Civil Engineering, ROE-SKY
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
Roebling, Washington Augustus
Washington Augustus Roebling was a U.S. civil engineer under whose direction the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City,......
Rogun Dam
Rogun Dam, partially finished large clay-core rock-fill dam, expected to be the world’s highest and tallest dam,......
roller coaster
roller coaster, elevated railway with steep inclines and descents that carries a train of passengers through sharp......
Roman Baths
Roman Baths, well-preserved public bathing facility built about 70 CE on the site of geothermal springs in Roman......
Roman road system
Roman road system, outstanding transportation network of the ancient Mediterranean world, extending from Britain......
Rood screen
Rood screen, in Western architecture, element of a Christian church of the Middle Ages or early Renaissance that......
Roof
Roof, covering of the top of a building, serving to protect against rain, snow, sunlight, wind, and extremes of......
Root, Elisha King
Elisha King Root was an American inventor, engineer, and manufacturer. Root worked in a cotton mill from age 10......
Rose window
Rose window, in Gothic architecture, decorated circular window, often glazed with stained glass. Scattered examples......
Rosen, Harold
Harold Rosen was an American engineer who designed Syncom 2, the first geosynchronous communications satellite.......
Ross, Mary Golda
Mary Golda Ross was a Cherokee mathematician who was the first Native woman to work as an engineer in the U.S.......
Rotunda
Rotunda, in Classical and Neoclassical architecture, building or room within a building that is circular or oval......
Route 66
Route 66, one of the first national highways for motor vehicles in the United States and one that became an icon......
Royal Courts of Justice
Royal Courts of Justice, in London, complex of courtrooms, halls, and offices concerned primarily with civil (noncriminal)......
Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House, opera house that is the home of Britain’s oldest national opera and ballet companies. It is......
Royal Pavilion
Royal Pavilion, former royal seaside retreat in Brighton, Sussex, England, built in three stages between 1787 and......
Ruacana
Ruacana, site of an important hydroelectric-power station and a diversion dam directly above the Ruacana Falls,......
rubble masonry
rubble masonry, the use of undressed, rough stone, generally in the construction of walls. Dry-stone random rubble......
Rudolph, Paul
Paul Rudolph was one of the most prominent Modernist architects in the United States after World War II. His buildings......
Ruhmkorff, Heinrich Daniel
Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff was a German mechanic who invented the Ruhmkorff coil, a type of induction coil that......
rural electrification
rural electrification, project implemented in the United States in the second quarter of the 20th century by the......
rushlight
rushlight, stem of a rush, stripped of most of its tough outer fibre to expose the pith, which is then dipped in......
Russell, John Scott
John Scott Russell was a British civil engineer best known for researches in ship design. He designed the first......
rustication
rustication, in architecture, type of decorative masonry achieved by cutting back the edges of stones to a plane......
Rutan, Burt
Burt Rutan is an American aircraft and spacecraft designer who was perhaps best known for SpaceShipOne, which in......
Ryan, Thomas Fortune
Thomas Fortune Ryan was an American financier who played a key role in numerous mergers and business reorganizations......
Rybinsk Reservoir
Rybinsk Reservoir, large artificial body of water on the upper Volga River, northwestern Russia, formed by two......
Rüppell, Eduard
Eduard Rüppell was a German naturalist and explorer of northeastern Africa who is remembered as much for the zoological......
Sacristy
Sacristy, in architecture, room in a Christian church in which vestments and sacred objects used in the services......
Safdie, Moshe
Moshe Safdie is an Israeli-Canadian-American architect best known for designing Habitat ’67 at the site of Expo......
safety engineering
safety engineering, study of the causes and prevention of accidental deaths and injuries. The field of safety engineering......
safety lamp
safety lamp, lighting device used in places, such as mines, in which there is danger from the explosion of flammable......
Sage, Russell
Russell Sage was an American financier who played a part in organizing his country’s railroad and telegraph systems.......
