Introduction To Civil Engineering: Module I
Introduction To Civil Engineering: Module I
Introduction To Civil Engineering: Module I
Module I
INTRODUCTION TO CIVIL ENGINEERING
Civil Engineering deals with construction activities of buildings, roads, bridges,
tunnels, etc. and also with engineered constructions, their planning, design,
construction and management. Enjoying spacious and comfortable living in a building,
or an underground enclave; driving from a given location to virtually any region in the
continent; and having plenty of clean water available for any domestic use are some of
the examples that the civil engineering profession offer today.
The main scope of Civil Engineering is planning, designing, estimating, supervising
and management of different construction activities.
i. Building Construction
ii. Advanced Building Construction
iii. Building Planning and Management
iv. Environmental Engineering or Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering
v. Geotechnical Engineering (Soil Mechanics)
vi. Surveying and Levelling
vii. Structural Engineering
viii. Transportation Engineering
ix. Town Planning
x. Water Resource Engineering
Building Construction
o Construction of various structures and different types of buildings
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
2 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
o Construction of building components like brick work, Reinforced Cement
Concrete (RCC) works, foundations, doors and windows, floor, roof, etc.
o Study of engineering materials like cement, steel, timber, glass, etc.
Environmental Engineering
o Design, construction and maintenance of water treatment plant, water
distribution system and sewage system
o Waste water treatment and solid waste management
o Air, water and land pollution
Geotechnical Engineering
o Soil investigation
o Design of foundations
o Measurement of soil parameters and safe bearing capacity of soil
o Study of geology
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
3 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Surveying and Levelling
o For setting out of works
o For preparing maps of land
o Measurement of levels of land and prepare contour maps
o Carried out using chains, compass, plane table, levels, theodolites, EDM
instruments, etc.
Structural Engineering
o Design of RCC structures (Retaining walls, water tanks, bridges, residential
buildings, etc.)
o Design of steel structures (railway platform, factory sheds, steel bridges,
etc.)
o Design of earth quake resistant structures
o Concrete technology
Transportation Engineering
o Airport engineering
o Bridge engineering
o Harbour and Docks engineering
o Highway engineering
o Railway engineering
o Tunnel engineering
o Traffic engineering
Town Planning
o Arrangement of various components of a town in such a way that the town
attains significance of a living organism
o Towns are divided into different zones like residential zone, commercial
zone, industrial zone, etc.
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
4 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Water Resources Engineering
o Fluid Mechanics – deals with behaviour of all, more or less incompressible,
liquids and gases
o Hydrology – deals with study of sources of water, measurement and study of
rainfall, flood, etc.
o Irrigation Engineering – deals with designing of hydraulic structures like
dams, canals, etc.
There is a potential for public‐private partnerships to contribute more and help to
bridge the infrastructure gap in India. There is a need of holistic approach to look into
infrastructure from the industrial perspective to enhance the quality of inputs to the
operations of the company.
Buildings are designed by civil engineers by conveying an array of structural
elements that support the architectural spatial distribution. Highway is designed by
creating a plane that adequately supports weight and stresses of vehicles in motion. The
water resource system is designed by a civil engineer that arranges for water intake at
an appropriate source, a water conveyance set and a water distribution network. The
civil engineer designs waste water disposal and waste water treatment plants.
Operations management for infrastructural development has three major aspects:
i. Quality
ii. Cost and
iii. Time
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
5 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Infrastructure Development involves fundamental structures that are required for
the functioning of a community & society. This is usually referred to structures like
roads, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, telecommunications, renewable energy,
water sources identification & boring (wells), purification systems for clean water,
hazard waste management and so on. Governments cannot manage to do it without
skilled/trained manpower (which includes engineers from all the departments).
Civil engineers can manage to do these projects related to infrastructural
development as the fundamental idea of less space and more efficiency is embedded in
all civil engineers which is a crucial factor in development of infrastructure.
So civil engineers have a very crucial role to play in the development of
infrastructure. The role of Civil Engineering activities in the infrastructural development
can be summarised as follows:
A proper planning of towns and extension areas in the cities.
Fast rate of urbanisation and increase in the cost of land has forced civil
engineers to go for vertical growth in cities. This has resulted in new
building technologies and sophisticated analysis methods. Civil engineers
have to solve problems of rural areas as well. Low cost housing is the need
of the hour to make poor people afford their own houses.
Water is an important need for all living beings. Civil engineers have to
explore into various water resources and ensure water supply to urban
areas throughout the year. Water is required for agriculture also.
Good roadways and transportation facilities include another important
amenity of the public which civil engineers deliver.
Other important infrastructural activities of civil engineers are controlling
pollution of air, water and land.
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
6 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
The impact of infrastructural development of a country
Group A ‐ Residential buildings
Group B ‐ Educational buildings
Group C ‐ Institutional buildings
Group D ‐ Assembly buildings
Group E ‐ Business buildings
Group F ‐ Mercantile buildings
Group G ‐ Industrial buildings
Group H ‐ Storage buildings
Group I ‐ Hazardous buildings
o Sub‐group A‐1 ‐ Lodging or rooming houses
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
7 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
o Sub‐group A‐2 ‐ One or two family private dwellings
Detached houses
Semi‐detached houses
Row of houses
Apartments or flats
Duplex type apartments
Skyscrapers
o Sub‐group A‐3 ‐ Dormitories
o Sub‐group A‐4 ‐ Apartment houses (Flats)
o Sub‐group A‐5 ‐ Hotels
Different types of dwellings:
Detached house – All walls and roofs are independent of any other building
with proper set‐back distances on all sides. Plot size: minimum 250 m2;
Frontage: 12 m.
Semi‐detached house – Three sides are detached with proper set back
distances. Plot size: 125 to 250 m2; Frontage: 8 to 12 m.
