Civil Engineering, HER-KAH
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
Herrington, Arthur William Sidney
Arthur William Sidney Herrington was an American engineer and manufacturer who developed a series of military vehicles......
Hewlett, William
William Hewlett was an American engineer and businessman who cofounded the electronics and computer corporation......
High Speed Train
High Speed Train (HST), British long-distance passenger train operating nationwide since 1976, when the first service......
high-efficiency particulate air system
high-efficiency particulate air system (HEPA system), particulate air-filtration system designed to capture at......
high-rise building
high-rise building, multistory building tall enough to require the use of a system of mechanical vertical transportation......
high-speed rail
high-speed rail (HSR), passenger train that generally travels at least 200 km (124 miles) per hour and can cruise......
highway
highway, major road, usually in rural areas, but more recently a rural or urban road where points of entrance and......
Hill, James J.
James J. Hill was an American financier and railroad builder who helped expand rail networks in the northwestern......
Hindu temple
Hindu temple, sacred space in Hinduism for devotional worship of Hindu deities. Temples are considered to be homes......
Hip roof
Hip roof, roof that slopes upward from all sides of a structure, having no vertical ends. The hip is the external......
Hippodrome
Hippodrome, ancient Greek stadium designed for horse racing and especially chariot racing. Its Roman counterpart......
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ho Chi Minh Trail, elaborate system of mountain and jungle paths and trails used by North Vietnam to infiltrate......
Hodgkinson, Eaton
Eaton Hodgkinson was an English mathematician and civil engineer. From 1847, he taught at University College in......
Hogan
Hogan, traditional dwelling and ceremonial structure of the Navajo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. Early hogans......
Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel, twin-tube vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River connecting Canal Street in Manhattan, New York,......
Holonyak, Nick, Jr.
Nick Holonyak, Jr. was an American engineer who was known for his pioneering work with light-emitting diodes (LEDs),......
Honda Kenichi
Honda Kenichi was a Japanese engineer whose discovery (with Fujishima Akira) of the photocatalytic properties of......
Hongqi Canal
Hongqi Canal, canal and irrigation system in northern Henan province and in Shanxi province, eastern China. The......
Hoosac Tunnel
Hoosac Tunnel, railway tunnel that runs through Hoosac Mountain of the Berkshire Hills, east of North Adams, Massachusetts,......
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, dam in Black Canyon on the Colorado River, at the Arizona-Nevada border, U.S. Constructed between 1930......
Hoover, Theodore Jesse
Theodore Jesse Hoover was an American mining engineer, naturalist, educator, and the elder brother of U.S. Pres.......
Hopkins, Mark
Mark Hopkins was a California capitalist who helped build the Central Pacific (later the Southern Pacific) Railroad......
Hopkinson, John
John Hopkinson was a British engineer and physicist who invented the three-wire system for electricity distribution......
horsecar
horsecar, street carriage on rails, pulled by horse or mule, introduced into New York Cityâs Bowery in 1832 by......
hospital
hospital, an institution that is built, staffed, and equipped for the diagnosis of disease, for the treatment of......
Hotel
Hotel, building that provides lodging, meals, and other services to the traveling public on a commercial basis.......
Hotel dieu
Hotel dieu, in France, any medieval hospital; the name now refers only to those whose history goes back to the......
houseboat
houseboat, in its simplest form, a cabin of one or two rooms built on a flat-bottomed scow, drawing only from 12......
Houston, Edwin James
Edwin James Houston was a U.S. electrical engineer who influenced the development of commercial lighting in the......
How Do Microwaves Work?
Microwave ovens were life altering from the moment they began humming and heating in homes of the 1970s. The sprinter......
How do water towers work?
Commonly seen dotting the countryside and often visible from miles away, water towersâalso called storage distribution......
How does a double-helix staircase work?
The ChĂąteau de Chambord is an immense castle in Franceâs Loire River valley that boasts a treasure trove of stunning......
How does a microwave oven work?
