Civil Engineering Basic Knowledge

Civil engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructure and the built environment. Here are some basic civil engineering knowledge related to civil engineering:

Civil Engineering Basic Knowledge

The following are the basics civil engineering knowledge points to remember for civil engineers to make the construction work easier while maintaining the quality of construction;

• Lapping in reinforcement is not allowed for the bars having diameters more than 36 mm.

• Steel Char maximum spacing is 1.00 m (or) 1 No per 1m².

• In steel dowels, a rod minimum of 12 mm diameter should be used.

• Steel Chairs minimum of 12 mm diameter bars to be used.

• Longitudinal reinforcement should not be less than 0.8% and more than 6% of gross C/S.

• The minimum bars used for a square column are 4 No and 6 No for the circular column.

• The main bars used in the slabs shall not be less than 8 mm (HYSD) or 10 mm (Plain bars) and the distributors not less than 8 mm and not more than 1/8 of slab thickness.

• The minimum thickness of the slab should be 125 mm.

• The freefall of concrete is allowed a maximum of 1.50m in height.

• Lap splices shall not be used for bars larger than 36 mm.

• Water absorption of bricks is limited to not more than 15 %.

• The PH value of the water used should not be less than 6.

• The minimum Compressive strength of Bricks is 3.5 N / mm^2.

• The binding wire required in steel reinforcement is 8 kg per Metric tonne.

• For soil filling work as per IS code, 3 samples should be taken for the core cutting test for every 100m².

Read More: Structural Components Of Building And Their Standard Dimensions

The density of Construction Materials

• Bricks – 1600 – 1920 kg/m³
• Concrete block – 1920 kg/ m³
• Reinforce Concrete – 2310 – 2700 kg/ m³
• Plain cement Concrete- 2400 kg/m³
• Lime mortar- 1760kg/m³
• Aluminum – 2739 kg/m³
• Glass – 2580 kg/m³
• Zinc – 7135 kg/m³
• Clay soil – 1900 kg/m³
• Bamboo – 350 kg/m³

Curing Time for Concrete Members for Various Types of Cement

• Super Sulphate cement: 7 days
• Ordinary Portland cement OPC: 10 days
• Minerals & Admixture added cement: 14 days

De-Shuttering Period of Different RCC Members

1. The period for columns, walls, and vertical formworks – is 16-24 hrs.
2. Period for Soffit formwork to slabs – 3 days (props to be refixed after removal)
3. The period for Soffit to beams props – is 7 days (props to be refixed after removal)
4. Beams spanning up to 4.5m – 7 days
5. Beams spanning over 4.5m – 14 days
6. Arches spanning up to 6m – 14 days
7. Arches spanning over 6m – 21 days

Minimum Nos. Of Concrete Cube Sample for Given Volume of Concrete

• 1 – 5 m³ = 1 Nos.
• 6 – 15 m³ = 2 Nos.
• 16 – 30 m³ = 3 Nos.
• 31 – 50 m³ = 4 Nos.
• Above 50 m³ = 4 + 1 Nos.

Grade of Concrete

Grade of Concrete	The proportion of C:S: A
M5	1:5:10
M7.5	1:4:8
M10	1:3:6
M15	1:2:4
M20	1:1.5:3
M25	1:1:2

M30 and above this grade is based on the mix design.

Clear Cover for main reinforcement

• For Beam: 25mm
• For Slab: 15mm
• For Flat slab: 20mm
• For Staircase: 15mm
• For Watertank Structure: 20 to 30 mm
• For Retaining Wall: 20 to 25mm to the earth’s surface
• For Column: 40mm
• For Shearwall: 25mm
• For Raft foundation topside: 50mm
• For Raft foundation Bottom and Sides: 75mm

Main Part of Building

• Foundation
• Sub Structure
• Super Structure

Basic Component of Structure

• Foundation
• Beam and Column
• Wall
• Plinth
• Slab
• Staircase
• Flooring
• Parapet wall
• Finishing Work like plastering, painting

Different types of loads act on building

• Live Load
• Dead Load
• Wind Load
• Self Load
• Snow Load
• Seismic Load or Earthquake load
• Hurricane Load at some location

Types of Building Materials

• Steel
• Cement
• Aggregate
• Sand
• Brick
• Stone
• Wood
• Foam
• Glass
• Plastic
• Clay
• Clay Blocks
• Lime
• Paints
• Marbles
• Tiles
• Water
• Admixture
• Bitumen
• Tar
• Asphalt
• Gypsum
• Surkhi
• Copper
• Sanitary and fittings
• Wires
• Gravels
• Roofing Materials
• Rolled Steel
• Concrete
• Ceramic
• Copper
• Fabrics

Types of Structure

• Load Bearing Structuure
• Framed Structure
• Truss Structure
• Shell Structure
• Cable Structure
• Composite Structure
• Tension Structure
• Mass Structure
• Pre Engineered Structure

Slump Value for Different Concrete Work

Concrete Work	Slump Value in mm
Mass Construction	25-50
Beams and Slabs	12-25
Cement Concrete Pavement	30-75
Deck of Bridge	20-30
Vibrated Concrete	50-100
Retaining Wall, Column	75-150

Unit Conversation

• 1 foot = 12 inches
• 1 foot = 0.304 meter
• 1 foot = 304.8 mm
• 1 foot = 30 cm
• 1 inch = 25.4 mm
• 1 inch = 2.54 centimeter
• 1 yard = 3 ft
• 1 yard = 36 inches

Types of Foundation

here’s list of types of foundations in building construction:

1. Spread Footing
2. Combined Footing
3. Slab-on-Grade
4. Pile Foundations
5. Caisson Foundations
6. Pier Foundations
7. Mat Foundations (Raft Foundations)
8. Strip Foundations
9. Floating Foundations
10. Screw Pile Foundations
11. Tension Pile Foundations
12. Well Foundations

FAQs

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