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1. What are the duties and responsibilities of civil site engineer in road and building construction?
While in duty of supervision of building, you should ensure that the concrete mixing is according to the grade specified. While supervision of road, you should ensure that the different layers of the road are laid in proper thickness.
Civil site engineer. Is responsible for execution of all construction activity allowed to him & he should take responsibility towards all scope of work under him. He should carryout work allowed to him.
There are two types of site civil engineer , first job is a supervisory one if he works with the consultant, in this case he needs to make sure that the document in hand is the correct designed.
2 .What is least cover provided for different RCC Members?
- Footing = 50 mm
- Column = 40mm
- Beam = 25mm
- Slab = 20mm
3.What are the functions of column in a building?
Column is a verticle member in building whose primary function is to support structural load and transfer it through beams. Upper columns transfers the load to the lower columns and finally to the ground through footings.
4. What is the cement sand & aggregate ratios for various grades of concrete mix?
A. M7.5 – 1:4:8
B. M10 – 1:3:6
C. M15 – 1:2:4
D. M20 – 1:1.5:3
E. M25 – 1:1:2
F. M30 – 1:1:1
5. What do you mean by honeycomb in concrete?
Honeycomb, also known as airpocket, is nothing but the air voids in concrete. It is usually formed during concrete casting.
6. Does Water damage concrete?
Plain concrete is not affected or damaged by water but Reinforced Concrete (RCC) can be damaged due to water. This is because the water may seep into the concrete and corrode the steel reinforcement inside.
7.What is the initial and final setting time of ideal cement mix?
Initial setting time for ideal cement mix is around 30 minutes for almost all kind of cements. For masonry cement it can be 90minutes. Final setting time of ideal cement mix should be 10 hours at max. For masonry cement it shouldn’t exceed 24hours.
8. What are common methods of curing the concrete?
- Spraying
- Wet covering of Surface
- Ponding
- Application of curing chemicals
- Steam curing
9. What is the formula for weight of steel?
Weight of steel in kg can be calculate by formula (D2*L)/162; where D is diameter of steel bar in millimeter and L is total length of steel bar in meter.
10. What do you know about “TMT”?
TMT stands for “Thermo Mechanically Treated”. Generally we use TMT bars and sheet for construction purposes for the reason that they have high strength and high corrosion resistance compared to normal steels.
11. What is difference between working stress method and limit state method?
Working stress method is an elastic design method in which structure is designed to bear the load upto elastic limit. Whereas, limit state method is a plastic design method in which structure is designed to bear the load beyond plastic limit.
12. What field tests are required for quality check of cement?
Quality of cement can be checked with color, physical properties, etc. Cement should have grey color with light greenish shade. It should feel smooth when rubbed between fingers. If hand is inserted in a heap of cement or its bags, it should feel cool. When pinch of cement is thrown in Water then cement should float for some time before it sink. Also, it should be lump free.
13. What are the types of foundation used in construction?
There are basically two types of foundation: Shallow & Deep foundation. Again shallow foundation can be classified as spread footing, combined footing, strap or cantilever footing and finally mat or raft footing. Deep foundations can be classified as pile footing, pier footing, caissons footing and well foundation.
14. What are the types of cement?
There are various types of cement which are: Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), White Portland Cemetn (WPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Low Heat Portland Cement, Coloured Portland Cement, Hydrophobic cement, Rapid Hardening Cement, Portland Slag Cement, Sulphate resisting Portland Cement, etc.
15. What is guniting?
It is a process in which mixture of cement & sand in proportion of 1:3 is shooted on concrete surface with the help of cement gun under pressure of 2 to 3 kg/cm2. It is a highly effective process for repairing concrete walls or damaged surfaces.
16. What is the function of sand in mortar?
The main role of sand (aggregate) in mortar or plaster is to provide core strength, but it has other benefits too. If water is mixed with binder without adding sand to the mixture, both compressive and tensile strength of the mixture would be drastically lower than in mixture with added sand. It also helps to prevent mortar shrinkage, increases density and helps in setting.
17. What are various tests for checking brick quality?
We can use water absorption test, hardness test, shape & size, crushing strength test, soundness test, etc. to check the brick quality. In water absorption test, we dip the brick for 16 hours in water. If weight of brick after dipping in water doesn’t exceed by 20%, it can be considered as first class brick, if below 22.5% it can be considered as second class brick, if below 25% it can be considered as third class brick. In crushing test, it crushing strength should be minimum of 10 N/mm2 for first class brick, 7.5 N/mm2 for second class bricks. In hardness test, we scratch the brick with nails. It should be scratch free. In soundness test we check the metallic sound by striking two bricks with each other.
