BASIC CIVIL ENGINEERING

Course Instructor: Dr. Siddharth Chauhan

Faculty NSUT (New Delhi)
Module 1
• Introduction to Civil Engineering and Civil Engineering
Materials (CO1)
• Introduction, Branches, Scope, Impact, Role of Civil Engineer,
Units of Measurement, Unit Conversion (Length, Area,
Volume). List of materials, Details (types, properties, uses) of
materials: Cement, Aggregate, Brick, Steel, Concrete, Stone,
Soil, Mortar, Timber, Plastic, Epoxy, fly ash, Steel slag, Copper
slag, Bitumen, Optical fiber, Pipe, Wire, Cable, Smart material,
Basic hand fill tests, FRP, Water and wastewater quality
characteristics, drinking water standards, Road traffic, traffic
control, traffic signals & Intersections.
 SUGGESTED READINGS
1. N. N. Basak. “Surveying and levelling” Tata McGraw Hill, 2ND Edition.
2. B.C. Punmia, A.K. Jain and A.K. Jain. “Building Construction” Laxmi
Pub, Delhi, 11th Edition.
3. S.C. Rangwala, “Engineering Material” Charotar Publication, 7th
Edition.
4. S. Ramamrutham. “Basic Civil Engineering” Dhanpatrai Publication,
3rd Edition.
5. B.C. Punmia, A.K. Jain and A.K. Jain “Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering” Laxmi Pub, Delhi, 16th Edition.
6. S.C. Rangwala. “Estimating and Costing” Charotar Publishing House,
17th Edition.
7. M.S.Palanichamy.”Basic Civil Engineering” McGraw Hill, 4th Edition
Introduction
1. Civil engineering is one of the
oldest engineering disciplines.
2. Includes planning, designing, and
construction and maintenance of
building structures, and facilities,
such as roads, railroads, airports,
bridges, harbours, channels,
dams, irrigation projects, and
water and sewage systems.
Role of Civil Engineers in Infrastructural Development
1. Construction of residential .
2. commercial and industrial buildings .
3. Town and city planning .
4. Construction of roads.
5. railway, harbours and airports .
6. Construction of dams , water and sewage
treatment plants.
7. Providing safe domestic ,agricultural and
industrial water supply.
8. Secure and scientific waste disposal .
9. Monitoring pollution and adopting
preventive measures.
10. Rehabilitation and rebuilding of structures
Impacts of Infrastructural Development

1. Healthy and comfortable living condition.

2. Improvement in communication and transportation.
3. Protection from flood and drought .
4. Safe domestic and industrial water supply.
5. Generation of electricity.
6. Increase in food production.
7. Safe and scientific disposal of waste.
8. Improved wealth , prosperity and standard of living.
Various Disciplines of Civil Engineering
Various Disciplines of Civil Engineering
1. Structural Engineering
2. Construction Engineering
3. Geotechnical Engineering
4. Transportation Engineering
5. Environmental Engineering
6. Water resource Engineering
7. Surveying and Remote Sensing
Various Disciplines of Civil Engineering
Structural Engineering
1. Deals with design of RCC
structures like water tank ,
retaining wall , bridges,
residential buildings etc
2. Design of steel structures like
railway platform, steel bridges etc
3. Design of earthquake resistant
structures
 Various Disciplines of Civil Engineering
Structural Engineering
1. Analysis and design of structures
subjected to self weight , external
loads acting on it and resist forces
due to wind ,earthquake
,temperature etc
2. Structural engineers develops
proper combinations of steel ,
timber, concrete, plastic etc
3. Ensure aesthetically pleasing , safe
and durable structures
Construction Engineering

1. Turn designs into reality on time and within budget

2. Management of resources - money, materials, labours , time ,
equipment’s
3. Construction management involves planning , scheduling and
execution of project from its beginning to its completion
4. Application of knowledge , skills ,tools and techniques to project
activities in order to meet project requirements for the successful
completion of project .
Geotechnical Engineering
1. Deals with projects below ground (eg: tunnels , foundations)
2. Analyse soil properties and rock that support and affect the
behaviour of structures.
3. Evaluate stability of slopes and fill, seepage of ground water
4. Helps on design and construction of dams, embankments and
retaining walls
Geotechnical Engineering
Soil Mechanics
Branch of science concerned with the properties and behaviour of
soil and its application as engineering material in construction

Foundation Engineering

Application of soil mechanics and rock mechanics (Geotechnical

engineering) in the design of foundation elements of structures
Transportation Engineering
Focuses on planning, design , construction and management of
transportation facilities
Upgrading our transportation capability by improving traffic control
• Airport engineering.
• Highway engineering Railway engineering
• Tunnel engineering
• Traffic engineering
• Harbour and dock engineering
Environmental Engineering
• Deals water with purification of air and ,
sewage treatment , hazardous waste
management , pollution reduction ,water
supply etc
• Environmental engineers translate
physical , chemical and biological
processes into systems to destroy toxic
substances, remove pollutants from
water, reduce non hazardous solid waste
volumes, and eliminate contaminants
from air .
Water Resource Engineering

