Civil engineering is crucial to the environment we live in. It is responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of many aspects of our physical world. Examples of what civil engineers build include bridges, roads, airports, water systems, such as sewerage, and railway lines. We look at the categories of work or structures that civil engineering is responsible for.
Construction and Management Engineering
Construction and Management Engineering is the branch of civil engineering responsible for the creation of railways, roads, buildings, and bridges. The values of this branch are environmental sustainability, safety, and efficiency. Construction and Management Engineering consists of two phases: the construction phase and the asset management phase. The latter determines the life span of the asset, e.g., for a road, what maintenance it will require over its lifespan, and how it is to be used. Asset management also refers to the return on the investment (ROI) so that its worth is equal to or greater than the costs to build it.
Geotechnical Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering looks at projects in terms of the soil involved. It can include railways, roads, bridges, and tunnels. The ground differs from one project to the next, for example, one site may have an excess of shale where better soil for construction and other materials must be brought in.
Structural Engineering
Structural engineering involves the analysis of selected building sites and the designing of structures to be built there. These structures could include dams, buildings, and towers. Along with sustainability, safety, and the economic viability of projects, buildings must be aesthetically pleasing as they add to the character of an area. Structural Engineers must be proficient in physics and maths in order to design and construct their projects. For example, they have to test the load strength of a construction to ensure that it can withstand the load of whatever it is used for. These calculations will also determine how long the structure will last (its lifespan) and how stable it is. Structural Engineering has the responsibility of choosing the right materials for a project and doing the designs.
When hiring a civil engineering firm in Louisville, KY, you will need to ascertain if they carry out the kinds of projects you are interested in.
Transport Engineering
Transport Engineering has three aspects in terms of big transport systems. These roles are to plan, design, and operate these systems. Transport Engineering is responsible for setting standards (e.g., safety and sustainability) for transportation systems, like railway networks, roads, waterways, and air transport systems. It aims to improve energy use and reduce emissions. Civil engineering projects rely on transport engineering to keep finding ways to improve transportation systems.
Water Engineering
Water Engineering involves gaining knowledge of the behavior of coasts, rivers, dams, waterways, and floods to understand how water affects the environment. Part of this knowledge includes knowing how to direct or redirect water and how to store and conserve it. The biggest focus in water engineering is floods, coastal waters, and groundwater.
Civil engineering is a broad field and plays a huge role in how our daily world works.
