CURRENT FIELDS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING: STRUCTURAL

ENGINEERING

INTRODUCTION
Basic needs and C/vii Engineering
Specific Nature of Civil Engineering
Human Needs
Needs Technical Area
Environmental
Breath Clean Air
Engineering
Environmental
Drink Safe Water
Engineering
Structural and
Sleep Livable Shelter Construction
Engineering Structures can have many forms; they may not even be
Transportation and visible to the casual observer. For example, Figure shows the
Move Around Ways to Travel Construction reinforced concrete frame for a multi-story building under
Engineering construction. The frame acts as the ‟skeleton‟ of the building
Structural and and, like the skeleton of a human being, when the building is
Earthquake Mitigation Geotechnical complete and clad in brick, glass or stone, the skeleton will not
Engineering be visible. Nevertheless, it is the skeleton that supports the
Water Resources entire load: the outside cladding, the floors, services and so-forth
Safe from Flood Mitigation and Environmental being hung from or otherwise supported on the form. In other
Disaster Engineering cases, the structure is clearly visible. For example, the load
Structural bearing elements in a normal domestic house are commonly the
Wind Mitigation exterior walls. Similarly, almost all that you see of a bridge is
Engineering
Structural ―structure‖ and is essential to supporting the loads that the
Fire Mitigation bridge is designed to carry.
Engineering

Civil engineering includes several very different Let us now look at the parts, or members, that make up
technical specialty areas. By describing these technical areas, it a typical structure. A framed structure will be used as the basis
is hoped that a clearer picture of what civil engineering entails for this categorization.
may emerge. Six civil engineering technical areas are described
below. Each technical area has its own sub-areas of specialty.
They are described following the short overview of each
technical area. When you begin to take civil engineering
courses, you may identify each course with some of these
technical areas. A student is not expected to be exposed to all
the technical areas but at least four are included in the
curriculum of any civil engineering degree program. Three
contemporary issues confronting civil engineers are described
following a description of other areas closely related to civil
engineering.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Structural engineering is the technical specialty that
deals with the analysis and design of constructed structures.
From spacecraft to deep sea submarines, from tiny micro-
electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices to long bridges and The primary elements in a frame are those that most
tall buildings, these are all human-made structures that serve immediately support the applied loads. These are generally the
specific functions. A structure is always subjected to the many floor slabs. The function of the slabs is to transmit the loading
―loads‖ the environment forces upon it. These loads include the from where it is applied to those members that supports the
omnipresent gravitational load of its own weight (called the dead slabs. This requires the slabs to transfer the loads in a direction
load), the weight of things moving about in or upon the structure perpendicular to the direction of the loading. Normally, the
(the live load), and event-driven loads originated from the applied loading acts vertically, because this is the way gravity
occurrence of earthquakes, strong wind, or heavy snow. acts; the slabs have to transfer the load horizontally to
Structural design aims at providing a structure with sufficient supporting beams, walls or columns.
level of resistance against these loads with minimum cost.
Within structural engineering, there are several technical sub-
areas. Some are named according to the type of structure.
Some are named according to the type of load.

COMPONENTS OF A STRUCTURE AND ITS MEMBERS

An essential starting point is to define a structure.
Many definitions have been proposed, but these will not be
presented nor their merits debated here. The structure is the
collection of element within a construction that are assumed, and
designed, to support the loads applied to the structure and The second form of member is a beam. A beam
transmit them safely to the foundations. collects the load from one or more slabs and transmits it to the
members supporting the beam. This may be another beam, or a
wall or column. Beams behave in the same way as slabs but,
because they concentrate the load from slabs, they tend to carry
much higher load intensities.
 A particular form of a beam is a truss. This is a beam
made up of small individual units usually arranged to form a
triangulated structure

Columns collect the loads from beams and slabs and Foundations take the loads from the columns and
transmit them downward to the foundations. They behave in a walls and transfer them to the underlying soil or rock. Because
fundamentally different way from the beams and slabs in that the soil is normally much weaker than the material forming the
they mainly transmit loads in a direction parallel to the axis of the structure the foundation generally has to spread the load over a
member (i.e. the column is generally vertical and the load is sufficient area of the soil for the stresses in the soil to be limited
being transferred downwards). to levels that will not cause excessive settlements.

