2.

What’s Cool About Being an Engineer 5

2. WHAT’S COOL ABOUT BEING AN ENGINEER

Within the field of civil engineering itself there are subdivisions:

structural engineering, which deals with permanent structures (Figures 2.1.
and 2.2.); hydraulic engineering, which is concerned with systems
involving the flow and control of water or other fluids; sanitary or
environmental engineering, which involves the study of water supply,
purification and sewer systems (Figure 2.3.).

Figure 2.1. Višegrad bridge

Many of these specialties overlap. A water supply system may involve
dams and other structures as well as the flow and storage of water.
Engineers must be willing to undergo a continual process of education.
They must also adapt themselves to two requirements of all
engineering projects. First, the systems that engineers produce must be
workable not only from a technical but also from an economic point of
view. This means that engineers must cooperate with management and
government officials who are very cost conscious. Therefore engineers must
accommodate their ideas to the financial realities of a project.
6 English in Civil Engineering

Figure 2.2. Interior of the box type girder, Bajer

Second, the public in general has become much more aware of the
social and environmental consequences of engineering projects. In other
words, engineers do not work in a scientific vacuum. They must consider
the social consequences of their work.

Figure 2.3. Water treatment plant

LANGUAGE PRACTICE

I. Which of the following headings match the descriptions:

A) Structural Engineering, B) Construction management,
C) Environmental Engineering
1) Civil engineers coordinate the entire construction process - from initial
planning and foundation work through to the final coat of paint. Being
a construction manager requires organization, attention to detail,
2. What’s Cool About Being an Engineer 7

ability to persuade, and an understanding of all aspects of the

construction process.
2) These engineers plan, design, and supervise the construction of
facilities essential to modern life. They investigate the behaviour and
design of all kinds of structures, including dams, domes, tunnels,
bridges, and skyscrapers, to make sure they are safe and sound for
human use.
3) The engineers design systems to provide safe drinking water and to
prevent pollution in water, in the air, and on the land. Environmental
engineers are involved in water supply systems, wastewater treatment
facilities, sewage treatment plants, clean - up of toxic waste sites,
recycling, reduction of air pollution, and pesticide control.

II. You may be interested in the advice that some long experienced
experts would give you: read it and summarize the gist of his/her
message.
A: “Concentrate on math, science, and writing courses. You could be the
greatest engineer in the world, but if you can't convey your ideas to
somebody else, it's useless. Your ability to communicate your ideas to
somebody else becomes a big part of what you're doing. It was lacking
in me originally, and it's something that I think all engineers have to
develop. Even though you're going to be a technical person, you need
to have the writing background to be able to communicate your ideas
to other people.” (A dam expert)
B: “Primarily students have to sharpen their basic skills, which are the
skills in mathematics and physics. And then also read a lot. Especially
read about what other people are doing in architecture and structures.
Math and physics are really the keys to engineering, especially
engineering structures, because physics tells you how structures
behave when you push against them, when you pull against them, and
how they will react in the wind and under earthquakes and under the
load of occupants. Mathematics is the tool that you use to calculate the
physical effects. So you use both mathematics and the physical
sciences.” ( A general civil engineer )
C: “Be aware of your surroundings - look at buildings and structures, and
try to figure out how they work. Think creatively about problem
solving.” (C.E.)
8 English in Civil Engineering

III. List all the requirements of an engineering design.

IV. Which of the photographs in the text refer to:

a) environmental engineering; b) structural engineering; c) hydraulic
engineering?

V. Complete the sentences:

1. Environmental engineering includes ___________________________
2. An engineering project should include __________________________
3. Basic subjects in civil engineering are __________________________
4. Key problems in civil engineering are __________________________
5. Creativity in engineering is___________________________________
6. You need writing skills in engineering because ___________________
7. The social consequences of an engineer’ s work involve ___________

VI. Find synonyms or explanations for the following words: issue,

investigate, hydro engineering, load, workable, purification, occupant.

VII. COMPOUND NOUNS

Complete the sentences with a compound noun formed with either
WATER, ENVIRONMENTAL, COMPOSITE, HYDRAULICS or
RESISTANCE
1. New materials such as concrete reinforced with fibreglass or plastics is
called a _______ material.
2. A system of providing or storing water is called _______ supply.
3. The main aim of testing is to estimate the _____ of building elements.
4. _______ engineering refers to the sewage treatment while _______
concerns mainly the flow of water, water supply, dam building,
irrigation and drainage.

