DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Private Bag, Dedan Kimathi,
10143 SCHOOL OF
ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
EXTERNAL ATTACHMENT REPORT AT KISSI- ISSEBANIA A1 ROAD AND
PARTLY AT BOSLICA COMPANY LIMITED
CALVIN KAPWEPWE NYANG’OR: E024-01-0853/2017
SUPERVISOR: Dr. Thuo
2022
A Project Report submitted to the department of Civil Engineering of Dedan Kimathi University
of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of Bachelor
of Science in Civil Engineering
DECLARATION
By the student
I Calvin Kapwepwe hereby declare that this field attachment report is a product of activities I
carried out in sephstar limited during my attachment and has not been submitted by any other
student to any other university for award of academic certificate.
Signature …………………………… Date ………………………………….
By the institution based supervisor/Approval
I..............................................................................hereby confirm that this attachment report has
been submitted at the Civil Engineering department, DeKUT by my approval as the general
supervisor in charge of the external attachment on behalf of the department.
Signature …………………………… Date ………………………………….
DEDICATION
This attachment report is dedicated to my family for all the financial help or any support which
they have continued offered to me regardless of their difficulties.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This attachment was successful due to various supports I received during the period. I thank the
almighty God for providing me with the health and confidence to carry out the various activities
during the attachment period.
My sincere thanks to the department of Civil Engineering for arranging this attachment period so
that the students may acquire various skills from the knowledge gathered in class so that the
students thrive in fieldworks.
I also want to thank sephstar limited for accepting me to their company so that I can acquire the
necessary experience and skills in my field of work. Many thanks to my supervisor Mr kimani
for explaining to me various concepts when we were at construction site. He was very helpful in
providing information regarding some construction techniques.
I lastly want to thank the rest of the employees of sephstar limited. All the workers assisted me
when I needed help and I was able to understand how school knowledge was applied to real life
situations. I thank the surveyors and foremen on site assigning me some small tasks for me to
work on and thereby improve my skills.
TABLE OF CONTENT
STUDENT DECLARATION
………………………………………………………………………………………….2
DEDICATION
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……2
LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS AND
ACRONYMS.....................................................................3
LIST OF
FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
……………………………………………………………………………………………5
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................5
Background information
……………………………………………………………………………………….5
Reporting, Orientation and
Deployment.................................................................................................7
CHAPTER TWO:
ATTACHMENT.....................................................................................................................7
Creation of Columns
Stirrups
Retaining walls
Plastering
INSPECTORATE
Concrete work
CHAPTER THREE…12
Conclusion
Recommendation
References
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background information
Dedan Kimathi of Technology Department of engineering offers an industry attachment to its
Engineering students as a mandatory fulfillment of the curriculum approved by the Engineering
Board of Kenya. The industrial attachment was effected to ensure the acquaintance of relevant
civil works exposed to the students on both the theoretical and practical aspect.
The industrial attachment is supposed to be covered upon completion of fifth yearr. This would
later be followed an internship period after fifth year.
The industrial attachment involves the participation from the student in the day to day activities
as per the schedule of the industry and maintains a record of the events in the logbook.
For instance in my case ,upon reporting, I was well informed of the various department where
upon the completion of the attachment period I was supposed to have covered.
For instance in my case ,upon reporting to the sephstar I was well informed of the various
department where upon completion of the attachment period I was supposed to have covered .
The departments are broken down into various sections upon which test analysis supervision and
recommendation on the project rely on. I come to understand that all the required department
including the sections work in-coordination to arrive at work which is of the required standards
as per the project designs.
Reporting, Orientation and Deployment
I reported at the company’s main camp on 31st January 2022at 0830hrs which is situated 2km
from Kagio town .My arrival was well acknowledged by the resident engineer secretary who
spared her time to officially introduce me to the team of Lab and inspectorate Technicians.
Lab technicians though well versed in all fields have been assigned to different sections to
perform certain duty and would be reshuffled from time to time to other areas to widen their
scope of technical knowhow.
Finally I was assigned to various sections to enable smooth transition of the attachment period.
CHAPTER TWO: ATTACHMENT
Stirrups
Cutting length of stirrups and bending them to be fitted at the columns, horizontal bars of
diameter 20mm were cut to length of 6m cutting binding wire.
Joining substracture columns with superstructure.Binding wire was used to join column to
another column after calculating the lapping length.
Bending and placing vertical and stirrups for floor other columns and curing of the casted
spacers.
