CHAPTER 1: SUBDISCIPLINES OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

I. CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING

Construction Engineering provides planning and execution of the designs from

transportation, site development, hydraulic, environmental, structural and geotechnical
engineers. It plays a role in business in drafting and reviewing contracts, evaluating logistical
operations and prices monitoring.

A construction engineer supervises fieldwork in a major infrastructure project.

Construction Engineers are unique such that they are a cross between civil engineers and
construction managers. Construction engineers learn the designing aspect much like civil
engineers and construction site management functions much like construction managers.
Construction Engineer is responsible for directing and planning the construction project and in
conducting inspections, engaging in investigation, overseeing the project, analyzing results and
sees that the entire construction process takes place efficiently. Construction engineers may
select the materials used in the construction process, manage construction sites and supervise
the implementation of mechanisms, such as hydraulic systems. Construction engineers may
alternate between an office and outdoor work environments. These professionals may work with
contractors, construction workers and urban designers during a project. They may also be
responsible for reviewing project finances and keeping schedules on time.

Engineers in this specialization:

 Manage and plan a construction project.

 Design the hydraulic systems and project structures.
 Survey a construction site, give a description about how would like to complete the project
and its consequences.
 Liaise with federal entities, environmental agencies and local authorities on the
implications of the construction.
 Ensure the site sanitation and cleanliness.
 Juniors are helped with appropriate information related to construction.
 Address the concerns of the workers and advise them on the subject of the construction
process.
 Solve the construction problems efficiently.
 Inform their employer about the progress in construction.
 Conduct a study on the site of construction.
 Provide quality control and quality assurance to make sure that the purposes of the project
are achieved.
 Make sure that the entire safety rules related to construction work are observed.

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  Obtain the materials required for construction and check them.

II. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Structural engineering is a field of civil engineering that deals with the analysis and design
of structures that would safely bear or resist the loads, stresses and other forces. Structural
engineers must ensure their designs satisfy given design criteria (as per the guideline or code
specified), predicated on safety (e.g. structures must not collapse without due warning) or
serviceability and performance (e.g. building must not sway causing discomfort to the
occupants). Buildings are made to endure massive loads as well as changing climate and
natural disasters.

Structural Engineers have a duty to their clients and the public to provide safe designs.
Typically, the Structural Engineer is responsible for the structural design of the overall project,
including specification of the design loads, issuance of design documents, and review of
submittals. Structural engineers are responsible for making creative and efficient use of funds,
structural elements and materials to achieve these goals.

Role and responsibilties of structural engineers may be summarized in following point:

 The structural Engineer is responsible for designing the structure of buildings and houses
in a way such that, it can meet all the requirements of the client within the needed time
span.
 He is also responsible for checking and examining of whether the structures and buildings
are structurally well or not.
 He must calculate and estimate the pressure, weather and stress that the component of a
house or building may face from different disasters such as earth quakes flood etc.
 He is responsible for analyzing the basic structures and several components of buildings
and houses.
 He must be responsible enough to check out the quality of the numerous materials such
as brick, steel, timber etc. that are used for the construction of buildings.
 His responsibility is to use computer and advanced technologies for constructing the best
structure.

III. GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Geotechnical Engineering is the branch of civil engineering which deals with the study of
behavior of earth materials like soil, rocks, underground water, etc. and their relation to design,
construction and operation of engineering projects. Sometimes, it may also be referred as soil
engineering, ground engineering or geo-technics as it is closely related to Engineering Geology.
Engineering geologists (i.e. those with a first degree in geology) and geotechnical engineers
(i.e. those with a first degree in civil engineering) work closely together to form a comprehensive

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ground engineering team for the investigation, design, and construction of major infrastructure
projects.

Geotechnical engineering uses principles of soil and rock mechanics to investigate

subsurface conditions and materials (i.e. displacements, stresses and strains on soil); determine
the relevant physical/mechanical and chemical properties of these materials; evaluate stability
of natural slopes and man-made soil deposits; assess risks posed by site conditions; design
earthworks and structure foundations; and monitor site conditions, earthwork and foundation
construction. Geotechnical engineering is all about analysis and design of soil stabilization
systems which would provide enough support to the structure laid on it and ultimately ensuring
the safety of people using the structure. Geotechnical design focuses on ensuring that structure
remains standing on unstable soil; establishment of safety measures to minimize the damage to
the roads, buildings, etc. due to landslides or earthquake. Beside these, geotechnical engineers
may work on projects which deal with under-water soil, such as those affecting marinas and
offshore platforms.

Talking about the geotechnical design process, it basically starts with a subsurface
investigation. In this process, geotechnical engineers first take the soil samples from the site
using sampler (i.e. test pits or bores). Then geotechnical engineers analyze that soil sample to
determine the stability, presence of air or rock pockets, and also evaluate the chemical makeup
of soil. This investigation is useful for preparing the site for construction. If soil is not good
enough it may have to be treated before construction. With the obtained data from investigation,
geotechnical engineering professionals may design the stable footings and foundations. These
structures (i.e. footings and foundations) are made using steel, concrete or masonry to support
and distribute the weight or loading of the building. The design of such structures must be
designed taking account of people that may reside in building, ground movements, impacts of
weather, and other external forces if any. Typically more unstable the soil at project site, more
complex will be the foundation system.

IV. TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

Transportation engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering which deals with the

application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation
and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide the safe, rapid,
comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and
goods (transport).

The planning aspects of transport engineering relate to urban planning, and involve
technical forecasting decisions and political factors. Technical forecasting of passenger travel
usually involves an urban transportation planning model, requiring the estimation of trip

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generation (how many trips for what purpose), trip distribution (destination choice, where is the
traveler going), mode choice (what mode is being taken), and route assignment (which streets
or routes are being used). More sophisticated forecasting can include other aspects of traveler
decisions, including auto ownership, trip chaining (the decision to link individual trips together in
a tour) and the choice of residential or business location (known as land use forecasting).
Passenger trips are the focus of transport engineering because they often represent the peak of
demand on any transportation system.

Transportation engineering, as practiced by civil engineers, primarily involves planning,

design, construction, maintenance, and operation of transportation facilities. The facilities
support air, highway, railroad, pipeline, water, and even space transportation. The design
aspects of transport engineering include the sizing of transportation facilities (how many lanes
or how much capacity the facility has), determining the materials and thickness used in
pavement designing the geometry (vertical and horizontal alignment) of the roadway (or track).
Beside these operations planning, logistics, network analysis, financing, and policy analysis are
also important to civil engineers, particularly to those working in highway and urban
transportation. Every country has some organization providing the guildelines and specifiactions
for design and operation of transport systems.

Before making any sort of planning, the Engineer must take an account of the database of
the area or if it is appropriate, the previous system in place. This inventory or database must
include information on:

 Population
 Land use
 Transportation facilities and services
 Economic activity
 Travel patterns and volumes
 Regional financial resources
 Community values and expectations
 Laws and ordinances

These inventories help the engineer create system models to accurately forecast the
future demand or conditions.

V. WATER RESOURCE ENGINEERING

Water resources engineering generally deals with the provision of water for human use,
and the development of techniques for the prevention of destruction from floods. Water
resources engineering also includes the planning and management of facilities that are

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constructed for these tasks like making canals for irrigation and sewers for drainage and to
avoid waterlogging, and all other issues related with the usage and control of water.

To meet the water requirements of society and the environment, initially an estimate is
carried out regarding the water available, the demand now and projected demand when the
work will complete and future considerations, and then the requisite infrastructure is designed,
including the water treatment plants and the pipes network, for the conveyance of water to the
taps and waste water from the toilets to the treatment units.

Water resources engineering also deals with:

 Sewer systems for storms and wastewater.

 Irrigation network.
 River engineering, including ice covered rivers.
 Hydraulic structures, including dams, spillways, floodways and reservoirs.
 Seepage control.
 Hydrology.
 Floods, flow of mud and debris.
 Wave analysis

VI. SURVEYING

Surveying is the branch of civil engineering which deals with measurement of relative
positions of an object on earth’s surface by measuring the horizontal distances, elevations,
directions, and angles. Surveying is typically used to locate and measure property lines; to lay
out buildings, bridges, channels, highways, sewers, and pipelines for construction; to locate
stations for launching and tracking satellites; and to obtain topographic information for mapping
and charting. It is generally classified into two categories: Plane surveying (for smaller areas)
and Geodetic surveying (for very large areas).

Talking about the past, initially the geometrical and legal description of local lands and
county seats, gained importance throughout the early modern period as legal and economic
arguments came to rely on accurate descriptions and, increasingly, on measurement and
"plotting." By the late seventeenth century, surveying included the mapping of larger political or
geographical units. By the eighteenth, military leaders and colonial governors, as well as landed
individuals, employed surveyors and cartographers. Techniques and instruments developed
throughout the period produced a coherent body of theory and practice used for imperial
mapping in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

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 The applications of surveying may be explained in following points:

 To prepare the topographical map which shows hills, rivers, forests, valleys, etc.
 To prepare the engineering map showing engineering details like higways, railways,
canals, dams, reservoirs, etc.
 To prepare the contour map to determine the best possible route and amount of earthwork
required.
 To prepare the geographical and political map.
 To prepare archeological map showing the places where ancient relics may have lied.
 To prepare cadastrial map showing boundries of properties like houses, buildings, fields,
colonies, etc.
 To prepare a military map showing different strategic points important for the defence of a
country.

VII. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Environmental engineering is a professional engineering discipline that takes from broad

scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology,
and mathematics to create solutions that will protect and also improves the health of living
organisms and improve the quality of the environment. Environmental engineering is a sub-
discipline of civil engineering and chemical engineering.

Environmental engineering is the application of scientific and engineering principles to

improve and maintain the environment to:

 protect human health,

 protect nature's beneficial ecosystems,
 and improve environmental-related enhancement of the quality of human life.

Environmental engineers devise solutions for waste water management, water and air
pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and public health. They design municipal water
supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems, and design plans to prevent waterborne
diseases and improve sanitation in urban, rural and recreational areas. They evaluate
hazardous-waste management systems to evaluate the severity of such hazards, advise on
treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. They implement
environmental engineering law, as in assessing the environmental impact of proposed
construction projects.

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 Environmental engineers study the effect of technological advances on the environment,
addressing local and worldwide environmental issues such as acid rain, global warming, ozone
depletion, water pollution and air pollution from automobile exhausts and industrial sources.

VIII. COASTAL ENGINEERING

Coastal engineering is a branch of civil engineering concerned with the specific demands
posed by constructing at or near the coast, as well as the development of the coast itself. The
hydrodynamic impact of especially waves, tides, storm surges and tsunamis and (often) the
harsh environment of salt seawater are typical challenges for the coastal engineer – as are the
morphodynamic changes of the coastal topography, caused both by the autonomous
development of the system and man-made changes. The areas of interest in coastal
engineering include the coasts of the oceans, seas, marginal seas, estuaries and big lakes.

Besides the design, building and maintenance of coastal structures, coastal engineers are
often interdisciplinary involved in integrated coastal zone management, also because of their
specific knowledge of the hydro- and morphodynamics of the coastal system. This may include
providing input and technology for e.g. environmental impact assessment, port development,
strategies for coastal defense, land reclamation, offshore wind farms and other energy-
production facilities, etc.

IX. MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING

A municipality is a local organizational body that is administered by a municipal council,

responsible for the management of the municipal affairs of a distinct geographical region,
normally a city, town, or another minor group.

Municipal engineering is concerned with municipal infrastructure. This involves specifying,

designing, constructing, and maintaining streets, sidewalks, water supply networks, sewers,
street lighting, municipal solid waste management and disposal, storage depots for various bulk
materials used for maintenance and public works (salt, sand, etc.), public parks and cycling
infrastructure. In the case of underground utility networks, it may also include the civil portion
(conduits and access chambers) of the local distribution networks of electrical and
telecommunications services. It can also include the optimizing of garbage collection and bus
service networks. Some of these disciplines overlap with other civil engineering specialties,
however municipal engineering focuses on the coordination of these infrastructure networks and
services, as they are often built simultaneously (for a given street or development project), and
managed by the same municipal authority.

X. EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

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 Earthquake engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that designs and
analyzes structures, such as buildings and bridges, with earthquakes in mind. Its overall goal is
to make such structures more resistant to earthquakes. An earthquake (or seismic) engineer
aims to construct structures that will not be damaged in minor shaking and will avoid serious
damage or collapse in a major earthquake. Earthquake engineering is the scientific field
concerned with protecting society, the natural environment, and the man-made environment
from earthquakes by limiting the seismic risk to socio-economically acceptable levels.
Traditionally, it has been narrowly defined as the study of the behavior of structures and geo-
structures subject to seismic loading; it is considered as a subset of structural engineering,
geotechnical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, applied physics, etc.
However, the tremendous costs experienced in recent earthquakes have led to an expansion of
its scope to encompass disciplines from the wider field of civil engineering, mechanical
engineering, nuclear engineering, and from the social sciences, especially sociology, political
science, economics, and finance.

The main objectives of earthquake engineering are:

 Foresee the potential consequences of strong earthquakes on urban areas and civil
infrastructure.
 Design, construct and maintain structures to perform at earthquake exposure up to the
expectations and in compliance with building codes

XI. MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Materials Engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering which is dedicated to

designing and developing new materials, especially solids. Materials engineers work on three
main tasks - material characterization, extracting them and application them for useful forms.
Materials Engineering is closely related to Chemical Engineering and some of the issues are
similar for these two branches of Engineering, for example, creation of polymers - chemical
compounds made up of similar components stuck together like chains. The main difference is
that Chemical Engineering is mostly concentrated on actual creating of these compounds and
their theoretical application, and Materials Engineering works with the use of these compounds
on an industrial scale.

XII. FORENSIC ENGINEERING

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 Forensic engineering has been defined as "the investigation of failures - ranging from
serviceability to catastrophic - which may lead to legal activity, including both civil and criminal".
It therefore includes the investigation of materials, products, structures or components that fail
or do not operate or function as intended, causing personal injury, damage to property or
economic loss. The consequences of failure may give rise to action under either criminal or civil
law including but not limited to health and safety legislation, the laws of contract and/or product
liability and the laws of tort. The field also deals with retracing processes and procedures
leading to accidents in operation of vehicles or machinery. Generally, the purpose of a forensic
engineering investigation is to locate cause or causes of failure with a view to improve
performance or life of a component, or to assist a court in determining the facts of an accident. It
can also involve investigation of intellectual property claims, especially patents.

Vital to the field of forensic engineering is the process of investigating and collecting data
related to the materials, products, structures or components that failed. This involves
inspections, collecting evidence, measurements, developing models, obtaining exemplar
products, and performing experiments. Often testing and measurements are conducted in an
Independent testing laboratory or other reputable unbiased laboratory.

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