Civil Engineering, SKY-TEN
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
skyscraper
skyscraper, a very tall multistoried building. The name first came into use during the 1880s, shortly after the......
slab
slab, In architecture, a flat, monolithic piece of stone or concrete used for a floor or roof. There are various......
sleeping car
sleeping car, railroad coach designed for overnight passenger travel. The first sleeping cars were put in service......
sludge
sludge, in sewage treatment, solid matter that has settled out of suspension in sewage undergoing sedimentation......
Slype
Slype, in architecture, covered passageway in a medieval English cathedral or monastery. The slype may lead from......
smart grid
smart grid, a secure, integrated, reconfigurable, electronically controlled system used to deliver electric power......
Smeaton, John
John Smeaton was an English engineer noted for his all-masonry lighthouse on Eddystone reef off Plymouth, Devon,......
Smith, John
John Smith was an English explorer and early leader of the Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement......
smoke detector
smoke detector, device used to warn occupants of a building of the presence of a fire before it reaches a rapidly......
Soane, Sir John
Sir John Soane was a British architect notable for his original, highly personal interpretations of the Neoclassical......
Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français
Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), state-owned railroad system of France, formed in 1938. The......
sodium-vapour lamp
sodium-vapour lamp, electric discharge lamp using ionized sodium, used for street lighting and other illumination.......
Solar
Solar, in architecture, private room located on the floor above the great hall in a late medieval English manor......
solar heating
solar heating, the use of sunlight to heat water or air in buildings. There are two types of solar heating, passive......
solar oven
solar oven, a device that harnesses sunlight as a source of heat for cooking foodstuffs. The solar oven is a simple,......
solar water heater
solar water heater, device that uses solar heat energy to produce hot water. A typical solar water heater consists......
solar-powered desalination unit
solar-powered desalination unit, device that transforms salt water into drinking water by converting the Sun’s......
Solarium
Solarium, in architecture, any room that is exposed to the sun. While the term may also be applied to the open......
solid-waste management
solid-waste management, the collecting, treating, and disposing of solid material that is discarded because it......
Sommeiller, Germain
Germain Sommeiller was a French engineer who built the Mount Cenis (Fréjus) Tunnel in the Alps, the world’s first......
South Indian temple architecture
South Indian temple architecture, architecture invariably employed for Hindu temples in modern Tamil Nadu from......
South Manchurian Railway
South Manchurian Railway, railway line built to connect what were then the South Manchurian sea towns of Lüshun......
Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad, one of the great American railroad systems, established in 1861 by the “big four” of......
Southern Railway Company
Southern Railway Company was a railroad system in the southern United States that incorporated almost 150 prior......
space frame
space frame, Three-dimensional truss based on the rigidity of the triangle and composed of linear elements subject......
Spandrel
Spandrel, the roughly triangular area above and on either side of an arch, bounded by a line running horizontally......
special delivery
special delivery, service provided by the U.S. Postal Service for handling urgent mail. For the payment of an extra......
spillway
spillway, passage for surplus water over or around a dam when the reservoir itself is full. Spillways are particularly......
Spire
Spire, in architecture, steeply pointed pyramidal or conical termination to a tower. In its mature Gothic development,......
spotlight
spotlight, device used to produce intense illumination in a well-defined area in stage, film, television, ballet,......
sprinkler system
sprinkler system, in fire control, a means of protecting a building against fire by causing an automatic discharge......
Squinch
Squinch, in architecture, any of several devices by which a square or polygonal room has its upper corners filled......
St. Francis Dam disaster
St. Francis Dam disaster, catastrophic dam failure in California on March 12, 1928, that remains one of the worst......
Stadium
Stadium, enclosure that combines broad space for athletic games and other exhibitions with large seating capacity......
stagecoach
stagecoach, any public coach regularly travelling a fixed route between two or more stations (stages). Used in......
Staircase
Staircase, series, or flight, of steps between two floors. Traditionally, staircase is a term for stairs accompanied......
Stalactite work
Stalactite work, pendentive form of architectural ornamentation, resembling the geological formations called stalactites.......
Stanford, Leland
Leland Stanford was an American senator from California and one of the builders of the first U.S. transcontinental......
Stari Most
Stari Most, stone arch bridge spanning the Neretva River in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a way, the bridge......
Stave church
Stave church, in architecture, type of wooden church built in northern Europe mainly during the Middle Ages. Between......
Stecknitz Canal
Stecknitz Canal, Europe’s first summit-level canal (canal that connects two water-drainage regions), linking the......
Steeple
Steeple, tall ornamental tower, sometimes a belfry, usually attached to an ecclesiastical or public building. The......
Steinman, David Barnard
David Barnard Steinman was an American engineer whose studies of airflow and wind velocity helped make possible......
Stephenson, George
George Stephenson was an English engineer and principal inventor of the railroad locomotive. Stephenson was the......
Stephenson, George Robert
George Robert Stephenson was a pioneer English railroad engineer who assisted his uncle George Stephenson and his......
Stephenson, Robert
Robert Stephenson was an outstanding English Victorian civil engineer and builder of many long-span railroad bridges,......
stepwell
stepwell, subterranean edifice and water source, an architectural form that was long popular throughout India but......
Stevens, John Frank
John Frank Stevens was an American civil engineer and railroad executive who, as chief engineer of the Panama Canal......
Stevens, Robert Livingston
Robert Livingston Stevens was a U.S. engineer and ship designer who invented the widely used inverted-T railroad......
