Construction Methods and Management (8th Edition)

Construction Methods and Management, 8/e, is designed to guide construction engineers and managers in planning, estimating, and directing construction operations safely and effectively. Comprehensive and up-to-date, the text integrates major construction management topics with an explanation of the methods of heavy/highway and building construction. It incorporates both customary U.S. units and metric (SI) units and is the only text to present concrete formwork design equations and procedures using both measurement systems. This edition features information on the latest developments in soil excavation, asphalt paving, and earthmoving equipment.

The objective of this book is to guide construction engineers and construction managers in planning, estimating, and directing construction operations in a manner that will attain the best possible results. Based on the author's many years of experience in construction, engineering, and education, it is believed that the material presented is comprehensive enough to serve as the basic text for a variety of construction courses as well as for self-study. For an introductory course, upper-division college-level students should be able to cover much of the material in one semester. For more in-depth coverage, the material should be split between two or more courses. Topics may, of course, be omitted or augmented as appropriate to the nature of the course and the desires of the instructor. In solving the computer problems contained in the end-of-chapter exercises, students should be encouraged to use electronic spreadsheets and their associated functions in addition to conventional computer programming languages. It is strongly recommended that the study of this text in an academic environment be supplemented by visits to construction projects and/or audiovisual material.

The author is convinced that all architecture and civil engineering students should be required to complete a basic course in construction as part of their professional studies. Because construction is the product of all design, no design can be a good one unless it can be readily and safely constructed. An appreciation of construction procedures will not only produce a better designer, but it will also be invaluable to the many graduates of such programs who end up directly involved in the construction industry.

In response to industry developments and user comments, this sixth edition incorporates new and revised material to reflect current developments in the construction industry. New and expanded topics include construction use of the Internet (including the web addresses of major online resources), pull scrapers, rental equipment and the rental equipment industry, fire-retardant-treated wood and wood preservation, Superpave asphalt pavement, rapid repair of concrete pavements, hot- and cold-weather masonry construction, the cryogenic treatment of high-wear equipment components, and precautions in safely craning wood trusses, in addition to updated text, illustrations, and references.

It would not be possible to produce a book of this type without the assistance of many individuals and organizations. The assistance of construction industry associations and construction equipment manufacturers in providing information and photographs and in permitting reproduction of certain elements of their material is gratefully acknowledged. I would also like to express my appreciation to my colleagues and to my former students for their helpful comments and suggestions. In addition, particular thanks are due to John Wiggins, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Donald Liou, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; and Michael J. Cook, University of Florida, for their assistance with the sixth edition text review.

Comments from readers regarding errors and suggestions for improvement are solicited. Please send to nunnallysj@juno.com.

S. W. Nunnally