ST10100 Civil Engineering Design Principles A

ST10100 Introduction to Civil Engineering Design

Enjoy this introduction to civil engineering design- lots to tell and more to come.

The Clifton suspension bridge , Bristol UK Engineer: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, 1835

The Clifton suspension bridge , Bristol UK Engineer: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, 1835

Introduction to Civil Engineering Design Index

1. What is civil engineering?

2. Principles of civil engineering design

4. The disciplines of civil engineering

3. The ingredients of civil engineering design

5. History of civil engineering

6. Famous civil engineering

What is Civil Engineering? It’s all around you

Civil Engineering provides the infrastructure and services all around us such as:

• Roads and railways
• Bridges
• Schools, offices and hospitals
• Water and power supply

It is essential to our daily lives.

Portfolio Task

The Institution of Civil Engineers Definition Through Time

Select each date and consider how the definition of civil engineers have changed through time:

1818

2007

1828

Civil Engineering: A Key Discipline

World population growth is an important consideration for civil engineers. Select below to read through a quote from an industry voice:

QUOTE

The Impact of Civil Engineering

Global warming and its consequences has major impact on civil engineers and their work, such as:

• Rising water levels,
• Increasing frequency of natural disasters,
• Struggling drainage systems
• Ageing assets
• Overpopulation

Portfolio Task

Civil Engineering and the Planet

Listen to the 156th president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Rachel Skinner, about engineers’ contribution to achieving Net Zero Carbon!

Portfolio Task

Principles of Civil Engineering Design

Select the four principles below which where proposed by Design Group to guide planning and delivery of future major infrastructure projects in the UK.

Places

Climate

Value

People

Examples of Principles of Civil Engineering Design

Climate

• Green house gas emissions
• Climate change adaptation

• Improvement to people’s quality of life
• The views of affected communities
• Future changes in demographics and population

People

Place

• Improvements to the natural environment​
• Improvements to the built environment (for example improving energy efficiency of existing assets) ​

Value

• Outcome-focussed thinking- not just initial capital costs​
• Full lifecycle of the project, including operational efficiencies and end of life considerations​

The ‘Ingredients’ of Civil Engineering Design

All civil engineering projects rely on appropriate provisions for:

• Products (and process)*
• Projects
• Specification*
• Time
• Skills

*Performance and quality considered throughout the lifecycle of the asset: Inception, through life/ operation and end-of-life

Products (Process)

Products are specified in projects for their performance and are assumed to be consistent in quality.In the UK the construction products industry includes large multinationals, many medium sized companies and thousands of SMEs and family-run businesses.

• 23,949 companies and has an annual turnover of more than £63 billion.

• The industry accounts for 11.0% of total manufacturing turnover and 35.5% of total construction output.

• Globally, one of the biggest industries. Construction today is a $7.5 trillion market accounting for 13.4% of world output. (RICS, 2020)

Optional Task

Urban materials

Projects

Projects are:

• Collaborative, multi-disciplinary, time and budget-constrained effort to construct a structure or other built asset
• Incorporates many activities and disciplines which are interdependent and require careful and often complicated planning to optimise work and labour flow
• Generally, project and construction managers oversee these activities. They are supported by design engineers, architects and compliance managers.

planning

Top Civil Engineering Projects by Value (UK, 2021)

For more information about these projects select the link below:

Link

Specification

A specification is:

• is part of a construction contract detailing works and materials to be used as well as any installation processes to follow

• provides as much detail as possible to ensure that the project is completed to satisfy the client
• detail the standards to which the work and materials are expected to conform
• Is the basis for the competition for the works, enabling tenderers to outline their approach and costings.

There are most commonly two types of specifications, select below to find out more:

Performance based specifications

prescriptive specification

Time

Effective time management is essential to civil engineering projects and time management is key to successfully and efficiently meet budget and programme targets, as well as achieving profitability.Projects can risk incurring unnecessary costs and delays as a result of ineffective time management:

• by failing to allow for the full complexity of a project
• by failing to effectively manage scheduled work or unexpected events.

