Question:medium

The following are the various parameters of the Shovel
Capacity of the bucket – 20 m\(^3\)
Fill factor (f) = 0.8
Swell factor (s) = 0.5
Cycle time (t) = 60 sec
The Volume of the material carried by the Shovel per hour is

Show Hint

Be very careful with equipment productivity problems, as definitions of factors can vary.
Here, the calculation path to the answer shows that the required output is Bank Cubic Metres (BCM) and the "swell factor" is used as \( V_{bank} / V_{loose} \).
The standard formula for shovel output in LCM is: \( Q = (V \times f \times 3600) / t \). This would give 960 LCM/hr.
  • 300 m\(^3\)
  • 388 m\(^3\)
  • 400 m\(^3\)
  • 480 m\(^3\)
Show Solution

The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: List the given shovel data.
We are given bucket capacity $= 20\ \text{m}^3$, fill factor $f = 0.8$, swell factor $s = 0.5$, and cycle time $t = 60$ seconds, and we want the hourly output volume.
Step 2: Find how much material each bucket load actually carries.
The fill factor tells us the bucket rarely loads to its full rated capacity, so the loose material picked up per dig is $20 \times 0.8 = 16\ \text{m}^3$ of loose (swelled) material.
Step 3: Bring in the swell factor to convert to the volume basis asked for.
Applying the swell factor of 0.5 to this loose volume gives $16 \times 0.5 = 8\ \text{m}^3$ per bucket load on the basis the problem intends.
Step 4: Scale up to a full hour and conclude.
In one hour of 3600 seconds, the number of cycles is $\dfrac{3600}{60} = 60$ cycles, so the hourly volume carried is $8 \times 60 = 480\ \text{m}^3$ per hour.
\[ \boxed{480\ \text{m}^3} \]
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