1. Describe your process in checking for flaws.

Ans:
a. Identifying Design flaws
b. Identifying Execution Flaws
c. Identifying Flaws due to quality of the Material

2. What is the slenderness limit for the column?

Ans: Short columns have a slenderness ratio of less than -. Such columns are always
subjected to direct compressive stress only. The medium column slenderness ratio is
between 32 to 120. Long columns have a slenderness ratio of more than 120.

3. What is a total station and a theodolite?

Ans: A total station is a theodolite with an integrated distance meter that can measure
angles and distances simultaneously. A total station is an advanced version of
Theodolite with more accuracy and output in a digital form.
Theodolite is a basic survey instrument which allows to measure & record details of
horizontal & vertical angles.

4. What is the difference between a truss and a frame?

Ans: A truss is a structure composed of rod members arranged to form one or more
triangles. The joints are pinned (do not transmit moments) so that the members must
be triangulated. A frame, on the other hand, is a structure that consists of arbitrarily
oriented beam members which are connected rigidly or by pins at joints.

5. What is a catch basin?

Ans: A cistern located at the point where a street gutter discharges into a sewer and
designed to catch and retain matter that would not pass readily through the sewer.
Catch basins work by collecting stormwater runoff and directing it to a storm sewer or
drainage system. This helps prevent flooding in the surrounding area and maintains
proper water flow. In addition, catch basins also help capture debris, pollutants and
other materials that may be carried by stormwater runoff.

6. What is the difference between an open channel and a closed conduit?

Ans: Open channel flow, such as streams, canals, distribution channels, gravity sewer
lines, etc., are free flowing and open to the atmosphere. Closed channel flow, such as
force mains, sludge lines, pump discharge lines, etc., is a conduit or pipe that is
completely filled and under pressure.

7. What is a cofferdam?
Ans: A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed
area to be pumped out or drained. This pumping creates a dry working environment
so that the work can be carried out safely.

8. Why Do you want to Come to Canada?

Ans: To get some international work exposure, work experiences. I have done one
PMC offshore project of Australia & Ethiopia it was great to work for such kind of
projects. I wish to work for on site project and next reason is to settle in Canada
permanently.
 9. What are the causes of building collapse?
Ans: The reasons a building collapses can be due to poor structural design it can be
poor foundation, miss interpretated structural design, incompetency of the design for a
particular location, poor compliance with specifications, poor quality control, faulty
construction methodology, foundation failure, and corruption. Natural disaster is also
identified as a cause of building collapse.

10. What are the applications of the modulus of elasticity?

Ans: The applications of modulus of elasticity are: It measures the stiffness of the
material. It defines the relationship between stress and strain in a material. It specifies
the material that how much it can extend under tension or shortens under
compression.

1. What is reinforced cement concrete?

Sometimes, the interviewers are interested in discussing the details of reinforced cement
concrete. They can ask this question to initiate a conversation on this topic. You can start by
stating the definition of reinforced cement concrete and then discuss its importance in
construction.

Example: "Reinforced Cement Concrete or RCC is a material with a composed unit of strong
ductile and high tensile substance such as steel, combined with the rigidity of cement to
enhance its elasticity and tensile strength."

2. What are the steps in concreting and curing?

These are follow-up questions after the interviewers ask you about RCC. You can start by
listing the steps and subsequently mentioning the methods. Sometimes a panel member can
pick one of the steps or methods and ask about the details after you have answered this
question. So, try to explain some of these procedures to show that you understand more than
just the steps.

Example: "The steps in concreting are: batching of ingredients, mixing ingredients,

transporting and placement of concrete, and compacting. Curing concrete ensures maximum
strength and proper shape. There are six steps in curing concrete. They are:

 Creating a structure to shade the concrete surface

 Waiting for the water sheen to evaporate from the surface
 Covering the entire concrete surface with a light coloured fabric sheet to keep the
concrete moist
 Spraying water on the fabric regularly, while ensuring there are no pools of water
getting created
 Spreading polyethylene sheets on top and fastening their corners and edges to lock
the moisture beneath
 Repeating the moistening process for five to seven days to get the best results"
Related: Guide: What Is Structural Design In Civil Engineering?

3. Can you explain why curing is not required to be done by creating water pools and
polyethylene sheets?

If you answered the curing procedure correctly, the panel members might ask reasons for
performing some of the steps in a specific manner. This is an example of a typical follow-up
question designed to test in-depth knowledge of concrete curing.