A microwave oven uses microwave radiation to heat and cook food. Microwave ovens have a device called a magnetron......
How was Stonehenge built?
Stonehenge was constructed over six stages between 3000 and 1520 bce using a sophisticated post-and-lintel system,......
How was the Eiffel Tower built?
The Eiffel Tower was constructed using advanced engineering techniques and a small labor force over a period of......
How was the Great Wall of China made?
The Great Wall of China was constructed using a variety of materials and techniques, evolving over centuries to......
How was the Panama Canal built?
The construction of the Panama Canal was a monumental feat that was accomplished through strategic engineering,......
How was the Roman Colosseum built?
The Roman Colosseum was constructed using a combination of innovative engineering techniques and a variety of materials,......
Howe, William
William Howe was a U.S. inventor who pioneered in the development of truss bridges in the U.S. An uncle of Elias......
Huajiang Canyon Bridge
Huajiang Canyon Bridge, suspension bridge in Guizhou province, southwestern China, spanning the Beipan River canyon......
Hudson, George
George Hudson was an English financier, known as the ârailway king,â whose enterprise made York a major railway......
huiguan
huiguan, series of guildhalls established by regional organizations (tongxiang hui) in different areas of China......
human-factors engineering
human-factors engineering, science dealing with the application of information on physical and psychological characteristics......
Humanitarian engineering
Humanitarian engineering, the application of engineering to improving the well-being of marginalized people and......
Humber Bridge
Humber Bridge, suspension bridge extending across the River Humber at Hessle about 8 km (5 miles) west of Kingston......
Hume Reservoir
Hume Reservoir, reservoir in Australia, on the VictoriaâNew South Wales border, at the confluence of the Mitta-Mitta......
Hunt, Richard Morris
Richard Morris Hunt was an architect who established in the United States the manner and traditions of the French......
Huntington, Collis P.
Collis P. Huntington was an American railroad magnate who promoted the Central Pacific Railroadâs extension across......
HVAC
HVAC, mechanical system used to control the temperature, humidity, and movement of air throughout a building or......
hydraulic power
hydraulic power, power transmitted by the controlled circulation of pressurized fluid, usually a water-soluble......
Hypocaust
Hypocaust, in building construction, open space below a floor that is heated by gases from a fire or furnace below......
Hypostyle hall
Hypostyle hall, in architecture, interior space whose roof rests on pillars or columns. The word means literally......
iconostasis
iconostasis, in Eastern Christian churches of Byzantine tradition, a solid screen of stone, wood, or metal, usually......
Iddings, Joseph Paxson
Joseph Paxson Iddings was an American geologist who demonstrated the genetic relationships of neighbouring igneous......
Igloo
Igloo, temporary winter home or hunting-ground dwelling of Canadian and Greenland Inuit (Eskimos). The term igloo,......
Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad (IC), former U.S. railroad founded in 1851 that expanded service from Illinois to much......
image processing
image processing, set of computational techniques for analyzing, enhancing, compressing, and reconstructing images.......
Imbrex
Imbrex, in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, a raised roofing tile used to cover the joint between the flat......
immersed tube
immersed tube, technique of underwater tunneling used principally for underwater crossings. The method was pioneered......
Immingham
Immingham, dock system 6 miles (10 km) north of Grimsby, unitary authority of North East Lincolnshire, Eng. It......
incandescent lamp
incandescent lamp, any of various devices that produce light by heating a suitable material to a high temperature.......
incinerator
incinerator, container for burning refuse, or plant designed for large-scale refuse combustion. In the second sense,......
Indravarman I
Indravarman I was the ruler of the Khmer kingdom of Angkor (Cambodia) from 877 to about 890. Indravarman probably......
industrial engineering
industrial engineering, application of engineering principles and techniques of scientific management to the maintenance......
Inn
Inn, building that affords public lodging, and sometimes meals and entertainment, to travelers. The inn has been......