Structural walls carry out the same function as A tie relatively rare form of a member, it carries a load
columns, that is, they transmit loads downwards. In tall building by tension. Members that carry only compression are frequently
they also serve an important function in stiffening a building called struts, particularly if they are elements in a truss.
against lateral loads (i.e. wind). Architecturally they serve to
divide up a building into compartments and to provide an outer
skin. Generally, walls are fairly lightly loaded. It should be noted
that there are case where walls function more like slabs than
columns. An example of this is where a wall forms the vertical
sides of a tank that contains liquid and has to transfer this load
vertically to supports. A wall that supports soil (retaining wall) is
similarly behaving structurally more as a slab than a wall.

This concept of a hierarchy of members that transmit

the load from where it is applied to the underlying soil is true for
all structure, though not all members are present in all types of
structure.

Hierarchy of Members in a Structure

 From the paragraph on walls it can be noted that the test results of similar bars, which can be summarized in the form
terminology is inexact and other forms of nomenclature are of a distribution. The proportion of bars with strength equal to or
used. Also, particular types of structure tend to be described in above S (assumed deterministic) gives an indication of the
more specialized jargon. For example, a column supporting a reliability of this bar. Complementary to this, the proportion
bridge is generally described as a pier and a wall supporting the (shaded region) of bars below S indicates the probability of
end of a bridge as an abutment. failure of the system. Hence, reliability can be viewed as a
complementary to the probability of failure.
STRUCTURAL RELIABILITY
The many loads a structure must withstand during its The simple example above can be extended to the
life span are mostly of a ―random‖ nature, meaning it cannot be case where S is not known with certainty. Similarly, one can
defined precisely with respect to its magnitude and time of consider a more complicated function for R, e.g., a reinforced
occurrence. So are the resistance provided by the size and concrete beam where the capacity is a function of many
material of structural components. Design in the face of variables, such as the properties of the concrete and reinforcing
uncertainty requires the application of probability and statistics. bars used. One can also look at the reliability of a structure
Structural reliability is the methodology applying these comprising more than one bar or element. An exposition to some
mathematical tools to the load-resistance analysis in structural basic probability concepts is prerequisite to understanding the
design. It is used in the development of design codes and complexity and solutions of such problems.
specifications that are followed by designers to provide
acceptable levels of safety against all loads. EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
Disaster means occurrence of uncontrolled, painful and
The principle aim of structural design is the assurance serious conditions. There are various natural disasters like:
of satisfactory pe1ormance within the constraints of economy. A  Earthquakes  Landslides
primary complication toward achieving this in practice is  Volcanic Eruptions  Tsunami
imperfect execution and the lack of complete information. The  Cyclones  Flood
existence of uncertainties in structural engineering has long  Fire
been recognized and quantitatively accounted for through the
use of safety factors in design. Reliability analysis, using Earthquakes, cyclone and fire needs special
probability theory as a tool, provides a rational and consistent considerations in building design and construction since they are
basis for determining the appropriate safety margins (Ang and more frequent, widespread and more disastrous.
Tang, 1984). Its success is exhibited by the numerous reliability-
based provisions developed in recent code revisions to achieve An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the earth
a target reliability range in the design of structural elements surface caused by the breaking and shifting of rocks beneath.
(e.g., AISC, ACI, AASHTO). Over the last 20 years, research During earthquake, ground motion occurs in a random fashion in
studies have been carried out to provide similar reliability all directions radiating from a point within earth crust, called
provisions at the structural systems level, and perhaps they will epicenter. It causes vibrations of structures and induce inertia
have a more direct and substantial influence in design forces on them. As a result, structure may collapse resulting into
specifications over the next decade. This chapter aims to loss of property and lives. Earthquakes do not kill people,
provide the basic knowledge for structural engineers who have vulnerable buildings do so. Hence there is need of designing
little exposure in this field and to serve as a platform for earthquake resistant buildings, especially in the earthquake
understanding the basic philosophy behind reliability-based prone areas.
design.
The suddenness of earthquakes and the damage they
Reliability can be defined as the probabilistic measure could cause in a matter of seconds inspired the study of the
of assurance of performance with respect to some prescribed nature of earthquakes and the effects they inflict on structures.
condition(s). A condition can refer to an ultimate limit state (such The effects of earthquake ground motion create vertical and
as collapse) or serviceability limit state (such as excessive horizontal forces that change violently within a short duration.
deflection and/or vibration). The time-varying nature and the multi- directional nature of the
earthquake-induced load require special design and analysis
As a simple illustration, consider a bar with ultimate considerations. The fundamental approach in earthquake
tensile capacity R (which can be viewed as the supply to the engineering is not to design a structure to withstand any
system) that has to resist a tensile load S (which can be viewed earthquake at all costs but to design a structure that will not
as the demand of the system). inflict injury to human lives at a reasonable cost.