Stevenson, Robert
Robert Stevenson was a civil engineer who in 1797 succeeded his stepfather, Thomas Smith, as a member of the Scottish......
Stilwell Road
Stilwell Road, highway 478 mi (769 km) long that links northeastern India with the Burma Road (q.v.), which runs......
Stinnes, Hugo
Hugo Stinnes was a German industrialist who emerged after World War I as Germany’s “business kaiser,” controlling......
Stoa
Stoa, in Greek architecture, a freestanding colonnade or covered walkway; also, a long open building, its roof......
stove
stove, device used for heating or cooking. The first of historical record was built in 1490 in Alsace, entirely......
Strathcona and Mount Royal, Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron
Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal was a Canadian fur trader, financier, railway promoter,......
Stratospheric sulfur injection
Stratospheric sulfur injection, untested geoengineering technique designed to scatter incoming solar radiation......
Strauss, Joseph B.
Joseph B. Strauss was an American civil engineer and builder of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. After graduating......
streetcar
streetcar, vehicle that runs on track laid in the streets, operated usually in single units and usually driven......
strength of materials
strength of materials, Engineering discipline concerned with the ability of a material to resist mechanical forces......
Strickland, William
William Strickland was a U.S. architect and engineer who was one of the leaders of the Greek Revival in the first......
structural system
structural system, in building construction, the particular method of assembling and constructing structural elements......
stupa
stupa, Buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly......
Subei Canal
Subei Canal, canal in Jiangsu province, eastern China, designed to provide a direct outlet to the sea for the waters......
subway
subway, underground railway system used to transport large numbers of passengers within urban and suburban areas.......
Suez Canal
Suez Canal, sea-level waterway running north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean......
Suger
Suger was a French abbot and adviser to kings Louis VI and VII whose supervision of the rebuilding of the abbey......
Sukiya style
Sukiya style, Japanese architectural style developed in the Azuchi-Momoyama (1574–1600) and Tokugawa (1603–1867)......
summer camp
summer camp, any combined recreational and educational facility designed to acquaint urban children with outdoor......
sunlamp
sunlamp, electric discharge lamp (q.v.) that emits radiation of wavelengths present in sunlight, particularly the......
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge, cable-stayed concrete bridge over the southern end of Tampa Bay in western Florida that......
Superposed order
Superposed order, in Classical architecture, an order, or style, of column placed above another order in the vertical......
Sup’ung Dam
Sup’ung Dam, hydroelectric project on the Yalu River at the North Korean border with Liaoning province, northeastern......
surveying
surveying, a means of making relatively large-scale, accurate measurements of the Earth’s surfaces. It includes......
surveyor’s chain
surveyor’s chain, measuring device and arbitrary measurement unit still widely used for surveying in English-speaking......
surveyor’s level
surveyor’s level, instrument used in surveying to measure the height of distant points in relation to a bench mark......
suspension bridge
suspension bridge, bridge with overhead cables supporting its roadway. Modern suspension bridges are light and......
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge, steel-arch bridge across Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson), Australia. The bridge, opened in......
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House, opera house located on Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), New South Wales, Australia. Its unique......
Symington, William
William Symington was a British engineer who developed (1801) a successful steam-driven paddle wheel and used it......
synagogue
synagogue, in Judaism, a community house of worship that serves as a place not only for liturgical services but......
systems engineering
systems engineering, technique of using knowledge from various branches of engineering and science to introduce......
Séguin, Marc, The Elder
Marc Séguin, the Elder was a French engineer and inventor of the wire-cable suspension bridge and the tubular steam-engine......
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Tacoma Narrows Bridge, suspension bridge across the Narrows of Puget Sound, connecting the Olympic Peninsula with......
Takuan Sōhō
Takuan Sōhō was a Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhist priest responsible for the construction of the Tōkai Temple. Takuan......
Talbot, Arthur Newell
Arthur Newell Talbot was a civil engineer who was a foremost authority on reinforced concrete construction. He......
Taniguchi, Yoshio
Yoshio Taniguchi was a Japanese architect best known as the designer of the early 21st-century expansion of the......
Tarbela Dam
Tarbela Dam, earth-and-rock-fill dam on the Indus River, in Haripur and Swabi districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,......
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian conglomerate of 31 companies across a wide range of industries, including automobiles,......
Tata, Jamsetji
Jamsetji Tata was an Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Tata Group, one of India’s largest......
Tatami
Tatami, rectangular mat used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. It consists of a thick straw base and a soft,......
taxicab
taxicab, chauffeur-driven automobile available for hire to carry passengers between any two points within a city......
Taylor, Frederick W.
Frederick W. Taylor was an American inventor and engineer who is known as the father of scientific management.......
Taylorism
Taylorism, System of scientific management advocated by Fred W. Taylor. In Taylor’s view, the task of factory management......
Tehri Dam
Tehri Dam, multipurpose dam built on the Bhagirathi River in the Garhwal district of Uttarakhand state, India.......
Telford, Thomas
Thomas Telford was a versatile Scottish civil engineer whose crowning achievement was the design and construction......
temple
temple, edifice constructed for religious worship. Most of Christianity calls its places of worship churches; many......
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven, large religious complex in the old outer city of Beijing, considered the supreme achievement......
Temple, The
The Temple, in London, series of buildings associated with the legal profession. The Temple lies between Fleet......
Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), U.S. government agency established in 1933 to control floods, improve navigation,......