GLOSSARY OF TERMS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

A
ABRAHAM´S CONE: Element used to measure the establishment of the concrete one.

ADDITIVES: Chemical substances used to improve the characteristics of concrete, are used at
the time of mixing.

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ADOBE: is an uncooked brick, a piece of construction made of a mass of clay, sometimes mixed
with straw, molded in the shape of brick and dried in the sun.

ALFEIZER: Back or oblique cut that makes the wall in the window opening; especially the
horizontal piece on which the base of the window rests.

AGGLOMERATING MATERIALS: These are simple or compound substances that, mixed with
water, can form a homogeneous mixture with other materials, giving cohesion to the whole by
means of physical processes.

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AGGREGATES: Are the sands, natural gravels and crushed stone used to form the mixture that
gives rise to the concrete, the aggregates constitute about 75% of this mixture.

ANALYSIS OF UNIT PRICE: Calculation realized to the games that shape a budget, in
accordance with the prices that manage on the market.

ANCHORING: Effect of anchoring slopes, a hole is made in the slope, in this steel rod is inserted
and concrete is cast in the interior, it serves so that the slope is self-supporting thus preventing
the detachment of the same.

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ARCH : Curved element of coverage or support that in the architecture vault replaces the lintel
or the architrave.

ASPHALT: it is a viscous, sticky and lead colored material. It is used mixed with sand or gravel to
pave roads and as a waterproofing coating of walls and roofs.

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B
BIDET: it is a low receptacle with running water and sewer pipe generally made of china or
faience.

BLOCK CEMENTED: The cement blocks are a few prefabricated elements, they are
characterized for have a size bigger that elements are the traditional cooked brick in general
more heavy ones and less insulators than the bricks.

BOMB: Pumping is the preferred way to deliver concrete due to the ease with which it can be
performed. The equipment can be parked near the edge or outside the site and using piping the
concrete is pumped to the desired area or a structural element.

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BRICK: It is a construction material, usually ceramic and with an orthohedral shape, whose
dimensions allow it to be placed with one hand by an operator. It is used in masonry for the
execution of factories in general.

BRICK CARAVISTA: is one that is manufactured to be placed without coating both outdoors
and in the interior of the building.

BRICKLAYING: Term applied to any thing constructed with stone, brick, tiles, cement, concrete
and similar materials.

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BEAM: Horizontal or slightly inclined element, which saves a light and supports a load that
makes it work by bending.

BUCKETS: It is a cylindrical object with an opening on the top wider than its bottom side, having
a handles on the sides to be able to take it more easily, it is used to fill it with liquids, clean, or put
things inside to keep them.

BUILDING: Construction whose main function is to accommodate people, animals or things.

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C
CAL: It is the product obtained by heating the limestone below the decomposition temperature
of calcium oxide.

CASCAJO: Fund composed of very small stone mixed with sand.

CAST: product prepared from a natural rock called aljez by dehydration.

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COARSE SAND: Its particles have a maximum size of 5 mm. and it is used in the preparation of
the mixture to settle the bricks and in the preparation of the concrete.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL: Are those raw materials or, usually, manufactured products
that are necessary in the construction of buildings or civil engineering works. They are the
original components of the building or architectural elements of a building.

CEMENT: Cement is a binder formed from a mixture of limestone and clay calcined and
subsequently ground, which has the property of hardening after coming into contact with water.

CERAMICS: The art of making for cooking products of mud, flagstone or china of big hardness.

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CHANCADA STONE: It is obtained from the crushing with rock machineries. It is sold in
maximum sizes of 1 ", 3/4" and 1/2 "and its choice depends on the place of the structure where
it will be used.

CIVIL ENGINEERING: Civil engineering is the discipline of professional engineering that uses
knowledge of calculation, hydraulic and physical mechanics to be responsible for the design,
construction and maintenance of the infrastructure located in the environment, including roads,
railways, bridges, channels, dams, ports, airports, dykes and other related constructions.

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CONCRETE: It is composed of a mixture containing coarse sand and stone in similar
proportions. Its cost is cheaper than buying both materials separately, but it should only be used
to prepare low resistance concrete, such as foundations, overburden and false floors.

COLUMN: It is a vertical architectural piece with an elongated shape that serves, in general, to
support the weight of the structure, although it may also have decorative purposes.

CORE-DRILL: A test that is done by removing a portion of concrete from a given element and
then compressing it to determine its resistance.

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CROWN BEAM: Element built with concrete and steel, used to tie and support weight, located
between walls and floors.

CUARTÓN: Piece of serrated wood from 2 to 4 inches of thickness (5 to 10 cm) and 2 to 4,5
inches wide (5 to 11,2 cm).

CHINSTRAP: It is a band that fits under the chin to help hold the helmet over the head. This
element is optional in the constitution of the equipment, and not all helmets must carry it
obligatorily.