Distribution of R, failure, and safe regions Hyatt Terraces Hotel in Baguio

Performance against failure is ensured if R > S (i.e.,
supply exceeds demand). However, the capacity of this
particular bar cannot be known exactly unless it is tested to
failure. Nevertheless, some estimates can be obtained based on
 Hyatt Terraces Hotel after the 1990 Earthquake
Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington (1940)
Depending upon the possible causes, the earthquakes
may be classified as: Strong wind caused by a hurricane, a tornado, or a
1. Natural earthquake – natural earthquakes may be due storm creates effects on structures that are also time-varying
to: and multi-directional. Strong wind around a structure may push
a. active faults against a surface while creating a partial vacuum behind another
b. movement of tectonic plates or structural surface. Unlike earthquakes, which occur infrequently,
c. due to volcanic eruptions. especially the damaging ones, strong wind in some areas occurs
frequently and so is the damage it incurs. Design against such
In earth's crust there are some faults which are not yet wind-related elects is the realm of wind engineering. Here again,
settled. The displacement of rocks along faults cause the design approach is to protect human lives with a reasonable
earthquake. Tectonic means large scale process affecting the cost.
structure of the earth’s crust. This process causes gradual
movement of material within the crust of earth. Sometimes it A cyclone is a storm accompanied by high speed
shakes the earth crust. Volcano is a mountain or hill having a whistling and howling winds. It brings torrential rains. A cyclone
crater through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor and gas are storm develops over tropical ocean and blows at speed as high
or have been erupted from the earth's crust. Occasionally the as 200—240 km/hour. It is usually accompanied by lightning,
volcanoes become active and create earthquake near the thunder and continuous downpour of rain. Cyclones extend from
mountain crater. 150 km to 1200 km in lateral directions with forced winds
spiraling around a central low-pressure area. The central region
2. Earthquakes due to induced activities – These are of light winds and low pressure, known as the „eye' of cyclone
caused by vibrations induced by atomic explosions and has an average diameter of 20 to 30 km. This central eye is
collapse of ground due to faulty mining. surrounded by a ring of very strong winds extending up to 40 to
50 km beyond center. This region is called „wall cloud‟. In this
WIND ENGINEERING region strongest winds and torrential rains occur. Beyond this
A survey of engineering literature for the past 150years region winds spiraling extend outwards to large distances, which
reveals many references to structural failures caused by wind. goes on reducing with the distance from the center of the
Perhaps the most infamous of these have been bridge failures cyclone.
such as those of the Tay Bridge in Scotland in 1879 (which
caused the deaths of 75 persons) and the Tacoma Narrows The following care should be taken in designing
Bridge (Tacoma, Washington) in 1940. There have also been buildings in cyclone prone areas:
some disastrous building failures from wind during the same 1. Foundations should be deeper
period, such as that of the Union Carbide Building in Toronto in 2. Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) framed structures
1958. It is important to realize that a large percentage of building are to be preferred over load bearing structures
failures from wind have occurred during the buildings‟ erection 3. Sloping roofs should be avoided.
4. Cantilever projections should be avoided.
5. Roof and parapet wall should be properly anchored to
the columns and walls.
6. Height of the buildings should be restricted.
7. Suitable wind load should be considered in the building
design.
8. Openings in the wall should be less.
9. Structure should not rest on loose soil.

