Basic Engineering Sciences (CIV 1008)

Itgalpur, Rajanukunte, Yelahanka, Bengaluru – 560064

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CIV 1008 – Basic Engineering Sciences

Module 1: Introduction to various fields in Civil Engineering

1.1 Civil Engineering:

It is the first basic branch of engineering. Its relation to the fulfillment of human needs is direct,
whereas the other engineering branches are complementary to the function of civil engineering. Civil
engineering is called the general engineering because civil engineering uses the principles and
information provided by otherbranches of engineering while erecting civil engineering structures.
Civil Engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the planning, design,
construction, operation, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including
works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings.

1.2 Role of Civil Engineers:

 Providing shelter to people in the form of low-cost houses to high rise apartments
 Laying ordinary village roads to express highways
 Constructing irrigation tanks, multipurpose dams, canals for supplying water to agricultural fields
 Supplying safe and potable water for public industrial uses
 Protecting our environment by adopting sewage treatment solid waste disposal techniques
 Constructing hydro-electric thermal power plants for generating electricity
 Providing other means of transportation such as railways, harbour and airports
 Constructing bridges across streams, rivers and across seas
 Tunneling across mountains also under water to connect places easily reduce distance

1.3 Fields in Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a very broad discipline that incorporates many activities in various fields. The
different fields of civil engineering and the scope of each can be briefly discussed as follows:
1. Structural Engineering
Structural engineering deals with the analysis & design of various components of a civil engineering
structure. Any civil engineering structure has several components, for e.g., a building has components
like slabs, beams, columns & foundation. Analysis deals with estimating the loads, forces & stresses
on the component. Design deals with selecting an appropriate material & deciding suitable dimensions
for the structural component such that they resist the loads safely without failure. It is also important to
ensure that the design is economical as well.

2. Transportation Engineering
Transportation Engineering involves planning, design, construction & maintenance of the basic

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facilities or infrastructure required for transportation systems. The transport system includes roadways,
railways, air & waterways. Role of civil engineers in this field is to construct and maintain roads,
expressways, bridges, flyovers, bus terminals, railway tracks, runways, ports & harbours. It also
includes planning the systems and facilities to optimal capacity keeping with future growth and
expansion needs.
3. Geo-Technical Engineering
All structures are constructed on top of the earth. Any building, bridge, dam, retaining wall etc. rests
on soil and is supported by soil. The foundation connects the structure & soil. The foundation transfers
load from the structure to the soil. The foundation is laid at a certain depth below the ground surface
till a hard layer is reached. The soil should be thoroughly checked for its suitability for construction
purposes. The study dealing with the engineering properties & behaviour of soil under loads &
changes in environmental conditions is called geo-technical engineering.

4. Surveying
Surveying is the science and art of determining the relative position of points on the earth’s surface by
measuring distances, directions and vertical height. It is the first step before any construction activity is
commenced.
Surveying helps in preparing maps and plans, which help in project implementation (setting out the
alignment for a road or railway track or canal, deciding the location for a dam or airport or harbour).
Surveying also helps in estimating quantities of earth-fill, excavations and thus also aids in estimating
cost of project.

5. Environmental Engineering
Environmental Engineering deals with the protection & maintenance of the natural and built
environment. It includes monitoring and maintaining the quality of air & water, monitoring and
management of waste disposal.
It also includes providing water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial needs along with
providing sewage disposal facilities and this part of environmental engineering is known as Water
Supply and Sanitary Engineering.

6. Building Materials & Construction Technology Management

Any engineering structure requires a wide range of materials for construction. The choice of material
depends upon the purpose of application, aesthetics, suitability for the particular application & most
importantly its cost. The efficiency or success of any construction project depends on the management
of materials, manpower, machinery & money. Hence, management is an inevitable part of any
construction activity. The different activities should be planned properly; the manpower, materials &
machinery should be optimally utilized, so that the construction is completed in time and in an
economical manner.

