CEO 111

Engineering - is the application of science, mathematics, business, and

other fields to harness efficiently the resources of nature to develop

structures and facilities that benefit the entire society at the current

time and in the future.

Civil Engineering - is 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.

Civil Engineering discipline took root between 4000 and 2000 BC when humans in ancient civilizations began to abandon their nomadic lifestyles in favor of more permanent shelter, thus generating the need for fixed facilities and structures.

• Arguably, the first people to develop engineering systems were Sumerians (local in present-day Iraq, 4500 – 1700 BC approximately) who constructed an intricate hydraulic system comprised of canals, dams, reservoirs, and weirs that helped transform their arid landscape into a systematic and lush city with beautiful gardens and fertile lands

Other notable large engineering structures that date back several thousand years include the pyramids of Egypt constructed during 2800 – 2400 BC (Smoothwhirl, 2009) and the Great Wall of China (circa 200 BC).

• In 3 BC, was probably the first scientific approach to the physical sciences applied to civil engineering, Archimedes established the laws of buoyancy and constructed a large screw that raised water from lower levels. Also in that era, impressive civil structures were constructed by a number of ancient civilizations worldwide including irrigation structures

During the time of Roman Empire (circa 27 BC to AD 500), extensive civil structure were constructed that included aqueducts, bridges, and dams. Other civilizations that were marked by remarkable achievements in civil engineering included those of Greece, Harrapan, and Maya.

• The development of civil engineering as a profession has been evolutionary and incremental. The etymological root of the word “engineer” is the Latin word “ingenium”, which means talent of mental power (Lienhard, 2000).

• The term civil engineer was used to describe any engineer who did not practice military engineering.

What is the importance of Studying the History of Engineering Systems?

• There are civil engineers believe that knowledge of engineering history will lead to a reinforcement of the profession and its stature among other professions, specifically, that civil engineering has a deserved place in the arena of the overall evolution of civilization and the world.

• Knowing the history of engineering systems enables those who practice engineering to better understand the simultaneous relationship between engineering and other sectors of human development, such as health, agriculture, and industry.

Purpose of Documenting History

• To interpret the development and activity of humankind (Kirby et

al.,1956).

• The history of engineering systems is but one aspect of the overall

narrative of the human experience.

• The history of engineering records a human activity that is

cumulative and progressive because its evolution is characterized

by successive building upon previously existing knowledge

History of Engineering Systems

The historical evolution of engineering is the best understood when it

is discussed in the context of other transformative events of history

that changed the way of humans live:

• The food production revolution (circa 6000-3000 BC)

• The emergence of urban communities (3000-2000 BC)

• The birth of Greek science (600-300 BC)

• Innovations in power generation in Europe (in the Middle Ages)

• The development of modern science (17th century)

• The Industrial Revolution (18th century)

• The invention of electricity and the advent of applied science (19th century)

• The current age of automation and information technology (20th and 21st

centuries)

Over the centuries, design rules of thumb and empirical formulas used by civil engineers were gradually supplanted or supplemented by standardized design and numerical analyses, and the knowledge acquired through experience was documented and codified.

Furthermore, stonemasons and craftsmen, who were mostly self-taught but skilled , acquired specific titles that indicated societal recognition of their skills (EB, 2011).

• The first engineering school in modern times, the National School of Bridges and Highways was opened by Perronet in France in 1747; in Paris in 1794 and in Berlin in 1799, the Ecole Polytechnique and Bauakademie, respectively, were founded

• John Smeaton of England was the first person to actually call himself a “civil engineer.”

• In 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the world’s first engineering society, was founded in London.

• Benjamin Wright, considered the father of American civil engineering, helped design and construct the Erie Canal and several railroads in 19th century (FitzSimons,1996).

• The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was founded by 12 engineers in a meeting at the Croton Aqueduct administration offices in New York City on November 5, 1852 (ASCE, 2009)

Civil Engineering can be classified on the basis of the intended use of the facility

1. Heavy

2.Industrial

3.Commercial

4.Residential

5.Commercial

And the branches of Civil Engineering

• Hydraulic

• Hydrologic

• Transportation

• Architectural

• Materials

• Constructions

• Structural

• Geomatic

• Geotechnical

Civil Engineering Facilities

1. BUILDINGS

• Residential

• Health

• Educational

• Religious

• Government

• Commercial

• Recreational

INDUSTRIAL

• Manufacturing Plants

• Chemical Processing Plants

• Metal Mills and smelters''

• Refineries

• Mine Structures

• Power Plants (nuclear, electricity, coal, etc.)

HEAVY

• Highways

• Bridges

• Airports

• Railways

• Dams

• Levees

• Retaining walls

• Canals

• Pipelines

• Treatment plants ( water and wastewater)

• Landfills

• Storm drainage

• Tunnels

• Electrical power

• Distribution lines

• Deep sea rigs

Phase of Facility Development/intended use of facility

- Water (Treatment, Supply, Distribution)

1. Initial Stages(Planning and designing the facility):

Survey Engineers, Structural engineers, Geotechnical engineers,

Hydraulic Engineers, Environmental Engineers

2. Implementation Stage ( Constructing the Facility ):

Construction Engineers, Material Engineers

Environmental Engineers

3. Usage Stage (Operating and Maintaining the Facility):

Water/wastewater Treatment plant engineers

- Transportation(Road, Rail, Water, Air)

1. Initial Stages(Planning and designing the facility):

Survey Engineers, Structural engineers, Geotechnical engineers,

Transportation Engineers

2. Implementation Stage ( Constructing the Facility ):

Construction Engineers, Material Engineers

Transportation Engineers

3. Usage Stage (Operating and Maintaining the Facility):

Transportation Engineers

- Buildings (Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Recreational)

1. Initial Stages(Planning and designing the facility):

Survey Engineers, Structural engineers, Geotechnical engineers,

Architectural Engineers

2. Implementation Stage ( Constructing the Facility ):

Construction Engineers, Material Engineers

Building Engineers

3. Usage Stage (Operating and Maintaining the Facility):

Building Engineers