In this blog post, we will take a look at what civil engineering is, what its sub-fields are, and what challenges it will face in the future.

 

What does the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering study?

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is a department that covers the disciplines that are essential for designing and maintaining the infrastructure of our society. Students learn about various fields through a multidisciplinary approach that combines civil engineering with environmental engineering, urban engineering, and transportation engineering. In this department, students do not just learn about construction technology, but also integrate various academic knowledge to achieve harmony between nature and humans. Civil engineering alone is divided into structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydraulics, port engineering, surveying, and water and sewage engineering, and these sub-fields each require different specialties, making it a very broad undergraduate program. Through this, students develop the ability to design and manage complex social infrastructure. Civil engineering is called Civil Engineering in English, which means the engineering necessary for building civilization and maintaining society, and it can be seen that it is an academic discipline that plays an important role in laying the foundation of human civilization.

 

How did civil engineering begin?

It is no exaggeration to say that the history of civil engineering is the history of human civilization. From ancient civilizations to modern society, humanity has developed various civil engineering technologies to control and utilize nature to improve the living environment. As people began farming, they began to engage in civil engineering projects such as flood control projects, which led to the emergence of power structures in society and the beginning of civilization. For example, the construction of the pyramids in Egypt and the irrigation system in Mesopotamia are representative examples of early civil engineering and have greatly contributed to the development of human civilization. The history of civil engineering dates back thousands of years. Of course, it was only in the modern era that it began to be established as a specific discipline based on scientific methodology. However, looking at the arch-shaped piers used in ancient Roman aqueducts, we can see that civil engineering has already been established and developed through experience. Civil engineering is a discipline that has continuously evolved to improve the quality of life for humanity.

 

What are the different fields of civil engineering?

During the Renaissance, which began with the pursuit of human-centered rational thinking, mankind began to think about science through an understanding of nature. The Renaissance did not simply mean the revival of art and culture, but it also ushered in a new era in which humans understood and utilized nature through scientific exploration and innovative thinking. Since then, classical mechanics was established during the era of Galileo-Newton. Civil engineering was early on established as an academic discipline, and the first theories on material mechanics and structural mechanics were developed. These theories form the basis of civil engineering and continue to play an important role today. Fluid mechanics was developed through the discoveries of geniuses such as Bernoulli, and subsequently geotechnical engineering, which explains the behavior of the earth’s surface, became the backbone of the discipline. These theories are actually applied at construction sites and are contributing to improving the safety and efficiency of infrastructure. Also, surveying developed as a result of the need to calculate distances and areas for construction, and it became a branch of civil engineering. It took longer for water and sewage engineering, urban engineering, and transportation engineering to be incorporated into civil engineering because they were more closely related to public administration. By the middle of the 20th century, civil engineering had been systematized into six fields: structural, geotechnical, hydraulic, water and sewage, surveying, and port engineering. This system provides the foundation for civil engineering to play an important role in various aspects of society today.

 

Subfields of civil engineering – Structural engineering

All objects undergo a change in shape, movement, or both when they are subjected to a force. As the word “static” implies, statics is the study of deformation caused by force. Material mechanics and structural mechanics exist on the basis of statics. Material mechanics explains the deformation, sagging, and destruction of materials caused by force by taking into account not only force and deformation but also the characteristics of the material. This understanding forms the basis for designing safe and economical structures. Structural mechanics is the study of the deformation that occurs when components such as columns and beams are connected and behave as a single body. The difference between material mechanics and structural mechanics is that material mechanics is the study of the deformation that occurs in a single member, while structural mechanics is the study of the overall behavior when multiple members work together. In contrast to statics, kinematics is the study of the motion of objects caused by forces. Kinematics has not been applied in civil engineering for very long because civil engineering mainly deals with stationary structures. However, as the design that takes dynamic loads into account has become important recently, kinematics is gradually being widely applied. It was not until the early 20th century that it began to be used in conjunction with structural mechanics to explain the vibrations caused by moving loads on bridges and the vibrations caused by wind or earthquakes.

 

Subfields of civil engineering – Hydraulics, Port engineering, Water and sewage engineering

Fluid mechanics is a field of mechanics that explains the behavior of a large number of fine fluid particles that move continuously. It is almost impossible to explain the interaction of countless particles of tens of nanometers in size using simple basic principles and theoretical formulas. Therefore, fluid mechanics uses the simplest possible formula that best reflects the experimental results based on the results of countless repeated experiments. Based on the formula obtained in this way, the behavior of fluids flowing through pipes or waterways is predicted. This knowledge is applied in various fields, including flood prevention, water management, and energy production. Based on fluid mechanics, hydraulics has been developed to explain the flow of general rivers, rivers, and waterways, port engineering to explain the behavior of ocean currents and waves and the interaction of structures, and water and sewage engineering to explain the flow of fluids in pipes. These disciplines play an essential role in sustainable water management and marine development in modern society.

 

Sub-disciplines of civil engineering – Geotechnical engineering

Ground behavior is very diverse depending on the composition of sand, clay, etc. and the presence of water such as groundwater. Geotechnical engineering, which explains ground behavior, is based on soil mechanics, which deals with the behavior of soil, and fluid mechanics, which deals with the flow of groundwater. Geotechnical engineering plays an important role, especially in the early stages of construction projects, and is a key discipline in ensuring the safety of structures. Since the characteristics of the ground vary depending on the characteristics of each site, numerous experiments and field surveys are essential. If the characteristics of the ground are not fully considered, accidents such as ground subsidence and structural tilting may occur. For example, when building a tall building, if the stability of the ground is not secured, there is a risk that the building will tilt or collapse. Geotechnical engineering is essential to properly understand the ground behavior and strengthen the ground or install foundations to safely support the structure. This process is an important factor in the success of a construction project.

 

Subfields of civil engineering – surveying, environmental engineering

Surveying is a discipline that has developed to calculate distances, angles, and areas in order to accurately carry out construction. Surveying has become more precise and efficient when combined with modern GPS technology. The development of surveying has made it possible to carry out more precise and reliable construction, which has greatly contributed to the development of civil engineering. Environmental engineering is the study of finding ways to minimize the impact of construction and other building projects on the environment. Environmental engineering aims for sustainable development and focuses on minimizing the impact of human activity on the natural environment. Various technologies are developed and applied to protect the environment and improve the living environment of humanity when carrying out construction projects. For example, environmental engineering plays an important role in preventing water pollution, waste treatment, and air pollution management.

 

The Future and Challenges of Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is not just a collection of construction techniques, but a comprehensive discipline that encompasses all the elements necessary to create and maintain an environment in which humans and nature can coexist. Traditional civil engineering is evolving into a more efficient and sustainable practice by incorporating the latest technologies. For example, surveying techniques using drones on construction sites, monitoring the condition of structures using artificial intelligence, and eco-friendly designs using renewable energy are representative examples. These technologies are brightening the future of civil engineering and enabling more innovative approaches. However, there are still many challenges to be addressed. Designing new infrastructure in response to climate change, solving traffic problems due to urbanization, and sustainable resource management are the main challenges facing modern civil engineers. Therefore, civil engineering will need to continue research and development to solve these problems.