7. Irrigation & Water resources engineering/ Hydraulics Engineering

This field of civil engineering deals with managing the water resources (rivers, ground water) of the
country. It also deals with the process of supplying water by artificial means to fields for raising crops.
This is a very important activity for a country like India with scanty rainfall & very few perennial
rivers. This branch deals with the construction & maintenance of dams for storage of water and canal

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networks for conveying water. Apart from these, other associated structures like canals regulators,
aqueducts, weirs, barrages etc. are required for a proper irrigation system. The facilities for Hydro-
electric power generation also come under the purview of this branch.

1.4 Introduction to Soil Mechanics & Geotechnical Engineering

Soil Mechanics:
• Soil Mechanics is the application of laws of mechanics and hydraulics to engineering
problems dealing with soil as an engineering material.
• It deals with properties, behavior and performance of soil as a construction material or
foundation support
• The soil should be thoroughly checked for its bearing capacity and suitability for construction
purposes.
Objectives of Foundation
• To distribute the load from the structure to soil evenly and safely
• To anchor the building to the ground so that under lateral loads building will not move
• To prevent the building from overturning due to lateral forces
• To give level surface for the construction of super structure

Factors affecting Foundation

• Soil types and ground water table conditions.
• Structural requirements.
• Construction requirements.
• Site condition and environmental factors
• Economy.

1.4.1 Types of Foundations

Foundations are mainly classified into two groups based on the
1. Shallow Foundations
2. Deep Foundation

Shallow Foundation
 A shallow foundation is one whose depth is generally less than the width of the footing and less than
3m.
 Shallow foundations are located just below the lowest part of the wall or a column which they
support.
 They are used when the surface soils are strong enough to support the load imposed upon it.
 Footing is a structural member, which is the bottom most part of a foundation made of brick work,
masonry or concrete.
 Footings are used to transmit the load of the wall or column such that the load is distributed over a
large area.

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Types of Shallow Foundation

Shallow Foundations are classified into the following types:
1. Strip Footing / Strip Foundation
2. Spread or Isolated Footing / Spread Foundation
3. Combined Footing / Combined Foundation
4. Mat or Raft Foundations

1. Strip Footing:
 A strip footing is provided for a load-bearing wall.
 A strip footing is also provided for a row of columns which are so closely
spaced that their spread footings overlap or nearly touch each other.
 A strip footing is also known as continuous footing.

2. Spread or Isolated Footing:

 A spread (or isolated or pad) footing is provided to support an
individual column.
 A spread footing is circular, square or rectangular slab of uniform
thickness. Sometimes, it is stepped or hunched to spread the load over a
large area.

3. Combined Footing:
 A combined footing usually supports two columns. It is used when the
two columns are so close to each other that their individual footings
would overlap.
 A combined footing is also provided when the property line is so close
to one column that a spread footing would be eccentrically loaded when
kept entirely within the property line.
 A combined footing may be rectangular or trapezoidal in plan.

4. Mat or Raft Foundation:

 A mat or raft foundation is a large slab supporting a number of
columns and walls under the entire structure or a large part of the
structure.
 A mat is required when – a) the allowable soil pressure is low or
where the columns and walls are so close that individual footings
would overlap. Mat foundations are useful in reducing the
differential settlements.

Deep Foundation
When the soil at or near the ground surface is not capable of supporting a structure, deep foundations
are required to transfer the loads to deeper strata.

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Deep foundations are, therefore, used when surface soil is unsuitable for shallow foundation and a firm
stratum is so deep that it cannot be reached economically by shallow foundations.

Types of Deep Foundation

The deep foundations are of the following types
1. Pile Foundation
2. Pier Foundation
3. Caisson Foundation

1. Pile Foundation:
 A pile is a slender column made of wood, concrete or
steel.
 A pile is either driven into the soil or formed in situ by
excavating a hole and then filling it with concrete.
 A group of piles are driven to the required depth and are
capped with R.C.C. Slab, over which super structure is
built. The pile transfers the load to soil by friction or by
direct bearing.