Foundation columns
Bar bending for the remaining column.using string to allign the kicker boxes into line, casting
concrete using m25 class.pouring concrete into kicker boxes, curing already casted kicker.
Column inspection by the structural engineer.Bringing down some set up columns due to
cranking to collect the mistake.
Column is a vertical structural member intended to transfer a compressive load.Orientation and
alignment of column help to distribute load equally to hardstrata.
Making of shuttering boxes for columns.
Putting the shutter box in position by making sure that it is used vertically aligned.casting of
concrete for already shuttered columns, casting done using class m25 of concrete, after casting
vibrator was used.
Column box or shuttering for columns is made of plywood sheets or steel sheets fabricated with
adequate stiffness.
Steps in concrete construction
• Selecting quantities of materials for selected mix proportions
• Mixing
• Checking of workability.
• Transportation
• Pouring in formwork for casting
• Vibrating for proper compaction
• Removal of formwork after suitable time
• Curing member with suitable methods and required times
and laying of DPC
Cutting and laying of DPC at all points where masonry wall was constructed, mixed mortar in
the ratio of 3:1 to stick the DPC, removing of shutter boxes from the dried columns
Steps to guide to building a brick wall
• Started brickwall at the corners.Firstly layout the bricks at both ends of your wall where
the pillar with start
• Mix the mortar
• Lay the first course of bedding mortar
• Create the brick pillars
• Cutting bricks
• Horizontal and vertical joints should be 10mm thick
• Finishing mortar beds
• Clean up by giving the finished wall a gentle brush over and clean up any mortar that has
failed onto the floor before it dries.
• Retaining wall
• Retaining reinforcement work includes bar bending and cutting of distribution bars and
main bars.Retaining walls are usually required to resist a combination of earth and
hydrostatic loadings.Fundamental requirement is that the wall is capable of holding the
retained material in place without including movement arising from deflection
overturning or sliding.Retainer wall was built for the basement partioning.
• CONCRETE WORKS
• Concrete is a mixture of cement ,sand ,brick or stone ballast and water which is then
placed in formwork and allowed to cure .It becomes hard by undergoing chemical
reaction. The applications of concrete specific to the project were
• Construction of access and cross culvert
• Construction of sleeve duct
• In the project ,Arbitrary method is used in proportioning of concrete .The desired
consistency determined by slump test in the field assures the ability of the concrete to be
transported ,placed and finished without segregation
• The procedural preparation of concrete of the project involved:
• Mixing of constituents by machine mixer
• This is the stage at which samples are taken to be used in the preparation of concrete
cube .the compressive strength of the cubes would then be determined in the lab as a
quality control measure of the laid structure in the field.
• Placement of concrete into the laid formwork
• The formwork is made up of wooden or metal boards which are applied petroleum
lubricant for surfaces which will be in contact with concrete. This application of oil
would facilitate quick disassembling of board since the concrete would not bound with
the surfaces of the formwork
• The formwork consist of a system wood or metal board and steel bars of various
diameters are fixed within it .They act as a reinforcement to resist tensile stresses since
concrete is weak in tensile stresses.
• Compaction of concrete with vibrating poker
• The poker vibrator is essential in the production of a denser and compact concrete
structure by eliminating air voids. Care should be taken not to create air spaces in the
concrete mass when one removes the poker quickly.
• Compaction is done and stopped when there is appearance of thin film of liquid cement.
• Finishing of concrete surface:
• This process involves screeding floating and finally trowelling with soft wood boards.
• Curing of concrete structure
• This is done to ensure the concrete mass attains it characteristic strength. Water gets
absorbed to facilitate complete chemical reaction .If the concrete is improperly cured,
then it would lead to decreased compressive and flexural strength.
Determination of compressive strength of concrete cubes
The compressive strength of cubes offers a clear picture on the acquired strength of the structure
on site for a stated period of time I.e. 7days, 14 days and 28days.The expected characteristic
strength is as follows
1 day =16% of characteristic strength
3 days =40% of characteristic strength
7 days =65% of characteristic strength
28 days = 98% of characteristic strength
Preparation of cubes (field)
Apparatus: steel mold (150mm cube); tamping rod; vibrating poker molding oil.
Procedure
Take a sample from the concrete mixer and place it in the mold in three layers .Each layer should
be tamped 35 times
Use the tamping rod in each layer to eliminate trapped air bubbles
Level the surface of the mold with a trowel and leave the sample to set for 24hrs before de-
molding
Cure the cubes in water bath
After the specified duration for strength determination subject the cubes for compressive strength
test.