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CURED: It includes all the operations that improve hydration after it has hardened the concrete.
Curing produces a stronger and more waterproof concrete.

D
DITCH: Ditch on each side of the road to collect the rainy waters.

DENSITY: Relationship between mass and volume, that is, quantity of matter contained per
unit.

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DOME: Generally hemispherical vault. It is a type of roof and therefore an architectural element
sustained, resting well on a drum, either on pendentives or horns. They are of various types.

DRY-WALL: Element constructed by means of plaster and plastic, used in the construction for
the division of ambiences and ceiling.

E
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EASEL: it is a furniture that constitutes a vertical help to exhibit or to fix something that rests on
him.

EMPTYED: Action to empty concrete.

ESMERY: Also known as emery stone, it consists of a thick disk of abrasive material with a hole
in its shaft that, mounted on a grinding wheel, is used to sharpen tools or grind metal parts.

F
FACADE: External parameter of a building, especially the main one.

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FAUCET: set of keys that serves for the passage of water.

FILTRATION: Failure that can be produced by capillary water, crabs and porosities in the pipes.

FINE SAND: Your particles should have a maximum size of 1 mm. It is used in the preparation
of mixture for the tarrajeo of walls, for ceilings and for mortar of seated caravista brick.

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FINISH: Any completion of a work in which decorative elements are in use. For example: the
moldings in doors, windows, lintels, corners, etc. Ended as his name indicates it they are all the
works that are realized to give him completion to the works.

FRAME: Set of parts that hold the construction.

FORMWORK: Mold formed with metal boards or sheets in which the concrete is emptied until
it sets and that is later disassembled.

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G
Galvanized steel: it is a type of steel processed with a treatment at the end of which it is
covered with several layers of zinc. These layers of zinc protect the steel from oxidation.
Galvanized steel is also a material with a more durable, scratch-resistant finish that is more
attractive to many consumers. Galvanized steel is also used in the manufacture of many
components for industrial use.

GEOTECHNICAL: science that deals with the application of geology to engineering.

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GEOTEXTILES: They are manufactured in oriented Polypropylene; light and easy to install, they
are applied as floor reinforcement.

GRANULOMETRY: It is called granulometric classification or granulometry, to the

measurement and gradation that is carried out of the grains of a sedimentary formation, of the
sedimentary materials, as well as of the soils, for purposes of analysis, both of its origin and of its
mechanical properties, and the calculation of the abundance of those corresponding to each of
the sizes provided by a granulometric scale.

Gypsum: The gypsum is obtained by total or partial hydration of the pumice stone or aljez,
after being ground, baked and calcined until dehydrated. Then it is cooled and reduced to a

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white powder more or less desiccant, which can then be mixed with water to set and harden
quite quickly.

GROUT: Cement and water mixture.

H
HARNESS: It is a safety element used in very different areas, from climbing to construction. The
harnesses of chest with straps for the legs, serve for general purposes. In case of fall distribute
the forces of loads through the chest and hips of the user. The leg straps are adjustable.

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HORIZONTAL MEMBER: Beam, wood or other horizontal element that, resting on the jambs,
covers the opening of a door or window, and serves as a support for the upper wall.

HILANDO: Partitions that are placed at the same height in the construction of a wall by means
of a thread that serves as a guide.

HOROMETER: is a device that records the number of hours that an engine or a device, usually
electric or mechanical, has been operating since the last time.

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I
IRONS: steel is the main component of the construction iron; this material is used in the
elaboration of the "framework of the work" (main structure), which serves as support and base
of the structure.

IRONWORK: set of pieces of iron or steel with which an object is decorated or reinforced.

ISOMETRICS OF WATER INSTALLATION: For the purposes of this standard, the sanitary
installation includes the water installations, water against fire, waste water and ventilation.

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J
JAMB: Vertical element of a door frame.

L
LABOR : Work performed by the workers.

LEVEL: Also known as the level of air bubbles. It consists of a glass tube almost filled with
alcohol or ether, in which a movable air bubble remains.

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LIGHTENED ROOF: It is the roof of a building that, its own name says, is lightened with hollow
brick, techno or fiberglass.

M
MARBLE POWDER: Coating form in which marble powder and lime mortar are used. Also
called marble.

MATERIALS: Set of the wide range of materials used in the construction of a building.

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METRIC CALCULATIONS: Measurement of the games performed at the site of the work or in
drawings.

MIXING DESIGN: Process by which the design of a particular mixture is projected, for a certain
resistance.

MORTAR: It is called mortar to the mixture of cement, sand and water. It is used to settle the
bricks and also to tarraje walls and ceilings.

To set bricks, we will use coarse sand, and to tarify walls and ceilings, we will use fine sand.

