Mass haul refers to a calculation that multiples the volume of material with the distance that it’s transported during construction. It’s commonly used in construction and civil engineering projects as they often involve excavating and moving large amounts of earth. A mass haul movement is the transportation of this material from its original location to where it’s going to be disposed of, treated or used.
What Is a Mass Haul Diagram?
A mass haul diagram provides viewers with a graphical representation of the material moved. In particular, the diagram will showcase the amount of material that’s been transported along the centerline. It also displays the distance that the materials travel while being transported. In this diagram, you can often see grade points, overhaul and free haul regions and balance points.
Some of the key terms you should know to read a mass haul diagram properly include:
- Haul: A haul refers to the transportation of your project’s excavated materials. The haul includes the movement of material from the position where you excavated it to the disposal area or a specified location. A haul is also sometimes referred to as an authorized haul.
- Overhaul: When you get authorization to haul material farther than the original free-haul distance, the transportation of said material is called an overhaul.
- Free haul: A free project’s average haul is referred to as a free haul.
- Average haul: You can find the average haul using the mass diagram. The average haul is a specific area in a mass diagram. It represents how many cubic yard stations are between balance points divided by the ordinate of mass that the yardage gets hauled.
These diagrams are crafted using a mass haul view and a mass haul line. The mass haul view refers to the grid where the mass haul line is placed. The mass haul line refers to the overhaul and free haul volumes in fill and cut conditions that run along an alignment.
A project is in a cut region if the mass haul line rises. In contrast, if the mass haul line drops, the project is in a fill region. The diagram’s grade points and balance points will mark mass haul regions. Essentially, the mass haul line’s position in relation to the balance line shows viewers the movement of material.
On these mass haul diagrams, you can compare overhaul volume and free haul volume with the project’s grade points and the balance points.
Grade points are stations on a mass haul diagram that shows when a project design shifts from cut to fill. A grade point will reveal the lowest or highest point in a region of a mass haul. When the grade point in a mass haul region is the highest point, it represents where the project’s profile switched from a cut condition to a fill condition. The opposite occurs when the grade point is at the lowest point of a mass haul region. At this lowest point, the profile goes from a fill condition to a cut condition.
To measure free haul using grade points, you draw a horizontal line that is long enough to cover the span of the particular free haul distance. The line is placed so it contacts the mass haul line and runs parallel to the diagram’s balance line. The free haul is the volume of the area that’s inside the mass haul line and the horizontal line.
On a mass haul diagram, balance points refer to the stations where the fill volumes and the net cut are equal. These balance points can be found on the diagram’s balance line. More specifically, the balance points are stations where the net volume equals zero on the line.
To measure free haul with balance points, begin by duplicating the mass haul line and move horizontally. The distance it moves will be based on the free haul distance. If the project goes from cut to fill, you’ll shift the balance point to the right. You’ll move the balance point to the left when the project goes from fill to cut.
Uses of a Mass Haul Diagram
Mass haul diagrams are primarily used to provide a more accurate representation of the materials being moved. They give viewers key information about free haul, average haul and overhaul. For instance, you can calculate the free haul between specified balance points. Besides just finding the free haul between two points, you can find the free haul of the whole project.
They also have the very practical use of telling professionals and contractors the way project material needs to be transported. The diagram can showcase how much dirt a project needs to move. If you’re doing a significant amount of excavation or filling, the information that mass haul diagrams can provide is invaluable.
Additionally, you can use these diagrams to compare different proposals. Since contractors and designers can better understand where gross material movements will occur, these diagrams are perfect for showcasing how different designs approach the project. An accurate representation of the material needing to be excavated and hauled can help a company create an accurate quote for a potential client.
Using Mass Haul Diagram Calculations and Drawings for Constructing Roads
One of the major ways that mass haul diagrams are used is to assist with roadway design. Mass haul diagram calculations and drawings are crucial to helping designers find out how much earthwork is needed for a project. The earthwork that gets calculated takes into account the needed fill material to construct a roadway’s embankment and the existing earth material.
The ordinates on the mass haul diagram will be the sum volume of embankment and excavation. As such, road designers will hope that the initial ordinate is equal to the final ordinate to ensure the volumes of the embankment and excavation match. Designers use the diagram to make sure the total volumes of the embankment and excavation match.
If a designer notices that the initial ordinate is less than the final ordinate, the project has too much excavation. For projects where the initial ordinate is greater than the final ordinate, the embankment’s volume will be higher than the volume of materials you have to complete the embankment. This discovery will signal to a construction professional that they need more materials to complete the project.
