CIVIL ENGINEERING

INTRODUCTION

Civil engineering is the oldest branch of engineering which is growing

right from the stone age of civilization.
American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) defines civil engineering
as “the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and
physical sciences gained by study, experience and practice is applied
with judgment to develop ways to utilize economically the materials
and forces of nature for the progressive well-being of man.”

Civil engineering affects many of our daily activities: the buildings we

live in and work in, the transportation facilities we use, the water we
drink, and the drainage and sewage systems that are necessary to our
health and well-being.
 INTRODUCTION
Civil engineering focuses on the development of the infrastructure
of the world such as:
Residential/Commercial/Industrial Buildings Dams
School/College/University Buildings Power Plants
Hospital/Health-Complex Buildings Transmission Towers/Lines
Recreational Buildings Roads/Highways, Railroads
Skyscrapers Navigation/Shipping Canals
Water works Bridges
Reservoirs Tunnels
Sewers Airport Runways
Irrigation Canals Ports/Harbours
River Navigation Terminals

And so many to mention

 INTRODUCTION

To build may be a primal urge. Our constructions, while they may be

simply for shelter or transportation, often include aesthetic touches that
are there to make us feel good about what we have built. Thus, bridges
have geometrical designs intended to support weight, but they also have
an artistic detailing and a “look” that defines the era in which they were
built. In constructing buildings, highways, and bridges, civil engineers
work with architects to develop the appearance of the structure. Ugly
buildings represent a failed communication between the two
professionals; a building that falls down, or cannot be maintained, also
represents a failure, but one that the civil engineer could possibly have
prevented.
 INTRODUCTION

Civil engineering is much more than erecting skyscrapers or bridges. Civil

engineers are trained in the interactions among structures, the earth, and
water, with applications ranging from highways to dams and water
reservoirs. Deeply involved with specifying appropriate construction
materials, many civil engineers and others are also employed by the
manufacturers of those materials. Since constructing a large building or
public-works project can involve elaborate planning, civil engineers can
be outstanding project managers. They sometimes oversee thousands of
workers and develop advanced computerization and planning policies.
 INTRODUCTION

Most significantly, many civil engineers are involved with preserving,

protecting, or restoring the environment. Most water treatment and water
purification projects are designed and constructed by civil engineers (in
these two areas, many of them are known as environmental engineers). A
growing number of civil engineers are involved in billion-dollar projects
to clean up toxic industrial or municipal wastes at abandoned dump sites.
Civil engineers engage in such diverse projects as preserving wetlands or
beaches, maintaining national forest parks, and restoring the land around
mines, oil wells, or factories.
 HISTORY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

“Civil engineering” – though not named so in the ancient time, has been
an aspect of life since the beginning of human existence. The scopes of
this oldest branch of engineering can be traced back to commence
between 4000 and 2000 BC in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia when
human started to abandon a nomadic existence which caused a need for
the construction of shelter. Transportation became increasingly important
to carry the construction materials of different structures. The construction
of Pyramids of Egypt (2700-2500 BC) is still considered the first instance
of large structure construction. Other (a few to mention) ancient historic
civil engineering constructions include
Appian Way of Rome (312 BC)
The Parthenon in Greece (447-438 BC)
 HISTORY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Historical evidences of construction of civil engineering structures like
aqueducts, bridges, dams, reservoirs, and roads by the Romans have also been
traced. Archimedes’ principle is one of the earliest examples of a scientific
approach to physical and mathematical problems to civil engineering in the third
century BC.
Throughout ancient and medieval history, most architectural design and
construction of civil engineering was carried out by carpenters and masons. Until
modern times there was no clear distinction between civil engineering and
architecture, and the term engineer and architect were mainly geographical
variations referring to the same person, often used interchangeably. In 18th
century, the term “civil engineering” was used to distinguish it from “military
engineering”. John Smeaton was the first civil engineer who constructed the
Eddystone Lighthouse. Smeaton and some of his colleagues in 1771 formed the
Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, a group of leaders of this civil
engineering profession. In 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) was
founded in London, and in 1820 the eminent engineer Thomas Telford became
its first president.
 DISCIPLINES OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING
MAJOR SUB-DISCIPLINES OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Civil engineering is an extensively broad field and it is traditionally divided into several sub-
fields/sub-disciplines. Major divisions of civil engineer
Structural Engineering
Water Resources Engineering
Transportation Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Following are some other sub-fields/sub-disciplines of civil engineering and are almost always
inevitably participatory in any civil engineering projects.
Surveying
Materials Engineering
Estimating
Construction Engineering
GIS and Remote Sensing
 DISCIPLINES OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING

OTHER GENERAL INTERDISCIPLINARY PROFESSIONS IN RELATION TO

CIVIL ENGINEERING

Architecture
Urban Planning
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Chemical Engineering

Among above, architects and urban planners are the closest ones, generally, civil
engineers have to work as a member of the team, sometimes as leader and sometimes as a
member.
 A BROADER INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

There is need for civil engineers to interact with the following people and plan the civil
engineering

Architects and Town Planners

Electrical Engineers
Electronic Engineers
Mechanical and Automobile Engineers
Doctors and Health Care Officers
Educationalists
Municipal Officers
District Administrators
Thus civil engineers should understand importance of an interdisciplinary approach in
their planning, design, estimation, construction, operation and maintenance activities so
that there are minimal complaints from any corner of the society.
 MAJOR FOCI OF ANY CIVIL
ENGINEERING PROJECT

Major foci of any civil engineering project should always be concentrated on fulfilling the
following basic criteria and be considered as its inherent and utmost requirement for its
successful completion:

Safety
Economy
Functionality/Serviceability
Durability
Comfortability
Aestheticism
Sustainability
 “CIVIL ENGINEERING” AS A CAREER

There is no one typical career path for civil engineers. Most engineering graduates start
with jobs of low responsibility, and as they prove their competence, they are given more
and more responsible tasks, the details of a career path can vary. More senior engineers
can move into doing more complex analysis or design work, or management of other
engineers, or into specialized consulting.

Our society would not work without civil engineering. A graduate of civil engineering
would not have a problem getting a job. As environmental concerns grow, and as
technological innovations continue at a breakneck pace, the demand of civil engineers
will rise. After all, somebody has to plan, design, estimate, construct, operate and
maintain the infrastructure systems/facilities that are essential to our civilization, at
present, and that would be sustainable for our future generation to come (hopefully
without extinction!!!).
 “CIVIL ENGINEERING” AS A CAREER

Over the past couple of decades , the broad field of civil engineering has been specialized
in a number of areas. Civil engineers with one type of experience are able to shift to
another area, but the real career growth occurs as one becomes an expert in one of these
specialties:
Structural engineer: This is the classic civil engineer, concerned with designing walls,
towers, bridge spans, dams, or foundations. A knowledge of construction materials and
methods is combined with analytical techniques that determine how much weight or mass
a structure is carrying, what forces it must withstand (such as wind or water) and, in cases
where an architect is involved, how best to accomplish the architect’s vision.
Construction engineer: This engineer works at the construction site, transforming
blueprints and drawings into concrete and steel reality. Besides understanding the
principles by which a structure was designed, the construction engineer must manage the
actual work. This can involve elaborate scheduling and planning so that materials and
workers are brought to the site to complete their purpose in the proper order. Time
pressures and an awareness of the financial elements of a project are constant objectives.
Because the work is done outdoors, sometimes in very remote areas, one must be
prepared for a life-style of “camping out” in temporary quarters for long stretches of time.
 “CIVIL ENGINEERING” AS A CAREER

Surveying and mapping engineer: Even before a design is completed, and as

construction progresses, teams of surveying and mapping engineers are at work. They use
electronic instruments and even satellites (which provide detailed overhead views) to
measure the dimensions of the project. Some construction projects can cover dozens of
square miles of territory. Elevations must be determined, calculations made regarding
how much earth needs to be moved, and the exact location of structure(s) must be
determined.
Transportation engineer: Do you prefer to travel by plane, train, auto, or bus?
Transportation engineering has provided the wealth of traveling options we enjoy today.
Highway design is constantly being improved by making roads safer, and, in urban areas,
making plans for handling increased traffic. Transportation engineers also oversee the
design and construction of mass transit systems, such as subways, which require
tunnelling, railway construction, and research on commuting plans.
A subspecialty within transportation engineering is the pipeline engineer, who determines
the movement of water, oil, or gas through pipelines. In certain aspects, this field is
comparable to highway design, with the distinction that a liquid is being conveyed, rather
than vehicles.
 “CIVIL ENGINEERING” AS A CAREER

