# Civil Works Advanced

https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/construction-and-architecture-2-c1

- CEFR: C1 (Advanced)
- Theme: Professional & Specialized
- Words: 20
- Premium: no
- Locked: no

Vocabulary for the engineering judgment calls on a dam or tunnel: whether the ground is stable enough given its slope stability, liquefaction risk and bearing…

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## Word list

* **post-tensioning**: A method of strengthening concrete by pulling steel cables tight inside it only after the concrete has already set. — “The bridge deck relies on **post-tensioning** to carry heavy traffic loads safely.”
* **rebar cage**: A frame made by tying reinforcing steel bars together into the shape of a column or beam before concrete is poured around it. — “Workers lowered the **rebar cage** into the pier shaft before the concrete pour.”
* **slope stability**: How likely a hillside or excavated bank is to stay in place without sliding or collapsing. — “Engineers ran extra checks on **slope stability** before opening the new cutting to traffic.”
* **settlement monitoring**: The regular measuring of how much a structure or the ground beneath it sinks over time, to catch problems early. — “**Settlement monitoring** showed the dam crest had dropped two centimetres since construction.”
* **liquefaction**: A sudden loss of strength in saturated, loose soil during an earthquake, making it behave like a thick liquid instead of solid ground. — “**Liquefaction** during the earthquake caused the embankment to sink several metres.”
* **bearing capacity**: The maximum load that soil or a foundation can safely support before it fails. — “Soil tests confirmed the **bearing capacity** was high enough for the dam's weight.”
* **shear strength**: How much a material can resist sideways, sliding forces before it breaks apart internally. — “The clay layer's low **shear strength** worried the geotechnical team before construction began.”
* **rock bolt**: A long steel rod driven deep into a rock face to hold loose layers together and stop them from falling. — “The tunnel crew installed **rock bolts** along the crown to prevent a collapse.”
* **tunnel boring machine**: A huge rotating device that digs a tunnel by grinding through rock or soil as it advances. — “A **tunnel boring machine** advanced nearly ten metres a day through the granite.”
* **segmental lining**: Curved concrete panels bolted together in rings to support a tunnel's walls right after it's dug. — “Cranes lowered each **segmental lining** panel into place behind the boring machine.”
* **grout curtain**: An underground wall made by injecting a thick cement mixture into rock to stop water from seeping beneath a dam's foundation. — “Engineers drilled deep holes to install a **grout curtain** beneath the dam's base.”
* **roller-compacted concrete**: A dry, stiff concrete mix spread in layers and pressed down firmly with heavy machinery instead of being poured. — “The dam was built almost entirely from **roller-compacted concrete** to speed up construction and cut costs.”
* **arch dam**: A dam built in a curve so it pushes the force of the water sideways into the canyon walls on each side. — “Engineers chose an **arch dam** because the narrow gorge could support its thrust.”
* **gravity dam**: A dam so massive and heavy that its own weight alone holds back the water pressure. — “The **gravity dam** relies on millions of tonnes of concrete to resist the reservoir's push.”
* **abutment**: The solid support at each end of a dam or bridge that carries and transfers its load into the ground. — “Cracks were found in the **abutment** where the dam meets the hillside.”
* **uplift pressure**: The upward force of water trapped beneath a structure, which can threaten its stability if not drained away. — “Drainage galleries relieve the **uplift pressure** building up under the dam's base.”
* **geotextile**: A strong, permeable fabric laid in soil or under roads to separate layers, filter water, and add reinforcement. — “A layer of **geotextile** stopped the haul road from sinking into the mud.”
* **slurry wall**: An underground concrete barrier built inside a narrow trench, using a thick fluid mixture to hold the trench open until concrete replaces it. — “The basement excavation was protected by a **slurry wall** built deep into the clay.”
* **caisson**: A large, sealed box or cylinder sunk into the ground or water so that people can work dry inside while a foundation is built. — “Workers descended into the **caisson** to excavate the riverbed for the bridge pier.”
* **tremie**: A method of pouring concrete underwater through a long pipe that stays submerged, so the fresh concrete never mixes with the water around it. — “Divers guided the **tremie** pipe as concrete filled the caisson from the bottom up.”

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