Saint Louis-San Francisco Railway Company
Saint Louis-San Francisco Railway Company, railroad with lines in nine southern and central U.S. states before......
Sakia
Sakia, mechanical device used to raise water from wells or pits. A sakia consists of buckets fastened to a vertical......
Salomónica
Salomónica, in architecture, a twisted column, so called because, at the Apostle’s tomb in Old St. Peter’s Basilica......
Saltbox
Saltbox, in architecture, type of residential building popular in colonial New England, having two stories in front......
Sanctuary knocker
Sanctuary knocker, in architecture, knocker on the outer door of a Christian church. The sanctuary knocker could......
sanitary landfill
sanitary landfill, method of controlled disposal of municipal solid waste (refuse) on land. The method was introduced......
Sansovino, Jacopo
Jacopo Sansovino was a sculptor and architect who introduced the style of the High Renaissance into Venice. In......
sapper
sapper, military engineer. The name is derived from the French word sappe (“spadework,” or “trench”) and became......
sauna
sauna, bath in steam from water thrown on heated stones, popular in gymnasiums and health clubs, with some units......
Savery, Thomas
Thomas Savery was an English engineer and inventor who built the first steam engine. (Read James Watt’s 1819 Britannica......
Scaffold
Scaffold, in building construction, temporary platform used to elevate and support workers and materials during......
scanner
scanner, computer input device that uses a light beam to scan codes, text, or graphic images directly into a computer......
Schiff, Jacob H
Jacob H. Schiff was an American financier and philanthropist. As head of the investment banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb,......
Schinkel, Karl Friedrich
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a German architect and painter whose Romantic–Classical creations in other related......
Scottish Enlightenment
Scottish Enlightenment, the conjunction of minds, ideas, and publications in Scotland during the whole of the second......
scraper
scraper, in engineering, machine for moving earth over short distances (up to about two miles) over relatively......
Scrubbing tower
Scrubbing tower, a form of carbon capture in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is removed from air funneled into a large,......
Seagram Building
Seagram Building, high-rise office building in New York City (1958). Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip......
searchlight
searchlight, high-intensity electric light with a reflector shaped to concentrate the beam, used to illuminate......
security and protection system
security and protection system, any of various means or devices designed to guard persons and property against......
Sedilia
Sedilia, in architecture, group of seats for the clergy in a Christian church of Gothic style. Usually consisting......
sedimentation tank
sedimentation tank, component of a modern system of water supply or wastewater treatment. A sedimentation tank......
Segovia aqueduct
Segovia aqueduct, water-conveyance structure built under the Roman emperor Trajan (reigned 98–117 ce) and still......
Seikan Tunnel
Seikan Tunnel, undersea tunnel linking Japan’s main island of Honshu with the northern neighbouring island of Hokkaido.......
Sellers, William
William Sellers was an American engineer and manufacturer. Sellers was born into a distinguished scientific family.......
Sennar Dam
Sennar Dam, dam impounding the Blue Nile River for irrigation at the town of Sannār in Sudan. Completed in 1925,......
septic tank
septic tank, sewage treatment and disposal unit used principally for single residences not connected to municipal......
Serpa Pinto, Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de
Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto was a Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator who crossed southern......
Setback
Setback, in architecture, a steplike recession in the profile of a high-rise building. Usually dictated by building......
Seto Great Bridge
Seto Great Bridge, a series of suspension bridges spanning the Inland Sea (Seto-naikai) between the islands of......
Seven Mile Bridge
Seven Mile Bridge, box girder bridge in Florida that connects the middle keys to the lower keys. It spans from......
sewer
sewer, conduit that carries wastewater from its source to a point of treatment and disposal. The wastewater may......
sewerage system
sewerage system, network of pipes, pumps, and force mains for the collection of wastewater, or sewage, from a community.......
Shaduf
Shaduf, hand-operated device for lifting water, invented in ancient times and still used in India, Egypt, and some......
shaft graves
shaft graves, late Bronze Age (c. 1600–1450 bc) burial sites from the era in which the Greek mainland came under......