• Deals with physical control of

water
• Works related to Prevents floods,
supply of water , protect beaches or
to manage and redirect rivers
• Design , construct and maintain
hydro electric power plant
facilities, canal, dams and pipelines,
pumping stations etc
Surveying and Remote Sensing
• Art of determining the relative positions
of points on, above or beneath the
surface of the earth by direct or of
distance, indirect direction means of
measurements and elevation.
• Objective of surveying plan or map is to
prepare
• Remote sensing is the science of
acquiring information about the Earth's
surface without actually being in contact
with it.
Site selection for Residential Buildings
• Site should be fairly level with good quality soil
• It should be calm but reasonably developed
• It should be well connected by roads and other modes of
transport
• Should have good communication facilities
• Electricity ,water and sewer lines should be available
• Should be away from hazardous industries
• Flood prone areas, water logged areas and reclaimed land
should be avoided
• Should have natural ventilation and lighting
• Amenities like schools, recreation centres, shopping centres,
hospitals should be nearer
Units and Measurement
SI Units – International System
MKS
Meter m
Mass kg
Time s
National Bureau of Standards
Prefixes
SI Unit Prefixes
Name Symbol Factor
tera- T 1012
giga- G 109
mega- M 106
kilo- k 103
hecto- h 102
deka- da 101
SI Unit Prefixes

Name Symbol Factor

deci- d 10-1
centi- c 10-2
milli- m 10-3
micro- μ 10-6
nano- n 10-9
pico- p 10-12
femto- f 10-15
The Seven Base SI Units
Quantity Unit Symbol
Length meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Temperature kelvin K
Time second s
Amount of mole mol
Substance
Luminous Intensity candela cd
Electric Current ampere a
Derived SI Units (examples)
Quantity unit Symbol
Volume cubic meter m3
Density kilograms per kg/m3
cubic meter
Speed meter per second m/s
Newton kg m/ s2 N
Energy Joule (kg m2/s2) J
Pressure Pascal (kg/(ms2) Pa
SI Unit Prefixes for Length
Name Symbol
gigameter Gm 109
megameter Mm 106
kilometer km 103
decimeter dm 10-1
centimeter cm 10-2
millimeter mm 10-3
micrometer μm 10-6
nanometer nm 10-9
picometer pm 10-12
SI Unit Prefixes for Length
Name Symbol
gigameter Gm 109
megameter Mm 106
kilometer km 103
decimeter dm 10-1
centimeter cm 10-2
millimeter mm 10-3
micrometer μm 10-6
nanometer nm 10-9
picometer pm 10-12
SI Unit for different measurement

The SI unit for area, is the derived units meter square (m2 )
1 hectare = 104m2 = 100 X 100 m = 1 ha
1 square kilometer = 106m 2 = 1000m X 1000m = 1km2 = 100 ha
The SI unit for volume is the derived unit cubic meter (m3 )
1000 cu millimeters = 1 cubic centimeter meter
1000 cu centimeters = 1 cubic decimeter
1000 cu decimeters = 1 cubic meter
Conversion
Conversion of area
Conversion of length
1 sq. in = 6.4516 sq. cm
1 inch = 2.54 cm
1 sq. Ft = 0.0929 sq. cm
1 foot = 0.3048m
1 sq. mile = 2.59 sq. km
1 mile = 1.6093 km

Conversion of Volume
1 cu. In = 16.387 cu.cm
1 cu ft = 0.0283 cu.m
 Components of A Residential Building
Substructure
• Portion of building below ground level Sub structure or
foundation
• Transfers the load of super structure to the soil
Plinth
• Part of the building above ground level and up to the Plinth
floor level immediately above the ground
• Transfer load from superstructure to sub structure
Super structure
• Component of building which is constructed above Super the
plinth level structure.
• Includes walls , floors, doors and windows etc.
 Components of A Residential Building
• The following are the basic component parts of a residential
building:-
• 1. Foundation
• 2. Plinth
• 3. Walls and columns
• 4. Sills, lintels and chejjas
• 5. Doors and windows
• 6. Floors
• 7. Roofs
• 8. Steps, stairs and lifts
• 9. Finishing work
• 10. Building services.
• 11. Parapet
Foundations

• Foundation is the most important part of the building. Building

activity start with digging the ground for foundation and then
building it. It is the lower most part of the building. It transfers the
load of the building to the ground. Its main functions and
requirements are:
(a) Distribute the load from the structure to soil evenly and safely.
(b) To anchor the building to the ground so that under lateral loads
building will not move.
(c) It prevents the building from overturning due to lateral forces.
(d) It gives level surface for the construction of super structure.
Foundations
Walls
Walls
• The main function of the wall is to divide the space
into different rooms.
• Walls support the loads from the roof, upper floor to
the foundation.
• Piers or pillars are thickened sections of the wall
placed at intervals to carry the concentrated loads.
• Walls are built with bricks, stones or with concrete
Plinth

• The portion of the wall between the ground level and the
ground floor level is called plinth. It is usually of stone
masonry. If the foundation is on piles, a plinth beam is
cast to support wall above floor level. At the top of plinth,
a damp proof course is provided. It is usually 75 mm thick
plain concrete course.
• The function of the plinth is to keep the ground floor
above ground level, free of dampness. Its height is not less
than 450 mm. It is required that plinth level is at least 150
mm above the road level, so that connections to
underground drainage.
Sills, Lintels and Chejjas:-

• A window frame should not be directly placed over

masonry. It is placed over 50 mm to 75 mm thick plain
concrete course provided over the masonry. This course is
called as sill.
• Lintels are the R.C.C. or stone beams provided over the
door and window openings to transfer the load
transversely so as to see that door or window frame is not
stressed unduly. The width of lintels is equal to the width
of wall while thickness to be provided depends upon the
opening size.
Sills, Lintels and Chejjas:-

• Chejja is the projection given outside the wall to protect

doors and windows from the rain. They are usually made
with R.C.C. In low cost houses stone slabs are provided as
chejjas. The projection of chejja varies from 600 mm to 800
mm. Sometimes drops are also provided to chejjas to
improve aesthetic look and also to get additional
protection from sun and rain