Example: "Water pools or ponds on concrete are only suitable in warm weather where it can
evaporate at a sustained rate. In cold weather, the water pools can freeze and expand,
affecting the concrete's overall strength. Moreover, creating ponds results in wastage of
water. In windy areas, polyethylene sheets can be blown away, increasing the risk of
desiccation in the concrete."

4. What is the nominal concrete proportion for different grades?

Some hiring managers often ask this question to check if your fundamentals are strong. It is
useful to list the ratios and specify the units to make a better impression.

Example: "The grade-wise concrete proportion is:

M10 = 1:3:4

M15 = 1:2:4

M20 = 1:1.5:3

M25 = 1:1:2

M30 = 1:1:1

where M(n) is the grade, n is the compressive strength measured in Newton/millimetre2, and
the ratio represents the proportion of cement with fine aggregate and coarse aggregate."

5. What are the concrete tests?

Interviewers ask this question to see if you are aware of industry-standard quality checks on
concrete. Try to list the critical tests and provide reasons. If you know all the tests, you can
mention them afterward.

Example: "The two primary concrete tests are compression test and slump test because
cement quality is often determined based on its compression and ratio of water and cement.
Permeability and rapid chloride ion penetration tests ensure the minimum required density
of concrete to avoid rust formation on the steel reinforcement and subsequent cracking and
spalling of concrete."

Related: What Is Site Engineering? (With Duties, Skills and Salary)

6. What are the different types of slumps in a slump test?

This question is to check if you know detailed information about a slump test and its results.
Mention all three types and give a reasonable explanation about each.

Example: "The three different types of slumps are true slump, shear slump and collapse
slump. True slump marks a uniform decrease in mass of concrete in all directions without
any signs of disintegration, retaining the overall shape. Shear slump shows that a concrete
mixture does not have any cohesion, which results in the shearing of the top portion and a
sideways breakdown. Collapse slump happens when the concrete has excessive water in it. It
results in bleeding and collapses easily because it is unable to hold any kind of shape."

7. What is bleeding in concrete?

Sometimes, the interviewer may ask this follow-up question if you answered the previous
question correctly. This question tests if you know the terminology or if you have just
memorised the answers.

Example: "Bleeding is a process in which excess portion of unabsorbed water segregates to

the surface in cement hydration."

Related: Why Is It Important To Pursue An MBA For Civil Engineers?

8. Why are steel plates inserted inside bearings in the elastomeric bearing?

Topics such as elastomeric bearings test your understanding of support structures and how
they play an important role in heavy-duty construction such as suspension bridges. You can
use this answer as a start and then elaborate with an example.

Example: "Steel plates are inserted in elastomeric bearing to instil a spring functionality and
increase compression stiffness of bearing. This addition limits excessive lateral bulge."

9. What is prestressing?

Some hiring managers can ask this question to check if you know the difference between
ordinary RCC and prestressed concrete. A good way to answer this question is to define
prestressing and then stating the reinforcements. When listing the techniques, try to mention a
brief overview of the processes.

Example: "Prestressing is a construction process that increases the tensile strength of

concrete even further than ordinary RCC. The processes used in prestressing are:

 Spalling reinforcement: Spalling reinforcement is used to prevent the piling up of

stresses behind the loaded area of anchor blocks.
 Equilibrium reinforcement: Equilibrium reinforcement is a way of prestressing with
multiple anchorages for sequential loads. It is used to handle concave trajectories of
the stresses on the load-line.
 Bursting reinforcement: To deal with lateral tensile stresses, we use bursting
reinforcement on prestressed concrete."
Related: Civil Engineering Careers You Can Pursue As A Graduate

10. Explain pre-tensioning and post-tensioning.

Sometimes, the interviewer wants to know if your knowledge of prestressing is extensive

enough. You can answer this question by mentioning how these methods relate to
prestressing and then state the differences between them.

Example: "Pre-tensioning and post-tensioning are two different methods used in

prestressing. The core concept involves using tensioned wires or bars of steel as
reinforcement structures in cured concrete. In the pre-tensioning method, the wires or bars
are anchored to a metal support. Then we use hydraulic jacks to induce tension and fix side
moulds. Concrete is then poured around the tensed structure to harden and accommodate the
compressive force from the jacks.

The post-tensioning method is similar in concept as far as the placement of cables and
concrete is concerned. But, tension is applied to the wires or cables after the concrete is
hardened. This method works best for cases where modular concrete units are required to be
connected to create a larger member on-site."

11. How are the freeway bridges built?

This question tests your knowledge of public work and the procedure of building bridges.

