Systems Analysis of Technical Advancement in Earthmoving Equipment
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 132, Issue 9
Abstract
The technical advancement of earthmoving equipment during the 20th century includes many improvements in key parts of machines. This paper uses five systems that make up earthmoving equipment (implement, traction, structure, power train, and control and information) to analyze this technical advancement. The analysis of each system includes its purpose and operation, technical limitations and key technologies, and a chronology of major advancements. The findings are the benefits of using the five systems for analysis of technical change, the sequence and timing of key technical advances in each system, the fundamental technologies that fostered these advances, and the integration of systems into balanced equipment designs. This increased understanding from this analysis results in significant implications and relevance for civil designers working on integrated teams, contractors selecting methods and planning operations, equipment suppliers developing new machines, construction educators teaching the technical basics of equipment, and researchers developing advanced modeling and simulation tools.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank two industry professionals who provided extremely valuable input to this paper. Dane Lowry, manager of equipment for Raisch Gradeway, identified important new developments in earthmoving equipment during his extensive career and emphasized advances that decrease operating cost. Dale Ronsin, engineering manager at Watsonville for Granite Construction, described advances in design of structures, tires, hydraulic systems, and control and information systems.
References
Caterpillar. (2004). Caterpillar performance handbook, 35th Ed., Peoria, Ill.
Cohrs, H.-H. (1995). The classic construction series—500 years of earthmoving, KHL Group, East Sussex, U.K.
Connor, D. H., Dennis, J. W., Dystrup, J. A., and Waldman, D. J. (1996). “Caterpillar diesel engine evolution.” Proc., Internal Combustion Engine Conf., ASME, New York, 37–45.
Enos, J. (1959). “A measure of the rate of technological progress in the petroleum refining industry.” J. Ind. Econ., 7(2), 180–197.
Fishlow, A. (1966). “Productivity and technology change in the railroad sector, 1840-1910.” Output, employment, and productivity in the United States after 1800, National Bureau of Economic Research, New York.
Gilfillan, S. (1935). Inventing the ship. Follett, Chicago.
Haycraft, W. R. (2000). Yellow steel, University of Illinois Press, Urbanna, Ill.
Hollander, S. (1965). The sources of increased efficiency: The study of DuPont rayon plants, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Klump, E. (1975). “Past and future of construction equipment. Part II.” J. Constr. Div., Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 101(4), 689–698.
Leffingwell, R. (1994). Caterpillar tractors and dozers, Lowe and Hould, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michelin. (2004). “Michelin milestones, dated 1997–2001.” ⟨www.michelingc.com⟩ (April 12, 2004).
Moore, W. (2003a). “As revolutionary as radials.” Constr. Equip., 106(10), 67–68.
Moore, W. (2003b). “Grade control systems with added dimension.” Constr. Equip., 106(11) 22–28.
Nolde, G. C., ed. (1999). All in a day’s work: 75 years of caterpillar, Forbes Custom Publishing, New York.
Nunnally, S. W. (2002). Managing construction equipment, 2nd Ed., Prentice–Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Orlemann, E. C. (2003). The caterpillar century, Motorbooks International, St. Paul, Minn.
Peurifoy, R. L., and Schexnayder, C. J. (2002). Construction planning, equipment, and methods, 6th Ed., McGraw–Hill, New York.
Rosenberg, N. (1982). Inside the black box: Technology and economics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
Schexnayder, C. J., and David, S. A. (2002). “Past and future of construction equipment—Part IV.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 128(4), 279–286.
Tatum, C. B. (1989). “Opportunities for innovation in construction equipment and methods.” Excellence in the Constructed Product: Proc., Construction Congress I, ASCE, New York, 223–231.
Tatum, C. B., and Funke, A. T. (1988). “Partially automated grading: Construction process innovation.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 114(1), 19–35.
Utterback, J. M. (1994). Mastering the dynamics of innovation, Harvard Business School Press, Boston.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 132 • Issue 9 • September 2006
Pages: 976 - 986
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: May 25, 2004
Accepted: Feb 24, 2006
Published online: Sep 1, 2006
Published in print: Sep 2006
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.