Seminar II: Construction Site

Construction site - words:

• site (șantier)
• layout (structura de organizare)
• condos (apartamente)
• pedestrians (pietoni)
• pipelines (conducte)
• maintenance (întreținere)
• bridges (poduri)
• ports (porturi)
• railroads (căi ferate)
• corrosive (material coroziv)
• flammable (material flamabil)
• site manager (șef de șantier)
• productivity (productivitate)
• fire prevention (prevenirea incendiilor)
• safety equipment (echipament de protecție)
• site map (harta șantierului)
• traffic signs (semne de circulație)
• emergency routes (căile și ieșirile de urgență).
Types of construction sites: housing (residential), power generation, waste management, traffic
and transport, gas and oil.
Site security: entrance, lighting, fencing
Site Layout: offices, water supply and sanitation, accommodation, material handling, warehouses,
site cleaning, laydown areas, material staging areas, batch plants (cement silo, admixture tanks,
aggregate, storage piles, debris)

Types of construction sites:

• housing (pentru locuințe și reședințe)
• power generation (pentru generarea de energie electrică)
• waste management (gestionarea deșeurilor)
• traffic and transport (trafic și transporturi)
• gas and oil (gaz și petrol).
 Seminar III: Building Materials

Key words:
• wood (lemn)
• concrete (beton)
• steel (oțel)
• cement (ciment)
• aggregates (agregate)
• bricks (cărămizi)
• metal, straw (paie).
Types of construction materials:
• fabric (țesătură)
• mud and clay (noroi și lut)
• rock (rocă, piatră)
• thatch (paie/ierburi)
• glass (sticlă)
• plastic, wood (lemn)
• brick (cărămidă)
• alloy (aliaj)
• steel rods (tije de oțel)
• rebars (armături)
• brass (alamă)
• silver (argint)
• chrome (crom)
• foam (spumă)
• insulation (izolație)
• timber (cherestea).

Seminar IV: Civil Engineering Careers

Jobs:
• structural engineering (inginerie structurală)
• construction engineering (ingineria construcțiilor)
• transportation engineering (ingineria transportului și a traficului)
• water resources engineering (ingineria resurselor de apă)
• geotechnical engineering (ingineria geotehnică)
 • environmental engineering (ingineria de mediu)
• urban planning (planificare urbană)
• surveying (topografie).

Key words:
• to plan(a planifica)
• to design (a proiecta)
• to manage (a gestiona)
• workstation (stație de lucru)
• work site (șantier)
• contractor (contractant)
• to ensure (a asigura)
• aluminum (aluminiu)
• to maintain (a menține/a păstra)
• to build (a construi)
• ports (porturi)
• highways (autostrăzi)
• embankments (terasamente)
• dams (baraje)
• irrigation (irigații)
• water resources (resurse de apă)

Course IV: Constructions Recap

Types of constructions: tunnels, roads, bridges, houses, schools, hospitals, apartments, office
blocks (clădiri de birouri).
Jobs:
• plumber (instalator)
• carpenter (dulgher/tâmplar)
• welder (sudor)
• mason (zidar)
• painter (zugrav/pictor)
 • concrete finisher (finisor de beton)
• roofer (țiglar)
• glazier (geamgiu)
• electrician.
Abbreviations: PPE, HVAC, AC, Hazmat, Kg, RPM, H&S
Types of bridges:
• footbridge (podeț, pasarelă)
• arch bridge (pod pe arce)
• bascule bridge (bod basculant)
• suspension bridge (pod suspendat)
• cantilever bridge (pod în consolă)
• beam bridge (bod cu grinzi)
• cable-stayed bridge (pod hobanat).

Other:
• apprentices (ucenici)
• qualification (calificare)
• cranes (macarale)
• concrete pump (pompă beton)

Seminar V: Air Conditioning Units

Key words:
• air conditioning (aer condiționat)
• moisture (umezeală)
• fan (ventilator)
• thermal comfort (confort termic)
• refrigerant ( [agent] refrigerant)
• cooling (răcire)
• heating (încălzire)
• evaporation (evaporare)
• refrigeration cycle (ciclu de refrigerare), HVAC
• duct (conductă)
• air filter (filtru de aer)
• air purifier (purificator de aer)
 • thermostat (termostat)
• ductwork (rețea de conducte).