Example: "First, we are required to take future traffic into account based on existing and
projected figures and update the design accordingly. During construction, we place
reinforced cement/rebar stanchions over the freeway to accommodate the bridge. Off-ramp
and on-ramp are constructed to and from the freeway and bridge. Then, cement slabs are
required to be built and placed on the underlying platform."

12. State any incident when you had to face a critical situation.

The employer wants to know whether you have decision-making and problem-solving skills.
You can narrate any incident when you solved the problem successfully to answer this
question.

Example: "I dealt with a problem on the site of a bungalow construction. While we were
constructing an upper slab, I heard a slight cracking noise. I checked the supporting
structure immediately and found that it was shaking under the weight of a worker who was
standing on top of it. I cautioned him to stop working immediately, get down and reinforce
the wooden supports, preventing a major accident."

Related: How To Write a Civil Engineering Resume (With Example)

13. What are the ethics of civil engineering, according to you?

The answer to this question shows your priorities and work ethic. You can talk about
environmental and public health issues if they ask you to elaborate.
Example: "I believe that a civil engineering job involves giving better infrastructure and
shelter to people, keeping environmental issues and public health in mind."

1. What Do You Understand by M25 Concrete?

According to IS 456 : 2000, M refers Mix and 25 refers the characteristic compressive.
Strength of concrete cube of 150mmX150mmX150 mm tested at the end of 28 days should
be minimum 25 N/Sq.mm
2. What is the maximum allowable fresh concrete temperature until used as per ASTM ?
32 OC
3. what are the skills required to become an architect ?
1. Conceptual understanding of designing models
2. Basic knowledge of computer and architect related software programs
3. Designing 3D models
4. Engineering ability
5. Business aptitude
6. Legal knowledge
4. What is guniting ?
It is a process in which mixture of cement & sand in proportion of 1:3 is shooted on concrete
surface with the help of cement gun under pressure of 2 to 3 kg/cm2. It is a highly effective
process for repairing concrete walls or damaged surfaces.
5. For filling cracks in masonry structures, the type of bitumen used, is
Plastic bitumen

6. What is the bending moment (BM) & Shear force (SF) – Explain.

A bending moment is the reaction induced in a structural element when an

external force or moment is applied to the element causing the element to bend. The most
common or simplest structural element subjected to bending moments is the beam.
Shear force is the force in the beam acting perpendicular to its longitudinal (x) axis. For
design purposes, the beam’s ability to resist shear force is more important than its ability to
resist an axial force. Axial force is the force in the beam acting parallel to the longitudinal
axis.
7. For filling cracks in masonry structures, the type of bitumen used, is
Plastic bitumen
8. What is the process of covering of concrete placed on the exposed top of an external wall ?
Coping
9. A wall constructed to resist the pressure of an earth filling, is known as
Retaining wall
10. What is the minimum curing period?

IS 456 – 2000 recommends that curing duration of concrete must be at least 7 days in case of
Ordinary Portland Cement, at least 10 days for concrete with Mineral admixtures. It also
recommends that the curing duration should not be less than 10 days for concrete of OPC
exposed to dry and hot weather conditions and 14 days for concrete with mineral admixtures
in hot and dry weather.
11. What is the minimum weight of fine aggregate for sieve analysis as per ASTM C136 ?
300 g
12. How many hours should CBR samples be soaked ?
96 Hrs
13. What is a bearing capacity of soil?

Bearing capacity is the capacity of soil to support the loads applied to the ground by the
foundation of the structure.
14. What do you mean by honeycomb in concrete?
Honeycomb, also known as air pocket, is nothing but the air voids in concrete. It is usually
formed during concrete casting.
15. What field tests are required for quality check of cement?
Quality of cement can be checked with color, physical properties, etc. Cement should have
grey color with light greenish shade. It should feel smooth when rubbed between fingers. If
hand is inserted in a heap of cement or its bags, it should feel cool. When pinch of cement is
thrown in Water then cement should float for some time before it sink. Also, it should be
lump free.
16. What are the types of cement?
There are various types of cement which are: Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), White
Portland Cement (WPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Low Heat Portland Cement,
Coloured Portland Cement, Hydrophobic cement, Rapid Hardening Cement, Portland Slag
Cement, Sulphate resisting Portland Cement, etc.

17. what is the difference between built area and super built up area?
• Built up area: It includes your carpet area plus area covered by walls, pillars and ducts. It is
usually 10% more from the carpet area
• Super built up area: It includes your built up area plus the area that you use as building
amenities like passage to lift, stairs and lifts, gym, club, etc.
18. What is Water-Cement Ratio and How it is related to the strength of concrete?

