On 2019, 3rd October – 2.00 p.m., KLT Civil Engineering had organized a site visitation to TYC Ready Mixed Concrete Sdn. Bhd. with the objective of giving the students more exposure on civil engineering materials, which is one of the subjects in the programme of civil engineering.
Students were first exposed to raw materials on the site such as coarse aggregates such as limestone and granite. They differs in term of density, which is one of the factors affecting the quality of concrete. As mentioned by Site Engineer, Mr. Danny Wong, the coarse aggregates were transported to the site by cargo freight, on the other hand, the fine aggregates were dredged from the Rajang River. All the coarse aggregates used are 20mm and the fine aggregates dredged were required to be washed accordingly to separate them into distinct zones.
Students were soon brought to see the batching plants for the concrete mix. Concrete mixing process starts from the feeding of cement, coarse aggregates and fine aggregates, water and admixtures into a specified batching plant. The job of the weigh hopper is to weigh and then transfer the contents into the mixing plant. Cement is transferred to the weigh hopper by means of screw conveyor. Water is pumped up into the weigh hopper. After mixing for a specific time as set in the mixing unit, the mixer will discharge the contents into transit mixer or a concrete pump.
Five silos are constructed on site, four of them are storing cement and one of them is storing Pulverised Fly Ash (PFA). If concrete grade 50 is required, the hoppers and silos will operate simultaneously by computerized system to give the accurate ratios of concrete mix. These processes are saving labour cost while increasing the profit margin.
Before we proceeded to concrete compression testing, the site engineer gave the students a hand-on experience to conduct slump test and cube test on site. It was a great practical experience for the students beforehand apart from their in-class theory.
It was our great pleasure that TYC officers guided us on how to conduct slump test and cube test on the spot. Cube room testing for compressive strength was our last station. There are two compression machines, one is for testing normal concrete cubes, and another is for testing the concrete cuboid.
Lastly, students raised up their queries regarding the site visit. With sincerity, KLT presented the TYC’s Site Engineer a souvenir and photos were taken as a memory. The college as an academic institution will continue to work closely with the materials manufacturing industry (TYC Ready Mixed Concrete Sdn. Bhd.) to ensure students gain the knowledge and competencies required at the 21st century workplace. We believe that collaboration with industries will allow undergraduates to be exposed to real case studies and latest industry insight as well as enabling the college to constantly update our syllabus to meet the industry demand.