18. What is void ratio?
Void ratio is the ratio of volume of voids to volume of solids.
19. What is the function of sand in mortar?
The main role of sand (aggregate) in mortar or plaster is to provide core strength, but it has other benefits too. If water is mixed with binder without adding sand to the mixture, both compressive and tensile strength of the mixture would be drastically lower than in mixture with added sand. It also helps to prevent mortar shrinkage, increases density and helps in setting.
20. What are various tests for checking brick quality?
We can use water absorption test, hardness test, shape & size, crushing strength test, soundness test, etc. to check the brick quality. In water absorption test, we dip the brick for 16 hours in water. If weight of brick after dipping in water doesn’t exceed by 20%, it can be considered as first class brick, if below 22.5% it can be considered as second class brick, if below 25% it can be considered as third class brick. In crushing test, it crushing strength should be minimum of 10 N/mm2 for first class brick, 7.5 N/mm2for second class bricks. In hardness test, we scratch the brick with nails. It should be scratch free. In soundness test we check the metallic sound by striking two bricks with each other.
21. What is void ratio?
Void ratio is the ratio of volume of voids to volume of solids.
23. Name various authorities or workers on a construction site ?
- Senior Engineer/Project manager
- SiteEngineer
- Contracter
- Mistri
- Mason/labor
23. What is responsibility of civil foreman ?
A Civil foremen duties/responsibilities is inspect on sides and management of each work on side and labor work, work quality also record of all work and each labor man & control work on time,on side accident, machines,material,tools. etc are full responsibility a side foremen.
24. What is shuttering? How it is done on site?
Shuttering is Temporary Structure. This Structure used for Placing of Permanent Structure according to Approved Drawing and Design. This structure generally Wooden or Steel.
25. How to differentiate the volumes of wet and dry sand / soil?
It should find out by Rapid moisture meter ,method moisture correction method.In Wet sand moisture become more and it dry moisture become less then wet.In sand moisture should be allowing only 12 %. 25% of Volume will be differ from the both.
26. Which is more efficient – rectangular beam or a circular beam? Give example?
According to material of beam if we use concrete then rectangular beam but on using steel beam tubular section are better than rectangular.
27. What is fineness of cement?
Fineness of cement is property of cement that indicate particle size of cement and specific surface area. and indirectly effect heat of hydration. if fineness is more then heat of hydration should be more.
To calculate fineness of cement sieving are done sieve number 9 and size of sieve 90 micron sieve
28. Describe briefly the various methods of concrete curing?
Curing is the process of maintaining the moisture and temperature conditions for freshly deployed concrete. This is done for small duration of time to allow the hardening of concrete. The methods that are involved in saving the shrinkage of the concrete includes:
- Spraying of water: on walls, and columns can be cured by sprinkling water.
- Wet covering of surface: can be cured by using the surface with wet gunny bags or straw
- Ponding: the horizontal surfaces including the slab and floors can be cured by stagnating the water.
- Steam curing: of pre-fabricated concrete units steam can be cured by passing it over the units that are under closed chambers. It allows faster curing process and results in faster recovery.
- Application of curing compounds: compounds having calcium chloride can be applied on curing surface. This keeps the surface wet for a very long time.
29. Why are steel plates inserted inside bearings in elastomeric bearings?
In order to make a elastomeric bearing act/ function as a soft spring it should be made to allow it to bulge laterally and also the stiffness compression can be increased by simply increasing the limiting amount of the lateral bulging. In many cases in order to increase the compression stiffness of the bearing the usage of metal plates is made. Once steel plates are included in the bearings the freedom of the bulge is restricted dramatically, also the deflection of the bearing is reduced as compared to a bearing without the presence of steel plates. The tensile stresses of the bearings are induced into the steel plates. But the presence of the metal plates does not affect the shear stiffness of the bearings.
30. What reinforcements are used in the process of prestressing?
The major types of reinforcements used in prestressing are:
- Spalling Reinforcement: The spalling stresses leads to stress behind the loaded area of the anchor blocks. This results in the breaking off of the surface concrete. The most likely causes of such types of stresses are Poisson`s effects strain interoperability or by the stress trajectory shapes.
- Equilibrium reinforcements: This type of reinforcements are required where several anchorages exist where the prestressing loads are applied in a sequential manner.
- Bursting Reinforcements: These kinds of stresses occur in cases where the stress trajectories are concave towards the line of action of load. In order to reduce such stresses reinforcements in the form of bursting is required.
31. How would you know if the concrete has gained its initial set?
If there is no more water seen (brightness) on the surface of the concrete, or if there is no water on the surface of the concrete.