Seminar VI: Civil Engineering (Vocabulary)

Construction materials:
• soils (soluri)
• crushed stone (piatră zdrobită)
• gravel (pietriș)
• sand (nisip)
• bitumen (bitum)
• portland cement (ciment portland)
• asphalt cement (ciment asfaltic)
• concrete cement (ciment beton)
• curbstones (pietre de bordură)
• embankments, scrapers (screper)
• power graders, rollers (cilindru compactor)
• excavators
• trucks
• bridge collapse (prăbușirea podurilor)
• miscalculation, inferior-quality products, prefabricated products, well, water main ,pier
(dig), sewer, sewerage system (sistem de canalizare)

Key words:
• aqueducts, ditches (șanțuri)
• canals
• to convey (a transmite)
• arch bridge
• abutments (culee)
• cables (cabluri)
• (bridge) deck (puntea unui pod)
• above, below, either side (de o parte și de alta)
• along the edges (pe marginea)
• footbridge, harbour (port)
• emergency lane (bandă de urgență)
 • telephone pole (stâlp de telefon)
• telephone cables, wastewater, desalination (desalinizare)
• water main (conducta principală de apă)

Course VI: Roads, bridges and waterways

Technical terms related to the building of roads:

• tarmac
• macadam
• pedestrian crossing (trecere de pietoni)
• sewer (canal)
• soft/hard shoulder (acostament- soft shoulder, acostment consolidat- hard shoulder)
• curb (bordură/curbă)
• culvert (canal de scurgere)
• pavement (pavaj, trotuar)
• pothole (groapă), manhole (gură de canal)
• camber (unghi de cădere);
Types of waterways:
• Aqueducts (apeducte)
• canals (canale)
• drainage (scurgere)
• dam, irrigation
• water main
• water supply system (sistem de aprovizionare cu apă).
Keywords:
• dimensions (height – înălțime, length-lungime , width-lățime, thickness- grosime),
• main span- deschidere unui pod, stays-hobane
• railway lines
• surveying (topografiere
• waste water
• watercourse (cursul apei);
Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

Exercise 1

Decide if the following statements are true or false:

1. A construction site is an area or piece of land on which construction works are being carried out.

2. For large projects, do not disturb signs help in guiding the traffic on the site and avoid accidents to a
considerable extent.

3. It is necessary to have a proper guard entrance to the site provided by an electric fence.

4. On large construction projects, it is necessary to provide camp accommodation for all type of staff
involved in the project.

5. The offices should be far away from each other and from the site, and in a safe area. F

6. It is necessary to have water and toilet facilities in convenient locations to accommodate the work
force.

7. Regular disposal of debris is unnecessary on the site.

8. Batch plants are provided on projects where it is more economical to produce concrete on site than
to buy a ready mix. T

9. The most common methods to generate electricity are water and wind.

10. Airports, freeway, bridges, ports and railroads are not part of the traffic and transport infrastructure.

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with one of the following words:

Solar plants, construction site, fieldworks, pipelines, pollute, water plants, shield wire, power
generation, irrigation, infrastructure

The construction site of gas and oil pipelines have strong security in their surroundings. Generally,
there is a considerable distance between where the fieldworks take place and the entrance of the
construction site sometimes are close to waste management plants, as on some occasions water is
reused for field irrigation. Construction sites for waste management often are well-guarded to avoid
unauthorized people to access to dangerous material or pollute the water.

Although the infrastructure to generate power using solar plants differs from gas pipelines, both of
their construction sites include structure to store and transmit the energy generated. Hence, electric
Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

towers maintenance, construction, and installation of conductors stringing, and shield wire are part of
the activities taking part in the power generation construction site

Exercise 3

Write besides each of the images the name of the construction material:

1. Grass

2. Steel

3. Aluminium
Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

4. Plastic foam

5. Wood

6. Clay

7. Glass
Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

8. PVC

9. Concrete

10. Rock

Exercise 4
Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

1. Tents were very popular in the olden times for ……

a. shame

b. shade

c. shale

2. Structures made of clay soil tend to be ……….. during the summer

a. hot

b. melting

c. cool

3. , Rock is a very ……….. material.

