Civil Engineering, LYC-NAT
Civil engineering, the profession of designing and executing structural works that serve the general public. The term was first used in the 18th century to distinguish the newly recognized profession from military engineering, until then preeminent.
Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Lych-gate
Lych-gate, (from Middle English lyche, “body”; yate, “gate”) roofed-in gateway to a churchyard in which a bier......
Lysicrates, Monument of
Monument of Lysicrates, only extant example of the ancient Greek architectural structure known as the choragic......
macadam
macadam, form of pavement invented by John McAdam of Scotland in the early 19th century. McAdam’s road cross section......
Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge, long-span suspension bridge, spanning the Mackinac Straits from the Upper to the Lower Peninsula......
Macpherson, Sir David
Sir David Macpherson was a Scottish-born politician and railway builder who served as the Canadian minister of......
Maekawa Kunio
Maekawa Kunio was a Japanese architect noted for his designs of community centres and his work in concrete. After......
maglev
maglev, a floating vehicle for land transportation that is supported by either electromagnetic attraction or repulsion.......
magnetic compass
magnetic compass, in navigation or surveying, an instrument for determining direction on the surface of Earth by......
magneto
magneto, permanent-magnet generator mainly employed for ignition of compressed gasses in internal combustion engines.......
magnetohydrodynamic power generator
magnetohydrodynamic power generator, any of a class of devices that generate electric power by means of the interaction......
Mahone, William
William Mahone was an American railroad magnate and general of the Confederacy who led Virginia’s “Readjuster”......
mail
mail, the postal matter consigned under public authority from one person or post office to another. See postal...
Maillart, Robert
Robert Maillart was a Swiss bridge engineer whose radical use of reinforced concrete revolutionized masonry arch......
Main-Danube Canal
Main-Danube Canal, commercial waterway in the southern German state of Bavaria. Completed in 1992, the canal is......
Mall of America
Mall of America, shopping and entertainment complex in Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S., that opened in 1992 and that......
Mallet, Robert
Robert Mallet was an Irish geophysicist, civil engineer, and scientific investigator who is sometimes called the......
Mamontov, Savva
Savva Mamontov was a Russian railroad entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder and creative director of the Moscow......
Mance, Sir Henry Christopher
Sir Henry Christopher Mance was a British scientist and engineer who invented the heliograph, a signaling device......
Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal, waterway opened in 1894 linking Eastham, Merseyside, Eng., to the city of Manchester. The......
Mangla Dam
Mangla Dam, embankment dam on the Jhelum River near Jhelum, Pakistan. Mangla Dam, completed in 1967, is one of......
Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge, suspension bridge over the East River connecting southeastern Manhattan with western Brooklyn......
Manor house
Manor house, during the European Middle Ages, the dwelling of the lord of the manor or his residential bailiff......
Mansard roof
Mansard roof, type of roof having two slopes on every side, the lower slope being considerably steeper than the......
Mansart, Jules Hardouin-
Jules Hardouin-Mansart was a French architect and city planner to King Louis XIV who completed the design of Versailles.......
Mansion House
Mansion House, official residence of the lord mayor of the City of London. It stands in the City’s central financial......
Mantel
Mantel, hood or other similar projection, usually ornamented, that surrounds the opening of a fireplace and directs......
Marina City
Marina City, mid-century modern multibuilding development located at 300–350 North State Street and 315–339 North......
marshaling yard
marshaling yard, fan-shaped network of tracks and switches where railroad cars are sorted and made up into trains......
Martello tower
Martello tower, a defensive work whose name is a corruption of that of Cape Mortella in Corsica, where a circular......
Martin, Pierre-Émile
Pierre-Émile Martin was a French engineer who invented the Siemens–Martin (open-hearth) process, which produced......
Mashriq al-adhkar
Mashriq al-adhkar, temple or house of worship in the Bahāʾī faith. The mashriq is characterized by a nine-sided......
masonry
masonry, the art and craft of building and fabricating in stone, clay, brick, or concrete block. Construction of......
mass transit
mass transit, the movement of people within urban areas using group travel technologies such as buses and trains.......
