Civil Engineering Glossary
About a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways
- Guy-wire
- noun
- A guy wire is a tensioned cable, rope, or rod used to add stability and support to a tall, slender, freestanding structure. They function by anchoring the structure to the ground or another secure point, effectively minimizing swaying and preventing collapse.
- Example: Both antenna arrays will be mounted on concrete pedestals with guy wires for vertical support.
- fr: Hauban
- Sand quarry
- noun
- A sand quarry is typically defined as a site where silica sand or silicoargile sand is extracted from natural deposits.
- Example: It involves a dry sand quarry in the Wheeler Valley which has been restored to make a site suitable for agriculture.
- fr: Sablière
- Aqueduct
- noun
- A conduit for water. Especially : one for carrying a large quantity of flowing water.
- Example: New trenches will be necessary for the aqueduct and storm sewer network.
- fr: Aqueduc
- Reinforced concrete
- noun
- Concrete in which metal bars or wire is embedded to increase its tensile strength.
- Example: The buildings containing classrooms have a natural stone exterior envelope and support a superior level of reinforced concrete structure.
- fr: Béton armé
- Bituminous concrete
- noun
- It is a mixture of asphalt binder (bitumen) and aggregates like sand, gravel, or crushed stone. It is commonly used for road surfaces, parking lots, and airport runways.
- Example: In total, 9500 t of bituminous concrete were needed to make the driving surface.
- fr: Enrobé bitumineux
- Embankment
- noun
- A raised structure (as of earth or gravel) used especially to hold back water or to carry a roadway.
- Example: To prevent flood damage, the roadbed will be built on an elevated embankment with culverts and drainage ditches.
- fr: Remblai
- Frame
- noun
- It is the process of constructing the structural framework that shapes a building.
- Example: A house frame can be easily raised in one day.
- fr: Ossature
- Construction
- noun
- the work of building or making something, especially buildings, bridges, etc.:
- Example: The construction work must be designed and built in such a way that it will not be a threat to the hygiene or health of the occupants or neighbours.
- fr: Construction
- Conception
- noun
- The act of designing or intellectually developing a project.
- Example: The balance must be maintained between the various practical/functional and conceptional demands on the design.
- fr: Conception
- Road
- noun
- A long, hard surface built for vehicles to travel along.
- Example: Road transport plays a key role in socio-economic development by ensuring the mobility of people.
- fr: Route
- Bridge
- noun
- A structure that is built over a river, road, or railway to allow people and vehicles to cross from one side to the other.
- Example: The bridge will replace the ferries used at present for crossing the river.
- fr: Pont
- Culvert
- noun
- A tunnel carrying a stream or open drain under a road or railway.
- Example: A siphon allows the Welland River to cross perpendicular to the canal by flowing underneath the canal in a large concrete culvert.
- fr: Ponceau
- Dam
- noun
- A wall built across a river that stops the river's flow and collects the water, especially to make a reservoir (= an artificial lake) that provides water for an area.
- Example: The station is equipped with two 29 MW turbines and is powered by a hydroelectric dam.
- fr: Barrage
- Pipeline
- noun
- A very long large tube, often underground, through which liquid or gas can flow for long distances.
- Example: And so will the projected gas pipeline to the mining areas in the centre of the country, which will supply these regions with natural gas.
- fr: Pipeline
- Foundation
- noun
- The structures below the surface of the ground that support a building.
- Example: This will allow moisture in the foundation wall an escape route.
- fr: Fondation
- Column
- noun
- An upright pillar, typically cylindrical, supporting an arch, entablature, or other structure.
- Example: The column construction, both attractive and compact, allows it to be inserted with ease into public environments.
- fr: Colonne
- Beam
- noun
- A long, sturdy piece of squared timber or metal used to support the roof or floor of a building.
- Example: The last structural steel beam went in last week at the museum's topping-off ceremony.
- fr: Poutre
- Cofferdam
- noun
- A large box filled with air that allows people to work underwater, for example while building bridges.
- Example: The second phase involves building the middle weir behind a cofferdam placed in the main branch.
- fr: Batardeau
- Casing
- noun
- A concrete or wooden support used in construction projects.
- Example: The soil around the shield is converted by high-pressure injection of a cement suspension into a hardening concrete casing that forms the lining of the hollow space.
- fr: Coffrage
- Aggregate
- noun
- A material or structure formed from a mass of fragments or particles loosely compacted together.
- Example: After stripping of the forms, the surface of the concrete was water blasted to expose the aggregate.
- fr: Granulat
