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Civil engineering, the profession of designing and executing structural works that serve the general public. The term was first used in the 18th century to distinguish the newly recognized profession from military engineering, until then preeminent.
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Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title

steeple
steeple, tall ornamental tower, sometimes a belfry, usually attached to an ecclesiastical or public building. The......
Steinman, David Barnard
David Barnard Steinman was an American engineer whose studies of airflow and wind velocity helped make possible......
Stephenson, George
George Stephenson was an English engineer and principal inventor of the railroad locomotive. Stephenson was the......
Stephenson, George Robert
George Robert Stephenson was a pioneer English railroad engineer who assisted his uncle George Stephenson and his......
Stephenson, Robert
Robert Stephenson was an outstanding English Victorian civil engineer and builder of many long-span railroad bridges,......
stepwell
stepwell, subterranean edifice and water source, an architectural form that was long popular throughout India but......
Stevens, John Frank
John Frank Stevens was an American civil engineer and railroad executive who, as chief engineer of the Panama Canal......
Stevens, Robert Livingston
Robert Livingston Stevens was a U.S. engineer and ship designer who invented the widely used inverted-T railroad......
Stevenson, Robert
Robert Stevenson was a civil engineer who in 1797 succeeded his stepfather, Thomas Smith, as a member of the Scottish......
Stilwell Road
Stilwell Road, highway 478 mi (769 km) long that links northeastern India with the Burma Road (q.v.), which runs......
Stinnes, Hugo
Hugo Stinnes was a German industrialist who emerged after World War I as Germany’s “business kaiser,” controlling......
stoa
stoa, in Greek architecture, a freestanding colonnade or covered walkway; also, a long open building, its roof......
Stockton & Darlington Railway
Stockton & Darlington Railway, in England, first railway in the world to operate freight and passenger service......
stove
stove, device used for heating or cooking. The first of historical record was built in 1490 in Alsace, entirely......
Strathcona and Mount Royal, Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron
Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal was a Canadian fur trader, financier, railway promoter,......
stratospheric sulfur injection
stratospheric sulfur injection, untested geoengineering technique designed to scatter incoming solar radiation......
Strauss, Joseph B.
Joseph B. Strauss was an American civil engineer and builder of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. After graduating......
streetcar
streetcar, vehicle that runs on track laid in the streets, operated usually in single units and usually driven......
strength of materials
strength of materials, Engineering discipline concerned with the ability of a material to resist mechanical forces......
Strickland, William
William Strickland was a U.S. architect and engineer who was one of the leaders of the Greek Revival in the first......
structural system
structural system, in building construction, the particular method of assembling and constructing structural elements......
stupa
stupa, Buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly......
Subei Canal
Subei Canal, canal in Jiangsu province, eastern China, designed to provide a direct outlet to the sea for the waters......
subway
subway, underground railway system used to transport large numbers of passengers within urban and suburban areas.......
Suez Canal
Suez Canal, sea-level waterway running north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean......
Suger
Suger was a French abbot and adviser to kings Louis VI and VII whose supervision of the rebuilding of the abbey......
sukiya style
sukiya style, Japanese architectural style developed in the Azuchi-Momoyama (1574–1600) and Tokugawa (1603–1867)......
summer camp
summer camp, any combined recreational and educational facility designed to acquaint urban children with outdoor......
sunlamp
sunlamp, electric discharge lamp (q.v.) that emits radiation of wavelengths present in sunlight, particularly the......
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge, cable-stayed concrete bridge over the southern end of Tampa Bay in western Florida that......
superposed order
superposed order, in Classical architecture, an order, or style, of column placed above another order in the vertical......
Sup’ung Dam
Sup’ung Dam, hydroelectric project on the Yalu River at the North Korean border with Liaoning province, northeastern......
surveying
surveying, a means of making relatively large-scale, accurate measurements of the Earth’s surfaces. It includes......
surveyor’s chain
surveyor’s chain, measuring device and arbitrary measurement unit still widely used for surveying in English-speaking......
surveyor’s level
surveyor’s level, instrument used in surveying to measure the height of distant points in relation to a bench mark......
suspension bridge
suspension bridge, bridge with overhead cables supporting its roadway. Modern suspension bridges are light and......
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge, steel-arch bridge across Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson), Australia. The bridge, opened in......
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House, opera house located on Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), New South Wales, Australia. Its unique......
Symington, William
William Symington was a British engineer who developed (1801) a successful steam-driven paddle wheel and used it......
synagogue
synagogue, in Judaism, a community house of worship that serves as a place not only for liturgical services but......
systems engineering
systems engineering, technique of using knowledge from various branches of engineering and science to introduce......
Séguin, Marc, The Elder
Marc Séguin, the Elder was a French engineer and inventor of the wire-cable suspension bridge and the tubular steam-engine......
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Tacoma Narrows Bridge, suspension bridge across the Narrows of Puget Sound, connecting the Olympic Peninsula with......
Takuan Sōhō
Takuan Sōhō was a Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhist priest responsible for the construction of the Tōkai Temple. Takuan......
Talbot, Arthur Newell
Arthur Newell Talbot was a civil engineer who was a foremost authority on reinforced concrete construction. He......
Taniguchi, Yoshio
Yoshio Taniguchi is a Japanese architect best known as the designer of the early 21st-century expansion of the......
Tarbela Dam
Tarbela Dam, giant rock-fill dam on the Indus River, Pakistan. Built between 1968 and 1976, it has a volume of......
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian conglomerate of 30 companies across a wide range of industries, including automobiles,......