Mastaba
Mastaba, rectangular superstructure of ancient Egyptian tombs, built of mud brick or, later, stone, with sloping......
materials recovery facility
materials recovery facility (MRF), solid-waste management plant that processes recyclable materials to sell to......
Maudslay, Henry
Henry Maudslay was a British engineer and inventor of the metal lathe and other devices. The son of a workman at......
Mausoleum
Mausoleum, large, sepulchral monument, typically made of stone, that is used to inter and enshrine the remains......
Maybach, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Maybach was a German engineer and industrialist who was the chief designer of the first Mercedes automobiles......
Maybeck, Bernard
Bernard Maybeck was an American architect whose work in California (from 1889) exhibits the versatility attainable......
McAdam, John Loudon
John Loudon McAdam was a Scottish inventor of the macadam road surface. In 1770 he went to New York City, entering......
McCoy, Elijah
Elijah McCoy was a Canadian-American inventor of a device to lubricate steam engines. McCoy’s inventions were considered......
McKim, Charles Follen
Charles Follen McKim was an American architect who was of primary importance in the American Neoclassical revival.......
mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering, the branch of engineering concerned with the design, manufacture, installation, and operation......
mechanical system
mechanical system, Any building service using machines. They include plumbing, elevators, escalators, and heating......
Megalith
Megalith, huge, often undressed stone used in various types of Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Early Bronze Age monuments.......
Megaron
Megaron, in ancient Greece and the Middle East, architectural form consisting of an open porch, a vestibule, and......
Meigs, Montgomery C
Montgomery C. Meigs was a U.S. engineer and architect, who, as quartermaster general of the Union Army during the......
membrane structure
membrane structure, Structure with a thin, flexible surface (membrane) that carries loads primarily through tensile......
Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge, suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait from Bangor, Wales, to the Isle of Anglesey, a distance......
Mendelsohn, Erich
Erich Mendelsohn was a German architect known initially for his Einstein Tower in Potsdam, a notable example of......
Menindee Lakes
Menindee Lakes, series of reservoirs, part of the Darling River Conservation Scheme, western New South Wales, Australia,......
Merchandise Mart
Merchandise Mart, landmark building in downtown Chicago, one of the largest commercial buildings in the world and......
mercury lamp
mercury lamp, electric discharge lamp (q.v.) in which light is emitted by electrically excited atoms of vapourized...
Merritt Parkway
Merritt Parkway, innovative and widely copied American automobile highway built between Greenwich and Stratford,......
MI6/SIS Building
MI6/SIS Building, headquarters building of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in London. It was designed......
Michelangelo
Michelangelo was one of the towering figures of the Italian Renaissance, celebrated as a sculptor, painter, and......
microgeneration
microgeneration, small-scale generation of heat and power designed to suit the needs of communities, businesses,......
microwave oven
microwave oven, appliance that cooks food by means of high-frequency electromagnetic waves called microwaves. A......
Midgley, Thomas, Jr.
Thomas Midgley, Jr. was an American engineer and chemist who discovered the effectiveness of tetraethyl lead as......
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German-born American architect whose rectilinear forms, crafted in elegant simplicity,......
military bridge
military bridge, temporary bridge that must usually be constructed in haste by military engineers, from available......
military engineering
military engineering, the art and practice of designing and building military works and of building and maintaining......
Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome, massive construction project and tourist attraction in Greenwich, London, England. It was initiated......
Miller, Oskar von
Oskar von Miller was an electrical engineer who fostered the electric-power industry in Germany and founded the......
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, former American railroad founded to build the first rail line west of the Mississippi......
Mitchell, Sir Thomas Livingstone
Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell was the surveyor general of New South Wales who explored and surveyed widely in......
Mittelland Canal
Mittelland Canal, German waterway begun in 1905 and completed in 1938. It extends from the Dortmund-Ems Canal east......
moat
moat, a depression surrounding a castle, city wall, or other fortification, usually but not always filled with......