Insula
Insula, (Latin: âislandâ), in architecture, block of grouped but separate buildings or a single structure in ancient......
Insull, Samuel
Samuel Insull was a British-born American public utilities magnate whose vast Midwest holding company empire collapsed......
Intercolumniation
Intercolumniation, in architecture, space between columns that supports an arch or an entablature (an assemblage......
Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System, a network of public highways established across the United States by federal law. Though......
Ionic order
Ionic order, one of the orders of classical architecture. Its distinguishing feature is the twin volutes, or spiral......
Ironbridge
Ironbridge, generally considered the first cast-iron bridge, spanning the River Severn at Ironbridge, near Coalbrookdale,......
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture, building traditions of Muslim populations of the Middle East and elsewhere from the 7th century......
IslÄmic bath
IslÄmic bath, public bathing establishment developed in countries under IslÄmic rule that reflects the fusion of......
Isozaki, Arata
Arata Isozaki was a Japanese architect who, during a six-decade career, designed more than 100 buildings, each......
Issigonis, Sir Alec
Sir Alec Issigonis was a British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially......
ItaipĂș Dam
ItaipĂș Dam, hollow gravity dam on the Alto (Upper) ParanĂĄ River at the Brazil-Paraguay border. It is located north......
Ito, Toyo
Toyo Ito is a Japanese architect known for his innovative designs and for taking a fresh approach to each of his......
Jackling, Daniel Cowan
Daniel Cowan Jackling was an American mining engineer and metallurgist who developed methods for profitable exploitation......
Jahn, Helmut
Helmut Jahn was a German-born American architect known for his postmodern steel-and-glass structures. After graduating......
Jaisamand Lake
Jaisamand Lake, large reservoir lake in the southeastern Aravalli Range, south-central Rajasthan state, northwestern......
Jansky, Karl
Karl Jansky was an American engineer whose discovery of radio waves from an extraterrestrial source inaugurated......
Japan Railways Group
Japan Railways Group, principal rail network of Japan, consisting of 12 corporations created by the privatization......
Jenkin, Fleeming
Fleeming Jenkin was a British engineer noted for his work in establishing units of electrical measurement. Jenkin......
Jenney, William Le Baron
William Le Baron Jenney was an American civil engineer and architect whose technical innovations were of primary......
Jervis, John Bloomfield
John Bloomfield Jervis was an American civil engineer who made outstanding contributions in the construction of......
jetty
jetty, any of a variety of engineering structures connected with river, harbour, and coastal works designed to......
Jin Mao Tower
...
Jinping-I Dam
Jinping-I Dam, double curvature arch dam and hydroelectric project situated at the Jinping Bend of the Yalong River,......
Johansson, Carl Edvard
Carl Edvard Johansson was a Swedish mechanical engineer. After spending part of his youth in Minnesota, he returned......
John Frost Bridge
John Frost Bridge, bridge over the Lower Rhine River in Arnhem, Netherlands, that was the site of a major battle......
John Ternus
John Ternus is an American technology executive who became chief executive officer of Apple Inc. (AAPL) in 2026,......
Johnson, Philip
Philip Johnson was an American architect and critic known both for his promotion of the International Style and,......
joist
joist, ceiling or floor support in building construction. Joistsâof timber, steel, or reinforced concreteâare laid......
Jones, Casey
Casey Jones was an American railroad engineer whose death as celebrated in the ballad âCasey Jonesâ made him a......
Jouffroy dâAbbans, Claude-François-DorothĂ©e, marquis de
Claude-François-DorothĂ©e, marquis de Jouffroy dâAbbans was a French engineer and inventor who in 1783 traveled......
Jube
Jube, (from the French jubé), construction marking off the chancel, or sanctuary, of a church from the rest of......
just-in-time manufacturing
just-in-time manufacturing (JIT), Production-control system, developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and imported to the......
Kahn, Louis
Louis Kahn was an American architect whose buildings, characterized by powerful, massive forms, made him one of......