Environmental (sanitary) engineer: These engineers specialize in water and wastewater

projects, land remediation, aqueducts, and solid waste disposal. This field is currently one
of the fastest growing of all engineering specialties. Billions of dollars are being allocated
for water and wastewater treatment, for methods of processing solid wastes, and for
cleaning up hazardous waste dumping sites.
Transportation engineer: Utility companies, factories, farms, and river barges depend
on a steady source of water. These engineers perform the planning, design, construction,
and maintenance to keep supplies available. Dam design and construction, flood control,
and the design and construction of reservoirs, wells, and aqueducts are all common
projects. It used to be that hydraulic engineers were concerned with draining swamps and
straightening waterways. These days, they are as likely to be constructing swamps and
estuaries to preserve the environment and provide reserves for fish and wildlife.
Geotechnical engineer: Along with geological engineers, these engineers help determine
the underlying rock strata and soil conditions that affect roadways, water reservoirs,
bridges, and other large structures. Earthquake planning and preparation also fall into this
category.
 INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure is the physical and organizational structures essential for the

operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary
for an economy to function.
• It typically refers to the technical supports of a society, such as roads,
water supply and sanitation, power grids, telecommunications and so on.
• When considered functionally, it facilitates productions of goods and
services; for example, roads enable transport of raw materials to a
factory, and later the distribution of finished to markets.
• In some contexts, the term infrastructure, may also include basic social
services, such as educational facilities (schools) and healthcare facilities
(hospitals).
• In military services, it refers to the buildings and installations necessary
for support deployment and operation of military forces.
 INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure systems include both assets and control systems, and

software required to operate, manage and monitor the systems, as well as
any necessary buildings, plants or vehicles that are an essential part of the
system. Listed below are some examples of some infrastructure systems;

Transportation Infrastructure
Energy Infrastructure
Financial Infrastructure
Water Management Infrastructure
Communication Infrastructure
Waste Management Infrastructure
Earth Monitoring and Measurement Infrastructure
 INFRASTRUCTURE
EFFECT OF INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS/FACILITIES
It is realized that a government should not involve itself in production and distribution but
develop infrastructure (physical or organizational) to create an atmosphere for social,
economic and sustainable developments.
Proper infrastructure system can
• connect producing centres to marketing places minimizes exploitation from
middlemen. Both producers and consumers are benefited thereby.
• ease imports and exports as a result of which whole world becomes a village.
• generate scope for lots of industries thus utilizing manpower for the benefit of
mankind.
• contribute to controlling/reducing antisocial activities, indirectly. - extend assistance
easily in case of natural calamities/crisis and reduce misery of affected people.
• improve defence system and bring peace in existence.
• improve economic power of the country, significantly.
• improve the quality of the life of the people, above all.
 INFRASTRUCTURE
EFFECT OF INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS/FACILITIES
A civil engineer has to conceive, plan, design, estimate, get the approval, create and
maintain all civil engineering activities. Following are some ,very important roles of civil
engineers in the development of infrastructures:

• Measure and map the earth’s surface.

• Plan new townships and extension of existing towns.
• Construct suitable structures for rural and urban areas for various facilities.
• Build tanks and dams to exploit water resources.
• Build river navigation and flood control projects.
• Construct canals and distributaries to take water to agricultural fields.
• Purify and supply water to the needy areas such as houses, schools, hospitals and
offices.
• Provide and maintain communication systems such as roads, railways, terminal, ports
and harbours and airports.
 INFRASTRUCTURE
EFFECT OF INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS/FACILITIES
A civil engineer has to conceive, plan, design, estimate, get the approval, create and
maintain all civil engineering activities. Following are some ,very important roles of civil
engineers in the development of infrastructures:

• Device systems for control and efficient flow of traffic.

• Provide and maintain solid and waster water disposal system.
• Monitor land, water and air pollution and take measures to control them. Fast growing
industrialization has put heavy responsibilities on civil engineers to preserve and
protect environment.

And so many to mention

 THE CIVIL ENGINEERING
MEGAPROJECTS IN BANGLADESH

• Dhaka Metro Rail

• Padma Multipurpose Bridge
• Padma Rail Link
• Payra Deep Sea Port
• Hazrat Shahjalal International
Airport Expansion
• Karnaphuli Underwater
Tunnel
• Dhaka Elevated Expressway
• Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar
Railway Link
• Dhaka-Chattogram Express
Railway
• Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant