Text: Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering is a branch of engineering embracing expert practices which create,

maintain, and operate the social, commercial, and industrial infrastructure that sustains a
modern society. This includes all building construction, roads, railways, canals, airports,
harbours, docks, water supply, drainage, flood and erosion control, bridges, tunnels, pipelines,
5 dams, irrigation systems, electricity generation, and industrial facilities.
Engineering uses mathematics, physics, mechanics, and the properties of materials to
produce cost-effective solutions to building problems. It does this by combining precedent,
the best available expertise, labour and materials with attention to time, cost, hazards, and
social responsibility.
10 Opportunities for innovation in design and construction follow the many important
recent technological advances. Numerical modelling and analysis, and virtual reality
techniques, to assist design and construction, have been made possible by the rapid growth in
computer technology. Composite materials are increasingly chosen by civil engineers to meet
structural needs for ever bigger structures, such as stronger bridges with bigger spans, or to
15 accommodate seismic and dynamic forces, improve fire resistance, or meet environmental
standards.
There have been improvements in observational methods, whereby the ground support
provided to open up excavations, tunnels, and existing structures is determined by site
instrumentation and monitoring and measured against predicted acceptable limits. Versatile
20 tunnelling machines are used in a wide range of ground conditions; while sprayed concrete
mixes provide ground support in tunnels, caverns, and open excavations, providing flexibility
and increased speed of construction.
Major companies increasingly contract one-stop, combined arrangements to design,
build, operate, and finance a project. This minimizes capital investment and risks, while
25 creating opportunities for civil engineering and financial organizations. It relies heavily upon
an established pool of experience and expertise requiring a high level of training to be
provided for aspiring engineers in order to maintain professional standards and product
quality.

Adaped from Lionel Lake’s review, Microsoft Encarta, Encyclopedia 2005. 1993-2004.