2. Pier Foundations:
 A pier is a vertical column of relatively larger cross-
section than piles.
 A cast in-situ pile greater than 0.6 m diameter is
generally termed as a pier. Piers have large diameter as
compared to a pile.
 For walls carrying heavy loads, piers are dug at regular
intervals and filled with plain concrete. The piers are
taken up to good bearing strata. The piers are connected
by concrete or masonry arch.

3. Caisson Foundation:
A caisson is a hollow prismatic watertight box or chamber, which is built above the ground level and
then sunk to the required depth as a single unit.
It is a watertight chamber used for laying foundations under water, as in rivers, lakes, harbors. The
caisson subsequently becomes an integral part of the foundation.

1.5 Overview of Structural Engineering:

• A structure may be defined as an assemblage of load-bearing elements in a construction.

• Man-made structures include buildings, towers, bridges and dams (civil engineering structures)
and Aircraft, ships, oil rigs, cranes, cars and furniture (Aeronautical / mechanical engineering)
• Structural analysis is the application of solid mechanics to predict the response in terms of forces

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and displacements of a given structure (existing/proposed) subject to specified loads.

• Structural Engineering deals with planning of positions/layout of different elements and design
(determination of size, shape and material) of component such that safety and serviceability
requirements are not sacrificed, yet economy is considered.
• Repair, rehabilitation and maintenance is part of structural engineering.
• Dams, Bridges, Stadiums, Auditoriums, Multi-storied buildings are analyzed & designed
structurally.

1.5.1 Type of Structures:

Framed Structures: In framed structure, the load transfer mechanism is from Floor slab to the Beams in
the floor then to the columns and Foundation system.
Load bearing Structures: In load bearing structure, the load transfer mechanism is directly from floor
slab to the adjoining walls and then to the foundation system.

Differences between Framed and Load bearing Structure

Framed Structures Load Bearing Structures

Load transfer path is from slab/floor to beam, Load transfer path is from slab/ floor to wall, wall
beam to column and column to footing. to footing.
Limited storey buildings can only
Multi storey buildings can be constructed.
be constructed.
Framed structure is more resistant to lateral loads Load bearing structure is less resistant to lateral
due to Earthquake and wind. loads due to Earthquake and wind.
Carpet area available is more. Carpet area available is less.
Mostly used form of construction. Rarely used form of construction nowadays.
Excavation for this type of construction is less. Excavation for this type of construction is more.
The speed of construction is more. The speed of construction is less.
Cost of repair of framed structure is more. Cost of repair of load bearing structures is less.
Skilled as well as non-skilled worker
Skilled work force is required for construction.
can construct load bearing structures.
The thickness of wall can be maintained uniform The thickness of wall cannot be maintained
throughout. uniform throughout.
It is flexible in design as location of walls can It is not flexible in design as walls cannot be
shifted. removed/shifted.
Room dimensions cannot be changed as walls
Room dimension can be changed.
have to be placed above walls below.
In load bearing structure, large span areas not
In framed structure, large span areas possible.
possible.
Load Bearing walls can be of Brick, Stone,
The frame can be RCC, Steel, Wood frame etc.
concrete block etc.
Large openings in walls are possible. Limitations for openings in walls.

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1.5.2 Components of a Building

 Slab
 Beam
 Column
 Walls
 Foundation

Slab: Slabs are constructed to provide flat surfaces, usually

horizontal, in building floors, roofs, bridges, and other types of
structures. The slab may be supported by walls, by reinforced
concrete beams usually cast monolithically with the slab, by structural steel beams, by columns, or by
the ground.

Beam: A beam is a horizontal member and resists externally applied loads essentially by bending (or
flexure). Beams can also be referred to members, elements, rafters, shafts, or purlins. Beams may be in a
wide range of cross-sectional shapes depending on their different applications and strength purposes.
Some common shapes are I beams, T-beams, channel sections, rectangular, hollow rectangular and
pipes.