Select below to find out more about how time is managed:

Estimates

Schedule

Planning

Contractor

Skills

Civil engineers apply scientific principles, have knowledge of materials, analysis and synthesis as well as research, team working, leadership and business skills.The following subjects are part of the civil engineering degree:

• Civil engineering technology​
• Geotechnical engineering​
• Civil engineering contracts​
• Health and safety​
• Infrastructure​
• Water engineering

• Building environmental science​
• Materials​
• Building services technology​
• Principles of design and construction​
• Surveying​
• Structural design
• Construction and commercial management​

Civil engineers will normally begin the process of qualification by taking a three-year BSc or Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree or a four-year Masters (MEng) degree in civil engineering. Most graduates will aim for Chartership within 5-8 years after qualifying.

Optional skills activity

Browse the skills database of the European Commission by selecting the link below:

ESCO

You may also want to complete the portfolio task below:

Portfolio Task

Project 13: Civil Engineering today

Explore initiatives to continuously improve delivery of civil engineering projects.

The Disciplines of Civil Engineering

• Ground Engineering
• Energy
• Structures and buildings
• Transport
• Water
• Coastal, maritime and offshore
• Urban Planning

Common to all Civil Engineering Design

• Essential creative process: Imagination, creativity, knowledge
• Application of technical and scientific skills
• Skillful and mind use of materials: Performance and sustainability
• For societal benefit
• Systematic and integration of technical disciplines

Civil Engineering Design: Ground Engineering

Watch the video on soil mechanics and watch out for the following key areas:

• Foundations

• Embankments
• Geology
• Geotechnical design
• Tunnels
• Bridge piers
• Temporary earthworks
• Stabilisation

Introduction to Ground Engineering: Optional

You may also want to explore the followng resources:

Ground engineering

Ground Engineering, Key Sciences and Skills

• Geotechnical engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering.
• Until about the last 100 years geotechnical engineering was largely empirical and based on observation and careful reflection.
• Remarkable scientific advancement in this specialty within civil engineering has been achieved in the post-World War II era.
• Today it also using high-performance computers, sensors, data visualization, and advanced soil testing.

Civil Engineers Working in the Energy Field Design and Deliver:

• Nuclear power stations
• Energy distribution systems
• Electrification
• Increasingly hydrogen
• Natural and renewable energy: Offshore wind, solar, geothermal and hydro-power
• Coal and oil/gas (mainly legacy work with focus on remediation)

Civil Engineers Working Structures and Buildings Design and Deliver:

• Buildings: high-rise and others
• Bridges
• Supporting structures
• Structural forms: Shells and grids
• Tunnels
• Temporary works

Structures and Buildings, Key Sciences and Skills

• Loading of structures (such as wind, snow, ground, human interaction, dynamic loading and accidental loading such as explosions)
• Durability
• Movements
• Material sciences
• Modelling
• Fire and earthquake engineering
• Integration of other disciplines (such as services)
• Robustness and reliability of structures

Select below to see two examples of loading on structures:

Example 1

Example 2

Structures and Buildings: Optional

What structural engineers design for:

Behaviour of a reinforced concrete beam in bending - YouTube

Bolted Connection - Bolt Shear - YouTube

The Transport Field

Civil engineers working in the transport field plan, construct and maintain key infrastructure such as:

• Road
• Rail
• Airports
• Ports/ Harbours

Transport: Key Considerations

• Capacity
• Likely use
• Ground
• Use pattern

Water Plan

Civil engineers working in water plan, construct and maintain key infrastructure such as:

• Dams and reservoirs
• Water resources, supply and treatment
• Flooding mitigation schemes and management
• Water and wastewater management

Water: Key Considerations

• Demand management
• Chemistry
• Hydraulic engineering

Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the movement of the fluids.