a. dense

b. soft

c. light

4. African tribes have been living in homes entirely made of …..

a. rocks

b. wood

c. grasses

5. Glass can never beat concrete in……

a. frailty

b. price

c. durability

6. Clay bricks are manufactured by ……………. clay

a. melting

b. moulding

c. mixing

7. To eliminate corrosion, aluminium ………. is sometimes used as an alternative.

a. alloy

b. ally
Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

c. alibi

8. Foamed plastic was generally used as an …………..in construction.

a. insulin

b. insulator

c. innovator

9. Concrete has a low ……………. strength.

a. tensile

b. visibility

c. durability

10. Cement composites are made of ……………. cement paste.

a. boiled

b. reused

c. hydrated

BONUS EXERCISE (OPTIONAL)

Can you name these famous buildings and their location?

1. Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

2. Louvre Museum, Paris, France

Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

3.Sydney Opera House, Australia

4. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

5. Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

6. White House, Washington D.C.

7. Machu Picchu, Peru

Deák Loránd-Robert
Grupa 7LF192

8. Here you have 2 famous buildings that you can guess

The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany

 Deak Lorand Robert

Seminar IV: Civil Engineering careers

1: Read the text and complete exercises 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3.

“As a Civil Engineer, you may be involved in planning, designing and managing a variety of
projects. Your assignments might place you at a computer workstation, in front of a public
hearing, or on a project work site. You will usually work within a team that may include other
engineering and scientific disciplines, contractors, project owners, architects, bankers, lawyers
and government officials.
The main Civil Engineering specialties involve: Structural Engineering, Construction
Engineering, Transportation, Water Resources, Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental
Engineering, Urban Planning and Surveying.
As a structual engineer you might be analyzing and designing structures to ensure safety and
performance. You will have to learn about the properties of steel, concrete, aluminum, timber
and plastics. Here are some examples of the things you can build: stadiums, arenas, skyscrappers,
space platforms, amusement park rides, bridges, offices, schools and hospitals.
As a construction engineer you will have to use your technical and management skills to turn
a design on paper into a reality. Remember that projects must be on-time and within budget. You
will most definetly have to apply knowledge of construction methods and equipment along with
knowledge of financing, planning and managing into a succesful faciltiy.
Another important branch is transportation engineering which deals with moving people,
goods and materials safely and efficiently. For that purpose, you will have to meet the increasing
community travel needs on land, air and sea and to design, construct and maintain highways,
railroads, airfields, light rails and ports, improve traffic control and mass transportation systems
for the future.
If you work as a water resource engineer, you will have to deal with issues concerning the
quality and quantity of water, to work to prevent floods, supply water to cities, industry and
irrigation, and treat waste water to protect natural resources. Differently stated, you will design,
construct and maintain hydroelectric power facilities, canals, dams, pipelines, locks and seaport
facilities.
Last but not least, working as a geotechnical engineer you will have to apply soil properties
and mechanics to solve problems, to perform laboratory and field test data used to determine
the proper type of foundation for a particular project. The things you can build include examples
such as: tunnel, buildings, bridges, pavements, pipelines, dams, levees, embankments and
slopes.”

Exercise 1.1: Write down the Romanian translation for the following terms. Additionally,
you can also provide a definition for some of them.

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English term Romanian term Definition (optional)

To plan (a project) A planifica
To design (a project) A proiecta
To manage (a project) A gestiona
Workstation Stație de lucru
Work site Șantier
Contractors Contractori
Project Owners Proprietarii de proiecte
Structural Engineering Inginer structural
Construction Engineering Inginer constructor
Transportation Transportare
Water Resources (as a CE Ingineria si managementul
specialty) resurselor de apa
Geotechnical Engineering Inginer geotechnic
Environmental Engineering Inginer de mediu
Urban Planning Urbanism
Surveying Topografie
Space platforms Platformă spațială
Goods Bunuri/lucruri
Airfields Aeroporturile
Levees Diguri
Embankments Terasamente

1.2. Mark the following statements as True (T) or False (F)

A. There are more than five branches in Civil Engineering. TRUE

B. As a structural engineer you will change a design on paper into reality. FALSE
C. Working in the field of water resource engineering implies erecting structures to prevent
floods. TRUE
D. Construction engineers perform lab and field test to establish the correct foundation.
FALSE

1.3. Answer the following questions

A. What is the difference between a construction engineer and a geotechnical engineer?

Geotechnical engineer analyzes the soil, while the construction is managing the process of a
building.

