K.

Prakash

Chapter 1
CIVIL ENGINEERING
MODULE
MODULE-1
-1 AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
MODULE -1
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION TO CIVIL ENGINEERING
TO CIVIL ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTION TO CIVIL ENGINEERING
Engineering is a profession that puts scientific knowledge to practical use. Engineers look for better and
optimized ways to use existing resources and often develop new resources & new materials.
In general, the field of engineering includes a wide variety of activities.
 Engineering projects range from the construction of huge dams to the design of tiny electronic circuits.
 Engineers may help to produce guided missiles, industrial robots, or artificial limbs for the physically
challenged people.
 They develop complex scientific equipment to explore the reaches of outer space and the depth of the
oceans.
 Engineers also plan electric power and water supply systems, and deal with automobiles, television
sets, and other consumer products.
 They work to reduce environmental pollution, increase the world’s food supply and make
transportation faster & safer.

Out of all branches of engineering, Civil Engineering is the one that is directly associated with
the welfare of the society.
 Civil Engineering is a branch full of human activities which has been pursued from very early times
when man began to adopt environment to his needs.
 The motto of civil engineering is the “protection of the welfare and safety of the public”.
 The term civil engineering refers to the discipline’s involvement in public works, including
government buildings, military bases, mass transit systems (i.e., highways, railways, airports, and
water ways), water treatment works, waste management, irrigation etc. In ancient times, there was no
formal engineering education.
 The earliest engineers-built structures and developed tools by experience and by methods which were
empirical in nature.
 However, the present-day engineering activities are based on theoretical knowledge.
 Guided by theory and the past experience, the present-day civil engineers work for the benefit of the
society, carrying out the works according to certain standards.
 Maintaining the quality in their works help them to achieve good performance from their outputs.

1
SCOPE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
The scope of Civil Engineering is very vast, and it has many diversified fields which help in the total
development of any civilization. Various subdivisions that come under civil engineering branch are listed
below.
Surveying
Building Materials Technology
Geotechnical Engineering
Structural Engineering
Construction Technology
Hydraulics
Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering
Transportation Engineering
Environmental Engineering

A brief description of the contents of study of each of these sub-divisions is given below

Surveying
It is a field of specialization which involves processes through which the relative positions of
various points or objects on the earth surface are determined on a horizontal plane as well as on a
vertical plane.

The results of such processes are represented in the form of map or plan. A plan is a graphical
representation of various ground features as projected on a horizontal plane, to some convenient
scale, on a sheet of paper.
Surveying is an essential work which is carried out in the beginning of any constructional
activity, such as development of an area, construction of transportation facilities such as road
ways, railways and air field pavements, construction of structures such as buildings, bridges, and
dams.

Conventional methods of surveying include chain surveying, compass surveying, theodolite

surveying, plane table surveying and levelling.

The modern-day surveying, by virtue of developments in technology, include the use of

sophisticated instruments like total station and other electronic, electro-magnetic, electro-optical
instruments and tools such as Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System
(GPS). It also makes use of allied fields such as remote sensing and photogrammetry.

2
Building Materials Technology
Any constructional activity invariably requires the use of different types of materials. These materials of
construction can be broadly classified into:

 Conventional materials (Ex: soil, stones, bricks, timber, cement / lime, tiles, plain and reinforced
cement concrete, pre-stressed concrete).
 Modern building materials (Ex: Fibre reinforced concrete, aluminium, glazed tiles, plaster of Paris).
 Alternate building materials (Ex: Fly ash, polymeric materials, industrial wastes, recycled aggregates).
 Smart materials.(Ex, Sensors and Actuators)

Depending upon the requirement, budget and other constraints, any combination of these materials
can be used in the construction works. Building materials technology deals with a detailed study of these
materials of construction, origin / fabrication / manufacture, types, properties, functional advantages,
limitations. These information help in judging the suitability of different materials to be used in the
proposed constructional activity.

3
Geotechnical Engineering
All structures built on earth transfer the superimposed loads to the ground (soil / rock) underneath,
through appropriate foundation. Soils are complex geological materials which are expected to receive the
loads transferred to them safely without causing damage to the structure. The soils are physico-chemically
active materials, and their engineering behavior depends upon their water content. This subject
encompasses
1. a detailed study of soils - formation, composition, properties and their determination
2. a detailed study of rocks- types, properties, strength and deformation characteristics and their
determination.
3. different types foundations, their relative merits and limitations, suitability and design aspects.
4. design and analysis of various earth structures such as embankments, dams, retaining walls etc.
5. site investigation, sub-soil exploration and field tests, Ground improvement techniques

Geotechnical earthquake engineering is a specialized

field of geotechnical engineering, which deals with earthquakes,
their effects on foundation soil, different types of seismic
hazards, study of dynamic soil properties, seismic design of
earth structures, soil improvement to withstand / minimize
seismic hazards etc.