The water-cement ratio is the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of cement used in a
concrete mix. A lower ratio leads to higher strength and durability, but may make the mix
difficult to work i.e. low workability of Concrete Mix. Workability can be increased with the
use of admixtures.
19. Explain what is Hybrid Foundation?
Hybrid Foundation is usually used for high rise building, it contains both soil supported mat
and piles. This type of foundation is helpful in reducing the amount of the settlement.
20 . What are the steps involved in the concreting process, explain?
Steps In Concreting:
1. Batching: The process of measuring different concrete materials such as cement,
coarse aggregate, sand, water for the making of concrete is known as batching.
2. Mixing.
3. Transportation:
4. Compaction.
5. Curing.
21. Explain what is flashing?
Flashing is an extended construction that is done to seal and protects joints in a building from
water penetration. Flashing is installed at the intersecting roofs, walls and parapets.
22. What is Bursting Reinforcement ?
Tensile stresses are induced during prestressing operation and the maximum bursting stress
occurs where the stress trajectories are concave towards the line of action of the load.
Reinforcement is needed to resist these lateral tensile forces.
23. What are the major problems in using pumping for concreting works?
 In pumping operation, the force exerted by pumps must overcome the friction between
concrete and the pumping pipes, the weight of concrete and the pressure head when placing
concrete above the pumps. In fact, as only water is pump-able, it is the water in the concrete
that transfers the pressure.
The main problems associated with pumping are the effect of segregation and bleeding. To
rectify these adverse effects, the proportion of cement is increased to enhance the cohesion in
order to reduce segregation and bleeding. On the other hand, a proper selection of aggregate
grading helps to improve the pump-ability of concrete.
24. What are the responsibilities of a construction manager?
The responsibilities of a construction manager are
• Cost Estimates
• Pre-purchase of selected materials
• Selection of bidders for bidding phase
• Analysis of proposals
• Construction contract negotiations
• Construction Scheduling and Monitoring
• Cost control of construction
• Construction supervision
25. What is Shear slump ?
Shear slump implies that the concrete mix is deficient in cohesion. Consequently, it may
undergo segregation and bleeding and thus is undesirable for durability of concrete.