B. What does a water resource engineer do?

Dealing with issues concerning the quality and quantity of water, to work to prevent floods,
supply water to cities, industry and irrigation, and treat waste water to protect natural resources.

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C. What does a structural engineer do?

Analyzing and designing structures to ensure safety and performance.

2. Write a word that has a similar meaning to the underlined part:

1. He has the proper qualifications to work with bricks and stones. = mason
2. Hire a qualified person to repair all wooden structures. = carpenter
3. We also need someone who will put in, check, and repair electrical wires and electrical
equipment. = electrician
4. The add should also include job requirements for workers not having special skills or
training to do the heavy work on site. = unskilled labourers
5. The person installing and repairing heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems
received a 2-week notice. = HVAC technician.

3. Choose the corect word and fill in the empty space:

A construction worker is a general term for someone who works on a building site . Many of
the jobs performed there require a lot of physical labor. A construction worker, depending on the
skills he/she possesses, can take part to any stept of the construction plan. Construction workers
can build both residential and commercial buildings. While on site, the workers are overseen by
a supervisor or foreman, who makes sure that the things are done properly. Construction work
can be extremely exhausting, so the workers must be in good physical shape.

4. Translate from RO to Eng.

Ingineria civilă este unul dintre cele mai vechi locuri de munca din lume. Ingineria civilă se
ocupă cu construirea proiectarea și menținerea unui mediu fizic. Acestea includ structuri precum
aeroporturi, drumuri, poduri, baraje, canalizări, căi ferate și multe altele. După cum puteți vedea,
un inginer civil are un impact asupra lucrurilor pe care le folosim în fiecare zi. Astfel există cinci
tipuri principale de proiecte de inginerie civilă.

• Civil enginnering is one of the oldest workplace in the World. Civil engineering deals
with building, designing and maintaining of a physical environment. These includes
strucutres like airfields, roads, bridges, dams, canalization, rail ways and many others.
As you can see, a civil engineer has an impact above things we use on daily basis. So
there are five main types of civil engineering projects.

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 Deak Lorand Robert

Cele cinci tipuri de proiecte de inginerie civilă sunt: construcții și management, geotehnic,
structural, tehnica transporturilor și apa. Fiecare dintre aceste proiecte necesită o vastă cunoaștere
a matematicii, a mecanicii și a fizicii, precum și capacitatea de a rezolva problemele într-un mod
creativ.

• The five types of civil engineering projects are: construction and managments,
geotechnical, structural, transporatation engineering and water resources. Each of
these projects requires a broad knowledge of mathematics, mechanics, and physics, as
well as the ability to solver problems in a creative way.

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 SEMINAR VI: CIVIL ENGINEERING (VOCABULARY)

1. Translate the following texts from English to Romanian.

A The materials used in building roads include soils, crushed stone, gravel, sand, bitumens,
portland cement, asphalt cement, and concrete cement for pavements; various surface-active
additives, which improve the properties of paving materials; and prefabricated products, such
as pipes, and curbstones.
(write your answer here)
Materialele utilizate în construirea drumurilor includ soluri, piatră zdrobită, pietriș, nisip,
bitum, ciment portland, ciment asfaltic și ciment beton pentru trotuare; diferiți aditivi activi
la suprafață, care îmbunătățesc proprietățile materialelor de pavaj; și produse prefabricate,
cum ar fi țevile și pietrele de bordură.

B Road construction starts with the preparatory work: clearing the land by removing trees,
shrubs, stones, etc.
(write your answer here)
Construcția drumurilor începe cu lucrările pregătitoare: curățarea terenului prin
îndepărtarea copacilor, arbuștilor, pietrelor etc.

C The construction of embankments exceeding 2 m in height involves the use of more basic
machines, such as scrapers, power graders, and rollers. Earthmoving involves the use of
excavators, trucks, and transport carts.
(write your answer here)
Construirea terasamentelor care depășesc 2 m înălțime implică utilizarea unor mașini mai de bază,
cum ar fi răzuitoare, nivelatoare de putere și role. Mutarea pământului implică utilizarea de
excavatoare, camioane și căruțe de transport.