32. If agitated concrete is discharged after more than one hour, what will happen?
The concrete is over mixed, becomes hot, and the strength is reduced
33. How many layers are in the concrete cube?
Concrete Cube is cast in 3 layers.
34. How many strokes are done in one layer in a concrete cube?
35 Strokes in one layer.
35. What is the size of rode used in concrete cube casting and slump test?
Dia – 12mm and 600mm length.
36. What is the size of a concrete cube?
150mm X 150mm X 150mm.
37. What is the size of slump cones?
Height – 30cm, Top of Cone – 10cm, and Bottom of cone – 20cm.
38. How many layers are in the slump test??
3 Layers in ASTM and BS but 4 Layers in Indian standard.
39. How many strokes are done in one layer in a slump test?
- 25 Strokes
40. What are the essential elements of Concrete placement?
See Answer on the top of the page.
41. What is labor and material payment bond?
It is a bond between the owner and the main contractor. Where a contractor guarantees for payment to the owner if he fails to pay for all labor, materials, equipment’s or services in accordance with the contract.
42. What is progress payment?
It is a payment done by owner to the contractor; it is a difference between the completed work and material stored and a pre-determined schedule of values or unit costs.
43. What is structural frames or systems?
Structural frames are a load bearing assembly of beams and columns on a foundation. Normally, the columns and beams are generally fabricated off site and assembled on site.
44. What is zoning permit?
Zoning permit is a document issued by governing urban authority permitting land to be used for a particular purpose.
45. what is the release of lien?
Release of lien is a written document executed by an individual or firm supplying labor, material or professional service on a project, which release his mechanic’s lien against the project property.
46. What is Architect-Prepared Contract?
Architect- Prepared Contract is an agreement prepared in-house by the architect between owner and architect, and often reviewed by an attorney, before its execution. It is a legal contract, and it includes all terms and conditions including adequate legal protection for both the parties.
47. what is 1/8 on the architect ruler denotes?
1/8 on the ruler is infact a scale that converts 1/8 inch on to the drawing to 1 foot. It would represent a drawing with a scale of 1/8”= 1 foot.
48. Explain the types of a slump?
The types of a slump are:
- Collapse slump
- True slump
- Shear slump
49. What are the skills required to become an architect?
- Conceptual understanding of designing models
- Basic knowledge of computer and architect related software programs
- Engineering ability
- Business aptitude
- Legal knowledge
- Designing 3D models
50. What things architect have to take care of before starting any project?
- Whether the owner has proper planning permission
- Whether the building has a certain listed grade approved
- Knowledge of building appliances and materials that includes the cost as well
- Need to take environmental factors into consideration
51. What distance in meters on the ground is the equivalent of one second of arc in longitude or latitude?
- One minute of arc as measured at the center of the Earth covers one nautical mile on the surface of the Earth at mean sea level. One nautical mile is 6080 feet or 1853.2 meters. Therefore one second of arc would be 6080 / 60 = 101.3 feet or 30.886 meters.
- Lines of latitude are at regular intervals parallel to the equator. The relationship between degrees of latitude and the distance spanned on the earth’s surface remains constant. Therefore at all latitudes 1 minute of latitude spans 1 nautical mile on the earths surface.
- Lines of longitude converge at the poles. Therefore, the relationship between degrees of longitude and the distance spanned on the earth’s surface is reduced as the poles are approached.
- At the equator, the distance spanned by 1 minute of longitude would be 1 nautical mile. At the poles, it would be zero. To calculate the actual distance on the surface of the earth between two points of known latitude and longitude requires knowledge of spherical trigonometry to calculate the great circle distance between the two points.
- The distances quoted are for the surface of the earth at mean sea level. Distances will be increased above sea level and reduced below it.
52. How do you maintain water pressure?
If you have water pressure and wish to maintain it, do not cause flow in the line, which will reduce pressure due to friction. To keep pressure up, reduce friction by increasing the line size or eliminating some other restriction.
53. What are some facts about concrete?
Actually, drying is not directly linked to hardness in concrete. After concrete is poured, putting it in a wet environment by spraying it constantly with water will hasten its hardening and its curing. After concrete cures, it is hard.
54. Define Who designed the city of Washington DC?
Pierre L’enfant
55. Where is the worlds longest elevator and how long is it?
Gold mines in South Africa go a few kilometers below the surface. The deepest mine now is the Mponeng Mine in the Orange Free State. The depth of the mine is well over 3000m from the surface and is getting deeper. The lift itself descends 3037m to a point 1200m below sea level. It takes 4 minutes.
