thumb|300px|[[Caterpillar D10 bulldozer at work]]

Earthworks are engineering works created through the processing of parts of the earth's surface involving quantities of soil or unformed rock.

Shoring structures

An incomplete list of possible temporary or permanent geotechnical shoring structures that may be designed and utilised as part of earthworks:

  • Mechanically stabilized earth
  • Earth anchor
  • Cliff stabilization
  • Grout curtain
  • Retaining wall
  • Slurry wall
  • Soil nailing
  • Tieback (geotechnical)
  • Trench shoring
  • Caisson
  • Dam
  • Gabion
  • Ground freezing

<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">

File:Mechanically stabilized earth diagram.gif|Mechanically stabilized earth

File:GroutCurtain.gif|Grout curtain

File:Retaining Wall Type Function.jpg|Retaining wall types

File:Soil Nail.jpg|Soil nailing

File:FEMA - 6044 - Photograph by Larry Lerner taken on 03-15-2002 in New York.jpg|Tieback

File:Sbh s600.JPG|Trench shoring

File:Caisson Schematic.svg|Caisson

File:Vyrnwy dam.JPG|Dam

File:Gabion 040.jpg|Gabions

File:Cross section of a ground freezing pipe as used in the big dig.gif|Ground freezing

</gallery>

Excavation

thumb|300px|Earth moving equipment ()

thumb|Flattened and leveled construction site. [[Road roller in the background.]]

Excavation may be classified by type of material:

  • Topsoil excavation
  • Earth excavation
  • Rock excavation
  • Muck excavation – this usually contains excess water and unsuitable soil
  • Unclassified excavation – this is any combination of material types

Excavation may be classified by the purpose:

Now they can be performed with a computer and specialized software, including optimisation on haul cost and not haul distance (as haul cost is not proportional to haul distance).

See also

  • , construction/engineering vehicles used for earthworks civil engineering

Calculation software

thumb|350x350px|Earthworks cut and fill map and estimation summary produced by Kubla Cubed

Earthwork software is generally a subset of CAD software, in which case it often an add-on to a more general CAD package such as AutoCAD. In that case, earthwork software is principally used to calculate cut and fill volumes which are then used for producing material and time estimates. Most products offer additional functionality such as the ability to takeoff terrain elevation from plans (using contour lines and spot heights); produce shaded cut and fill maps; produce cross sections and visualize terrain in 3D. The means by which volumes are calculated in software can differ quite considerably leading to potentially different results with the same input data. Many software products use methods based on triangulated irregular networks (TINS) and triangular prism volume algorithms, however other calculation methods are in use based on rationalizing elevations into high density grids or cross-sections.

A few programs are specialised in earthworks transport optimization and planning the construction works.

References

  • Saving Old Dirt: The Preservation of Earthworks at the American Battlefield Trust