Tata, Jamsetji
Jamsetji Tata was an Indian philanthropist and entrepreneur who founded the Tata Group. His ambitious endeavours......
tatami
tatami, rectangular mat used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. It consists of a thick straw base and a soft,......
taxicab
taxicab, chauffeur-driven automobile available for hire to carry passengers between any two points within a city......
Taylor, Frederick W.
Frederick W. Taylor was an American inventor and engineer who is known as the father of scientific management.......
Taylorism
Taylorism, System of scientific management advocated by Fred W. Taylor. In Taylor’s view, the task of factory management......
Telford, Thomas
Thomas Telford was a versatile Scottish civil engineer whose crowning achievement was the design and construction......
temple
temple, edifice constructed for religious worship. Most of Christianity calls its places of worship churches; many......
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven, large religious complex in the old outer city of Beijing, considered the supreme achievement......
Temple, The
The Temple, in London, series of buildings associated with the legal profession. The Temple lies between Fleet......
Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), U.S. government agency established in 1933 to control floods, improve navigation,......
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, American waterway linking the Tennessee River in northeastern Mississippi with the......
tent
tent, portable shelter, consisting of a rigid framework covered by some flexible substance. Tents are used for......
tepee
tepee, conical tent most common to the North American Plains Indians. Although a number of Native American groups......
term
term, in the visual arts, element consisting of a sculptured figure or bust at the top of a stone pillar or column......
terrazzo
terrazzo, Type of flooring consisting of marble chips set in cement or epoxy resin that is poured and ground smooth......
Terzaghi, Karl
Karl Terzaghi was a civil engineer who founded the branch of civil engineering science known as soil mechanics,......
Tesla coil
Tesla coil, an electrical transformer that uses high-frequency alternating current (AC) to increase voltage. Because......
tester
tester, canopy, usually of carved or cloth-draped wood, over a bed, tomb, pulpit, or throne. It dates from the......
Texas and Pacific Railway Company
Texas and Pacific Railway Company, Texas railroad merged into the Missouri Pacific in 1976. Chartered in 1871,......
Thames Tunnel
Thames Tunnel, tunnel designed by Marc Isambard Brunel and built under the River Thames in London. Drilled from......
The Brill Building: Assembly-Line Pop
Located at 1619 Broadway in New York City, the Brill Building was the hub of professionally written rock and roll.......
The Gherkin
The Gherkin, skyscraper in London that was designed by the architecture firm Foster and Partners and completed......
The Reeperbahn
As rock and roll made its way to continental Europe in the late 1950s, several nightclub owners in the red-light......
The Shard
The Shard, skyscraper in London that was designed by architect Renzo Piano and completed in 2012. Piano took its......
theodolite
theodolite, basic surveying instrument of unknown origin but going back to the 16th-century English mathematician......
thermae
thermae, complex of rooms designed for public bathing, relaxation, and social activity that was developed to a......
thermionic power converter
thermionic power converter, any of a class of devices that convert heat directly into electricity using thermionic......
tholos
tholos, in ancient Greek architecture, a circular building with a conical or vaulted roof and with or without a......
Thomson, Elihu
Elihu Thomson was a U.S. electrical engineer and inventor whose discoveries in the field of alternating-current......
Thomson, J Edgar
J. Edgar Thomson was an American civil engineer and president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company who consolidated......
Thomson, Robert William
Robert William Thomson was a Scottish engineer and entrepreneur, known as the inventor of the pneumatic tire. Thomson......
Thornycroft, Sir John Isaac
Sir John Isaac Thornycroft was an English naval architect and engineer who made fundamental improvements in the......
Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam, dam on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) just west of the city of Yichang in Hubei province, China.......
three laws of robotics
three laws of robotics, rules developed by science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who sought to create an ethical......
Tibi Dam
Tibi Dam, dam in the Valencia region of eastern Spain, across the Monnegre River. It was erected late in the 16th......
tile
tile, thin, flat slab or block used structurally or decoratively in building. Traditionally, tiles have been made......
Tillman, Ben
Ben Tillman was an outspoken U.S. populist politician who championed agrarian reform and white supremacy. Tillman......
timber framing
timber framing, wooden structural framework that forms the interior and exterior walls of half-timber work...
time-and-motion study
time-and-motion study, in the evaluation of industrial performance, analysis of the time spent in going through......
Tioga Pass
Tioga Pass, highest (9,945 feet [3,031 metres]) roadway across the Sierra Nevada, central California, U.S. Originally......
tissue engineering
tissue engineering, scientific field concerned with the development of biological substitutes capable of replacing......
tokonoma
tokonoma, alcove in a Japanese room, used for the display of paintings, pottery, flower arrangements, and other......
tomb
tomb, in the strictest sense, a home or house for the dead; the term is applied loosely to all kinds of graves,......
Tonle Sap
Tonle Sap, natural floodplain reservoir, central Cambodia. The lake is drained during the dry season by the Sab......
Toomer, Ron
Ron Toomer was an American engineer and roller coaster designer who could be considered the sovereign of steel......
torana
torana, Indian gateway, usually of stone, marking the entrance to a Buddhist shrine or stupa or to a Hindu temple.......
Torelli, Giacomo
Giacomo Torelli was an Italian stage designer and engineer whose innovative theatre machinery provided the basis......
Torres Quevedo, Leonardo
Leonardo Torres Quevedo was a Spanish engineer. In 1890, he introduced an electromagnetic device capable of playing......
Torroja, Eduardo
Eduardo Torroja was a Spanish architect and engineer notable as a pioneer in the design of concrete-shell structures.......
Total Quality Control
Total Quality Control (TQC), System for optimizing production based on ideas developed by Japanese industries from......
tower
tower, any structure that is relatively tall in proportion to the dimensions of its base. It may be either freestanding......

Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title