Department Of Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a technology that includes numerous other disciplines that produce useful facilities for the human beings, including roads, dams, waste disposal and other facilities that are used in our daily life. Civil engineering is progressing at a fast pace as are other technologies. It is considered as the first discipline of the various branches of engineering, and includes the designing, planning, construction, and maintenance of the infrastructure. The works include roads, bridges, buildings, dams, canals, water supply and numerous other facilities that affect the life of human beings. Civil engineering is intimately associated with the private and public sectors which includes from the individual homeowners and international enterprises. It is one of the oldest engineering professions. The pyramids of Egypt and road systems developed by the Romans are some of the very few ancient civil engineering achievements.

Civil engineering has a significant role in the life of every human being. The function of civil engineering commences with the start of the day when we take a shower, since the water is delivered through a water supply system including a well-designed network of pipes, water treatment plant and other numerous associated services. The network of roads on which we drive while proceeding to school or work, the huge structural bridges we come across and the tall buildings where we work, all have been designed and constructed by civil engineers. Even the benefits of electricity we use are available to us through the contribution of civil engineers who constructed the towers for the transmission lines. In fact, no sphere of life may be identified that does not include the contribution of civil engineering. Thus, the importance of civil engineering may be determined according to its usefulness in our daily life.

Civil engineering is multiple sciences encompassing numerous sub-disciplines that are closely linked with each other. The various sub-disciplines of civil engineering:

Structural Engineering: This discipline involves the design of structures that should be safe for the users, be economical, and accomplish the desired functions. The design and analysis should initially identify the loads that act on the structures, stresses that are created due to loads, and then design the structure to withstand these loads. It includes steel structures, buildings, tunnels, highways, dams, and bridges.

Geotechnical Engineering: Geotechnical engineering deals with soils, rocks, foundations of buildings and bridges, highways, sewers and underground water systems. Technical information obtained from the sciences of geology, material testing, and hydraulics is applied in the design of foundations and structures to ensure safety and economy of construction.

Highway and Traffic Engineering: This wing of Civil Engineering deals with transportation functions; Transportation systems including land, air and marine modes. Transportation system elements including traveled way, vehicle, controls, and terminals; Techniques of transportation system planning, design, and operations.

Water Resources Engineering: This discipline of civil engineering concerns the management of quantity and quality of water in the underground and above groundwater resources, such as rivers, lakes, and streams. Geographical areas are analyzed to forecast the amount of water that will flow into and out of a water source. Fields of hydrology, geology, and environmental science are included in this discipline of civil engineering.

Environmental Engineering: It is related to the science of waste management of all types, purification of water, cleaning of contaminated areas, reduction of pollution, and industrial ecology. Technical data obtained due to environmental engineering assist policymakers in making decisions related to environmental issues.

Civil engineering utilizes technical information obtained from numerous other sciences, and with the advancement in all types of technologies, civil engineering has also benefited tremendously. The future of civil engineering is expected to be revolutionized by the new technologies including design software, GPS, GIS systems, and other latest technical expertise in varied fields. Technology will continue to make important changes in the application of civil engineering, including the rapid progress in the use of 3-D and 4-D design tools.

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