Compressive strength test
Apparatus
Compressive test machine
Concrete cube specimen 150 by 150
Procedure
Place the concrete cube in the machine in such a manner that the loads shall be applied to the
opposite sides of the cube cast.
Align the specimen centrally on the base plate of the machine
Rotate the movable portion gently by hand so that it touches the top surface of the specimen
Apply the load gradually without shock and continuously till the specimen fails. Record the
maximum load and note any unusual features in the type of failure.
Data and calculation
Size of the cube 150mmx150mmx150mm
Maximum load applied (585*103N (7days)
Compressive strength (load in N/Area in mm2)
(585*103/22500) N/mm2
26.0N/mm2
The strength achieved is above the minimum required (9.75).therefore it is approved and the
subsequent strength determination for 14 and 28 days will be done.
Concrete works
Determination of workability of concrete by slump test
Objective: to determine the variation in the uniformity of given nominal concrete proportions
Apparatus
Frustum Mold 300mm height, 100mm top and 200mm bottom diameters.
Tamping rod ,Thermometer <Trowel and Measuring tape
Procedure
Moisten the interior of the frustum and base to eliminate surface friction
Record the temperature of the concrete mix
Using trowel, place the concrete into the frustrum mold in 3 layers with each layer tampered 25
times.
Struck the top surface with trowel
Slowly lift the mold as the unsupported concrete dumps.
Therefore the decrease in height of the highest part of the lumped concrete is the slump.
Data
At 25.90C, the measured was 55mm for class 15/20
Remarks
The slump achieved for the class of concrete is recommended for road works and hence its
application specific for casting of building of columns.
2.4. Relationship with other staff.
The student mainly interacted with the working personnel on site. He worked closely mostly
with the engineer, surveyors and foremen on sight. This was because most of the duties and
responsibilities were assigned by the listed personnel. As a result, friendship was developed
between the student and the above personnel which enabled good teamwork and understanding
between the team. Hence the student was able to easily approach and challenge them with
questions on problems which he encountered as he carried out the respective duties. Thus the
student work was much easier.
The student also interacted with the other staff on site. He got to spend a lot of time with them
and thus he was able to appreciate their input to construction. Some of these situations include:
travelling together to the site using the company’s vehicle and during tea and lunch time. Hence
a friendly relationship was established.
While working together with the masons and plant operators, the student was able to understand
their part in civil engineering works. As the student was working along with them for long
durations, teamwork was established between them and mutual respect for each other’s work
was increased.
2.5. Things enjoyed most
During the attachment period, the student was able to participate and work on various duties and
activities which he found to be very interesting and quite pleasant to work on. Some of these
include:
Taking measurements
The student found duties and activities which involved taking various forms of measurements to
be very interesting. Such duties include: measuring lengths and cross sections of roads using a
tape measure and measuring the dimensions of doors and windows of buildings.
Operating the vibrator during casting
The student enjoyed the act of operating a machine which he had never interacted with before.
He found it quite interesting and its use very important in construction. In most cases he assisted
the masons on site in operating the vibrator.
Various tests conducted on site
Various tests such as the field density test and cube test were familiar to the student having
already studied there procedure and importance at the university. Hence, seeing those being
applied on real life situations was quite interesting for the student.
Engaging in productive conversation with other staff
The student found conversations and discussions with other workers such as the foremen and
masons quite interesting especially on regards to problems and solutions on various situations
encountered on site.
Supervision of small works
The student enjoyed being given the responsibility of supervising small works such as
excavation of small sections. This enabled the student to be well observant and keen on the
works so as to fulfill the assigned duties.
2.6. Things enjoyed least
The student also engaged in some activities which he did not quite enjoy very much. Some of
these include:
Travelling to and from the site
Each work day involved reporting to the company and then being transported to the site by the
company’s vehicle. Sometimes the transportation was not pleasant due to mechanical failure of
the vehicle along the way. In other instances, the vehicle reported late at the site hence the
student arriving home at late hours.
The sweltering heat during the day
The temperatures during the day were mostly high on site. Hence the student experienced some
difficulties in outdoor activities due to the scotching heat from the sun. The heat made it
impossible for the student to stay for the outdoor construction for very long hours. The student
also suffered from a fever as a result of the heat. Thus the high temperatures were less pleasant to
the student.
Delay in some construction activities
Sometimes work was delayed on site due to some of the materials required not delivered on time
and thus this slowed down the construction activities in some instances. This was less pleasant as
it slowed the work rate momentum.