Column: Columns are vertical structural members which resist the external load primarily by axial
compression and sometimes both axial force and bending (when it is part of frame element) in case of
lateral loads such as wind and earthquake loads. Its capacity depends upon its geometry, material, and
the effective length of the column, which depends upon the restraint conditions at the top and bottom o f
the column.

Walls: Walls are used to divide or enclose in building construction, to form the periphery of a room or a
building. In traditional masonry construction, walls support the weight of floors and roofs (i.e., load bearing
structure). Modern steel and reinforced concrete frames, as well as heavy timber and other skeletal structures,
require exterior walls for shelter (i.e., Framed Structure).

Footings: Footings are structural elements that transmit column or wall loads to the underlying soil below
the structure.
Footings are designed to:
(a) transmit the loads to the soil without exceeding its safe bearing capacity
(b) prevent excessive settlement of the structure to a tolerable limit
(c) Minimize differential settlement
(d) Prevent sliding and overturning

1.5.3 Bridges
 A bridge is a structure which provides a safe passage for a road or railway track over obstacles, without
closing the obstacle below.
 The obstacle to be crossed may be a river or stream, a canal, road or a railway track. A bridge may also
be built for the safe passage of a canal (aqueduct).
 A bridge helps to connect difficult terrains, enables easy trade and transportation of goods and helps
reduce travelling time. Bridges have political & economic importance in addition to its use for military.

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Components of a bridge
The components of a bridge are mainly grouped into:
a. Super Structure – Portion of the bridge above
the bearing
b. Sub Structure – Portion of the bridge below the
bearing

Deck Slab Deck is bridge floor directly carrying traffic loads. Deck transfers loads to the Girders depending
on the decking material.

Girder: Girder/Beam is the part of superstructure which is under bending along the span. It is the load
bearing member which supports the deck slab.

Bearings: Bearings transfers loads from the girders to the pier caps. Bearing is a component which supports
part of the bridge and which transmits forces from one part to another part of the structure while permitting
angular and/or linear movement between parts.

Bed Blocks: Bed block rests over the top of the piers & abutments is generally provided to evenly distribute
the dead and live loads on the pier and abutments. They are usually made up of Reinforced Cement Concrete.

Abutments: Abutments are vertical structures used to retain the earth behind the structure. The dead and the
live loads from the bridge superstructure is also supported by the bridge abutments.

Piers: Pier is a part of the substructure which supports the superstructure and which transfers loads coming
on the superstructure to the foundations. Depending up on aesthetics, site, space and economic constraints
various shapes of piers are adopted to suit to the requirement. Mostly Reinforced Concrete or pre-stressed
concrete are adopted for the construction of piers

Foundation: Foundation is the component which transfers loads from the substructure to the bearing strata.
Depending on the geotechnical properties of the bearing strata, shallow or deep foundations are adopted.
Usually, piles and well foundations are adopted for bridge foundations.

Classification of Bridges

1. Based on Materials used

 Concrete Bridge
 Steel Bridge
 Timber Bridge
 Composite Bridge
2. Based on the purpose
 Road Bridge
 Rail Bridge
 Rail & Road Bridge

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 Pedestrian Bridge
 Aqueduct
3. Based on Support conditions
 Simply Supported Bridges
 Continuous Bridges
 Fixed Bridges
 Cantilever Bridges
4. Based on Span
 Culvert < 6m
 Minor Bridge 6m-60m
 Major Bridge > 60m
5. Based on Alignment
 Straight
 Skew
6. Based on Structural action
 Beam bridges
 Cable stayed bridges
 Suspension bridges
 Cantilever bridge
 Truss bridge
 Arch bridge

1.6 Transportation Engineering

 Transportation engineering is the science of safe and efficient movement of people and goods.
 Transportation contributes to the economic, industrial, social and cultural development of any country.
 Transportation is vital for the economic development of any region since every commodity produced,
whether it is food, clothing, agricultural products, industrial products or medicine, needs transportation at
all stages from production to distribution.
 In the production stage, transportation is required for carrying raw material like seeds, manure, coal, steel
oil etc.
 In the distribution stage, transportation is required from the production centers, namely farms and
factories to the marketing centers and later to the retailor and consumers for distribution.