4
Structural Engineering
All structures constructed on this earth are subjected to various types of loads of different
complexities / nature. Various components of a structure are expected to respond to these loads favorably
and to withstand them safely. The satisfactory performance of structures requires knowledge and
selection of appropriate material for use, proportioning / designing different components of a structure,
estimating the stresses developed in different component of a structure and back checking the design.
This field includes subjects like engineering mechanics, strength of materials, structural analysis and
design of structures. It also requires the knowledge of different tools to carry out the analysis and design
of structural components such as matrix method of analysis, finite different techniques, finite element
method of analysis,etc.

5
Construction Technology
All activities undertaken in the construction of any structure come under this field. Construction of
various types of structures, making use of various types of constructional materials available, study of
different technologies of construction, management of various constructional activities with respect to
different parameters like resources (material / human), time, finance and legal aspects are included in this
field of civil engineering.

Hydraulics
Water is an integral part of human life and of almost all constructional activities. This subject
deals with basic properties of water, study of water at rest as well as in motion flow through pipes, open
channel flows, flow measurements, different analytical, computational and experimental approaches to
analyze the flow problems.

6
Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering
There are different sources of fresh water on this earth such as rain, ground water, streams / rivers.
These waters have to be harnessed and stored properly before they are utilized for different purposes such
as drinking, irrigation and water power generation. This subject deals with
• different sources of water on this earth.
• estimation of total water available and water requirement.
• construction and maintenance of structures to store the available resources of water, planning and
building of water retaining structures such as tanks / dams, construction and maintenance of water
carrying structures.
• different irrigation schemes, flood control methodologies
• depletion and replenishment of water resources

7
Transportation Engineering
The social and economic development of any country is a function of transportation facilities
available in that country. Different means of transportation include roadways, railways, air ways and
water ways. This field deals with a detailed study of
planning, design, construction and maintenance of
different types of road ways, railways, airports and
runways, harbours and docks, bridges and tunnels.

Environmental Engineering
This subject deals with
 study of available water quality and checking against the standards.
 water collection and water purification through various treatment processes.
 supply and distribution of quality water for urban
and rural areas, for domestic and industrial usage.
 study of domestic water supply system and sanitary
system, waste water collection, treatment
and safe disposal.

 study of wastes and waste management, study of

different kinds of pollution and pollution control
measures study of environmental safety.

8
 INFRASTRUCTURE
Infrastructure is a system of services and communication that is required for the overall development
of the society.

It also refers to facilities such as transportation (i.e., Railways, Highways, Air ways, Water ways
etc.,), hospitals, education, energy (coal, electricity, oil etc.), irrigation, farm equipment & machineries,
science and technology, communication, health & hygiene, banking, that facilitate and contribute in the
process of production of goods and services for the overall development of the economy of the society.
The infrastructure is of two types.
a) Economic infrastructure: It contributes directly to the economic development of any country. It consists
of transport and communication, power supply, irrigation networks, financial institutions etc.
b) Social infrastructure: It contributes to the process of economic development of any country indirectly. It
consists of education & training, health & family welfare, housing & water supply and other civic
amenities.

Transport and Communication:

In this modern age, transport along with electricity and power forms the basic infrastructural
requirement for industrialization. Transport provides vital link between production centers and
distribution points. It also exercises a unifying and integrating influence upon the economy.

Indeed, transport facilitates agricultural development by supply of modern inputs like seeds,
chemical fertilizers, pesticides, farm implements and machinery. Transport helps the movement of
agricultural produce from scattered farms to the distant markets. It helps the industrial development by
facilitating the regular and prompt movement of raw materials and labour to the factories and finished
products to market. It helps to widen the market for wide variety of industrial goods. Transport helps to
widen the market and trade. It facilitates exploitation of natural resources, helps the mobility of labour,
and serves administration & defense requirements.

The important means of transport are railways, roadways, waterways and airways. The importance
of transport services in economy depends on several economic factors such as interdependence, mutual
co-operation and co-existence of different regions. Therefore, to integrate diversified economic regions
within the country and economies of the world, a well-developed network of transport system is of vital
importance.

9
 Railways provide an economical mode of transport for freight over long distances. The roadways
are most ideal transport for short distance travel and light freight and to cater to diverse points of
production, distribution and consumption. Well-constructed roads have become main components of
economic infrastructure today. The other main components of transport network in the economy along
with roads and railways are coastal shipping, inland waterways and domestic airlines.

Communication means imparting or transmission of information. The difference between

transport and communication is that while the former implies the conveyance of goods and passengers
from one place to another, the latter implies the conveyance of information. The conveyance of
information is necessary for the development of industry, commerce and trade of any country. Today, a
very large network of communication media exists. These include postal services, telegraph and the
telephone, radio and television (Door darshan), tele printers, telex, fax services, the cinema and the press.
The responsibility of building and extending the services is fixed to specialized departments and agencies
like postal department, telegraph department etc.
The communication network is also claimed to be formed under social infrastructure of the
economy. Communication can also be seen as a service in imparting education.