2.8. Major benefits derived from the field attachment program
The student benefitted a lot from his field Attachment at SPL. Some of these benefits are
outlined below:
The student acquired new knowledge and practical experiences especially at Vipingo Industries
site, where construction of an oil refinery plant was underway.
Gained exposure to the challenges in the real life situations on site, for example on the mistake
done during construction of the PCC of the warehouse and the solution to correct the error
which at that instance was demolition of the entire PCC layer and construction of a new layer.
This was obviously very costly and hence operations and decisions need to be carefully
evaluated before execution.
The student was also able to familiarize himself with the demands at real work sites. This
include meeting client deadlines within the given resources and time frame. Hence to establish a
good time frame one has to consider many factors such as natural calamities wear and tear of
machines.
Got improved confidence in taking surveying and problem solving, in terms of taking
measurements and carrying out inspections at sites.
The student also got the opportunity to meet and work with potential employers such as the
clients on site and the manager.
. Conclusion
DeKUT sends out students for field attachment with the main objective of enabling the students
to get hands-on real life experiences in environments they are expected to work in when they
graduate.sephstar limited Nyeri was well prepared to take on the student for the field attachment
and assigning him various duties and responsibilities.
The student was exposed to various real life situations on construction sites. Some of these
include: crucial workers required on site, various types of machinery required, the various types
of materials required and the correct procedure in executing the works. Hence by understanding
such components, the student was able to interact with the construction in progress at various
sites effectively without causing any inconvenience to the workers.
Some of the activities which the student participated on include: supervision of small works,
taking measurements of various structures and landmarks and assisting the surveyors on site to
carry out any surveying work such as setting out.
Summarized below were the general strengths and weaknesses noted during the field attachment.
Strengths
The field attachment helped the student to apply the knowledge taught at university to the field
of work by working on real life projects.
The field supervisors were very helpful and offered great guidance. This helped the student to
learn a lot of new knowledge and skills as indicated throughout this report.
The field attachment provided the student the opportunity to interact with potential future
employees and understand the real life demands in market.
It also enabled the student to develop the core values, teamwork and ethics required in real work,
Weaknesses
The student could not complete the entire 12 weeks of attachment due to Covid 19 pandemic
which affected the country.
The student did not gain much from office etiquette as he was always on site and not in a
conventional office set up.
I managed to cover 10 weeks though 12 weeks are the required in the curriculum for attachment
with sepstar and I was grateful for the theoretical and practical skills I acquired during my stay at
the company.
Every department had its own supervisor who were keen and not hesitant to give me good
orientation, technical instruction and literature for pure understanding of major aspects of the
project.Their continued guidance opened my thoughts to a new perspective of the ever dynamic
Civil Engineering field and I am indebted to them.
I can affirm that the objectivity of the attachment was fully met .This is because I was able to
learn new practical skills on test performed which would serve as better platform to understand
in depth building construction
RECOMMENDATIONS
The attachment was successful based on the great team professionals who were there to assist me
in the field and labwork.What I would therefore suggest to improve attachments in the future
would be invitations to recognized engineering companies to offer more advice on the dynamics
of Civil Engineering
As a student, a good supervisory relationship is pivotal to successful completion of your degree.
If the relationship is not solid or turns sour, there can be serious consequences. A good
supervisor provides expert guidance in your research and learning. The support of a good
supervisor after graduation can also provide you with good connections and references to
bootstrap your career.
Also make a habit of documenting whatever tasks do on a daily basis. The records made are not
only important and useful when writing your final report, but also very important as a reference
in future when faced with similar tasks.
Recommendations for the field attachment organization
The management of SPL should consider assigning more challenging duties to the students in
future so as to enhance their learning experience. This can include various tasks such as drawing
of various structures and having them checked by the supervisors.
SPL can also provide necessary equipments to the interns such as tape measure which the
students can freely use to take various measurements to assess their suitability with respect to the
drawings.
Recommendations for the university
The university should consider availing the insurance and recommendation letter earlier so that
the students can have an adequate amount of time to successfully secure an attachment. One
insurance letter should cover the entire attachment period instead of covers which run monthly
and thus eliminating the need of the students to go back to the university when the insurance
cover expires.
REFERENCES
1.Notes gathered from lectures offered by Engineer and Technicians in lab and Field
2.Ministry of works, Tanzania CML,laboratory Testing Manual 2000
3.Prof John Atkinson; City University London .Lecture annotations on soil Mechanics.