WORD CHECK

VIII. Find in the text English equivalents for the following terms:
konstruktorsko inženjerstvo, organizacija građenja, zaštita okoliša,
hidrotehnika (vodogradnja), konstruktor
3. Go Where the Action is 9

3. GO WHERE THE ACTION IS

I. Look at the photographs and make predictions: In which field of

civil engineering do the following persons work?
a) transportation civil engineering,
b) environmental engineering,
c) consulting structural engineering,
d) structural engineering,

Figure 3.1. Bob

A: “I deal with water supply and wastewater treatment projects. Water

comes from streams, rivers and lakes. I'm looking at ways of getting
the water to the people and quality issues that go along with that: if
the water needs to be treated or filtered. We are concerned with issues
to meet the current environmental regulations and to have generally
good drinking water.”

Figure 3.2. Daniel

B: “I deal with underground structures used for highways and railroads.
I am currently involved in the seismic design of such structures. The
way we build them depends primarily on technology available, the
10 English in Civil Engineering

type and condition through which they must pass, and their ultimate
length. While their initial costs may be high, well-designed and
well-built structures may last indefinitely and require relatively little
maintenance. We often take such structures for granted. “

Figure 3.3. John

C: “From a design point of view, what I deal with is to try to organize the
other designers who are working on a project, give them tasks that
they have to carry out, numerical calculations that they have to make,
and drawings that they have to prepare. I meet with the other members
of the design team – the architects, the mechanical engineers, who
provide the air conditioning, ventilation, lighting, and plumbing – and
we try to coordinate our tasks so that the building contains all of these
elements in the right place and they don't interfere with each other.”

Figure 3.4. Tom

D: “What I do first is to come up with preliminary drawing of what type

of structure is going to be selected in the site. Then I go to the final
design process where you design details. During the construction we
3. Go Where the Action is 11

assist the client or the contractor in reviewing drawings and clarifying

various technical issues that might come up. My job also involves
bridge inspection, rehabilitation and maintenance.”

II. Match each person with the passages A, B, C, or D!

III. Which of the mentioned engineers might have said the following?
A: "The most fun thing about my job is seeing something you've designed
being constructed or people using the facilities after construction.
Seeing ... something on site that gets torn down and replaced with new
construction is a very satisfying part of this job."
B: ” It's a great feeling to know that you're contributing to the health of
the community and the environment."
C: "Whether you're a structural or electrical or civil engineer or
whatever, it's just solving problems, in whatever field it may be. And in
my case, it's building various facilities. I'm just solving all the
problems of how to build buildings."
D: “I enjoy applying problem-solving skills to solve real-life problems,
visiting job sites and seeing my designs transformed from paper to real
life. It is pretty safe to say that only an engineer could love such
structures."

IV. Here is a jumbled version of the text that tells you about several
phases in the process of building. The passages include SITE,
LOADS, MATERIALS AND OUTLOOKS. Put them into the
right order:
a) Choose a suitable title for each section: Material, Site, Load, Force
b) Put the sections in the correct order to show the stages of a design
process. Number them from 1 to 4.
1. __________, 2. __________, 3. ___________, 4. __________

A: You have to know something about the environment of the site - that
is, is it subject to earthquakes? tornadoes? hurricanes? All of these
extreme cases become cases of loads that are going to act on the
building that you want to put on that site. So load determination is one
of the early tasks that you have to carry out. And the loads are
specified by regulation, which are mostly the loads of the occupants
and what is actually going to be placed within the space - tables,
12 English in Civil Engineering

chairs, bookshelves, storage cabinets, whatever - hence, the loads of

the structure itself. So you have to calculate what the weight of all of
these parts is, and you have to calculate what the forces are that all of
these external effects are going to impose on the structure – an
earthquake, the wind, etc (Figure 3.5.).

Figure 3.5. A crack

B: And then you can begin to lay out the orientation of the structure –
what the structure is going to look like. Once you know that, then you
begin to calculate how big each of the members that constitutes that
structure has to be.
C: Obviously there has to be a place, so you have a site where it will
actually be built. And you have to know something about that site,
especially what kind of soils exist below the surface of the site. So you
have to have probes made, which are essentially holes that are dug in
the ground that will tell you what kind of materials exist at what levels
below the ground and also where the water level exists below the
ground level, and if you hit rock, where the rock is.
D: Once you know these, then the next step is to decide how you're going
to build the structure and what material you're going to use – concrete,
steel or wood. That depends very much on where you're building it and
how big it is and what its function is. Then once you know the
material that you're going to use, you can begin to lay out the building,
which the architect usually does and you help him with, and you lay
out points where you will provide supports.
3. Go Where the Action is 13