FIRE ENGINEERING
In the event of a fire in a building, the high temperature
created by the fire may cause the building material to lose its
strength and eventually fail under the weight of the building. Fire
engineering in the context of structural engineering deals with
the elective application of protective materials to the structural
Tay Bridge in Scotland (1879) components such as steel beams and columns such that
sufficient time is provided for the occupants to escape and the
firefighters to arrive. The research in fire engineering provides
data to be incorporated into design and construction codes and
specifications.
 It is reported that in USA fire kills more people each so should measures to prevent deterioration. The designer of
year than all other natural disasters combined including floors, new bridges has control over these parameters and must make
cyclones and earthquake. The fire load in a building should be wise decisions so that capacity and cost are in balance, and
kept to the minimum possible. The term fire load indicates the safety is not compromised.
amount of heat liberated in kilo joules per square meter (kJ/m 2) Some structural engineers specialize in bridge design
of floor area of any compartment by the combustion of the and construction. Bridge design can be categorized according to
content of the building including its own combustible part. It is material and bridge type. One unique feature of bridge design is
determined by multiplying the weights of all combustible it is closely integrated with construction. From the bridge
materials by their respective calorific values and dividing that foundation to the superstructure, the process of construction and
with floor area. erection often requires detailed analysis by the design engineers
and likely dictates the designers‟ choice of bridge type.
A building may be made more fire resistant by:
1. Using suitable materials – the fire resisting material is Some of the typical bridges are:
having the following characters: a. Stone Arch Bridge e. Metal Arch Bridges
a. It should not disintegrate under the elect of b. Wooden Bridges f. Reinforced Concrete
heat c. Metal Truss Bridges Bridges
b. It should not expand under heat so as to d. Suspension Bridges g. Girder Bridges
introduce unnecessary stresses in the building
c. The material should not catch fire easily
d. It should not lose its strength when subjected
to fire.

2. Taking precautions in building construction – a

building may be made more fire resistant by minimizing
use of combustible materials, protecting steel by fire
resistant paints and providing stairs at suitable positions
and protecting them from fire.

3. By providing fire alarm systems and fire

extinguishers – all important buildings should be
provided with fire alarm system. Alarm may be manual
or automatic. Automatic alarms sense the smoke and
activate bells.

BRIDGE ENGINEERING
Bridges are important to everyone. But they are not
seen or understood in the same way, which is what makes their
study so fascinating. A single bridge over a small river will be
viewed differently because the eyes each one sees it with are
unique to that individual. Someone traveling over the bridge
every day may only realize a bridge is there because the
roadway now has a railing on either side. Others may remember
a time before the bridge was built and how far they had to travel
to visit friends or to get the children to school. Civic leaders see
the bridge as a link between neighborhoods, a way to provide
fire and police protection, and access to hospitals.
Philippi Covered Wooden Bridge across the Tygant‘s Valley
A bridge is a key element in a transportation system for River, West Mrginia
three reasons:
 It likely controls the capacity.
 It is the highest cost per mile.
 If the bridge fails, the system fails.

