Glossary of common civil engineering terms

Aggregate: A broad category of coarse to medium-grained particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, and slag.  

Bearing capacity: The maximum load per unit area that the soil or rock can support without yielding or excessive settlement.

BIM (building information modeling): A digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility, forming a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle from inception onward.  

CAD (computer-aided design): The use of computer systems for creating, modifying, analysing, or optimising a design.

CBR (California bearing ratio): A penetration test for evaluating the strength of subgrade soil for roads and pavements.

Compaction: The process of increasing the density of a soil or aggregate by reducing the air voids through mechanical means.

Culvert: A structure that allows water to flow under a road, railroad, or other embankment.

Dead load: The static load acting on a structure due to its own weight and the weight of permanent, fixed components.

Embankment: A raised structure, typically made of earth or rock, used to support a roadway or other construction.

Geotechnical engineering: The branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials.

Live load: The dynamic load acting on a structure due to occupancy, movable equipment, and other temporary forces.

Pavement: The durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic.

Reinforced concrete: Concrete containing reinforcement, such as steel bars or mesh, to increase its tensile strength.

Settlement: The gradual downward movement of a structure due to the compression of the underlying soil.

Shear strength: The internal resistance of a material to shear stress, which is a force that causes layers of the material to slide past each other.

Subgrade: The natural soil prepared and compacted to support a pavement or other structure.

Superstructure: The portion of a bridge or building that is above the substructure.

Substructure: The supporting structure below the superstructure, such as foundations, piers, and abutments.

Yield strength: The stress at which a material begins to deform plastically, or permanently.

Water table: The upper level of an underground surface in which the soil is saturated with groundwater.