V. Complete the definitions of the following terms (use a dictionary to

help you):
1. to design means to develop and draw __________________________
2. load is something _________________________________________
3. force is a natural or physical ________________________________
4. wastewater treatment is a procedure _________________________
5. site requirements are ______________________________________

Figure 3.6. Building site

14 English in Civil Engineering

4. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Environmental engineering includes sewage treatment, sewer networks

and prevention of pollution by gases or other “insults to the environment”.
It includes as well providing clean and safe water supply system for towns,
cities, and rural areas. It is also concerned with disposing of excess water
and waste materials by means of sewer systems. Sanitary engineering has
also links with environmental health, pollution control, and river
protection.

Figure 4.1. Entrance into the Cloaca Maxima, Rome

A great deal of archeological evidence has revealed the importance of

water supply systems in the ancient world. Probably the most impressive
systems were built by the Romans, whose aqueducts still stand in modern
Italy, Spain, France and Turkey. Rome itself had a water supply. Rome also
had a sewer, the Cloaca Maxima, part of which is still used today (Figure
4.1.). Like other sewer systems of ancient times, it was intended to carry off
the water from storms or the waste water from the public baths. There were
penalties for disposing of solid wastes in it. After the fall of the Roman
Empire, water supply and sewer systems received relatively little attention
4. Environmental Engineering 15

until late 19th century. In the Middle Ages in Europe water came from
streams and wells. After the connection between water supply and certain
diseases, such as typhoid, was established in the nineteenth century, cities
and towns all over the world built safe water supply systems.
There are a number of different methods by which solid wastes can be
removed or rendered harmless. Several of them are ordinarily used in
combination in a treatment plant.

Figure 4.2. The natural water supply cycle

One of the processes is filtration. The water is passed through a filter

that consists of a bed of sand or gravel, which removes a large proportion of
the solids that might otherwise contaminate the supply. Another is
sedimentation, in which wastes are allowed to settle until they become
solid or semisolid and can be removed. There are also techniques in which
water can be treated by biological means, by using some kinds of bacteria
to kill other kinds, or by chemical means, as in chlorination. One of the
most successful methods is called the activated-sludge process. It involves
using compressed air to increase and control the rate of biological reactions
that purify the wastes. In effect, treatment plants speed up natural
purification processes so that the water that is finally released from them is
essentially harmless.
Another process is aeration (Figure 4.3.). Sprays of water are shot into
the air, where sunlight and oxygen help kill bacteria and also remove gases
with an unpleasant odour or taste; or air is bubbled into or through the
water. A method that involves treatment with chemicals, usually chlorine,
to kill harmful bacteria is known as chlorination.

Figure 4.3. Aeration tank

16 English in Civil Engineering

Today water conservation seeks to lower urban water usage such as

through the use of toilets with low flush volume, to introduce domestic re-
use of water, and bring clean drinking water and adequate sanitation to
communities in developing countries.

LANGUAGE CHECK

I. Comprehension questions:
1. What is environmental engineering concerned with?
2. To what other branch of engineering are many aspects of sanitary
engineering directly related?
3. What evidence do we have of the existence of Roman water supply
systems?
4. What kind of sewer system did Rome have? What kind of waste was it
not used for?
5. What was done about water supply and waste disposal in the Middle
Ages in Europe?
6. Why did cities and towns all over the world begin building safe water
supply systems in the nineteenth century?
7. What problems must water supply systems deal with?
8. What are some of the water purification techniques that are currently
used?

WORD CHECK
5. Disposal of Wastes 17

II. Find expressions in the text for the following terms:

kruti otpad, pročišćenje, uređaj za pročišćavanje vode, opskrba vodom,
kanalizacijski sustav, odvodnja, postrojenje za pročišćavanje vode

III. Put the following sentences into passive:

1. Certain impurities in water can spread diseases.
2. We use several techniques for purification.
3. In filtration we remove solid particles from the water.
4. In aeration we shoot sprays of water into the air.
5. Sunlight and oxygen kill bacteria.
6. In the past engineers piped sewage back into rivers and today they mix
it with air and decompose it by bacteria into harmless products.

IV. Describe how water is made safe and clean in water treatment
plant.

V. Make a list of the ways of saving water!

Figure 4.4. Los Angeles Water Department Aqueduct

VI. Describe the Los Angeles Water Department Aqueduct (Figure
4.4.)!

5. DISPOSAL OF WASTES
18 English in Civil Engineering

Solid wastes resulting from human and animal activities my be

classified as follows: garbage, industrial wastes, agricultural wastes. Vast
amounts of trash have posed many problems in disposal. Much of it has
been used as landfill (Fig. 5.1.) by dumping in swampy areas or in shallow
water so that the area can be made useful. Disposal of solid wastes on land
is by far the most common method.