If the width of a bridge is insufficient to carry the

number of lanes required to handle the traffic volume, the bridge
will be a constriction to the traffic flow. If the strength of a bridge
is deficient and unable to carp heavy trucks, load limits will be
posted and truck traffic will be rerouted. The bridge controls both
the volume and weight of the traffic carried.
Bridges are expensive. The typical cost per mile of a
bridge is many times that of the approach roadways. This is a
major investment and must be carefully planned for best use of
the limited funds available for a transportation system. James J. Hill Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis, Minnesota
When a bridge is removed from service and not
replaced, the transportation system may be restricted in its
function. Traffic may be detoured over routes not designed to
handle the increase in volume. Users of the system experience
increased travel times and fuel expenses. Normalcy does not
return until the bridge is repaired or replaced.
Because a bridge is a key element in a transportation
system, balance must be achieved between handling future
traffic volume and loads and the cost of a heavier and wider
bridge structure. Strength is always a foremost consideration but
 most part of the building. It transfers the load of the
building to the ground.

2. PLINTH: The portion of the wall between the ground

level and the ground floor level is called plinth. It is
usually of stone masonry. If the foundation is on piles, a
plinth beam is cast to support wall above floor level. At
the top of plinth, a damp proof course is provided. It is
usually 75 mm thick plain concrete course.
The function of the plinth is to keep the ground
floor above ground level, free of dampness. Its height is
not less than 450 mm. It is required that plinth level is at
least 150 mm above the road level, so that connections
to underground drainage system can be made.
Quezon Bridge, Quiapo, Manila {Metal Bridge)
3. WALLS AND COLUMNS: The function of walls and
columns is to transfer the load of the structure vertically
downwards to transfer it to foundation.

4. SILLS, LINTELS AND CHEJJAS: A window frame

should not be directly placed over masonry. It is placed
over 50 mm to 75 mm thick plain concrete course
provided over the masonry. This course is called as sill.
Lintels are the R.C.C. or stone beams provided over
the door and window openings to transfer the load
transversely so as to see that door or window frame is
not stressed unduly. The width of lintels is equal to the
width of wall while thickness to be provided depends
upon the opening size. Chejja is the projection given
outside the wall to protect doors and windows from the
John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge Colorado rain. They are usually made with R.C.C. In low cost
houses stone slabs are provided as chejjas. The
projection of chejja varies from 600 mm to 800 mm.
Sometimes drops are also provided to chejjas to
improve aesthetic look and also to get additional
protection from sun and rain.

Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena, California (RCC Bridge)

BUILDING ENGINEERING
Every family needs a building to reside. Apart from
residential purposes buildings are required for educational, Sill
institutional, business, assembly and for industrial purposes.
Buildings are required for the storage of materials also.

Structural engineers often become building design

specialists because building design is more frequently in
demand than bridge or dam designs, especially in urban centers.
Building engineers also design special buildings such as
stadiums and large dome structures.

The following are the basic elements of a building:

1. Foundation 6. Floors
2. Plinth 7. Roofs
3. Walls and Columns 8. Steps, stairs and lifts Lintel
4. Sills, lintels and chejjas 9. Finishing work
5. Doors and windows 10. Building services

The functions of these elements are presented in this article.

1. FOUNDATION: Foundation is the most important part

of the building. Building activity starts with digging the
ground for foundation and then building it. It is the lower
 The sanitary fittings are to be connected to
stone ware pipes with suitable traps and chambers.
Stone ware pipes are then connected to underground
drainage of municipal lines or to the septic tank.

Many carpentry works are required for building

service. They are in the form of showcases, cupboards,
racks etc.