2. Read the following text and decide whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE.

Bridge collapses can be tragic events, leading to loss of life and serious property damage.
That's why bridge engineers, designers and builders must always take their jobs very
seriously. The best way for them to prevent these accidents is to understand why bridges
 collapse in the first place. Understanding bridge collapses can lead to major changes in the
design, construction and safety of future building projects. The following are main reasons
why bridges fall.

Fire
Historically, more bridges were made of wood and were much more susceptible to fire. This
was particularly true of old-fashioned train bridges, where the spark created by the steel
wheels and steel tracks could sometimes cause a bridge to catch fire and burn to the ground.

During construction
A large number of bridge accidents occur during the construction of the bridge itself. These
accidents are often due to an error made by the engineers, such as a miscalculation. The
bridge collapses under its own weight, and this can be deadly for the workers on it at the
time.

Earthquakes
Earthquakes damage all structures, including bridges. Luckily, this kind of collapse is
relatively infrequent, especially with modern bridges. Engineers have learned to design
bridges in earthquake zones on areas that are much more resistant to movement.

By defect
Some bridge collapses are mysteries, and engineers only realize why after they conduct a
complete investigation. In some cases, this could happen because inferior-quality material
was used in the construction, or because of a defect in a key piece of the bridge. In other
cases, the bridge was designed only to support a certain amount of weight and no more.

Boat or train crash

Both of these kinds of accidents are extremely rare, but boats and trains can cause a bridge to
collapse for different reasons. With trains, it's the velocity of the impact that can bring a
bridge down. With boats, it's the very large mass they have that can bring about the collapse,
even if they are moving very slowly when it occurs.

2A. Are the statements True (T) or False (F)?

A. There are 5 main reasons for bridge collapse. T

B. Historically, more bridges were made from steel. F
C. Boat or train crashes are very frequent reasons for bridge collapse. F
D. Many bridge accidents happen during construction. T
E. Bridges can be damaged by earthquakes. T

3. Based on the previous text, answer the following questions:

A. Why is it important for engineers to understand bridge collapse?

Understanding bridge collapses can lead to major changes in the design, construction and safety
of future building projects.
 B. How was fire started on old-fashioned train bridges?
The spark created by the steel wheels and steel tracks could sometimes cause a bridge to catch
fire and burn to the ground.
C. Why do bridge accidents happen during construction?
These accidents are often due to an error made by the engineers, such as a miscalculation.
D. What are the main reasons bridges collapse?
Fire,during construction, eathquakes, by defect, boat or train crash.
E. What does the use of inferior-quality material cause in the construction of bridges?
The use of inferior-quality material ccan cause the collapse of bridges during
construction.

4. What do the following acronyms stand for?

A. A/C-Air Conditioning
B. PPE-Personal protective equipment
C. HVAC-Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
D. H&S-health and safety
E. hazmat- Hazardous materials
F. PVC-polyvinyl chloride

5. Classify the words below into the following 3 categories:

ROADS BRIDGES WATERWAYS

Kerb/curbpedestrian
crossing, macadam, tarmac,
soft shoulder, pavement,
pothole, viaduct, manhole,
lift
Span, camber, footbridge,
cantilever, cable,
suspension, swing, arch,
clapper, suspender, metal,
crown, bascule
Dam, barrage, culvert,
watercourse, aqueduct,
crossover, main, underdrain,
well, dike, sluice, sewer,
flume, water main, pier,
drainage, weir, paddle, lock
6. Look at the CV below and answer the questions:

A. What does Nisa do now?

Volunteer assistant
B. Why did Nisa write this CV?
She is looking for a job in healthcare.
C. Who are Mr Hargreaves and Ms Dangda?
Mr. Hargreaves is ESOL Lecturer. Ms. Dangda is the Head of Nursing.
D. When is Nisa’s birthday?
30th of April.
E. Does Nisa have a driving license?
Yes.
7. Imagine that you are writing your own CV. Answer the following questions:

A. What was your last job?

I was a civil engineer.
B. What are your language skills?
I can speak Hungarian, Romanian and english very well.
C. Do you have any interests or hobbies? What are they?
Yes, I have hobbies. I love reading and listening to music.
D. What is the earliest education level that you finished?
Graduation.
E. What digital skills do you have?
I can use word, excel, autocad, power point.
8. Think about a construction project that can improve the wellbeing of your community.
Write a short description of the project. (350 words)
(write your answer here)