Civil Engineering Key Terms

Understand technical terms associated with civil engineering

By Howard Robertson

Civil engineering is one of the most important basic engineering sciences. Applications of civil engineering vary from the construction of a small house to structural analysis of a national power plant.

Whether you want to use civil engineering services or pursue a career in the field of civil engineering, you will come across various technical terms. These technical terms indicate different streams of civil engineering, civil engineering applications and standards followed by civil engineering companies.

This guide will introduce some of key terms, such as environmental engineering, structural engineering, fluid mechanics, hydraulics and ASCE standards.

Environmental engineering

This form of civil engineering involves application of engineering techniques to control pollution in different elements, such as air and water. It deals with the study of hazardous materials, creation of advisory measures to control the use of such materials and the formation of regulations for usage of these materials.
Try: Baltic University Programme (BUP) provides a glossary of technical terms related to environmental engineering. You can also read through the environmental management glossary at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Structural engineering

Structural engineering is a branch of civil engineering that deals with the design and analysis of structures, such as big buildings, dams and power plants.
Try: To understand the scope of structural engineering and related subjects, you can read through information at Duke Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. In addition, The Institution of Structural Engineers introduces you to structural engineering and provides education in the field of structural engineering.

Transportation engineering

This is another branch of civil engineering. It deals with various activities, such as evaluating traffic growth, designing and planning for transportation modes and assessing the performance of different transportation modes.
Try: The Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury provides the basics about transportation engineering. You can also read through the introductory information at the Centre for Distance Engineering Education Programme (CDEEP) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.

Surveying engineering

For civil engineering purposes, surveying engineering involves measuring and mapping distances, directions and angles between different locations.
Try: New Mexico State University provides the basics of surveying engineering. You can also browse through an informative presentation at the University of Portsmouth.

Fluid mechanics (or fluid dynamics)

As the name indicates, fluid mechanics deals with the study of fluids. The field of fluid mechanics has applications in various industries, such as automotive, construction and refrigeration and air conditioning.
Try: Read through the basics on fluid mechanics at Bright Hub!. Knowledgerush.com offers detailed information on fluid mechanics.

Hydraulics

Hydraulics is the sub-branch of fluid dynamics that studies hydraulic fluids and their behavior on pressurizing. The hydraulics branch of engineering focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties.
Try: The North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) offers a glossary of engineering terms. For detailed descriptions on hydraulics and its principles, read through information at hydraulicmania.com.

ASCE standards

Civil engineering companies follow certain regulations set by ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). These regulations assure the safety of civil engineering projects and personnel involved in the creation and functioning of these projects.
Try: Read through information about the standards and codes program at ASCE’s website.