Basic Civil Engineering Notes

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1.1 INTRODUCTION TO CIVIL ENGINEERING :-
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design,
construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including
public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines,
structural components of buildings, and railways.
Civil engineering is traditionally broken into a number of sub-disciplines. Civil engineering is
the application of physical and scientific principles for solving the problems of society, and
its history is intricately linked to advances in the understanding of physics and mathematics
throughout history. Because civil engineering is a broad profession, including several
specialized sub-disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of structures, materials
science, geography, geology, soils, hydrology, environmental science, mechanics, project
management, and other fields.




1.2 DISCIPLINES OF CIVIL ENGINEERING-
The various disciplines of civil engineering are-
1. ARCHITECTURE AND TOWN PLANNING

An art of shaping and guiding the physical growth of the town creating buildings and
environments to meet the various needs such as social, cultural, economic and recreational
etc. and to provide healthy conditions for both rich and poor to live, to work, and to play
or relax, thus bringing about the social and economic well-being for the majority of
mankind is known as town planning.

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OBJECTIVES OF TOWN PLANNING-
 To create and promote healthy conditions and environments for all the people.
 To make right use of the land for the right purpose by zoning
 To ensure orderly development
 To avoid encroachment of one zone over the other.

2. BUILDING MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY

All the building structures are composed of various types of materials. These materials are
either referred to as building materials or materials of construction.

A builder, perhaps an architect or engineer, or a contractor needs to become familiar totally
with these building materials.These are some of the most commonly used building materials -

1. Stones
2. Bricks
3. Cement
4. Sand
5. Mortar
6. Concrete
7. Timber
8. Metals
9. Glass
10. Ceramics
11. Miscellaneous Building Materials




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3. CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

It focuses on the knowledge and skills required for the planning, coordination and
successful implementation of large Projects such as design and construction of structures
and buildings, ship structures, aircraft, dams, roads, and bridges etc. It is a fusion of
engineering and management.



4. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING:-

 This field is concerned with the study of the necessary methods and techniques of
environment protection as well as the availability of the basic life elements such as
water and air with a specific level of quality to protect the mankind health and
environment.
 This includes design and construction of water distribution networks, wastewater and
storm water collection systems, water treatment plants and wastewater treatment
for reuse in industrial and agricultural fields.
 Environmental engineering involves also the study of the different techniques of
controlling air, water and soil pollution as well as the proper disposal or recycle of
solid and hazardous wastes.

5. GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING:-

 This field is concerned with the study of the soil properties of the construction site and
its bearing capacity.
 Geotechnical engineering is concerned also with the suitable solutions for any problem
in the soil as well as the choice of the best and secured methods of design and
construction of the foundation of engineering structures.

6. HYDRAULICS AND WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING-

 This field covers the basic concepts of water science and its related theorems and
applications. This includes the methods of transporting water from sources to
distribution sites through channels and pipelines, water sources and storage system,
types of dams and their design methods.
 It involves also the study of seawater movements and shore protection.



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 Hydraulic engineering consists of the application of fluid mechanics to water flowing in
an isolated environment (pipe, pump) or in an open channel (river, lake, ocean).

7. REMOTE SENSING ENGINEERING-

Remote sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of
an area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance (typically from
satellite or aircraft).
Some specific uses of remotely sensed images of the Earth include:
 Large forest fires can be mapped from space, allowing rangers to see a much larger
area than from the ground.
 Tracking clouds to help predict the weather or watching erupting volcanoes, and help
watching for dust storms.
 Tracking the growth of a city and changes in farmland or forests over several
years or decades.
 Discovery and mapping of the rugged topography of the ocean floor (e.g., huge
mountain ranges, deep canyons, and the “magnetic striping” on the ocean floor).

8. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING:-

 This discipline deals with the analysis and design of concrete and steel structures,
such as multi-story buildings, bridges, towers....etc. It deals also with the study of the
durability and resistibility of such structures for live loads, wind and earthquake.
 The study involves also the study of the properties of building materials according to the
international specifications.

9. SURVEYING:-

Surveying typically involves measurements of horizontal and vertical distances between
points. It also includes descriptions of the exact characteristics of the land structure and
surface.
A surveying engineer also works to:
 provide the proper design and development of infrastructure
 protect the surrounding natural environment
 maximize the efficiency of the proposed structures




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