Civil Engineering & its branches
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Javed
mjaved@uetpeshawar.edu.pk
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Difference
Introduction to
between Scientists
Engineering
and Engineers
Introduction of Major fields of Civil
Civil Engineering engineering
What is Engineering?
The word Engineer originates from the Latin term Ingenerare, meaning
to invent, to create or to regulate
It is the professional art of applying scientific principles to every day
things to help make life easier
Engineering is the profession in which knowledge of the mathematical
and natural sciences, gained by study, experience, and practice, is applied
with judgment to develop ways to use, economically, the materials and
forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.
Professional Engineer
Professional Engineer is the term for registered or licensed engineers in
some countries who are permitted to offer their professional services
directly to the public.
The term Professional Engineer and the actual practice of professional
engineering is legally defined and protected by a government body.
In some jurisdictions only registered or licensed Professional Engineers are
permitted to use the title, or to practice Professional Engineering.
Engineers & mathematicians
• Engineers use math and scientific principles to produce practical
applications. Mathematicians may also, but may spend more time in
theory.
• Engineers usually want to get the math as simple as possible .
• A mathematician may want it as complex as it can to get the best
"resolution" on a process.
Engineers & scientists
• Both Scientists and Engineers improve the ways we run the world.
They are best at what they do. They both have a good understanding of
science and mathematics. These two careers may work in the same
field but still they are very different from each other.
• But how can one better describe the difference between a Scientist and
an Engineer? This comes down to the very basic definition of Science and
Engineering. Science studies the physical world whereas Engineering applies
scientific knowledge to design processes, build structures and machines.
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Engineer vs. Scientist
• Deviations between engineers and scientists arise through the differences
in the ways both apply their educations in mathematical and natural
sciences to their work.
• An engineer is more on the physical aspect of matter (or materials) while a
scientist is more on the functionality & "concepts" related to the matter (or
material). However, both works on same scientific concepts of matter or
material in the field of Science and Technology
Engineers & scientists
Engineering & Technology
Engineers & scientists
What is a Civil Engineer?
• One who improves the quality of life through the production of
infrastructure
oBuildings, bridges and other structures
o Highways
o Dams and levees
oWater treatment plants, waste disposal
• This infrastructure must be safe, functional, elegant and economically
designed.
• Civil Engineering is also known as mother of all engineering.
Why We Need Civil Engineers?
• Make sure our human habitat is livable
• Make sure we use resources wisely
• Help maintain our competitiveness in the global
economy
Were these constructed by Civil Engineers ?
Aqueduct of Segovia,Spain
The aqueduct, constructed in 1 century AD, once transported water
from the Rio Frio river, situated in mountains 17 km from the city in
the La Acebedaregion. It runs 15 km (9.3 mi) before arriving in the
city.
Were these constructed by Civil Engineers ?
Pyramids of Egypt
• The earliest among these is the Pyramid of
Djoser (constructed 2630 BC–2611 BC) .
• stones used weigh about 5-10 tons per piece
• The mortar used in the construction of these
pyramids has been analyzed over and over
again. But the exact combination of the
ingredients is still a mystery.
• Strength of mortar is more than the stones Pyramid of Giza,146 m high
itself.
Specialization in Civil Engineering
• Structural Engineering
• Construction Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Water Resources Engineering
Structural Engineering
• Design of new structures
• Upgrading existing structures
• Intelligent use of new technologies and
• New materials/ application of scientific concepts to control
structural behavior
• Structures include buildings, bridges, offshore platforms,
transmission towers, and other specialized facilities
Structural Engineering
Burj Khalifa
As the tallest structure in the world,
standing at 829.8 meters, Burj Khalifa in
Dubai was designed by Skidmore, Owings
and Merrill (SOM), and the design is
inspired by the patterns and structures in
Islamic architecture.
Construction Engineering
• Concepts and designs become reality
• Management skills
• Project cost estimating and scheduling
• Financial planning, labor coordination and supervision
Construction Engineering
Eiffel Tower Paris, France
Construction Engineering
English Channel Tunnel
The channel tunnel links Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquilles, Pas-
de-Calais in northern France.
Despite Japan’s Seikan tunnel being longer overall, the channel tunnel
has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world.
It carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, as well as Eurotunnel
shuttle for road vehicles, which is the largest transport system in the
world.
When it opened in 1994, the final cost came in at an astounding £9
billion, making it the most expensive construction project ever at the
time.
Construction Engineering
English Channel Tunnel
Geotechnical Engineering
• Geotechnical engineering is that field of civil engineering which deals with
soil investigation and design of proper foundations of structures.
• Soil investigation includes collection and testing of soil samples.
• Geotechnical engineering includes measurement of soil parameters and safe
bearing capacity. It also includes construction and design of simple
foundations, pile foundations, well foundations, caissons, coffer dams,
construction of foundation of dams, construction of tunnels, sub base of
road, earthen dams, earth related constructions.
• Sound knowledge of geology and geotechnical engineering is necessary for
construction of earth related structures.
Geotechnical Engineering
The World Islands
A modern marvel of geotechnical engineering!
Geotechnical Engineering
The World Islands
• Located 2.5 miles off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• The 300 islands are composed of 321 million cubic meters of
sand and 31 million tons of rock
• The land used to create the islands largely consists of sand
dredged from Dubai’s shallow coastal waters
• Overall development costs are estimated at $14 billion USD
Transportation Engineering
• Transportation means movement of passengers and goods by means of
vehicles on land, ship on water and aircrafts in air.
• Transportation Engineering is that branch of Civil engineering which
deals with planning, designing and construction of roads, bridges, railways,
tunnels, harbours, ports, docks, runways, and airports.
• As for development of any nation good transportation network is of
prime importance. Study of various construction materials used in
construction of roads, traffic engineering are also considered under
transportation Engineering
Transportation Engineering
Gravelly Hill – Spaghetti Junction UK
Gravelly Hill Interchange also known as the Spaghetti Junction is one of
the iconic civil engineering work in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
This junction is spread across 30 acres and has 18 routes which include
slip roads ( 4km or 2.5 miles).
It has a total of 559 concrete columns and passes over two railway lines,
three canals, and two rivers
Transportation Engineering
Gravelly Hill – Spaghetti Junction UK
Environmental Engineering
• Environmental Engineering deals with pollution control and public health
engineering. Different types of pollutions are water, air, noise and other pollution.
• Due to large scale industrialization, population growth, rapid urbanization and
several other human activities like construction, mining, transportation,
environment gets polluted.
• Environmental engineering deals with technologies & facilities which are engaged
in reducing pollution. Environmental engineering includes design, construction
and maintenance of water treatment plant, waste water treatment plant, water
distribution network and sewerage system. It also deals with solid waste
management in towns and cities. Public health engineering includes water
treatment, water distribution network, & solid waste management.
Environmental Engineering
James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant, USA
Nearly one billion gallons of water are processed on an average day at
the James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant in Chicago, Illinois, the largest
water treatment plant in the world.
This plant and the South Water Purification Plant serve nearly 5 million
consumers in the City of Chicago and 118 outlying suburbs.
Take water from Lake Michigan, which is the second largest of the Lakes
by volume
James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant, USA
James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant, USA
Water Resources Engineering
• Water Resources Engineering means measurements, utilization and
development of water resources for agriculture, municipal and power
generation purpose. It mainly includes irrigation engineering, design of
hydraulic structures like dams, canals, etc.
• Water resource engineering deals with planning designing and developing
water resources by constructing several hydraulic structures like dams,
barrages, hydropower stations, canal and pipe networks etc.
• It also includes watershed planning, water harvesting techniques, soil
conservation and soil reclamation.
• Hydrology is also a part of water resource engineering. Hydrology includes
study of sources of water, measurement of rainfall, study of rainfall, runoff,
flood control.
Water Resources Engineering
Tarbela Dam, Pakistan
Tarbela Dam is the largest earth-filled dam in the world, and also the
largest dam by structural volume
The dam is 143 metres high above the riverbed. It forms the Tarbela
Reservoir, with a surface area of approximately 250 square kilometers.
The dam was completed in 1976 and was designed to store water from
the Indus River for irrigation, flood control, and the generation
of hydroelectric power
Tarbela Dam, Pakistan
Tarbela Dam during the 2010 floods
