Civil engineering: Difference between revisions

 

'''Civil engineering''' is a [[regulation and licensure in engineering|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 system]]s, pipelines, [[structural element|structural components]] of buildings, and railways.<ref>{{cite web |title=History and Heritage of Civil Engineering |publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] |url=https://live.asce.org/hh/index.mxml?versionChecked=true |access-date=2007-08-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216235716/http://live.asce.org/hh/index.mxml?versionChecked=true |archive-date=16 February 2007 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ice.org.uk/careers-and-professional-development/what-is-civil-engineering |title=What is Civil Engineering |date=2022-01-14 |publisher=[[Institution of Civil Engineers]] |access-date=2017-05-15}}</ref>

=== Civil engineering as a discipline ===

Throughout ancient and medieval history most [[architectural design]] and construction was carried out by [[artisan]]s, such as [[masonry|stonemasons]] and [[carpenter]]s, rising to the role of [[Architect|master builder]]. Knowledge was retained in [[guild]]s and seldom supplanted by advances. Structures, roads, and infrastructure that existed were repetitive, and increases in scale were incremental.<ref name="Saouma">{{cite web|url=http://ceae.colorado.edu/~saouma/Lecture-Notes/se.pdf|title=Lecture Notes in Structural Engineering|first=Victor E. |last=Saouma|publisher=University of Colorado|access-date=2 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419190641/http://ceae.colorado.edu/~saouma/Lecture-Notes/se.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Civil engineering profession ===

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 occupation, and often used interchangeably.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQYeHMGp2gwC&q=The+Architecture+of+the+Italian+Renaissance |title=The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance |first=Peter |last=Murray |date=1986 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday |isbn=0-8052-1082-2}}{{page needed|date=August 2022}}</ref> The constructions of [[Egyptian pyramids|pyramids]] in Egypt ({{circa|2700}}–2500 BC) constitute some of the first instances of large structure constructions in history. Other ancient historic civil engineering constructions include the [[Qanat]] water management system in modern-day Iran (the oldest is older than 3000 years and longer than {{convert|71|km}}<ref>{{Cite book | publisher = Springer| isbn = 978-90-481-8631-0| last = Mays| first = L.| title = Ancient Water Technologies| date =2010 |page=4}}</ref>), the [[Parthenon]] by [[Iktinos]] in [[Ancient Greece]] (447–438 BC), the [[Appian Way]] by [[Roman engineering|Roman engineers]] ({{circa|312 BC}}), the [[Great Wall of China]] by General [[Meng Tian|Meng T'ien]] under orders from Ch'in Emperor [[Qin Shi Huang|Shih Huang Ti]] ({{circa|220 BC}})<ref name="Oakes">{{Cite book | last1 = Oakes | first1 = William C. | last2 = Leone | first2 = Les L. | last3 = Gunn | first3 = Craig J. | title = Engineering Your Future | publisher = Great Lakes Press | year = 2001 | isbn = 978-1-881018-57-5 }}</ref> and the stupas constructed in ancient [[Sri Lanka]] like the [[Jetavanaramaya]] and the extensive irrigation works in [[Anuradhapura]]. The Romans developed civil structures throughout their empire, including especially [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]], [[insulae]], harbors, bridges, dams and roads.

In 1818 the Institution of Civil Engineers was founded in London,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ice.org.uk/about-ice/our-history|title=Our history|publisher=Institution of Civil Engineers|access-date=12 April 2018|date=2015-12-02}}</ref> and in 1820 the eminent engineer [[Thomas Telford]] became its first president. The institution received a [[Royal charter]] in 1828, formally recognising civil engineering as a profession. Its charter defined civil engineering as:{{blockquote|the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man, as the means of production and of traffic in states, both for external and internal trade, as applied in the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river navigation and docks for internal intercourse and exchange, and in the construction of ports, harbours, moles, breakwaters and lighthouses, and in the art of navigation by artificial power for the purposes of commerce, and in the construction and application of machinery, and in the drainage of cities and towns.<ref name=ICE>{{cite web | url=http://www.ice.org.uk| title=Institution of Civil Engineers' website| access-date=26 December 2007}}</ref>}}

===Civil engineering education===

In the UK during the early 19th century, the division between civil engineering and military engineering (served by the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]), coupled with the demands of the Industrial Revolution, spawned new engineering education initiatives: the Class of Civil Engineering and Mining was founded at [[King's College London]] in 1838, mainly as a response to the growth of the railway system and the need for more qualified engineers, the private [[College for Civil Engineers]] in [[Putney]] was established in 1839, and the UK's first Chair of Engineering was established at the [[University of Glasgow]] in 1840.

{{Main|Civil engineer}}''Civil engineers'' typically possess an [[academic degree]] in civil engineering. The length of study is three to five years, and the completed degree is designated as a [[bachelor of technology]], or a [[bachelor of engineering]]. The curriculum generally includes classes in physics, mathematics, [[project management]], design and specific topics in civil engineering. After taking basic courses in most sub-disciplines of civil engineering, they move on to specialize in one or more sub-disciplines at advanced levels. While an undergraduate degree (BEng/BSc) normally provides successful students with industry-accredited qualifications, some academic institutions offer post-graduate degrees (MEng/MSc), which allow students to further specialize in their particular area of interest.<ref name="CITE Postgrad">,{{cite web|url=http://www.uel.ac.uk/cite/programmes/postgraduate/index.htm|title=Cite Postgrad|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106121950/http://www.uel.ac.uk/cite/programmes/postgraduate/index.htm|archive-date=2008-11-06|url-status=dead}}</ref>[[File:Tkkstudentsbackinthedays.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.15|Surveying students with professor at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]] in the late 19th century.]]

''Construction engineering'' involves planning and execution, transportation of materials, and site development based on hydraulic, environmental, structural, and geotechnical engineering. As construction firms tend to have higher business risk than other types of civil engineering firms, construction engineers often engage in more business-like transactions, such as drafting and reviewing contracts, evaluating [[Logistics|logistical operations]], and monitoring supply prices.[[File:CBQreview.jpeg|thumb|Image shows civil engineers working/planning on a site]]

{{Main|Transportation engineering}}''Transportation engineering'' is concerned with moving people and goods efficiently, safely, and in a manner conducive to a vibrant community. This involves specifying, designing, constructing, and maintaining transportation infrastructure which includes streets, canals, highways, [[rail transport|rail systems]], airports, ports, and [[mass transit]]. It includes areas such as transportation design, [[transportation planning]], [[traffic engineering (transportation)|traffic engineering]], some aspects of [[municipal or urban engineering|urban engineering]], [[queueing theory]], [[pavement engineering]], [[Intelligent Transportation System]] (ITS), and infrastructure management.