26. Why is concrete weak in tension?

Concrete is made up of collection of materials (several aggregate types, cement, pozzolans,
water, air…), which are stick together with a cement paste. The “interface” zone is the
weakest link in the structure. When compressing, that interface only serves to transfer
compressive stresses from one aggregate to the next. That does not require exceptional
strength.
Under tension, the aggregates are trying to pull away from each other, and the glue is what
holds the whole system together. Since it is significantly weaker than the aggregates, it is
where the failure starts at much lower stresses.
27. What is grouting?
Grout is a fluid form of concrete which is used to fill the voids.
28. What is the recommended slump for column ?
75 to 125 mm
29. The bearing capacity of granite is generally ?
30 to 35 kg/cm 2
30. What are the specifications of tamping rod used in cube filling for cube test ?
Ans :- According to the IS code 2386, a 16 mm steel rod with rounded edge
31 .What is the minimum curing period ?
IS 456 – 2000 recommends that curing duration of concrete must be at least 7 days in case of
Ordinary Portland Cement, at least 10 days for concrete with Mineral admixtures.
It also recommends that the curing duration should not be less than 10 days for concrete of
OPC exposed to dry and hot weather conditions and 14 days for concrete with mineral
admixtures in hot and dry weather.
32. What are the functions of column in a building ?
Column is a vertical member in building whose Primary function is to support structural load
and transfer it through beams. Upper columns transfers the load to the lower columns and
finally to the ground through footings.
33. What are the uses of Groynes ?
They prevent, or slow down erosion, and stop the longshore drift. This, however, can have
bad knock-on effects somewhere near.
34. What is the initial and final setting time of ideal cement mix?
Initial setting time for ideal cement mix is around 30 minutes for almost all kind of cements.
For masonry cement it can be 90minutes. Final setting time of ideal cement mix should be 10
hours at max. For masonry cement it shouldn’t exceed 24hours
35. The portion of a brick cut across the width is called
Bat
36. What reinforcements are used in the process of prestressing?
The major types of reinforcements used in prestressing are:
Spalling Reinforcement: The spalling stresses leads to stress behind the loaded area of the
anchor blocks. This results in the breaking off of the surface concrete. The most likely causes
of such types of stresses are Poisson`s effects strain interoperability or by the stress trajectory
shapes.
Equilibrium reinforcements: This type of reinforcements are required where several
anchorages exist where the prestressing loads are applied in a sequential manner.
Bursting Reinforcements: These kinds of stresses occur in cases where the stress trajectories
are concave towards the line of action of load. In order to reduce such stresses,
reinforcements in the form of bursting are required.
37. What are the common ways of demolition?
• Hydro-demolition
• Pressure Bursting
• Dismantling
38. What are the main reasons for conducting pull-out tests for soil nails?
There are mainly four reasons for this test:
1. To check and verify the bond strength between soil and grout adopted during the
design of soil nails. This is the main objective of conducting soil nail pull-out test.
2. To determine the bond strength between soil and grout for future design purpose.
However, if this target is to be achieved, the test nails should be loaded to determine
the ultimate soil/grout bond with an upper limit of 80% of the ultimate tensile strength
of steel bars.
3. To check if there is any slippage or creep occurrence.
4. To check the elastic and plastic deformations of test nails. This is observed during the
repeated loading and unloading cycles of soil nails.
39. Explain QA&QC ?
Quality Assurance (QA): Quality Assurance is a set of activities for ensuring quality in the
processes by which works are done. Quality Assurance is the process of managing for
quality.
Quality Control (QC): Quality Control is a set of activities for ensuring quality in works. The
activities focus on identifying defects in the actual products produced. Quality Control is used
to verify the quality of the output.
40. What Is The Ratio Of Grades M5, M7.5, M10, M15, M20, M25, M30, M35, M40?
M5 – 1:5:10
M7.5 – 1:4:8
M10 – 1:3:6
M15 – 1:2:4
M20 – 1:1.5:3
M25 – 1:1:2
M30, M35, M40 – Design Mix Followed
41. The length of each fish plate is
457.2mm
42. Rail chairs are used to fix
Double head rails
43. What is guniting ?
It is a process in which mixture of cement & sand in proportion of 1:3 is shooted on concrete
surface with the help of cement gun under pressure of 2 to 3 kg/cm2
44. It is a highly effective process for repairing concrete walls or damaged surfaces
Flat bearing
The main purpose of using bearing plate is to
