Hi, my name is Nicolas Gravel. I live in Terrebonne. I have been studying civil engineering for three years at Ahuntsic College.
The topic of this glossary was civil engineering, and I created it for myself. It contained 15 terms to help me understand English better. To create this glossary, I used the internet to do my research. These terms were chosen because they were the most commonly used ones in French. This glossary helped me understand when someone spoke to me in English.
bridge
noun
A structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
Example: I looked across the bridge and Samuel was starting across.
en: pont
caisson
noun
Large watertight chamber used for construction under water.
Example: A caisson allows engineers to work underwater while maintaining a dry construction environment.
en: caisson
cement
noun
A building material that is a powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay; used with water and sand or gravel to make concrete and mortar.
Example: The gravel had been put down to make a foundation, the pump had been installed, and the cement had been poured and left to dry.
en: ciment
compression
noun
The act of applying pressure.
Example: How the compression sleeve doesn’t seem to be helping anymore.
en: compression
concrete
A strong hard building material composed of sand and gravel and cement and water.
Example: The countdown echoed off the bunker’s concrete walls.
en: béton
deformation
noun
Alteration in the shape or dimensions of an object as a result of the application of stress to it.
Example: Excessive deformation can affect the stability of a building.
en: déformation
fatigue
noun
Used of materials (especially metals) in a weakened state caused by long stress.
Example: After years of constant vibration and stress, the bridge collapsed due to metal fatigue.
en: fatigue
joint
noun
Junction by which parts or objects are joined together.
Example: It felt as if cement had hardened in his joints.
en: joint
load
noun
Weight to be borne or conveyed.
en: charge
moment
noun
A turning force produced by an object acting at a distance (or a measure of that force).
Example: Engineers must calculate the moment carefully to ensure structural stability.
en: moment
perimeter
noun
The perimeter is the total distance around the outside edge of a 2D shape, calculated by summing the lengths of all its sides.
Example: The perimeter of the foundation was measured before excavation began.
en: périmètre
silt
noun
Mud or clay or small rocks deposited by a river or lake.
Example: Engineers often test for silt content before designing foundations.
en: silt
stress
noun
Force that produces strain on a physical body.
Example: The concrete experienced high compressive stress under the column load.
en: fatigue
torsion
noun
The action of twisting or the state of being twisted, especially of one end of an object relative to the other.
Example: Proper reinforcement helps improve resistance to torsion in structural elements.
en: torsion
volume
noun
The amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object.
Example: The total volume of the slab depends on its thickness and surface area.
