Vocabulary:

1. lift (v) – поднимать

2. construction equipment – строительное оборудование

3. weight (n) – вес, груз

4. versatile (adj) – универсальный, многосторонний

5. convertible (adj) – со сменным оборудованием

6. device (n) – приспособление, механизм, средство

7. attachment (n) – приспособление

8. handle (v) – транспортировать, доставлять

9. bucket (n) – ковш

10. save (v) – экономить, сокращать

11. operate (v) – управлять

12. remote control (n) – дистанционное управление

13. hook (n) – крюк

14. grapple (n) – захват

15. truck-crane – автокран

16. traveling-crane – передвижной кран

17. rail-mounted crane – ж/д кран

18. bridge-crane – мостовой кран, портальный кран

19. tower crane – башенный кран

20. building-site – строительная площадка

21. speed (n) – скорость

Questions to the text:

1. What are cranes used for?

2. Is the lifting crane an old construction equipment?

3. Can a crane move weights from place to place?

4. What are the characteristics of most cranes?

5. What attachments have cranes for handling materials?

6. What types of cranes are there?

7. How are many modern cranes operated?

8. Are many cranes transported to the place of job?

9. Do we use cranes in building roads and bridges?

10. Do we increase the speed of construction using cranes?

11. Does a crane save the building cost?

12. What do cranes help us to build?

Excavators

Excavators are earth-digging machines designated for cutting earth from the solid mass and moving it to transportation facilities or to a dumping place.

Excavators may be single-bucket or multi-bucket machines.

Single-bucket excavators are indispensable in all kinds of earthwork. The working cycle of an excavator includes the following operations:

1. cutting earth from a solid mass;

2. filling the bucket;

3. moving the filled bucket to the spot of unloading;

4. emptying the bucket;

5. returning the bucket to the initial position.

According to the purpose they are used single-bucket excavators are divided into building, quarry, stripping, tunnel types.

Single-bucket excavators may be fitted with more than 40 types of changeable attachments, for example: shovel, hoe, dragline equipment. Working attachments may be fastened to the boom rigidly or by ropes.

Single-bucket excavators are self-propelled machines mounted on crawlers or wheels.

The main components of single-bucket excavators are: running gear, swinging circle with a cab and power plant, working attachment.

Multi-bucket excavators, used for digging trenches are machines of continuous action. Buckets are secured to either endless chain or a large diameter wheel. Therefore, depending on the working attachment multi-bucket excavators are classified as ladder-type and wheel-type respectively.

Vocabulary:

1. designate (v) – предназначать

2. facilities (n) – средства, оборудование

3. dumping place – место разгрузки

4. single-bucket – одноковшовый

5. multy-bucket – многоковшовый

6. indispensable (adj) – необходимый, незаменимый

7. quarry (n) – карьер

8. stripping – снятие поверхностного слоя грунта

9. attachment (n) – съемное оборудование

10. shovel – лопата

11. hoe (n) – обратный ковш

12. dragline (n) – драглайн

13. fasten (v) – прикреплять, устанавливать

14. boom (n) – стрела

15. self-propelled (ads) – самоходный

16. crawler (n) – гусеница

17. running gear – ходовая часть

18. swinging circle – поворотная платформа

19. power plant – силовая установка

20. working attachment – рабочее оборудование

21. ladder-type excavator – экскаватор с ковшовой рамой

22. wheel-type excavator – экскаватор роторного типа