the end cripple your performance. Do it once in excel and have it for years to come.

 

[BigH]

Hey all - remember planimeters? If this is only a "one-of" and not complex, excel is probably the way to go. How did you calc the volume? Most use [(A1 + A2) / 2] times the length. I typically used, when I did a lot of them, [(A1 + A2 + sqrt(A1*A2))/3] times the length. In setting up spreadsheet I suggest that you put the end areas on every other line and then have the "middle" line be the average area and length. (see example)

 

[jheidt2543]

BigH:

Your example is fine as far as it goes, but one has to compute the end areas, so would you set up a page in which the input is existing and new elevations x width = area? Then the result is brought into the sheet you had?

Of course all this is old technology now, there are some pretty inexpensive programs available (and expensive ones too) that do this. The spreadsheet wouldn't be the most efficient way to do earthwork take-offs for medium to large jobs.

 

[dik]

Catch the link...

http://www.dur.ac.uk/~des0

http://www4/cal/roads/earthwk/earthwk.html

I don't recall how to do it now, but about 40 years ago, I wrote a fortran program that would establish the optimum elevtion of a road to minimise cut, fill and haulage.

Dik

 

[dik]

and another...

http://www.g-eng.biz/fe/road3.html

for a free download...