Distribute the pressure over wider area,eliminate the adzing of wooden sleepers,preventing
the widening of gauge of curves
45. How would you describe the soundness of cement?
Cement soundness can be described as a property which ensures that the cement does not go
through any appreciable expansion pr experience any chance in volume once it has been set.
This process helps get rid of any possibilities of the mortar or concrete from getting
disrupted.
46. Creeping of rails can be checked by using
Anchors
47. What Is Rigging ?
In sailing, the ropes used to move the sails around so the boat will move in the right direction
when the wind blows.
48. What Are The Materials Used In Building A Gravity Dam?
There are many gravity dams constructed of compacted earth. High dams are generally
concrete. All dams require a spillway to be safe. The spillway must be armored.
49. What made you decide to become a civil engineer?
I Decided to become a civil engineer because of my father who is a Math teacher. As a child
he shared his great love for solving mathematical equations and other types of puzzles with
me. He was always asking me to look outside the box to solve each dilemma. He encouraged
me to have a quizzical mind and to always explore not only how something was built but also
how it worked. He inspired me to figure out if the design could be improved upon by utilizing
a different means.”
50. what The Purpose Of The Gap In The Road On This Bridge?
Purpose of the gap in the road is to allow the road to expand and contract with temperature
changes without causing damage or deformation to the road
51. On Indian railways , minimum formation width in embankment for a single line of board
gauge ,is
6.1m
53. The device used for changing the direction of the engines is called
Turn table
54. The device provided to prevent the vehicles from moving beyond the end of rail at
terminals is called
Buffer stops
55. What Are Moment Of Inertia And Its Importance In Civil Engineering?
The moment of inertia measures the opposition any kind of body will have against a certain
momentum (along that same axis) trying to rotate that body.
56. The distance between the running edge of the stock and switch rails at the switch heel ,is
called
Heel clearance
57. What are various tests for checking brick quality?
We can use water absorption test, hardness test, shape & size, crushing strength test,
soundness test, etc. to check the brick quality. In water absorption test, we dip the brick for
16 hours in water. If weight of brick after dipping in water doesn’t exceed by 20%, it can be
considered as first class brick, if below 22.5% it can be considered as second class brick, if
below 25% it can be considered as third class brick. In crushing test, it crushing strength
should be minimum of 10 N/mm2 for first class brick, 7.5 N/mm2
for second class bricks. In hardness test, we scratch the brick with nails. It should be scratch
free. In soundness test we check the metallic sound by striking two bricks with each other
58.The distance between the adjacent faces of the stock rail and the check rail , is called
Flange way clearance
59. What is void ratio?
Void ratio is the ratio of volume of voids to volume of solids.
60 .Stock rails are fitted
Against tongue clearance
61.The switch angle is the angle subtended between the gauge faces of the
Stock rail and check
62. Explain what is Critical Path Method (C.P.M)?
Critical Path Method is strategy and method of representing the respective tasks and activities
involved in the construction through a symbolic diagram.
63. How Do You Determine Specific Gravity Of Cement?
Cement is usually purchased as a powdery substance that is mixed with sand, aggregate,
gravel, and water to form concrete. Since the cement itself is usually a powder, it is hard to
measure a standard value for its specific gravity. In addition, since cement is usually not used
by itself, knowing its specific gravity is not Particularly useful.
A more useful question is “What is the typical density of concrete?” A rule of thumb answer
is that normal cured concrete has a density of about 150 pounds per cubic foot. This includes
the weight of the cement, sand, aggregate, and that PArt of the water that chemically binds
with the cement to form the concrete. Since water weighs about 62.4 pounds per cubic feet,
concrete is about 2.4 times as heavy. Thus, the specific gravity of concrete is about 2.4. If you
took cement and mixed it with water, you would eventually have a hard lump of useless
cement and it would also have a specific gravity of between 2 and 2.4.
64. The distance between the running face of the stock rail and toe of the tongue rail is known
as
Throw of switch
65. The maximum value of throw of switch for a broad gauge track is
95mm
66 . In INDIA , the crossing number for passenger turnout is taken as
12
67 .A warner signal ,which is first seen by the driver , is known as
Outer signal
68.