Modane train crash of 1917
Modane train crash of 1917, train derailment in Modane, France, on Dec. 12, 1917, that killed more than 500 French......
Modjeski, Ralph
Ralph Modjeski was a Polish-born American bridge designer and builder, outstanding for the number, variety, and......
Module
Module, in architecture, an arbitrary unit adopted to regulate the dimensions, proportions, or construction of......
Moffat, David Halliday
David Halliday Moffat was an American capitalist and railway promoter after whom the Moffat Tunnel in Colorado......
monastery
monastery, local community or residence of a religious order, particularly an order of monks. See abbey;...
monorail
monorail, railway that runs on a single rail. This rail may be located either above or beneath the railway cars.......
Mont Blanc Tunnel
Mont Blanc Tunnel, major Alpine automotive tunnel connecting France and Italy. It is 11.7 km (7.3 miles) long and......
Monticello
Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, located in south-central Virginia, U.S., about 2 miles (3 km) southeast......
Montt, Pedro
Pedro Montt was a Chilean president (1906–10), whose conservative government furthered railroad and manufacturing......
Moore, Gordon
Gordon Moore was an American engineer and cofounder, with Robert Noyce, of Intel Corporation. Moore studied chemistry......
Morgan, J.P.
J.P. Morgan was an American financier and industrial organizer, one of the world’s foremost financial figures during......
Mortar
Mortar, in technology, material used in building construction to bond brick, stone, tile, or concrete blocks into......
Mortuary temple
Mortuary temple, in ancient Egypt, place of worship of a deceased king and the depository for food and objects......
Moscow Canal
Moscow Canal, ship waterway linking Moscow to the Volga River at Ivankovo, north of Moscow. Built between 1932......
Moses, Robert
Robert Moses was a U.S. state and municipal official whose career in public works planning resulted in a virtual......
Motel
Motel, type of affordable lodging originally catering to motorists. They typically offer rooms arranged along exterior......
motor generator
motor generator, an electric motor coupled to an electric generator to convert electric power from one from to......
Moucharaby
Moucharaby, in Islamic or Islamic-influenced architecture, an oriel, or projecting second-story window of latticework.......
Mount Cenis Tunnel
Mount Cenis Tunnel, rail tunnel from Modane, France, to Bardonècchia, Italy, the first great Alpine tunnel to be......
movable bridge
movable bridge, any of several types of bridges that can move to accommodate the passage of boats and ships. Movable......
Mulholland, William
William Mulholland was a self-trained Irish-born American civil engineer who is best known for having created an......
Mullion
Mullion, in architecture, a slender vertical division between adjacent lights or subdivisions in a window or between......
Murdock, William
William Murdock was a Scottish inventor, the first to make extensive use of coal gas for illumination and a pioneer......
Murray, Matthew
Matthew Murray was an English engineer. With little formal education, Murray went to work for a flax spinner in......
Myddelton, Sir Hugh, 1st Baronet
Sir Hugh Myddelton, 1st Baronet was a member of the English Parliament (1603–28) and contractor of the New River......
Mylius-Erichsen, Ludwig
Ludwig Mylius-Erichsen was a Danish journalist and explorer who led two productive expeditions to Greenland. The......
Napier, Robert Napier, 1st Baron
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier was a British field marshal who had a distinguished military and civil engineering......
Narthex
Narthex, long, narrow, enclosed porch, usually colonnaded or arcaded, crossing the entire width of a church at......
Nasser, Lake
Lake Nasser, reservoir on the Nile River, in Upper Egypt and northern Sudan. It was created by the impounding of......
Natchez Trace Parkway
Natchez Trace Parkway, scenic and historic roadway, extending 444 miles (715 km) through Mississippi, Alabama,......
national monument
national monument, in the United States, any of numerous areas reserved by act of Congress or presidential proclamation......
National Road
National Road, first federal highway in the United States and for several years the main route to what was then......