1
3
4
5
6
7 2
Figure 5.1. Cross-section of a sanitary landfill: 1-bulldozer for dumping and compacting,
2-waste water pump, 3-porous cover, 4-compacted and decomposed use, 5-gravel filter,
6-moraine filter, 7-drainage layer

Refuse is spread in thin layers, each of which is compacted by a

bulldozer before the next is spread. When about 3 m of refuse has been laid
down, it is covered by a thin layer of clean earth, which also is compacted.
Pollution of surface and groundwater is minimized by lining and
contouring the fill, compacting and planting the cover, selecting proper soil,
diverting upland drainage, and placing wastes in sites not subject to
flooding or high groundwater levels. A great deal of it has also been burned
in incinerators (Fig. 5.2.), huge furnaces that reduce the wastes to ash.
Incinerators, however, are out of fashion today because they release
harmful fumes into the air.
One modern method of disposing of trash and domestic wastes is
recycling, which simply means using the waste material again. In fact,
some treatment plants fill their own energy needs by burning their waste
products to provide steam for generating electricity. Similarly, some kinds
of trash can be collected separately - glass, newspapers, and aluminum
cans, for example. All of these materials can be processed for reuse. In
some cases, trash has also been compacted to serve as fuel.
Figure 5.2. The incinerator
5. Disposal of Wastes 19

The concern for a cleaner environment together with the need to

conserve and reuse our resources has created a challenge for which sanitary
engineers, working with environmentalists, will be called upon to find new
solutions over the next few years.

Figure 5.3. Composting plants for solid wastes

Composting of solid wastes accounts for only an insignificant amount

(Figure 5.3.). Selecting a disposal method depends almost entirely on costs,
which in turn are likely to reflect local circumstances.

LANGUAGE CHECK

I. Comprehension questions:
20 English in Civil Engineering

1. Name one aspect of providing a safe water supply. Why has this
problem become acute?
2. What has happened as a result of the large amount of waste?
3. What methods have been employed to dispose of trash?
4. Why are incinerators out of fashion today? What is being done about
this?
5. What is one modern method of disposing of trash and domestic
wastes? How can some of this waste be used again?

WORD CHECK

II. Translate the following key words:

podzemna voda, palionica, potrošnja, kruti otpad, odlagati otpad,
uklanjanje otpada, nabijanje, štetni otpad

III. Turn the following sentences into the active voice. Where no agent
is mentioned one must be supplied.
1. Waste from the garden does not have to be thrown away.
2. It may be reused as a compost.
3. A compost pile may be built up by layering different kinds of waste in
a bin.
4. Nitrogen is added to the pile in the form of meal or greenery to
generate heat.
5. Once the pile is slightly dampened, it is covered.
6. Tests were made on mortar containing stone, brick and tile dust.
7. After different mixtures of the mortar ingredients had been tested,
Smeaton estimated their cost.
8. The results of cement testing in hydraulic compression machine were
published in 1847.
9. Already in 1848 Portland Cement was being made by several
companies in England.

IV. Find in the text the words that mean:

to clean, to supply, grown, throw away, huge, rework, reuse, release,
shallow, efficiently, to dump

V. Give your comment on the following newspaper advertisement

(Figure 5.4.). Explain the way you deal with the problem of waste
5. Disposal of Wastes 21

disposal.

Figure 5.4. During the 21st century we have

continued to create things, then throw them
away. In order to continue this “century of
waste” we must quickly create a different way
of dealing with our problems.
22 English in Civil Engineering

6. PRINCIPAL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

The major construction materials of earlier times were wood and

masonry: brick, stone, clay, tile, and similar materials (Figure 6.1.). A tile
is a flat square piece of baked clay or other material used for covering
floors or baths. As a thin curved piece of baked clay it is used for covering
roofs. Bricks or stones were held together with a mixture of cement or lime,
sand and water called mortar.

