精选优质文档-倾情为你奉上Civil engineeringCivil engineering is a discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like , , , , and . Civil engineering is the oldest discipline after , and it was defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering. It is traditionally broken into several sub-disciplines including , , , , , , , , , and . Civil engineering takes place on all levels: in the public sector from municipal through to national governments, and in the private sector from individual homeowners through to international companies.History of the civil engineering professionSee also: Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of human existence. The earliest practices of Civil engineering may have commenced between 4000 and 2000 BC in and (Ancient Iraq) when humans started to abandon a existence, thus causing a need for the construction of shelter. During this time, became increasingly important leading to the development of the and .Until modern times there was no clear distinction between civil engineering and , and the term engineer and were mainly geographical variations referring to the same person, often used interchangeably. The construction of in Egypt (circa 2700-2500 BC) might be considered the first instances of large structure constructions. Other ancient historic civil engineering constructions include the by in (447-438 BC), the by (c. 312 BC), the by General under orders from Chin Emperor (c. 220 BC) and the stupas constructed in ancient like the and the extensive irrigation works in . The Romans developed civil structures throughout their empire, including especially , , , bridges, dams and roads.In the 18th century, the term civil engineering was coined to incorporate all things civilian as opposed to military engineering. The first self-proclaimed civil engineer was who constructed the . In 1771 Smeaton and some of his colleagues formed the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, a group of leaders of the profession who met informally over dinner. Though there was evidence of some technical meetings, it was little more than a social society.In 1818 the Institution of Civil Engineers was founded in , and in 1820 the eminent engineer became its first president. The institution received a Royal Charter in 1828, formally recognising civil engineering as a profession. Its charter defined civil engineering as:the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man, as the means of production and of traffic in states, both for external and internal trade, as applied in the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river navigation and docks for internal intercourse and exchange, and in the construction of ports, harbours, moles, breakwaters and lighthouses, and in the art of navigation by artificial power for the purposes of commerce, and in the construction and application of machinery, and in the drainage of cities and towns.The first private college to teach Civil Engineering in the United States was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge. The first degree in Civil Engineering in the United States was awarded by in 1835. The first such degree to be awarded to a woman was granted by to in 1905. History of civil engineeringCivil engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles, and its history is intricately linked to advances in understanding of and throughout history. Because civil engineering is a wide ranging profession, including several separate specialized sub-disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of , materials science, , , , , , and other fields.Throughout ancient and medieval history most architectural design and construction was carried out by , such as and , rising to the role of . Knowledge was retained in and seldom supplanted by advances. Structures, roads and infrastructure that existed were repetitive, and increases in scale were incremental.One of the earliest examples of a scientific approach to physical and mathematical problems applicable to civil engineering is the work of in the 3rd century BC, including Archimedes Principle, which underpins our understanding of , and practical solutions such as . , an Indian mathematician, used arithmetic in the 7th century AD, based on Hindu-Arabic numerals, for excavation (volume) computations.Civil engineers typically possess an with a major in civil engineering. The length of study for such a degree is usually three to five years and the completed degree is usually designated as a , though some universities designate the degree as a . The degree generally includes units covering physics, mathematics, , and specific topics in civil engineering. Initially such topics cover most, if not all, of the sub-disciplines of civil engineering. Students then choose to specialize in one or m