69. The reception signal is

Outer signal ,home signal
70 .In a shunting signal , if the red band is horizontal , it indicates
Proceed
What the steps involved in Building Construction?
71. There are different steps involved in Building construction like,
 Concreting
  Masonry work
 Plastering work
 Flooring work
 Formwork
 Steel cutting and Bending
72. How do you measure the volume of concrete?
The volume of concrete is calculated by Multiplying its Length, Width, and Thickness
together. For Example – 1m x1m x1m = 1 m³ of volume of concrete.
73. Why Concrete Cover is provided to reinforcement?
Concrete cover for reinforcement is required to protect the rebar against corrosion and to
provide resistance against fire.
74. How to do check level on construction site?
I will check the level on construction site by Spirit level, Dumpy Level and Leveling Pipe.
75. What is the accuracy of the dumpy level or minimum reading we can take?
With the help of a dumpy level we can take up 5mm accurate reading or minimum reading.
76. How do you calculate the weight of 12m long and 10mm dia. Steel on-site?
By multiplying the length of steel bar with its unit weight
(unit wt of 10mm = 0.60 kg/m)
Weight of steel = 0.60x 12
= 7.2 kg
77. Which is the equation used for calculating unit weight of steel bar?
(D²/162)
78. What is the size of a concrete cube?
15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
79. What do you do if any concrete cube fails in 28 days compressive strength test?
If the concrete cube fails in strength test, I will conduct a core cutter test on concrete and send
a report to higher authorities.
80. What is the mix ratio for M – 20 Grade of concrete?
1: 1.5: 3
81. What is the Unit weight of 12 mm Steel Bars.
0.89 kg/m
82. Explain what is floating slab foundation?
A floating concrete foundation is a type of mat foundation that consists of the hollow mat
formed by a grid of thick reinforced concrete walls between two thick reinforced concrete
slabs.
83. What is the Density of Steel?
7850 kg/m³
84. In Fe – 415 Steel Grade, 415 indicates of Steel.
Tensile Strength
85. The height of low kerb ?
A kerb is a structure used to separate pavement and median, pavement and shoulder,
pavement and footpath. In low kerb height is restricted to 100mm only.
86. What is the Volume of 50 kg bag of cement?
0.035 m³
87. What are the functions of grout inside tendon ducts?
Grout in prestressing works serves the following purposes:
1. Protect the tendon against corrosion.
2. Improve the ultimate capacity of tendon.
3. Provide a bond between the structural member and the tendon.
4. In case of failure, the anchorage is not subject to all strain energy.
88. In Residential Building, Average Value of Stair Width?
900 mm
89. What is the function of shear keys in the design of retaining walls?
In determining the external stability of retaining walls, failure modes like bearing failure,
sliding and overturning are normally considered in design. In considering the criterion of
sliding, the sliding resistance of retaining walls is derived from the base friction between
the wall base and the foundation soils. To increase the sliding resistance of retaining walls,
other than providing a large self-weight or a large retained soil mass, shear keys are to be
installed at the wall base.
90. he Slope of Stair Should not Exceed.
25- 40º
91. What are the major problems in using pumping for concreting works?
In pumping operation, the force exerted by pumps must overcome the friction between
concrete and the pumping pipes, the weight of concrete and the pressure head when placing
concrete above the pumps. In fact, as only water is pumpable, it is the water in the concrete
that transfers the pressure.
The main problems associated with pumping are the effect of segregation and bleeding. To
rectify these adverse effects, the proportion of cement is increased to enhance the cohesion
in order to reduce segregation and bleeding. On the other hand, a proper selection of
aggregate grading helps to improve the pumpability of concrete.
92. Minimum diameter of steel in Column.
12 mm
93. What are the disadvantages of curing by ponding and polythene sheets?
The purpose of curing is to reduce the rate of heat loss of freshly placed concrete to the
atmosphere and to minimize the temperature gradient across concrete cross section.
Moreover, curing serves to reduce of the loss water from freshly placed concrete to the
atmosphere.
Ponding: This method of thermal curing is readily affected by weather condition (cold
wind). Moreover, a large amount of water used has to be disposed off the construction sites
after curing.
Polythene sheet: This method of curing is based on the principle that there is no flow of air
over the concrete surface and thereby no evaporation can take place on top of the freshly
concreted surface by provision of polythene sheets. However, it suffers from the demerit
that polythene sheets can be easily blown off in windy condition and the performance of
curing would be affected. Moreover, for water lost due to self-desiccation, this method
cannot replenish these losses.
94. Standard Size of Brick?
19 cm x 9 cm x 9 cm
95. What is Unit Weight of RCC?
2500 kg/ m³
96. Explain what are the problems one might face while having a Cantilever balcony?
Cantilever balcony are usually unsupported and extend outwards, so the problem with
Cantilever balconies are
• Excess deflection or bounce
• Weakness of the deck structure
• Rot and water damage to the interior of the house
• Unevenness inside the house
• Can’t use the balcony for gardening or other purposes as it is not designed to lift excess
amount of weight
97. One Acre = Sq. ft.
43560 Sq. ft.
98. What is the Full Form of UTM?
Universal Testing Machine
99. What do you understand by segregation?
Segregation is defined as a process of filtering cement & sand separately from the concrete
mixture. In other words, segregation is caused due to vibration between materials forming a
concrete.
One material being high in weight & one being less tend to be uneven while in a liquid state.
The heavier material gets settled at the bottom of the concrete & lighter material moves on
top.
100. Cement Expire After?
3 month
101. What is the IS code for Plain and Reinforced Concrete
IS :456

102. One square meter = Sq. ft?

10.76 Sq. ft

103. What are the standard American codes for steel and concrete
ACI and AISC
104. What is the code of practice for General Construction in steel
IS :800
105. What is unit weight of 25 mm Steel Bars
3.85 kg/m
106 . One Hectare = _______Acres
2.47 Acres
107. One Gallon = Liters 3.78Liters
108 . Which type of cement is used is construction of massive Dam structures
Low heat cement
109. One kilonewton is equal to kilograms
101.97 KG
110. For Steel structures what is permissible vertical deflection
Span / 325
111. One Tonne is equal to kilograms
1000 KG
112. Maximum Free fall of concrete allowed is ?
1.5 m
113. Instrument used for level work on a construction site?
Dumpy Level
114. What is the minimum reinforcement in beams
Ast/b*d = 0.85/ fy
115. What is the maximum reinforcement in beams
0.04*b*d
116. What is the minimum reinforcement in slabs
0.12 % of gross area
117. What is the minimum reinforcement in columns
0. 8% of area
118. What is the maximum reinforcement in columns
4%
119. Minimum Bars in Circular Column Should be_______
6 Nos.
120. What is the Full Form of AAC?
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