56. How many kilo-Newtons equals 1000 kilogram?
When the 1000 kg are at rest, on Earth with gravitational acceleration 9.81 m/s2, 1000 kg equal 9.81 kN.
57. How is the Leaning Tower of Pisa supported?
In the same manner, it was supported when it was constructed. However, it has gotten some “help” over the years.
In the last couple of decades, the responsible parties rolled up their sleeves and removed something approaching 40 meters3 of earth from under the higher side of the structure. This had the effect of straightening it toward the vertical by about a foot and a half at the top. For the first time in its history, it is no longer moving. In addition, in the good-news corner of the paper is that it is open to the public again. In addition, the folks who lived near the tower in the direction it was leaning have returned to their homes and do not have to sleep with an eye and an ear open.
58. What does civil engineering mean?
They do many interesting things. Their job has to do a lot with design and construction. They can tell you what works and what will not for all sorts of situations. There is a lot of mathematics involved along with many other disciplines. They have to have a good solid understanding of how the environment works and how nature interacts with man made. They are probably best known for designing bridges, interstates, skyscrapers, canals, and so forth.
59. How long does it take concrete to harden?
It takes 28 days to cure.
60. What is the biggest dam in America?
The Grand Coulee Dam – Grand Coulee, Washington
- Length 5,223 ft
- Height 550 ft
61. How does siphoning work?
Pretty good if the outside hose is a lot lower than the inside hose. The siphon works by a hose stuck in a fluid container higher than the receiving container. Suction is shortly placed on the lower side of the hose until the fluid is flowing down the down line. Gravity will cause a continued flow.
62. Why was the Empire State Building made of steel?
- Strength–Steel is very strong
- Flexibility–Ability to flex in the wind
- Cost–Inexpensive and fast to build; prefab construction
- Concrete, a possible alternative, has less compressive strength than steel. The bottom support structure of the empire state building would consist of a large percentage of solid concrete simply to support the weight of the building.
63. What is the quantity of cement in Mix M20 concrete?
For nominal Mix Cement consumption for M25 will be 570 kg per cum. and for Design Mix it can be optimized to 510 kg per cum.
64. Define What is unit weight of normal concrete?
145 PCF
65. What is the difference between shear and tensile strength?
Tensile Strength for a Bolt is determined by applying a Force along it long axis. Shear Strength for a Bolt is determined by applying a Force across its diameter, as it would be loaded in a lug joint.
66. How many Pyramid in Egypt?
About 80
67. Would you cause a 55-gallon drum of water to weigh more by climbing in?
A person will sink in water if he is not holding enough air in his lungs to keep him floating. Therefore, the person weighs more than the amount of water that he will displace.
68. Who built the sears tower?
While he did not build the structure (he died in l959), there is some evidence the idea was suggested under a different name (Illinois Building) by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the few true skyscrapers in which he had a role. The original design for the Illinois Building would have topped off at 5,280 Feet! The Swears tower is a quarter of this at most, but there are similarities.
69. At what point does a circle start losing area when being flattened?
The area ratio decreases slowly at first then more rapidly.
The area of an ellipse is A=pi x a X b, a and b are the 1/2 major and 1/2 minor axis. If a = r = b the area is A=pi X r2, which is a circle. Not hard to graph this but you will have to write the area of the ellipse in terms of the circumference.
70. How do you compute volume of airflow?
Orifice meter is used for measuring flow rate air.
71. Define What is made from large rocks, which protects the base of cliffs?
Stacks
72. Why are the bolts that hold steel rails together in oval holes?
It has to do with the design of the bolts. The reason that head of the bolt is oval. The head of a bolt fit flush into the bar and set in opposing sets is so that a piece of dragging equipment will not shear off all the bolts in a joint but rather the just the nuts one side. As a result, if the hole were not oval on one side there would be no way to tighten or loose the bolts in a joint.
73. Define What are the materials used in building a gravity dam?
There are many gravity dams constructed of compacted earth. High dams are generally concrete. All dams require a spillway to be safe. The spillway must be armored.
74. How many feet are in 4 square yards?
There are 9 square feet in a square yard therefore there are 36 square feet in 4 square yards.
75. What black man invented the clothes dryer?
George T. Sampson
76. What is the average density of soil?
For purposes of civil engineering, an average soil will have a density of about 100 to 110 pounds per cubic foot. (This can vary a little depending upon how well compacted the soil is.)
77. Define What glue is least sticky?
Elmer’s glue is least sticky.
78. What are the strongest shapes in building?
The pillars
79. Which architectural movement is also known as Jazz Moderna?
Art nouveau
80. What is the withdrawal force of steel nails?
In engineering, the code-allowable withdrawal force is zero, because the wood expands and contracts over time and the nail pullout force can reduce to zero.
