In some countries, manhole covers are designed into split triangular shapes to reduce the effect of rocking from traffic. However, the two pieces of triangular covers should be bolted together. As for a piece of triangular cover, it is easily dropped into the rectangular hole of manhole during routine maintenance. Therefore, from maintenance point of view, some countries prefer another geometrical shape i.e. circular, as this is the only shape that the cover could hardly be accidentally dropped into the manhole.
On the other hand, for other geometrical shapes such as rectangle or square, they could still be dropped into their formed hole when inclined into proper angles.
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This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.
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