Curtin engineering students go on site visit to learn about concrete production

Miri – 17 May 2022 – 35 second- and third-year civil and construction engineering students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently visited the Best Quality Precast Yard and Batching Plant in Kuala Baram near here.

Best Quality Batching Sdn. Bhd., based in Miri, has been engaged in cement manufacturing since 1990. It is one of the leading ready-mix concrete and reinforced concrete (RC) pile suppliers in the city, operating in two industrial sites in Piasau and Kuala Baram.

The purpose of the site visit was to expose the students to the production of different grades of concrete as it is one the most widely used materials in civil and construction engineering.

The students learned that to ensure that the concrete produced meet the required standards and quality, the amount of ingredients that form concrete need to be accurately measured and mixed in a process known as concrete batching. Therefore, it was a great opportunity for the students to observe an automatic batching plant, complete with an aggregate batcher that stores and batch sand and aggregates, as well as a twin shaft concrete mixer.

They also visited the plant’s control room which employs computer-aided controls to assist in the fast and accurate measurement of the ingredients. In addition, they observed the quality control measures used, including the testing and verification to ensure that the concrete produced conform to industry standards.

This was followed by a briefing on the process of casting reinforced concrete piles and reinforced concrete culverts. The students also observed the production of cement bricks and learned of the advantages and performance of cement bricks over clay bricks.

Associate professor of civil and construction engineering and associate dean of learning and teaching at Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, Dr. Tang Fu Ee, who led the students on the site visit, said it was important for the students to understand the production of concrete that meets the required standards to ensure performance and structural integrity.

He said industry exposure through site visits, industrial talks, workshops and guest lectures is embedded in the curriculum of the civil and construction engineering programme at Curtin Malaysia. The Faculty’s Department of Civil and Construction Engineering organises frequent visits to various industrial sites to give its students the necessary exposure, and even through the pandemic, virtual site visits were conducted.

Dr. Tang thanked Paul Pui, managing director of Best Quality Batching Sdn. Bhd., for hosting the visit, saying the students learned much from the visit and more visits to the plant will definitely be organised in the future.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin University’s Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Construction Engineering, which equips students with the knowledge and skills to apply scientific and technological principles to the design and construction of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water supply and wastewater treatment systems, tunnels, power projects, offshore structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. They also acquire an understanding of the properties of construction materials and construction methods.

It is a four-year honours course accredited by Engineers Australia (EA) and the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), and recognised by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit its website at https://curtin.edu.my or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or Tiktok. More information on courses at Curtin Malaysia can be found at https://courses.curtin.edu.my/.

Group photo taken during the site visit.

Dr Tang (right) presenting a token of appreciation to Best Quality Batching’s Paul Pui.