Shanghai World Financial Center
Shanghai World Financial Center, mixed-use skyscraper in Shanghai, China, that is one of the tallest buildings......
Shaughnessy, Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1st Baron
Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1st Baron Shaughnessy was a Canadian railway magnate. Born the son of Irish immigrants,......
Shavers, Cheryl L.
Cheryl L. Shavers is an American chemist and engineer who sought to bring her knowledge of science and technology......
Shay, Ephraim
Ephraim Shay was an American inventor of the so-called Shay type of geared steam locomotive, widely used in the......
Shear wall
Shear wall, In building construction, a rigid vertical diaphragm capable of transferring lateral forces from exterior......
Shell mound
Shell mound, in anthropology, prehistoric refuse heap, or mound, consisting chiefly of the shells of edible mollusks......
shell structure
shell structure, in building construction, a thin, curved plate structure shaped to transmit applied forces by......
Sheng Xuanhuai
Sheng Xuanhuai was a Chinese government official and entrepreneur in the last years of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12),......
shikhara
shikhara, in North Indian temple architecture, the superstructure, tower, or spire above the sanctuary and also......
Shingle
Shingle, thin piece of building material, usually with a butt end thicker than the other. Shingles are widely used......
Shinkansen
Shinkansen, pioneer high-speed passenger rail system of Japan, with lines on the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and......
ship construction
ship construction, complex of activities concerned with the design and fabrication of all marine vehicles. Ship......
Shirley-Smith, Sir Hubert
Sir Hubert Shirley-Smith was a British civil engineer who designed steel bridges in many parts of the world and......
Shockley, William B.
William B. Shockley was an American engineer and teacher, cowinner (with John Bardeen and Walter H. Brattain) of......
Shoin
Shoin, in Japanese domestic architecture, desk alcove that projects onto the veranda and has above it a shoji window......
Shoji
Shoji, in Japanese architecture, sliding outer partition doors and windows made of a latticework wooden frame and......
shoring
shoring, form of prop or support, usually temporary, that is used during the repair or original construction of......
Shotcrete
Shotcrete, concrete applied by spraying. Shotcrete is a mixture of aggregate and portland cement, conveyed by compressed......
shotgun house
shotgun house, narrow house prevalent in African American communities in New Orleans and other areas of the southern......
Si-o-Se Pol
Si-o-Se Pol, double-deck, brick-and-stone masonry arch bridge built in the early 17th century during Safavid rule......
Sibley, Hiram
Hiram Sibley was a founder and president of the Western Union Telegraph Company. Sibley first ran a machine shop......
Siding
Siding, material used to surface the exterior of a building to protect against exposure to the elements, prevent......
Siemens, Sir William
Sir William Siemens was a German-born English engineer and inventor, important in the development of the steel......
Sighs, Bridge of
Bridge of Sighs, enclosed limestone bridge in Venice, Italy, spanning the narrow canal (Rio di Palazzo) between......
Signal Companies, Inc., The
The Signal Companies, Inc., former American conglomerate corporation engaged mostly in automotive and aerospace......
Silk Road
Silk Road, ancient trade route, linking China with the West, that carried goods and ideas between the two great......
Simplon Tunnel
Simplon Tunnel, railway tunnel from Iselle, Italy, to Brig, Switzerland, one of the longest railway tunnels in......
Sirhind Canal
Sirhind Canal, canal in Punjab state, northwestern India. It opened in 1882 and consists of an extensive canal......
Sixtus IV
Sixtus IV was the pope from 1471 to 1484 who effectively made the papacy an Italian principality. Becoming a Franciscan,......
SKU
SKU, a code number, typically used as a machine-readable bar code, assigned to a single item of inventory. As part......
skylight
skylight, Roof opening covered with translucent or transparent glass or plastic designed to admit daylight. Skylights......