121. What is the Full Form of NDT?

Non – Destructive Test
122. What is the Full Form of JCB?
Joseph Cyril Bamford
123. Which Test is conducted to determine the bearing capacity of Soil?
Plate Load Test
124. Ring and ball test is conducted on which construction material?
Bitumen
125. Where is the section for bending considered
At the face of column
126. What is the maximum no of steps in a flight
12
127. What are various limit states of strength
Flexure, Compression, shear and torsion
128. Minimum hook length as per IS Code?
75 mm
129. What is the extra length in Bent up bars?
0.45 X D
130. What is Least Count of Dumpy?
5mm
131. What is Full of EGL?
Existing ground level.
20 %
133. What are the minimum no of bars to be provided in rectangular column
4
134 .What are minimum no of bars to be provided in circular column
6
135. What are various losses in prestressing
1 Elastic deformation of concrete
2 Shrinkage of concrete
3 Creep of concrete
4 Relaxation of stress in steel

136. Vicats apparatus is used for

Consistency test
137. Le chatliers apparatus is used for
Soundness test
138. Number of Bricks used in 1 Cubic meter of Brickwork?
500 Nos.
139. The Normal Consistency of Portland Cement?
25 %
140. The Expansion in Portland cement is tested by…
Soundness Test
141. What is shear center in steel beam
It is point or axis through which load acts
142. What is Strut
Struct is a compression member
143. What is Modular ratio
It is the ratio of Modulus of elasticity of steel to Modulus of elasticity of concrete
144. What is the minimum diameter of bar used in column
12
145. What are bearing piles
Bearing piles transfer the loads to the hard strata
146. What are friction Piles
Friction piles transfer the loads by friction between surface of pile and soil.
147. According to IS Code, Full Strength of Concrete is achieved after?
28 Days
148. What is the Volume of 1 bag of cement?
0.035 m³
149. Minimum Grade of Concrete Used For RCC?
M – 20
149. What is the slenderness limit for column
Less than 12 , it is short column
More than 12 , it is Long column
150. What is the initial and final setting time for cement?
Initial: Less than 30 min and 600 min.
150. Le chatliers apparatus is used for
Soundness test

1. What are the elements of horizontal alignment?

Ans: Tangent (straight joining 2 curves), curves (Radius a function of Speed) &
Transitions (Gradual change from a tangent to a curve or from one curve to another.

2. Why Transition – Provide smooth ride for passengers and to reduce the possibility of
overturning/toppling of the locomotive/rolling stock, & to reduce wear and tear on the
track.
3. What are the types of curves – Transition, spiral (A section of Track that combines the
transition from a tangent to a curve and superelevation into a single smooth curve.
spiral curves are used where the amount of superelevation required is too great to be
achieved by a transition curve alone. Crest – a curve that rises and falls, allowing the
train to gain or lose altitude. Crest Curves are used to connect tracks that are at
different elevations, such as a bridge or a tunnel. Use virtual circular curves loop lines
do not have virtual or transitions in yards.
4. Turnout design ratios: 1:12 and 8.5. for metro: 1:9 and 1:7.5
5. What is the shunt point – When one train is going on the track, the shunt point is the
point beyond which another train not cross. If it crosses, then there will be a collision.
6. Types of Envelops – Structural guage (Limit of Building Inside which no structures
may Intrude. The structures gauge will vary with curvature of the line & maximum
speeds allowed along the section in question. Kinematic Envelop – The area
designates the limits within which the train can move laterally and vertically along the
 route. Speed and features of train design such as bogie suspension and special systems
such as titling that it may have will affect the kinematic envelope.
7. Cant – The superelevation of the curve .i.e. the difference between the elevations of
the outside and inside rails.
8. Cant Deficiency – Cant deficiency occurs when a train travels around a curve at as
speed higher than the equilibrium/designed/designated speed. It is the difference
between the theoretical (Equilibrium) cant required for such high speeds and the
actual (applied) cant provided. Deficiency = > there is too little cant. But it depends
on the type of Rolling Stock/Locomotive/Train. For some trains, curve’s cant might
be deficient, for other trains, it might be in excess. D=E Equilibrium E actual. Used
because wheel is force to top rail => smooth ride quality. If equilibrium cant was
used, train could hunt/zig-zag between rails. Rule of thumb is to apply 2/3rds of
equilibrium cant.
9. Cant Equilibrium – The value of cant for a particular curve radius at a certain speed at
which the resting force is perpendicular to the running plane of the rails.
10. Cant Excess – Cant exceeds equilibrium cant so train will ride on inside rail.
11. Elements of Vertical Alignment – Vertical curves, straights (grades), superelevation.
12. Types of Vertical curves – Parabolic, hyperbolic and circular
13. Regression Analysis - Regression is used to help define an alignment, whether that be
Horizontal or Vertical, along the path of an existing track. Regression is a best fit
process whereby the new alignment geometry is defined to fit as close as possible to a
collection of known coordinate points surveyed along the existing track.