Education:
Education plays a vital role in the process of production; because, it imparts knowledge, skills and
capabilities to people. Investing precious resources on education and training leads to definite economic
returns, just like investing on any productive activity. Better training and reliable research will produce
better human capital.

Over and above the basic skills imparted by primary education, the growing economy needs the
secondary and much higher skills for its human resources. These can be imparted only to those who can
pick them up in their respective fields. Thus, not everybody can be trained to be a good mechanic or a
good foreman. Such specialized skills can be met only by high-level educational institutions like Training
Institutes, Colleges and Universities from the point of view of developing the economic resources. More
than the expansion of higher education at a greater expenditure, strengthening training and research are
greatly needed. Otherwise, the educated unemployment will increase, and it becomes a serious problem.

10
Housing:
This involves providing a good neighborhood with civic amenities of living such as water supply,
sewerage, roads, electricity, schools, parks besides safety and comforts to lead a peaceful life. Housing
can either reduce or enhance the disparities in society. Social status of any individual directly depends
upon housing he / she owns.

Health & family welfare:

The provision of health services in a country reflects nation’s social priorities. The policy programmes
adopted by any country for health services have economic implications. The emphasis should be placed
on general public health measures, better sanitation and drinking water rather than making provisions to
have expensive treatment facilities to cater only a few. The family welfare programmes also contribute a
lot to the overall economy of the country.

ROLE OF CIVIL ENGINEERS IN INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT

The role of Civil Engineers lies in planning the work meticulously and carrying out the designed
works systematically to achieve the most optimal and efficient output that help the common people to
lead a satisfactory life. They are also responsible for the regular maintenance of the works carried out by
them.

Following illustrations explain the complexities involved in the works to be carried out by a civil
engineer.
Civil Engineering constructions vary from very simple routine works to very complicated, huge
structures. Everything depends upon the prevailing site conditions which may or may not be favorable
for the construction. Environmental conditions, location of the site, site & soil conditions and the like may
contribute to all kinds of problems, in addition to unforeseen circumstances which may suddenly creep in.
A civil engineer has to think calmly and take judicious and practicable decisions, considering all
alternates and their pros and cons.
Civil engineering is much more than erecting skyscrapers or bridges. The civil engineers must
have a thorough understanding of the interaction among the various units of construction, among the
various structural elements, between the structure and the complex environment. Since constructing a
large building or public-works project can involve elaborate planning, civil engineers can be outstanding
project managers. They sometimes manage thousands of workers. They also develop advanced
computerization and planning policies.

11
 In addition, many civil engineers are also involved with preserving, protecting, or restoring the
environment. A growing number of civil engineers are involved in many sensitive and hazardous projects
involving huge money such as cleaning up toxic industrial or municipal wastes at abandoned dump sites,
reclamation of unsuitable sites for construction, rehabilitation of old / heritage structures, maintaining
national forest parks, and restoring the land around mines, oil wells, or factories.
In total, a civil engineer has to perform the role of a planner, a builder, an architect, a management
expert, and also an arbitrator.

IMPACT OF INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT

The overall development of any country is directly dependent on the infrastructural facilities made
available to the people of the country. The positive impact of developing good infrastructural facilities
can be summarized as indicated below.
• Self-sufficiency in food sector can be achieved
• Foreign exchange can be saved
• Export of surplus food products industrial products is possible.
• Unemployment can be reduced through increased job opportunities
• Prevention of unhealthy urbanization can be prevented, which in turn solves many problems such as
urban congestion, acute housing shortage, traffic problems, crimes, pollution etc.
• Per capita income is increased.

• The living standards of people can be enhanced.

• Public health can be improved

• Inflation can be reduced.

• Draught and flood related problems can be controlled / minimized
• Pollution can be controlled
• Literacy level of people can be increased
• Public awareness gets improved

On the other hand, ill planned, ill executed and ill maintained infrastructure development projects
have negative impact on the society. Some of them are listed below.
Small scale industries, handicrafts industries and rural industries are adversely affected. Fuel consumption
is increased, which has direct impact on foreign exchange.
Environmental pollution (air, water and ground pollution) continues to increase. The culture of the society
can be adversely get affected.
12
Literacy level of people will come down. Health related problems can be on the rise. Labour problems
will increase.
Inflation will increase.

If the infrastructure developments are urban centered, then that will lead to uncontrolled
urbanization. This will aggravate the urban housing problems, water supply and sanitation problems and
urban traffic congestion. This may also result in an increase in the crime rate.

If the infrastructural facilities provided are rich people oriented, then the gap between the rich and
poor will continue to widen. This results in an unhealthy society, full of crimes and unrest.

*~*~*~*

13