An excavator bucket is rated for a struck capacity of 2.0 cubic metres. When operating in common earth, which has a typical loose material angle of repose, the operator effectively fills the bucket to a 1:1 heap (load factor of 0.9). What is the approximate heaped capacity of this bucket?

Question: An excavator bucket is rated for a struck capacity of 2.0 cubic metres. When operating in common earth, which has a typical loose material angle of repose, the operator effectively fills the bucket to a 1:1 heap (load factor of 0.9). What is the approximate heaped capacity of this bucket?

Answer options:

• 1.8 m³
• 2.0 m³ ✅ 2.2 m³
• 2.6 m³

Correct answer: 2.2 m³

Explanation: Heaped capacity is the struck capacity multiplied by the load factor. For a 1:1 heap in common earth, the load factor is typically around 1.1 or 1.15. If we assume a load factor of 1.1, the heaped capacity would be 2.0 m³ * 1.1 = 2.2 m³. The stated load factor of 0.9 seems to be a distractor here as it typically refers to a fill factor which is not directly heap factor.