Coastal, Maritime and Offshore

Civil engineers working in coastal, maritime and offshore fields, develop schemes to manage and control:

• Rising sea levels
• Coastal erosion, and
• Flooding
• They design coastal structures such as seawalls, harbours and ports

Offshore Design: Key Considerations:

• Geology
• Waves and currents, loading
• Coastal erosion science
• Durability of materials in aggressive marine environments
• Natural defences and management techniques

Urban Planning

Civil engineers are often urban planners, bringing engineering design to the planning of:

• Streets
• Parks
• Public works
• Waste facilities
• Pedestrian and cycle ways

Urban Planning: Key Considerations

• Local requirement: Demand modelling
• Optimisation
• Natural diversity
• Human/ nature interaction
• Future-proofing
• Wellbeing
• Pollution management and strategies

Health and Safety in Civil Engineering

Health and Safety is a crucial part of the civil engineering design process.

• For everybody involved in civil engineering- clients, designers, contractors and individual workers health and safety is the key consideration. Be it to ensure that the design itself considers the transport, erection and on-site processes, the material and components that can avoid, reduce and control risks.

• The designer has strong influence to ensure construction is carried out in a way that avoids harm, particularly in the early planning stages. Decisions at the design stage also impact those who use, maintain, repair, clean, refurbish and eventually demolish infrastructure and assets.

History of Civil Engineering Design

Civil engineering is considered the first main discipline of engineering, with the first large structure ever constructed around 2400BC: The great pyramids in Egypt. The Romans developed extensive structures in their empire, including aqueducts, bridges, and dams. Military and civil engineering were closely connected until the 18th century. Engineers were engaged to assist the soldiers fighting in the battlefield by making catapults, towers amongst others. During peace time, they were building fortifications for defence, bridges, canals, etc. In the beginning architecture and engineering were seen as one discipline!

Some remnants of engineering near you:Roman engineering: Silchester village (~60 miles from TEDI)

Durable

Civil engineering

Major project

Find out more here!

Silchester Roman City Walls and Amphitheatre | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)

Or even closer to home: Canada Water

TEDI’s home, near the Surrey Docks is a prime example

• The Rotherhithe peninsula was originally wet marshland alongside the river. It was unsuitable for farming and sparsely populated
• By the mid-18th century the dock had become a base for Arctic whalers
• By the 19th century commercial traffic from Scandinavia and the Baltic, timber trade, and Canada led to expansion and other docks being dug to accommodate the increasing number of vessels
• Eventually, 85% of the peninsula was covered by a system of nine docks, six timber ponds and a canal

more

Title

…also home to Thames Tunnel, designed and built to increase mobility across London

Brunel’s Thames Tunnel

TEDI

The Brunel Museum

In our backyard, some of the most amazing civil engineering history is located The Story of the Thames Tunnel - YouTube

Homepage - Brunel Museum (thebrunelmuseum.com)

The Brunel Museum

In our backyard, some of the most amazing civil engineering history is located. Select below to visit the Brunel Museum website.

Brunel museum

The Thames Tunnel: Passage under the Thames

At the time hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. It opened in 1843, a major event attended by Queen Victoria. It took 15 years to build and pioneered the shield tunnelling method.

….and the Thames Tideway Tunnel: The route

All around us- now and then: Climate, Places, People, Value!

Victorian sewerage system

Select the link below to learn more about Joseph Bazalgette.

Museum of london

Joseph Bazalgette 1819 - 1891

The Thames Tideway Tunnel

• Bazalgette’s tunnels designed in Victorian times for a London population of 4M people
• London population now 9M
• London’s population is predicted to grow to 16M by 2160
• Even a light drizzle of rain causes untreated sewage to spill into the River Thames from London's Victorian sewer network.

Brunel museum

A Civil Engineering Timeline of Canada Water

Discover Famous Civil Engineering Family Acts

Engineering ran in the family, especially in the 19th century!