Modes of Transportation:
The four major modes of transportation are:
1. Roadways or highways
2. Railways
3. Airways
4. Waterways

 Transport by air is the fastest among the four modes.

 Air travel also provides more comfort apart from the saving in transportation time for the passengers and
goods between the airports.
 Transportation by water is the slowest mode among all the modes but it is the economical mode of
transport.
 Transportation by water is possible between ports on the sea routes or along rivers or canals where inland
transportation facilities are available.

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1. Roadways or highways
Classification of Road:

Sectional view of Divided National Highway

Road Elements
 Pavement
 Camber
 Kerb
 Shoulders
 Medians

Pavement:
 A highway pavement is a structure consisting of superimposed layers of processed materials above the
natural soil sub-grade, whose primary function is to distribute the applied vehicle loads to the sub-grade.
 The ultimate aim is to ensure that the transmitted stresses due to wheel load are sufficiently reduced, so
that they will not exceed bearing capacity of the sub-grade.

Camber:
 Camber is a transverse slope provided to the road to drain off surface water.
 Camber depends on type of rainfall and pavement.
 Excessive camber causes transverse tilt of vehicle.

Kerb:
 Kerb is a boundary between pavement and footpath or median.
 It remarkets the road boundary and provide lateral support to the pavement.

Shoulders:
 Shoulder is an extra space provided to the road to use an emergency lane.
 Shoulder is much rougher than road so that it can’t be used as a regular traffic lane.

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Median:
 Function of median is to segregate the traffic in opposite direction, avoid head on collision and reduce the
gleaming effect due to the headlight at night.

Types of Pavement
The pavements can be classified based on the structural performance into two:
1. Flexible Pavement (Made up of Tar/ Bitumen)
2. Rigid Pavement (Made up of
concrete)
Flexible Pavement:
 It has low flexural strength.
 The external load in this pavement is
largely transmitted to the subgrade by
lateral distribution with increase in depth.
Rigid Pavement:
 Rigid pavement derives its capacity to
withstand load from flexural strength/rigidity.
 The stresses developed are not transmitted to
the lower layers like flexible pavements.
 The top layer is of plain cement concrete
which withstand stresses.
Differences between a Flexible and Rigid
pavement

Railway engineering: Railway engineering is a multi-faceted engineering discipline dealing with the design,
construction and operation of all types of rail transport systems.

1. Rails:
 Rails are the members of the track laid in two parallel lines to
provide an unchanging, continuous, and level surface for the
movement of trains.
 To be able to withstand stresses, they are made of high-carbon steel.
 They carry out the function of transmitting the load to a large area
of the formation through sleepers and the ballast.

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2. Sleepers:
 Sleepers are the transverse ties that are laid to support the rails.
 They have an important role in the track as they transmit the wheel load from the rails to the ballast.
 Sleepers hold the rails in their correct gauge and alignment.
 It also helps in transferring the load evenly from the rails to a wider area of the ballast.

3. Ballast:
 Ballast is a layer of broken stones, gravel, moorum, or any other granular material placed and packed
below and around sleepers for distributing load from the sleepers to the formation.
 It provides drainage as well as longitudinal and lateral stability to the track.

4. Formation (Subgrade):
 Subgrade is the naturally occurring soil which is prepared to receive the ballast.
 The prepared flat surface, which is ready to receive the ballast, along with sleeps and rails, is called the
formation.
 The formation is an important constituent of the track, as it supports the entire track structure.

Airport Engineering:
Airport Engineering encompasses the
planning, design, and construction of
terminals, runways, and navigation aids
to provide for passenger and freight
service.
 An airport is a facility where
passengers connect from ground
transportation to air transportation.
 It is a location where aircraft such as
airplanes, helicopters take off and
land.
 Aircraft may also be stored or
maintained at an airport.
 An airport should have runway for
takeoffs and landings, buildings such
as hangars and terminal buildings.
Runway orientation is important in
airport planning.
 Current practice is to layout a
runway in the direction of prevailing wind.
 Runways may be a man-made surface (often Bitumen, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface
(grass, dirt, gravel, ice, or salt).

