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Top Civil Engineering Interview Questions You Must Know

Written By : Pitch N Hire

Fri Aug 23 2024

5 min read

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civil engineering interview questions

Getting into a Civil Engineering job is not an easy task. You must be aware of every small aspect of civil engineering to clear the interview. The most important work is to prepare the civil engineering interview questions in advance. That way, you can plan your responses well in advance and be sure the interviewer can relate to your answers. In this article, we have elaborated on some of the most important Civil Engineering interview questions and answers.

What do You Understand About Civil Engineering?

Civil engineering and architecture is a technical engineering discipline that operates in the area of planning, constructing, and conservation of the human and natural environment and covers works of public nature such as highways, canals, bridges, lakes, airports, water treatment facilities, pipes, buildings, and railway components, etc.

As the oldest branch of engineering, Civil Engineering is the only branch of engineering that deals directly with the environment and societal development.

Why Choose Civil Engineering as a Career?

The career development process for Civil Engineering provides many opportunities for individuals to explore different fields and build a successful career. A civil engineer can work for both government and private sector. Civil engineers' average salary is quite higher as compared to other engineering professionals.

As the most renowned profession worldwide, the prosperity and growth you gain are next to impossible. Whenever we think of civil engineering, we first consider buildings, roadways, skyscrapers, etc. And we know that infrastructure is the first and foremost priority for any developing and developed country. So choosing Civil Engineering as a career is the best option. As civil engineers, there are a lot of career options for freshers and graduates.

How do I Prepare for a Civil Engineering Interview?

Below are some basic points you should know before going for an interview in civil engineering.

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  1. First, As a fresher, you must be clear about the basic knowledge of civil engineering.
  2. Before your interview, polish your communication skills and accomplishments.
  3. Make yourself prepared for some basic interview questions and answers.
  4. Learn about your potential as a new employer.
  5. Do proper research about the company before appearing for the interview.

Basic Civil Engineering Interview Questions

Here are some of the civil engineering questions you must look out for to crack the Civil Engineering Interview:

Q. What are the various sub-disciplines of civil engineering?

Ans. The second oldest technical specialty after military engineering is Civil Engineering. It is classified historically into many sub-disciplines, such as:

  • Coastal engineering
  • Earthquake engineering
  • Construction engineering
  • Forensic engineering
  • Environmental engineering
  • Materials science and engineering
  • Geotechnical engineering
  • Structural engineering
  • Site development and planning
  • Municipal or urban engineering
  • Transportation engineering
  • Water resources engineering etc.

If you're interested in the Construction Worker job description, click here to discover the duties and qualifications required for this physically demanding yet rewarding profession.

Q. Who is recognized as the father of civil engineering?

Ans. The founder of civil engineering is George John Smeaton. Because of many scientific inventions, civil engineering was developed during the period of the Industrial Revolution in England.

Q. What is cement, and what are the various cement types?

Ans. Cement is a fine grey powder combined to produce mortar or concrete with water and other substances. This material for both residential and industrial construction is one of the most significant buildings used. There are several types of cement, for example, Portland cement, white cement, high alumina cement, cement resistant to sulfate, etc. Yet cement can normally be divided into two major types:

  • Ordinary Portland cement:
  • It can be ordered in grades 33, 43, and 53.
  • Blended cement:
  • The pcs or slag cement is available.

Q. What are the various roles of cement in construction?

Ans. Sand, bricks, jelly, water, steel, and many other raw materials can be used in every building. Cement is used for the attachment of these components to provide the structure with strength and longevity.

Q. How to choose the best cement for the construction of a house?

Ans. In the building of the house, there are several forms of cement. Cement is mostly graded by the school. The cement grades measure the strength of the concrete to be compressed (MPA) that is achieved after 28 days of use. There are approximately 13 kinds of cement used in buildings. The various cement is listed as follows:

  • Ordinary Portland Cement
  • Rapid Hardening Cement
  • Portland Pozzolana Cement
  • Low Heat Cement
  • Quick setting cement
  • Blast Furnace Slag Cement
  • Sulfates resisting cement
  • White Cement
  • High Alumina Cement
  • Air Entraining Cement
  • Colored cement
  • Hydrographic cement
  • Expansive cement

The following five types of cement are used mainly for house construction purposes:

  • 43 Grade Ordinary Portland Cement:

This cement is mostly used in the manufacture of wall plaster, non-RCC, roads, etc. In 28 days of the environment, it receives a compression force of 43 MPA (megapascals).

  • 53 Grade Ordinary Portland Cement:

The cement is used mostly in RCC and higher grades of pre-stressed concrete, cement containers, mounting mortars, etc. This cement is perfect for accelerated building, which is to reach the initial strength easily. In 28 days of service, it has a compression power of 53 MPA (megapascals). The sum of cement hits 27 MPA in 7 days vs. 23 MPA in 43 degrees.

  • Portland Pozzolana Cement:

This cement has a higher level of fineness, waterproofness, and resistance to corrosion which makes the concrete denser in large structures. The time at which this cement is formed is short, but with time it increases in strength. It is used both in mass concreting and in RCC work.

In constructions where the structures are more vulnerable to sulfate or chloride attack, this form of cement is favored over OPC. This provides an excellent level of corrosion and is commonly used in coastal areas, wastewater, and water treatment plants, particularly for saltwater.

  • White Cement:

This concrete is used mostly in decorative projects. It is also used for covering holes in ceramic bathroom fittings in wall tiles. Compared to ordinary Portland cement, the production process is distinct and more complex. It’s more expensive than most cement.

Q. What do you understand about grades in cement?

Ans. A grade is used to mean that the cement sand mortar mix has minimum compressive strength within 28 days. For instance, OPC 43 cement grade, OPC 53 cement grade, etc. After the setting of the cement, the optimum potential for compression is shown by the maximum number of grades.

Q. What is the Portland cement chemical composition?

Ans. In Portland cement, there are four major compounds. They are as follows:

  • Tricalcium Silicate
  • Tricalcium Aluminate
  • Dicalcium Silicate
  • Tetra-calcium Aluminoferrite

Q. What is the need for curves on the road? Name various types of curves.

Ans. In road construction, curves are very significant. Civil engineers know how to use the correct equations for each curve to construct a lane. The precise amount of the slope that needs to be in the curve to prevent vehicles from slipping out of this path is extremely significant. Most of the path curves are of four kinds:

  • Compound road curve
  • Simple road curve
  • Deviation road curve
  • Reverse road curve

Q. What do you mean by concrete?

Ans. The clay, sand, stone aggregates (jelly), and water are combined to form concrete. Depending on the method of building, the proportion of materials is accordingly mixed.

Q. What is the meaning of compacting, and why is it used?

Ans. Compacting is the mechanism of separating the air from the cement mixture. If we combine different materials, the air between them will be imprisoned. These bubbles have to be removed so the concrete is impermeable and optimum strength is reached. If not, voids in the concrete would be formed, dramatically reducing the strength.

Q. What is the most dependable method of compacting?

Ans. For small jobs, steel rods or paddling sticks are normally used to compress, but mechanical vibrators are better suited to this role. Every compacting system should hit the base of the shape and be sufficiently small to cross the reinforcing rods.

Q. What is the meaning of reinforced concrete?

Ans. Reinforced concrete is a concrete shape used to make the building more robust with steel bars or wire, along with asphalt, sand, stone agglutinates, and water.

Conclusion

These were some of the most important Civil Engineering interview questions and answers that you must be prepared with before going to the interview. Before going to the interview, just be calm and focused so that you do not panic while giving the answers and respond to interview questions with full confidence, and you will surely clear the interview.

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