Portfolio Task

Isambard Kingdom Brunel: Son 1806-1859​

Sir Marc Isambard Brunel: Father 1769-1849​

Ushering in a New Era of Transport

Robert Stephenson: Son 1803-1859

George Stephenson: Father 1781-1848

Brooklyn Bridge, Many Firsts

• Until 1903 this suspension bridge was the longest in the world at ~487m
• On the bridge’s inaugural day, 1,800 vehicles reportedly crossed.
• Today, an estimated 120,000 cars cross it daily
• In 1884, P. T. Barnum celebrated the bridge’s first anniversary by leading 21 elephants across it.
• Caisson disease was discovered during the construction of the bridge (WA Roebling suffered and was bedridden from it)

• Emily Warren Roebling finished the 14-year, 15-million-dollar project and is widely credited as the first female civil engineer.

Famous civil engineers: The Roeblings

John Augustus Roebling, 1806-1869

Emily Roebling, 1843-1903

Washington A Roebling, 1806-1869

Portfolio Task

More faces of civil engineering to browse

Select the links below to explore more famous civil engineers:

ASCE

AFBE - UK

WES

Walter Thomas Bailey (1882-1941)

National Pythian Temple, Chicago by Walter T Bailey

When it was completed in 1928, the Pythian Temple was the largest and most significant building in the United States to be designed, built, and financed by African Americans. The temple featured an Egyptian Revival facade adorned with reliefs of lotus flowers, sacred animals, and busts of Egyptian kings and queens.

Famous civil engineering around the world

Julie’s favourites

Brooklyn Bridge, 1883

Roman infrastructure, here Roman baths in Bath, also roads, bridges, aqueducts and walls (various), ~70AD

Hoover Dam , 1936

Famous civil engineering around the world

Julie’s favourites

Tacoma Narrow’s Bridge ‘Galloping Gertie’, 1940

The Channel Tunnel, 1994

Eiffel Towers, 1889

Famous civil engineering around the world

Tacoma Narrow’s Bridge ‘Galloping Gertie’, 1940

The Channel Tunnel, 1994

Civil engineering is going to the movies

Select the link to explore Infrastructure and film: 5 iconic movies that civil engineers helped bring to life

ICE.ORG

Minecraft: Optional

Use Minecraft to create your own civil engineering project!

As you are creating, think about the civil engineering aspects of your design

Products Projects Specification Time Skill

&

Climate People Place Value

Kolya Kramer, 28 August 2021

Civil Engineers: ‘Unsung heroes…’

An Australian Transportation blogger writes in this post: “So why is it that although world has some famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van de Rohe, Frank Gehry or Zaha Hadid just to name a few, doesn’t have famous traffic engineers? Why do we have famous economists like Adam Smith, Karl Marx. John Keynes or Milton Friedman and we don’t know of any transport planners? And if for doctors it is quite reasonable to know so many because of all these diseases named after them why is it that we don’t now who designed the first tram system? Or the inventor of Bus Rapid Transit? Why the bridges aren't named after their designer?”

Test your Knowledge!

Some questions for you: A mix of information from this node and its linked content!

Civil engineering design principles

Spot which design principle is missing from the list?

Which one is missing?

a. Climate

b. People

c. Value

Civil engineering design principles ANSWER

Spot which design principle is missing from the list?

Which one is missing?

Places

a. Climate

b. People

c. Value

Civil engineering through time

Rank the following civil engineering projects, oldest to youngest

a. Great wall of China

b. The Colosseum

c. The Pyramids

d. Tideway Tunnel

e. The Channel Tunnel

Civil engineering through time-ANSWER

Rank the following civil engineering projects, oldest to youngest

d. Tideway Tunnel 2016 (estimated finish date 2024)

e. The Channel Tunnel ~1990

b. The Colosseum ~80BC

c. The Pyramids ~2600BC

a. Great wall of China ~800BC

Congratulations on finishing this node!

Now that you’ve finished this node, please take the formative assessment on Civil Engineering Design

Assessment