Runway:
 “Rectangular area on an airport used for landing and take-off”
 Runway orientation is important in airport planning.
 Current practice is to lay out a runway in the direction of prevailing wind.
 Runways may be a man-made surface (often Bitumen, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface
(grass, dirt, gravel).

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Terminal buildings:

 These buildings are the spaces where passengers board or alight from flights.
 These buildings house all the necessary facilities for passengers to check-in their luggage, clear the
customs and have lounges to wait before disembarking. It can house cafes, lounges and bars to serve as
waiting areas for passengers.
 Ticket counters, luggage check-in or transfer, security checks and customs are the basics of all airport
terminals.
 Large airports can have more than one terminal that are connected to one another through link ways such
as walkways, sky-bridges or trams. Smaller airports usually have only one terminal that houses all the
required facilities.

Apron
 Portion of the airport usually provided in front of TB, means for parking, loading/unloading of aircraft,
refueling.
 It is paved area for parking of aircraft Loading and unloading of passengers and cargo. Usually located
near to the terminal building or hanger.
 They vary in size, from areas that may hold five or ten small planes, to the very large areas that the major
airports have.
 Unlike the runways or taxiways, vehicles can use aprons. It is typically more accessible to users than the
runway or taxiway.
 Apron portion is not managed by air traffic control (ATC).

Taxiway:
 These are defined as the paths on the airfield surface for the taxing of aircraft and are intended to provide
linkages between one part of the airfield and another.
 Hence on the taxiways aircrafts move only on the ground and there is no air movement associated and the
movement is relatively slow.
 They mostly have hard surface such as Bitumen or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use
gravel or grass.

Aircraft Stand:
 An aircraft stand is a place where an aircraft can be parked.
 It is part of the apron

Hangar:

 A hangar is a closed building structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft.

 Hangars are used for protection from the weather, direct sunlight and for maintenance, repair,
manufacture, assembly and storage of aircraft.
Control Tower: A tower at an airfield which air traffic is controlled by radio and observed physically and by
radar.

Parking: Parking is a specific area of airport at which vehicles park.

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1.7 Water resources and Irrigation Engineering

Dam and its purposes
A dam is a physical obstruction constructed across a river to store the water in reservoir and divert it for
multipurpose from its upstream side. The pool of water form on the upstream side of the dam, is called as the
reservoir of the dam.

Purpose of Construction of Dams:

The common purposes for the construction of dams are as follows
1. Power generation: Hydroelectric power is a major source of electricity in the world Many countries have
rivers with adequate water flow that can be dammed for power generation purposes.
2. Water supply: Many urban areas of the world are supplied with water abstracted from rivers pent up
behind low dams or weirs. Other major sources include deep upland reservoirs contained by high dams
across deep valleys.
3. Stabilize water flow/irrigation: Dams are often used to control and stabilize water flow, often for
agricultural purposes and irrigation.
4. Flood prevention: Dams that are created for flood control
5. Land reclamation: Dams are used to prevent ingress of water to an area that would otherwise be
submerged, allowing its reclamation for human use.
6. Water diversion Dams: that are constructed for diverting water for various purposes
7. Recreation Dams: built for any of the above purposes may find themselves displaced by the time of their
original use Nevertheless, the local community may have come to enjoy the reservoir for recreational and
aesthetic reasons

Components of a Dam structure

 Heel: contact with the ground on the upstream side.
 Toe: contact on the downstream side.
 Abutment: Sides of the valley on which the structure of the dam rest.
 Galleries: small rooms like structure left
within the dam for checking operations.
 Diversion tunnel: Tunnels are constructed
for diverting water before the construction
of dam. This helps in keeping the river bed
dry.
 Spillways: It is the arrangement near the top
to release the excess water of the reservoir
to downstream side
 Sluice way: An opening in the dam near the
ground level, which is used to clear the silt
accumulation in the reservoir side

Water Resource Engineering

 Water resource engineering deals with identification, utilization of available water resources minimizing
the loss.
 This also deals with ground water utilization, ground water recharge (Natural and Artificial) and rain
water harvesting. Not all natural freshwater, surface water or groundwater, is accessible for use.
 The available water resources considers factors such as the economic, environmental feasibility and
Physical possibility of catching water which naturally flows out to the sea.
 In general, exploitable resources are significantly smaller than the natural resources.