Figure 6.1. Masonry products

The Greeks and Romans sometimes used iron rods to strengthen their
buildings. The columns of the Parthenon in Athens, for example, have holes
drilled in them for iron bars that have now rusted away. The Romans
developed an excellent waterproof cement called pozzolana, made by
mixing water, lime and sand with a fine powder ground from volcanic rock
found near Pozzuoli (hence the name).
Cement is a material that binds together the mixture. It reacts with
water, becoming cementitious, and is termed hydrated cement in this state.
In contrast to traditional lime mortar, cement does not need contact with the
air in order to harden off. Cement is therefore a hydraulic binder.
Concrete is really an “artificial stone”. Consisting of a dense medium
of cement, water and aggregates such as sand or gravel, it is poured into
shuttering or formwork (Figure 6.2.) and is compacted by agitating and
pressing down. Fresh concrete sets and becomes hardened concrete. The
6. Principal Construction Materials 23

commonest concrete in use today is Portland cement concrete. It was

invented in 1824 by a bricklayer called Joseph Aspdin.

Figure 6.2. The shuttering

Portland cement is a mixture of limestone and clay, which is heated
and then ground into a powder. It is mixed at or near the construction site
with sand, aggregate (small stones, crushed rock, or gravel), and water to
make concrete. Different proportions of the
ingredients produce concrete with different
strength and weight. Concrete is very versatile; it
can be poured, pumped, or even sprayed into all
kinds of shapes. Whereas steel has great tensile
strength, concrete has great strength under
compression. Thus, the two substances
complement each other. They also complement
each other in another way: they have almost the Figure 6.3. Steel embedded
same rate of contraction and expansion. They into concrete in the form of
bars
therefore can work together in situations where
both compression and tension are factors. Steel rods are embedded in
concrete to make reinforced concrete (Figure 6.3.) in concrete beams or
structures where tension will develop. Concrete with steel reinforcement is
a versatile material widely used in the loadbearing structure of buildings.
Still another advantage is that steel does not rust in concrete. Acid corrodes
steel, whereas concrete has an alkaline chemical reaction, the opposite of
acid.
Steel as a very tough and strong metal has many useful applications in
24 English in Civil Engineering

a wide range of constructions. The best building materials are strong,

durable and easily obtainable. Steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, is the most
commonly used alloy in industry.

LANGUAGE PRACTICE

I. Comprehension questions:
1. Which are the oldest building materials?
2. What is pozzolana?
3. What are the properties of cement and concrete?
4. What is Portland cement?
5. What enormous advantage does steel have as a construction material?
6. How can rust be prevented?

WORD CHECK

II. Find in the text English equivalents for:

stup, žbuka, hrđanje, šipka, vapno, vapnenac, legura, oplata, usitnjavati
(mljeti), mnogostran, ugraditi, četvrtast oblik

III. Form complete sentences, making all the changes and additions
necessary to produce the definitions of stress, cement, alloy and
rod:
1. exerted / deformation / stress / resulting in / on / stress / force / and /
body / strain / or
_________________________________________________________
2. making / cement / widely / used / limestone / is / construction / lime /
in / and
_________________________________________________________
3. material / with / two / alloy / is / metals / more / mixture / nonmetallic
/ metal / or
_________________________________________________________
4. plastic / narrow / wood / cylindrical / rod / metal / length / usually / of
/ or
_________________________________________________________

IV. Translate into Croatian:

6. Principal Construction Materials 25

masonry, alloy, shuttering, grind, pour, embed, bind, acid, strength,

drill

V. Make new words or grammar categories from the words:

Example: bond - bondage - bound
concrete (n), tension, expand, deform, stone

VI. Write the definition of the underlined words:

1. This is a three- storey building.
2. Concrete molds to any shape.
3. Concrete cracks with temperature changes.
4. It is fireproof and weatherproof.
5. Steel bars are hidden in concrete.
6. Steel is iron with a touch of carbon.

VII. Sort out the following categories from T. S. Eliot’s poem “The
Rock”:
In the semi-darkness the voices of WORKMEN are heard chanting
In the vacant places
We build with new bricks
There are hands and machines
And clay for new brick
And lime for new mortar
Where the bricks are fallen
We build with new stone
Where the beams are rotten
We build with new timbers
Where the word is unspoken
We will build with new speech
There is work together
A Church for all
And a job for each
Every man to his work

Materials: ________________________________________________
Structural elements:_________________________________________
Verbs denoting action:_______________________________________
26 English in Civil Engineering

VIII. Choose the right meaning:

1. property is: a) a special quality or characteristic; b) one of the parts of
the whole;
2. lightweight is: a) easy to lift or move; b) made of thinner material and
weighing less than average;
3. moderately is: a) not very, quite; b) average, in the middle; c) to an
unusually great extent;
4. rust is: a) stop work; b) decay naturally and gradually; c) a substance
that forms on iron or steel;

Figure 6.4. Excavation of pozzolana nera, Italy