Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Project - Assignment Example dging, clearing up bushes, aiding in forest fires’ management, digging up trenches and holes, soil grading by landscapers, mining, and for lifting heavy material. Excavators are such useful machines used to make work easy for human activity. They are used mainly to do the hard jobs in the construction field, which are impossible for human beings and other excavating machines. Therefore, this implies that the material used should be strong and tough enough, to resist the stresses introduced on the dipper and boom while the excavator is at work (Degarmo, Black and Kohser). Otherwise, the excavator may not serve its purpose effectively if weak materials were chosen for fabrication purposes. Another main factor of consideration in the material choice for the excavator fabrication is the cost implication. The material should be cheaply available yet strong and tough enough. The low cost of material will ensure that the excavator is availed for use at affordable prices. However, this notwithstanding, the cost implications of the material should not limit the fabrication process. If at all cheap materials are not available, an alternative strong and tough material ought to be used, even if they are expensive. Nevertheless, this should come as a last resort for the design team. Having stated the preliminary factors of consideration in the material choice as above, suitable material of choice for the fabrication of the boom and dipper of the excavator is mild steel. Steel is known for its high strength, and 2% carbon content in mild steel improves its toughness. Therefore, in comparison with cast iron, mild steel is tougher and stronger, making it more adaptable to hardy conditions like those, which an excavator is exposed to in the course of its use. Mild steel can withstand high stress, and that is why it is preferable. In addition to that, mild still is relatively cheap and easily available. It is one of the commonest metals, which can be found easily across