Electric supply is essential part of building

services. The building should be provided with sufficient
points for supply of lights, fans and other electric
gadgets.
Chejja
BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF A BUILDING
5. DOORS AND WINDOWS: The function of a door is to The planning and construction of a building should be aimed
give access to different rooms in the building and to at fulfilling the following requirements:
deny the access whenever necessary. Number of doors 1. Strength and Stability 7. Protection against termite
should be minimum possible. The size of the door 2. Dimensional Stability attack
should be of such dimension as will facilitate the 3. Resistance to Dampness 8. Durability
movement of the largest object likely to use the door. 4. Resistance to Fire 9. Security against burglary
Windows are provided to get light and ventilation in the 5. Heat Insulation 10. Lighting and ventilation
building. 6. Sound Insulation 11. Comforts and
convenience
6. FLOORS: Floors are the important component of a 12. Economy
building. They give working/useful area for the
occupants. The ground floor is prepared by filling brick 1. STRENGTH AND STABILITY: Building should be
bats, waste stones, gravel and well compacted with not capable of transferring the expected loads in its life
less than 100 mm sand layer on its top. period safely to the ground. Design of various structural
components like slabs, beams, walls, columns and
7. ROOF: Roof is the top most portion of the building footing should ensure safety. None of the structural
which provides top cover to the building. It should be components should buckle, overturn and collapse.
leak proof.
2. DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excessive deformation of
8. STEP, STAIRS AND LIFTS: Steps give convenient structural components gives a sense of instability and
access from ground level to ground floor level. They are result into crack in walls, flooring etc. All structural
required at doors in the outer wall. 250 to 300 mm wide components should be so designed that deflections do
and 150 mm rise is ideal size for steps. In no case the not exceed the permissible values specified in the
size of two consecutive steps be different. Number of codes.
steps required depends upon the difference in the
levels of the ground and the floor. Stairs give access 3. RESISTANCE TO DAMPNESS: Dampness in a
from floor to floor. They should consist of steps of building is a great nuisance and it may reduce the life of
uniform sizes. In all public buildings lifts are to be the building. Great care should be taken in planning
provided for the conveniences of old and disabled and in the construction of the building to avoid
persons. In hostels G + 3 floors can be built without dampness.
lifts, but in residential flats maximum floors permitted
without lifts are only G + 2. Lift is to be located near the 4. RESISTANCE TO FIRE: Regarding achieving
entrance. Size of the lift is decided by the number of resistance to fire, the basic requirements laid down in
users in peak hours. Lifts are available with capacity 4 the codes are:
to 20 persons. a. The structure should not ignite easily.
b. Building orientation should be such that
9. FINISHING: Bottom portion of slab (ceiling), walls and spread of fire is slow.
top of floor need smooth finishing with plaster. Then c. In case of fire, there should be means of easy
they are provided with white wash, distemper or paints access to vacate building quickly.
or tiles.
5. HEAT INSULATION: A building should be so oriented
10. BUILDING SERVICES: Water supply, sanitation and and designed that it insulates interior from heat.
drainage works, electric supply work and construction
of cupboards and show cases constitute major building 6. SOUND INSULATION: Buildings should be planned
services. against outdoor and indoor noises.
For storing water from municipal supply or
from tanker a sump is built in the house property near 7. PROTECTION FROM TERMITE: Buildings should be
street. From the sump water is pumped to overhead protected from termites.
tanks placed on or above roof level so as to get water
all the 24 hours. Plumbing work is made so as to get 8. DURABILITY: Each and every component of the
water in kitchen, bathrooms, water closets, sinks and building should be durable.
garden taps.
For draining rain water from roofs, down take 9. SECURITY AGAINST BURGLARY: This is the basic
pipes of at least 100 mm diameters should be used. need the owner of the building expects.
Proper slopes should be given to roof towards down 10. LIGHTING AND VENTILATION: For healthy and happy
take pipe. These pipes should be fixed at 10 to 15 mm living natural light and ventilations are required.
below the roof surface so that rain water is directed to Diffused light and good cross ventilation should be
the down take pipe easily. available inside the building.
 11. COMFORTS AND CONVENIENCES: Various units in This chapter emphasizes investigations in two of these
the building should be properly grouped and integrated disciples – structures and geotechnical works – although most of
keeping in mind the comfort and convenience of the the principles apply to the other disciplines as well.
user.
Forensic engineers commonly are concerned with the
12. ECONOMY: Economy without sacrificing comfort, engineering aspects of legal problems, the activities of civil
convenience and durability is another basic requirement forensic engineer are much broader, addressing all issues of
of the building. failures of constructed facilities, legal or not. This is
demonstrated by the following stated purposes of the eight
FORENSIC ENGINEERING current committees and task committees of the ASCE/TCFE
Forensic Engineering refers to the study of causes of (ASCE 2000):
an engineering event, usually a disaster or failure of some kind. 1. Committee on Dissemination of Failure information
In the context of structural engineering, it refers to the (CDFI). To develop and implement means for
investigation of a structural failure. Activities associated with disseminating accurate and complete information
forensic engineering include determination if the physical or regarding the nature and causes of structural failures in
technical causes of accidents or failures, preparation of reports, civil – engineered projects. CDFI will also act as a
and presentation of testimony or advisory opinions that assist in vehicle for coordinating and assisting in the
resolution of related disputes. In case of major disasters, often a dissemination of forensic engineering information
team of experts are assembled to study the cause of the disaster generated by other organizations, both within and from
and to make recommendations to prevent future disasters. Even outside ASCE.
when the cause of disaster is terrorism, forensic engineering
would reveal the weakness in design and provide guidance for 2. Committee on Practices to Reduce Failures. To
future designs. develop objectives for change in the design and
construction industry specifically targeted to reducing
the incidence and severity of failures in civil engineered
projects. To pursue implementation of these changes
and to act as a liaison between ASCE and other
professional societies and organizations to pursue the
prevention of failures.