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Sources of Water
1. Surface sources: Lakes, Ponds, Rivers, Streams, Storage reservoir.
2. Subsurface sources: Open wells, Tube wells, Artesian wells, Springs, Infiltration gallery.

Irrigation Engineering deals with water management for agriculture purpose. Irrigation is the science of
artificial application of water to the agricultural field in accordance with crop requirements throughout the
period of growth for full maturity of crop.

Advantages
 Increase in food production
 Insuring optimum growth or maximum yield
 Mixed cropping
 Generation of hydropower
 Improving domestic water supply

Disadvantages
 Over irrigation may cause water logging which can reduce crop yield. Over irrigation combined with
fertilizers & pesticides can lead to increase in nutrient level of nearby lakes and rivers leading to
Eutrophication and may also cause groundwater contamination.
 Irrigation may lead to creation of climatic condition which favourable for public health diseases.

1.8 Environmental Engineering

Environment is the available nature around us. It includes the life support system such as water, air and
land/Soil. Environmental engineering deals with the technology to save nature from human and natural abuse
and pollution. The study involves balanced compromise between environment and safety.

Environmental Engineering primarily deals with:

 Technique of water collection, purification and supply
 Waste water collection, treatment and disposal
 Control of all types of pollution

Objectives of Water treatment

 Removal of floating suspended matter.

 Improvement in the aesthetic quality of water by removing unpleasant taste and odour.
 Removal of settleable suspended matter and non-settleable colloidal impurities.
 Removal of dissolved mineral matter, colour and bacteria.
 Softening of water for use in domestic washing laundries and boilers.
 Making the water non-corrosive, suitable for industrial processing, and recreational uses.
Water Quality parameters
Water Quality Parameters can be divided into three types

1. Physical Parameters
 Suspended solids – Sense of Sight
 Turbidity – Sense of Sight
 Colour – Sense of Sight
 Odour and taste – Sense of Smell and Taste
 Temperature – Sense of Touch

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2. Chemical Parameters
 Total Dissolved solids
 Alkalinity
 pH
 Hardness
 Nitrogen content
 Chloride content
 Fluoride content
 Different gases
 Metals
 DO, COD, BOD

3. Biological Parameters
 Bacteriological aspects
 Virologic aspects
 Parasitological aspects
 Algae

Functions of Water Treatment units

Waste Water
Wastewater is liquid waste, often produced as the byproduct of many uses of water.
 Household uses
 Industrial uses
 Commercial uses
 Agricultural uses
 Livestock uses

Characteristics of Waste water

 Mixture of water and liquid waste generated due to different activities in the community is referred as
sewage.
 If this liquid waste generated due to domestic activities then it is referred as domestic sewage.
 If it is generated due to industrial activity then it is referred as industrial waste.

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 Basic Engineering Sciences (CIV 1008)

 Liquid waste after heavy rainstorm is referred as drainage.

 Mixture of water and liquid waste generated due to different activities in the community is referred as
sewage.
 If this liquid waste generated due to domestic activities then it is referred as domestic sewage.
 If it is generated due to industrial activity then it is referred as industrial waste.
 Liquid waste after heavy rainstorm is referred as drainage.

Treatment of waste water

 Primary Treatment - Removal of portion of the suspended solids and organic matter from the
wastewater.
 Secondary treatment - Removal of biodegradable organic matter and suspended solids.
 Tertiary Treatment - Removal of residual suspended solids (after secondary treatment) by granular
medium filtration or microscreens.

Drinking Water Standards as per IS 10500: 2012

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