UNIT 2 Construction Processes p. 10
UNIT 3 The Concrete Construction Process (Part I) p. 15
UNIT 4 The Concrete Construction Process (Part II) p. 20
UNIT 5 The Concrete Construction Process (Part III) p. 25
UNIT 6 Fundamentals of Reinforced Concrete p. 30
UNIT 7 Slipform Construction p. 35
UNIT 8 Using Concrete Formwork in Construction p. 40
UNIT 9 Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) p. 45
UNIT 10 When Stress Is Good: Pre- and
Post-Tensioned Concrete p. 50
UNIT 11 Post-Tensioned Slabs p. 55
UNIT 12 Why Does Concrete Crack? p. 60
UNIT 13 Working with Versatile Lightweight Concrete p. 65
UNIT 14 What is Fly Ash Concrete? p. 70
UNIT 15 Concrete Mix with Fly Ash p. 75
UNIT 16 Steel Building Designs - Flexibility and
Innovation (Part I) p. 80
UNIT 17 Steel Building Advantages (Part II) p. 86
UNIT 18 What is Tilt-up Construction? (Part I) p. 91
UNIT 19 Precast Concrete, Tilt-up Construction and Tiltwall:
What's the Difference in These Terms? (Part II) p. 96
UNIT 20 Concrete Curing Compounds p. 101
UNIT 21 Environmental engineering p. 106
UNIT 22 Concrete: A Sustainable Construction Material
That can Help Fight Climate Change p. 111
UNIT 23 Recycling Concrete: An Eco Friendly Solution p. 116
UNIT 24 Sustainable Building p. 121
UNIT 25 New Construction Trends p. 126
FINAL TESTS p. 131
APPENDIX 1 REFERENCES to VIDEO FILES p. 134
APPENDIX 2 GLOSSARY OF CONSTRUCTION TERMS p.140
BIBLIOGRAPHY p. 184
UNIT 1
Civil Engineering
Read, translate the following text and be ready to fulfil the tests:
Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of human existence. The earliest practice of civil engineering may have commenced between 4000 and 2000 BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Ancient Iraq) when humans started to abandon a nomadic existence, creating a need for the construction of shelter. During this time, transportation became increasingly important leading to the development of the wheel and sailing.
In modern usage, civil engineering is a broad field of engineering that deals with the planning, construction, and maintenance of fixed structures, or public works, as they are related to earth, water, or civilization and their processes. Most civil engineering today deals with power plants, bridges, roads, railways, structures, water supply, irrigation, environmental issues, sewer, flood control, transportation, telecommunications and traffic.
Civil engineering is the second-oldest engineering discipline after military engineering, and it is defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering. It is traditionally broken into several sub-disciplines including architectural engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, geophysics, geodesy, control engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering, earth science, atmospheric sciences, forensic engineering, municipal or urban engineering, water resources engineering, materials engineering, offshore engineering, quantity surveying, coastal engineering, surveying, and construction engineering. Civil engineering takes place in the public sector from municipal through to national governments, and in the private sector from individual homeowners through to international companies.
In essence, civil engineering may be regarded as the profession that makes the world a more agreeableplace in which to live. Engineering has developed from observations of the ways natural and constructed systems react and from the development of empirical equations that provide bases for design.
In project architecture and civil engineering construction is the building or assembly of any infrastructure on a site or sites. Although this may be thought of as a single activity, in fact construction is a feat of multitasking. Normally the job is managed by the construction manager, supervised by the project manager, design engineer or project architect. While these people work in offices, every construction project requires a large number of laborers, carpenters, and other skilled tradesmen to complete the physical task of construction. For the successful execution of a project effective planning is essential.
Those involved with the design and execution of the infrastructure in question must consider the environmental impact of the job, the successful scheduling, budgeting, site safety, availability of materials, logistics, inconvenience to the public caused by construction delays, preparing tender documents, etc. Each type of construction project requires a unique team to plan, design, construct and maintain the project.
Read and memorize the active vocabulary to the text:
Active Vocabulary
1. maintenance обслуживание, содержание, эксплуатация
2. to relate относиться, быть связанным
3. to deal with иметь дело с кем-л., чем-л.
4. supply снабжение, подача, поставка
5. environmental относящийся к окружающей среде
6. to distinguish различать, характеризовать
7. forensic юридический, судебный
8. offshore в открытом море; за границей
9. surveying геодезия, съемка
10. in essence по существу
11. agreeable подходящий, соответствующий
12. equation уравнение, равенство, стабилизация
13. require требовать, нуждаться
14. tradesman ремесленник, работник
15. execution выполнение, исполнение
16. to involve включать, вовлекать
17. impact воздействие, влияние, импульс
18. scheduling планирование, разработка
19. availability наличие, пригодность
20. inconvenience неудобство, беспокойство
21. multitasking многозадачность
22. delay задержка, отсрочка, промедление
CONTROL TESTS
TEST I
Decide whether these statements are true or false:
1. a). Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginning of our era.
b). Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of human existence.
c). Engineering has been an aspect of life since the period of building the first Egyptian pyramids.
2. a). Civil engineering is defined to distinguish structural engineering from environmental engineering.
b). Civil engineering is defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering.
c). Civil engineering is defined to distinguish geotechnical engineering from construction engineering.
3. a). The earliest practice of civil engineering may have commenced between 4000 and 2000 BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
b). The earliest practice of civil engineering may have commenced in Ancient Greece.
c). The earliest practice of civil engineering may have commenced in medieval Europe.
4. a). Engineering has developed from the aspiration of man to subdue the environment.
b). Engineering has developed from the man’s pursuit for comfortable existence.
c). Engineering has developed from observations of the ways natural and constructed systems react.
5. a). In project architecture and civil engineering construction is public works related to earth and water.
b). In project architecture and civil engineering construction is the building or assembly of any infrastructure on a site.
c). In project architecture and civil engineering construction is maintenance of fixed structures.
TEST II
Match words in columns A and B (synonym match):
A B
1. existence a). being b). realization
c). execution d). need
2. to commence a). to reject b). to begin
c). to indulge d). to spoil
3. to abandon a). to need b). to oversee
c). to relate d). to give up
4. essential a). authentic b). proper
c). substantial d). honest
5. maintenance a). demand b). service
c). operation d). management
6. environmental a). exogenous b). empiric
c). fortunate d). experienced
7. to distinguish a). to guide b). to watch
c). to consider d). to differentiate
8. forensic a). enduring b). intolerable
c). judicial d). vital
9. surveying a). development b). geodesy
c). scheduling d). sewerage
10. to regard a). to examine b). to reject
c). to discuss d). to provide
TEST III
Select the best possible answer out of the choices from the list to the statements (multiple choice):
1. In modern usage, civil engineering is… .
a. structural engineering
b. earth science
c. a broad field of engineering
d. maintenance of fixed structures
2. Civil engineering is the second-oldest engineering discipline after… .
a. architectural engineering
b. materials engineering
c. construction engineering
d. military engineering
3. What has engineering developed from?
a. considerations of the environmental impact on the structures
b. observations of the ways natural and constructed systems react
c. public works related to earth, water, or civilization and their processes
d. the outcome of the development of the wheel and sailing
4.What is construction in project architecture and civil engineering?
a. the building or assembly of any infrastructure on a site or sites
b. successful scheduling, preparing tender documents
c. budgeting, site safety, availability of materials, logistics
d. in fact construction is a feat of multitasking
5.What is most essential for the successful execution of a project?
a. quantity surveying
b. skilled tradesmen
c. forensicengineering
d. effective planning
TEST IV