Row of houses – Two sides are detached with proper set‐back distances. Plot
size: 50 to 125 m2; Frontage: 4.5 to 8 m. Very common in cities like Mumbai,
Kolkata, Chennai, etc.
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
8 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Flat/Terrace house – A group of dwelling units separated by horizontal
divisions. A single flat generally has 3 to 4 rooms with usual amenities
provided for one family.
Duplex house – It is a type of detached or semi‐detached house provided
with an accommodation of single dwelling at two or more floors. Interesting
spaces due to differences in level.
o Sub‐group C‐1 ‐ Hospitals and Sanitaria
Hospitals, clinics, sanitaria, etc. under single management
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
9 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
o Sub‐group C‐2 ‐ Custodial Institutions
Orphanages, old age homes, etc.
o Sub‐group C‐3 ‐ Penal Institutions
Jails, prisons, mental sanitaria, etc.
o Sub‐group D‐1
Fixed seats over 1000 persons
Primarily meant for theatrical or operatic performances
o Sub‐group D‐2
Seating capacity of less than 1000 persons
o Sub‐group D‐3
Primarily meant for assembly of more than 300 persons without
permanent seating arrangement
o Sub‐group D‐4
Primarily meant for assembly of less than 300 persons without
permanent seating arrangement
o Sub‐group D‐5
Any building meant for outdoor assembly of people not covered by
sub‐groups D‐1 to D‐4
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
10 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Group E – Business buildings
Any building or part of a building which is used for the transaction of business
(other than Group F), for keeping of accounts and records, barber shops, lunch
counters serving less than 100 people, is included in Group E.
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
11 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
i. Storage under pressure of 0.1 N/mm2 and in quantities exceeding 70 m3 of
acetylene, hydrogen, illuminating and natural gases, ammonia, chlorine, SO2,
CO2, methyl oxide and all gases subject to explosion, fume or toxic hazard
ii. Storage and handling of hazardous and highly inflammable liquids and other
materials
iii. Manufacture of artificial flowers, synthetic leather, explosives and fireworks
The purpose of building and extend of privacy is desired
The site should be located in fully developed or fast developing locality
The site should be located in such a way that community services like police
and fire protection, clearing of waste and street cleaning, utility services like
water‐supply, electricity, etc., amenities like school, hospital, market, etc.
and means of transport are also available
Before selecting a site, one should study the bye‐laws of the local authority,
which put before restrictions regarding proportions of plots to be built up,
open spaces and margins to be left around, heights, etc.
Area of plot should be such that the building constructed on it meets the
requirement of the owner, after following certain restrictions of local
authority
Shape of the plot should not be irregular, and should not be having any
sharp corners
The site should be situated on an elevated place and also levelled with
uniform slopes from one end to the other to provide good drainage of rain
water
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
12 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
The soil of the site should be good enough with high Safe Bearing Capacity
to provide economical foundations
The site should be situated in a naturally beautiful environment which
creates healthy living and working conditions
The site should be away from quarries, kilns, factories, industries, rivers with
heavy flood, etc., if possible
The legal and financial aspects should also be given due consideration
Figure 1. Components of a residential building
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
13 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Usually a building is divided into three parts:
i. Foundation
ii. Plinth
iii. Superstructure
Foundation is the part of a building constructed below ground level and which is in
direct contact with sub‐strata and transmits all the loads to the sub‐soil.
Plinth is the building above the ground level and up to the floor level immediately
above the ground.
Superstructure is the part of the building constructed above the plinth level.
The Table 1.1 gives the functions of different structural components of a building.
Table 1. Important building components and their functions
Building Component Function(s)
Transmits the loads; supports the superstructure; provides stability.
Foundation Provides safety against scouring
Helps in transmitting loads from superstructure to substructure;
Plinth Protects the building from moisture rainwater, dust, insects, termite, etc.
Supports beam and slab; transmits the loads.
Wall Provides partition, privacy and safety;
Protects building against heat, cold, rain, noise, fire, etc.
Supports beam and slab
Column Transmit the loads
Gives a plane and levelled surface for the occupants, furniture, the equipment,
Floor etc.
Covers the top of the building
Roof Gives protection against rain, heat, snow. Sound, wind, etc.
Permits entry, exit, light and ventilation to the building
Door Imparts safety and privacy to the building
Gives nice scenic view to the building
Window Permits light and ventilation
Step For access in building from GL to upper floors
Stair For vertical circulation among the floors in the building
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017
14 MODULE I CE 100 – BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Lintel, Arch Gives support to the wall above the openings in wall
Sill It gives support to the bottom of window openings
Supports the slab
Beam Transmits loads coming from slab to column or wall
Weather shed Protects the walls of the buildings from sun, heat and rain
(Sun shade)
Parapet Provides boundary to the terrace and encloses it
Industrial buildings
Any building structure used by the industry to store raw materials or for
manufacturing products of the industry is known as an industrial building. It provides
facility in such a way that the space is used primarily for research, development,
service, production, storage or distribution of goods which may also include some
office space.
Industrial buildings may be classified as:
Normal Type Industrial buildings
Special Type Industrial buildings
Normally industrial buildings are shed type buildings, with simple roof structures
on open frames. These buildings are used for workshops, warehouses, etc. These
buildings require large and clear areas unobstructed by the columns. The large floor
area provides sufficient flexibility and facility for a later change in the production layout
without major alterations to the building.
Industrial floors shall have sufficient resistance to abrasion, impact, acid action
and temperature depending on the type of activity carried out in the building.
The notes on Module I end here.
Any textbook on Basics of Civil Engineering should be referred by the
students; do not rely on these notes only.
Basil Mathai
Asst. Prof., Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science, Varikoli, Ernakulam February 2017