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N
NERVES: Vein constructed of reinforced concrete used in the construction of roofs

ORGANIZATION: Important term that allows to carry in an orderly manner any work or activity
to be carried out.

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O
OUTLET: Device where the bar is inserted.

P
PAVEMENT: It is a floor or artificial surface formed by various materials and with different
constructive solutions, which have the mission of making the floor of streets, houses and
buildings in general is solid, resistant and meets the conditions necessary for a perfect use.

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PAINTING: liquid miscellanies, which applied by pulverization, extension, or immersion form a
layer in the surface of which it protects. These in general are colored.

PENDING: Inclination that is given to the roof so that the waters go down easily. It is the degree
of unevenness of a roof or deck.

PILE: Pillar buried in a field. There are two basic types of piles, according to the way they work:
Compressed tip; compression (pillar). Floating; lateral pressure of the ground.

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PLUMMET: Instrument composed by a cylindrical or conical weight of metal that submits to the
end of a rope so that it is tightened by the force of the gravity, I pointed out the vertical line.

P.V.C: Pipe of polyvinyl of chloride, which is used generally in sanitary tubes

R
RECORD OF BEGINNING: Document written in the place of the work to certify that the
corresponding construction works are beginning.

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REINFORCED CONCRETE: It is the combination of corrugated iron with concrete.

RESISTANCE TO THE COMPRESSION: Maximum effort of compression that can resist a

material without breaking. I test to determine the resistance of the concrete one in a long
period. Rcc = 28 days, is the most common measurement.

ROAD: It is the part of the road used for the movement of vehicles.

RULE: it is a measuring device with form of thin and rectangular iron that includes a graduated
scale split into units of length.

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RULING PEN: Instrument used in outlining to plan straight and curved lines that are not circle
arches.

S
SCAFFOLDING: Set of scaffolds that are placed on a construction site.

SEWERAGE: It is called sewerage or sewer network, sanitation network or drainage network to

the system of pipes and buildings used for the collection and transport of wastewater.

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SCLEROMETER: is a measuring instrument used, generally, for the determination of the
compressive strength in concrete.

SEWER: A sewer is a work of factory destined to evacuate the domestic wastes water or another
type of secondhand waters.

SKYLIGHT: A skylight or skylight is a small window located on the ceiling or top of a wall used
to provide light to a room.

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SHOE: It is a type of surface foundation (normally isolated), which can be used in reasonably
homogeneous soils and medium or high compression resistances.

SOCLE: piece that is placed at the base of the partitions or walls of the rooms as an a esthetic
element and to protect them from bumps or rubs.

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STEEL OR "DEFORMED BAR": Steel is one of the most important materials in the
construction of a house. Construction rods or bars must have "corrugations" on their surface,
which serve to facilitate their adhesion to the concrete.
Each iron is 9 m long. The irons come in different thicknesses and the most used in a house are
the 6 mm, 3/8 ", 1/2" and 5/8 ".

STRUT: Vertical uprights that are called poles when, instead of being equipped with skates or
resting on basement plates, they enter the ground.

SUPERSTRUCTURE: Part of a construction that is above ground level.

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SWITCH: Circuit breaker that blocks the current way opening the circuit automatically when
there happens more current of the one that the circuit can take.

T
TAR: It is a bituminous liquid, viscous, with a dark color and strong odor, obtained from the
destructive distillation of organic matter, either by hydrocarbons or by waste and residues. It
treats, then, of a uniform mixture of distinct organic substances, that usually uses like sealant,
since the dry one becomes a waterproof film, especially in the paved of highways.

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TECHNICAL DRAWING: Geometric and scale drawing for technical purposes or for technical
applications.

THE CAJON STONE: It is used in the concrete mixture used for the overburden. It can be
rounded river stone or broken stone or quarry stone and must measure up to 10 cm in diameter
or side.

THE DITCHSTONE: It is used in the concrete mixture that is used for the foundations. It can be
rounded river stone or split stone or quarry stone and can measure up to 25 cm in diameter or
side.

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TOPOGRAPHY: The topography (of moles, "place", and graphs, "description") is the science
that studies the set of principles and procedures that aim at the graphic representation of the
surface of the Earth, with its forms and details, both natural and artificial.

W
WATER: The water must be clean, free of impurities, fresh, without smell, color or taste, that is,
it must be potable water. The amount of water to be used in concrete mixtures is very important.
When the mixture is not manageable and the amount of water is increased, important
properties of the concrete are lost.

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WOOD TORNILLO : It is a moderately heavy wood, it presents medium linear contractions
and stable volumetric contraction. The mechanical resistance is at the limit of the average
category.

WORK LOG: The work log is the tool in which the supervisor and the contractor support their
actions. Therefore, it must avoid the problems related to insufficient records and even absence
thereof, since they ultimately affect the reception of the work and the closing of the contract.

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