During a highway construction project, these calculations are especially helpful. Construction professionals can use the calculations to balance the total amount of fill and cut of the highway project. By balancing them, contractors prevent having to spend extra money hauling more materials.
What Is Mass Haul Analysis?
A mass haul analysis is a feature often included in mass haul software. This type of analysis allows users to determine the haul distance and volume of a project’s net fill station ranges and net cut groups. To minimize the total volume-distance transported, a mass haul analysis program can calculate the best cut to fill movements.
How to Make a Mass Haul Diagram
Making a mass haul diagram starts with gathering a list of materials. Next, you need to have a simple line group and an alignment. On the x-axis, you’ll graph sample lines, which are sometimes referred to as stations. On the y-axis, you’ll graph your cumulative material volume. This cumulative material is usually earthworks. The balance line takes the form of a middle axis line, standing for zero cumulative volume.
There are a few different mass haul diagram software programs on the market that can help you generate a diagram. They each have their own processes for creating mass haul diagrams. These programs should allow you to do a mass haul analysis to see if you’re moving the needed amount of material, among other factors. For example, Autodesk’s mass haul diagram program, Civil 3D, is popular in the industry.
How Mass Haul Diagrams Can Help Companies Financially
Haul plays a significant role in determining the cost of conducting any earthwork for a project. A contractor or construction professional will need to create a bid price based on their estimation of their rate of haul, the equipment they need to transport a haul and the total amount of material that’s going to be hauled. By knowing information about the equipment you need and the rate of haul you can provide, you’ll ensure you cover your costs and make a profit.
One of the most important stats you’ll need to understand before you estimate your haul costs is the rate of haul. To get this information and the total haul, you should know where the project’s gross material movements happen at the worksite. As you attempt to determine this information, you can use a mass haul diagram.
An accurate and detailed mass haul diagram will give a company the information it needs to estimate the project’s total haul. For one, the mass haul diagram will indicate whether there’s a deficit or excess of material at various points in a project. The diagram also should give you a visual representation of the project’s cut and fill material. Detailed diagrams will also use curved lines to show how the material is moved during the project’s lifecycle.
With all of this information from a mass haul diagram, a contractor can figure out the most cost-effective way to complete a project. Since you won’t include the amount of material taken from borrow sources in the mass haul diagram, you can get an accurate take on your on-site materials and figure out the most cost-effective way of completing a project. In this evaluation, you can decide on haul, grading limitations, borrow source location, existing material placement and scheduling concerns.
The Benefits of Working With Data Modeling Experts
Mass haul diagrams are crucial for any time you need to transport materials on a job site. Working with Take-Off Professionals (TOPS) means you have Data Modeling Experts in your corner to assist with mass haul diagrams and analysis. We’re proud to provide our clients with Earthwork Takeoffs that feature cut/fill maps, dirt and material quantities and mass haul analysis for roads and sites. Along with offering these services, we also can create haul roads for your project’s entire life cycle.
There are many benefits to working with the data modeling experts at TOPS. Some of these advantages include:
- Prevent mistakes: With our team in your corner, you get peace of mind. We’ll comb through your mass haul diagrams and ensure that there aren’t any problems. It can be a real headache if you realize you haven’t accounted for enough material once a project is already underway. Trust us to examine the details of your data to prevent mistakes from impacting your project.
- Consistent service: You want someone you can trust in your corner. Your company may have a consistent style for diagrams, or you may need services completed quickly to keep up with your project’s demands. We’ll build your data in the exact way you require it, making it easy to read and in a form you understand. Additionally, you can trust us to keep up with your pace.
- Cutting-edge technology: Staying up to date on the latest technology is absolutely vital in our industry. We’re always up to speed on the latest software and are continually improving our services. To prepare for every job, we consistently use four different kinds of software. We also have a broad range of experience with different programs, meaning we can use the best package to deliver exceptional results.
- Expert staff: Our staff is filled with a variety of experts, from operators and grade setters to surveyors and engineers. They all have experience in their respective industries and can lend their expertise to different aspects of the project.
- Focus: Our company focuses on data. We’re not here to sell you supplies, software or equipment. Instead, our only goal is to optimize your data and perform industry-leading takeoffs. This level of focus means we can devote all of our efforts to taking your data analysis to the next level, especially when it comes to evaluating a mass haul diagram.