3. Forensic Practices Committee. To enhance the

competent and ethical practice of forensic engineering.
The committee develops practice guidelines, seminars
and conference sessions aimed at elevating the
understanding of professionals engaged in the
investigative and judicial arenas.

A good example is the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. 4. Committee on Education. To improve the practice of
Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The collapse of the Civil Engineering by promoting the study of failure case
building was caused by the bombing that destroyed ground-level histories in educational activities.
columns in the front of the building. Experts recommended that
future buildings should have sufficient redundancy in the design 5. Committee on Technology Implementation. To
of supporting columns so that the damage of one or more identify research needs related to the investigation of
columns would not lead to the collapse of the whole building. constructed facilities that do not perform in accordance
with the established standards, define the research
Although engineers, architects, and builders have problems and assign priorities to them, develop
studies failures of constructed facilities for centuries, vigorous effective means of implementing the results of
interest in the subject has developed over the past two decades, research.
especially in the United States. One of the reasons is the rash of
spectacular collapses that occurred in the late 1970s and early 6. Publications Committee. To review manuscripts,
1980s. Evidence of this expanded interest is seen in 1982 as the technical notes and discussions submitted to the
Committee on Forensic Engineering (CFE) of the American council for publication in the Journal of Performance of
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was formed. In 1984, the CFE Constructed Facilities and to be responsible for the
became a technical council of ASCE. Today there are eight publication of papers sponsored by the Council.
committees of the Technical Council of Forensic Engineers
(TCFE), addressing a broad scope of failure issues. This activity 7. Task Committee on Avoiding Failure Caused by
addresses two broad interests: Computer Misuse. To develop guidelines that
a. the recognized need of our profession to learn from its engineers can follow so as to avoid failures cause by
failures; and misuse of hardware, operating system software, and
b. the rapidly increasing number of engineering civil engineering software in the planning, modeling,
professionals specializing in forensic engineering. analysis, design, and operation of civil engineering
facilities.
In examining the activities of the ASCE, one sees that
the scope of civil engineering investigations can be quite large, 8. Task Committee on Lift-Slab Construction. To
encompassing the following disciplines: produce a document to be titled ―Guidelines for Lift –
 Structures  Air transportation and Slab Construction,― which will provide the design
 Geotechnical works aerospace professional with information on aspects of the
 Highways  Environmental facilities planning, design, and administration of a lift-slab
 Waterway, port, coastal,  Hydraulics, irrigation, and project.
and ocean facilities drainage installations
 Culverts and pipelines  Architectural technology
 Materials engineering