81. What is the strongest bridge for a school contest?
If you are making a spaghetti bridge, bunch it all together in a triangular prism or a big brick and just fill the gaps with paste.
82. What is the formula for figuring out how many gallons of water are in a pipe by the foot?
0.61 * d2, where d is the diameter of the pipe in inches.
civil engineering interview questions
83. What is the tensile strength of marble?
Tensile Strength, Ultimate 7.00 – 20.0 Mpa 1020 – 2900 PSI
this is the strength in a pure tension test. For bending use:
Modulus of Rupture 0.00410 – 0.0276 Gpa 0.595 – 4.00 ksi
84. Did any of the Egyptian pyramids ever fall down?
Yes, many did. The great pyramid and others that have survived did so for a reason. Their shapes made them sturdier over time and were not the first design. Many steppe pyramids were built but were too steep and as the corners eroded, the whole pyramid fell under its own weight. They were built too steep and did not have the base structure as seen in the great pyramid.
85. Can a wave happen in the middle of the ocean like in the movie Poseidon 2006?
Yes. Rogue waves have been known to capsize ships.
86. Define What materials were used to build the Golden Gate Bridge?
Its materials were steel and concrete.
87. What is the density of most of construction materials?
If it floats it is less dense than water, 62.4 lbs/cubic ft. Wood is about 40 lbs/ cu.ft.–it floats. Concrete is 150 lbs. / cu.ft. — It does not float.
88. How and where are aqueducts built?
Aqueducts are built in areas where you have a bunch of motivated end users (like a town or group of farmers) at a low elevation in need of a more reliable source of water located somewhere fairly nearby at a higher elevation. The aqueduct builders construct a series of canals, elevated channels, and tunnels as required to get the water from the source to the end users. Some good examples:
- Roman engineers built aqueducts throughout Italy and France from mountain water sources to serve city dwellers
- Water-needy Southern California cities and farms are served by an aqueduct that brings them water from sources in Northern California
- New York City is supplied by an aqueduct and tunnel system from sources upstate.
- Inca farmers in coastal valleys built irrigation aqueducts from sources higher up in the Rockies
- Native American cultures in Phoenix area built irrigation canal systems that diverted water from sources at higher elevations to irrigate their crops.
89. Define What does civil status mean?
Civil means like, when you do not get on with someone, but only talk when you have to. Alternatively, when you do talk you do not argue. Alternatively, if you are with someone who is of your both friends and family, you do not ruin it for them.
civil engineering interview questions
90. What are the advantages and disadvantages of lead products in construction?
- Disadvantages: -Lead is very toxic; its use can result in pollution of the ground and more importantly of water supplies. This leads to the contamination of drinking water and can cause hazards to human health as well as disrupting entire ecosystems.
- Advantages: Because of its toxicity, lead is being bought less and less around the world, which of course results in the lowering of its cost. In addition, lead melts at a relatively low temperature, making it great for solder. However, recently the Chinese have show an interest in buying mass quantities to manufacture batteries made from a base of lead so the price of this metal may soon rise.
91. How do you measure water flowing through 300mm diameter pipes?
Same as in inches 3.14159265 and PSI have to be known.
92. Define the various stages of the project planning process in construction.
First stage could be Briefing and Inception.
93. How do you convert wind speed into force?
Therometer
94. What is kn measurement?
kn (both letters lowercase) is knots, which is a speed nautical miles per hour.
95. What are the advantages of building a dam on the river Nile?
It is the same as building a dam on any river. Dams are built to control flooding downstream during the wet season, generate power year round, and provide irrigation in the dry season.
96. How much does the leaning tower of Pisa lean?
About 14 feet
97. Define What is the best type of wood glue?
Noob
98. Define What are the uses of Groynes?
They prevent, or slow down erosion, and stop long shore drift. This, however, can have bad knock-on effects somewhere near.
99. What are the functions of a column in a building?
A column is used to support the weight of the roof and/or the upper floors. Now days, many columns are used for decorative purposes. A column along with load bearing beams can support a lot of weight.
civil engineering interview questions
100. Define What is an ice dam sock?
If you have never used a ice dam melting sock on your roof before, you will find that they provide an inexpensive method for removing roof ice dams and improving your home’s heating efficiency. Roof ice dams are an annoying source of roof damage, leaks, and heat loss in the winter. The main causes are drip melt from improperly capped warm air vent pipes and poor roof insulation. Laying a ice melt sock onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter, will melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof. If done properly those ice sickles that form as the snow melts from the edges of the gutters will never appear, they too are a cause of much damage and are dangerous to life and limb.
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