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Civil Engineering Vocab

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Load applied along or parallel to and concentric with the primary axis






2. Any method of determining the weight a compacted material is able to support without damage or displacement. Usually stated in pounds per square foot.






3. A road laid through a garden or park-like landscape - usually with median and roadside plantings.






4. A collection pipe to which building laterals are connected.






5. The prepared and compacted base on which a manhole is constructed.






6. British thermal units; the quantity of thermal energy required to raise one pound of water at its maximum density - 1 degree F. One BTU is equivalent to .293 watt hours - or 252 calories. One kilowatt hour is equivalent to 3412 BTU Back Pressure (wat






7. A device that admits surface waters to the storm water drainage system. Also see CURB INLET and CATCH BASIN.






8. A trained builder or installer of landscapes - retained to implement the plans of landscape architects.






9. The force that resists the separation of two bodies in contact.






10. Sedimentation basin overflow weir. A plate with Vnotches along the top to ensure a uniform flow rate and avoid shortcircuiting.






11. A layer - usually of concrete or mortar - for providing continuous support to such items as bricks - slabs - pipes.






12. A downspout or pipe installed to drain a roof gutter to a storm drain or other means of disposal.






13. One or a series of oneinch diameter holes through a manhole lid for purposes of venting dangerous gases found in sewers.






14. A wastewater pumping station that lifts the wastewater to a higher elevation when continuing the sewer at reasonable slopes would involve excessive depths of trench. Also - an installation of pumps that raise wastewater from areas too low to drain in






15. Masonry composed of roughly shaped stones fitting approximately on level beds - well bonded and brought at vertical intervals to continuous level beds of courses.






16. The man-made creation of or alterations to a specific area - including its natural resources. This is in contrast to the 'natural environment.'






17. A network of pipes - manholes - cleanouts - traps - siphons - lift stations and other structures used to collect all wastewater and wastewatercarried wastes of an area and transport them to a treatment plant or disposal system. The collection system






18. Material used to fill in a trench or excavation






19. Water or wastewater flowing from a higher elevation to a lower elevation due to the force of gravity. The water does not flow due to energy provided by a pump. Wherever possible - wastewater collection systems are designed to use the force of gravity






20. Railing support at landings or other breaks in the stairs. If an angle post projects beyond the bottom of the strings - the ornamental detail formed at the bottom of the post is called the drop.






21. A holding basin in which variations in flow and composition of a liquid are averaged. Such basins are used to provide a flow of reasonably uniform volume and composition to a treatment unit. Also called a balancing reservoir.






22. Masonry composed of irregularly shaped stones laid without regularity of coursing - but well bonded.






23. The conversion of large solid particles of sludge into very fine particles which either dissolve or remain suspended in wastewater.






24. In zoning - a housing or commercial development composed of individual units that are regulated as a whole.






25. In landscape architecture - the organization of areas of land for specific aesthetic or functional purposes. This can range from creating small backyard patios to huge urban plazas.






26. The excess water running off from the surface of a drainage area during and immediately after a period of rain. See STORM RUNOFF.






27. A device made of pipe fittings used to prevent sewer gases escaping from the branch or lateral sewer from entering a building sewer.






28. The legal grant of right-of-use to an area of designated private property.






29. A material - other than aggregate - cementitious material or water - added in small quantities to the mix in order to produce some (desired) modifications - either to the properties of the mix or of the hardened product.






30. A sewer installed to connect two separate sewers. If one sewer becomes blocked - wastewater can back up and flow through the interconnector to the other sewer.






31. An opening or point of access in a building wastewater pipe system for rodding or snake operation.






32. A sewer that receives wastewater from many tributary branches or sewers and serves a large territory and contributing population.






33. Material used for backfilling a trench or excavation which was not the original material removed during excavation. This is a common practice where tests on the original material show it to have poor compactability or load capacity. Also called BORRO






34. An opening in pipes or sewers designed for rodding or working a snake into the pipe in either direction. Twoway cleanouts are most often found in building lateral pipes at or near a property line.






35. Legal right to use the property of others for a specific purpose. For example - a utility company may have a fivefoot easement along the property line of a home. This gives the utility the legal right to install and maintain a sewer line within the e






36. Downstream opening or discharge end of a pipe - culvert - or canal.






37. A branch of biology dealing with the relationship between living things and their environment.






38. A line from which heights and depths are calculated or measured. Also called a datum plane or a datum level.






39. A capped opening in a building lateral -usually located on the property line - through which the pipelines can be cleaned.






40. A large pipe to which a series of smaller pipes are connected. Also called a HEADER.






41. Installation of pumps to lift wastewater to a higher elevation in places where flat land would require excessively deep sewer trenches. Also used to raise wastewater from areas too low to drain into available collection lines. These stations may be e






42. The change to an area's natural resources - including animal and plant life - resulting from use by man. Some projects may require conducting of an 'environmental impact study' before development can proceed.






43. A separate pipe - conduit or open channel (sewer) that carries runoff from storms - surface drainage - and street wash - but does not include domestic and industrial wastes. Storm sewers are often the recipients of hazardous or toxic substances due t






44. A U.S. government agency responsible for developing and enforcing regulations that guide the use of land and natural resources.






45. The movement of water through very small spaces due to molecular forces.






46. The precipitation that cannot be absorbed by the soil and flows across the surface by gravity. The water that reaches a stream by traveling over the soil surface or falls directly into the stream channels - including not only the large permanent stre






47. Any designated use or activity on a piece of land.






48. A manhole in which the rate of the water entering is greater than the capacity of the outlet under gravity flow conditions. When the water in the manhole rises above the top of the outlet pipe - the manhole is said to be 'surcharged.'






49. A legal form of land-use control and building regulations usually exercised by a municipal authority; usually involves setting aside of distinct land areas for specific purposes - such as commercial - educational or residential development.






50. Most plumbing codes require a vent pipe connection of adequate size and located downstream of a trap in a building wastewater system. This vent prevents the accumulation of gases or odors and is usually piped through the roof and out of doors.