UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus 2024, PDF for Civil Engineering

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus 2024: The UPSC offers a wide range of optional subjects, encompassing 48 subjects, one of which is Civil Engineering. The syllabus for Civil Engineering in the UPSC exam emphasizes candidates’ grasp of fundamental concepts and their ability to apply knowledge to address issues related to sustainable development. Candidates choosing Civil Engineering as an optional subject in the IAS Exam will find the detailed syllabus for Civil Engineering optional and also the UPSC Civil Engineering Optional Syllabus PDF in the article below.

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus 2024

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus 2024 is also a Part of the official UPSC Syllabus 2024 In the UPSC Mains, the Civil Engineering optional subject consists of two papers: Paper I and Paper II. Each paper carries a weightage of 250 marks, resulting in a total of 500 marks for this optional subject.

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus for Optional Paper 1

Engineering Mechanics, Strength of Materials, and Structural Analysis

• Structural Analysis: Castiglianio’s theorems I and II, unit load method of consistent deformation applied to beams and pin jointed trusses. Slope Deflection, moment distribution, Rolling loads, and Influence lines: Influences lines for Shear Force and Bending moment at a section of beam. Criteria for maximum shear force and bending Moment in beams traversed by a system of moving loads. Influences lines for simply supported plane pin jointed trusses. Arches: Three-hinged, two-hinged, and fixed arches, rib shortening, and temperature effects. Matrix methods of analysis: Force method and displacement method of analysis of indeterminate beams and rigid frames. Plastic Analysis of beams and frames: Theory of plastic bending, plastic analysis, statical method, Mechanism method. Unsymmetrical bending: Moment of inertia, the product of inertia, the position of Neutral Axis and Principal Axis, calculation of bending stresses.
• Engineering Mechanics: Units and Dimensions, SI Units, Vectors, Concept of Force, Concept of particle and rigid body. Concurrent, Non-Concurrent, and parallel forces in a plane, moment of force, free body diagram, conditions of equilibrium, Principle of virtual work, equivalent force system. First and Second Moment of area, Mass moment of Inertia. Static Friction. Kinematics and Kinetics: Kinematics in Cartesian Coordinates, motion under uniform and nonuniform acceleration, motion under gravity. Kinetics of particle: Momentum and Energy principles, a collision of elastic bodies, rotation of rigid bodies.
• Strength of Materials: Simple Stress and Strain, Elastic constants, axially loaded compression members, Shear force and bending moment, the theory of simple bending, Shear Stress distribution across cross sections, and Beams of uniform strength. Deflection of beams: Macaulay’s method, Mohr’s Moment area method, Conjugate beam method, and unit load method. Torsion of Shafts, Elastic stability of columns, Euler’s Rankine’s and Secant formula.

Design of Structures: Steel, Concrete, and Masonry Structures

• Structural Steel Design: Structural Steel, Factors of Safety, and load factors. Riveted, bolted, and welded joints and connections. Design of tension and compression members, beams of a built-up section, riveted and welded plate girders, gantry girders, and stanchions with battens and lacings.
• Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures: Concept of mix design. Reinforced Concrete: Working Stress and Limit State method of design-Recommendations of I.S. codes Design of one-way and two-way slabs, stair-case slabs, simple and continuous beams of rectangular, T and L sections. Compression members under direct load with or without eccentricity, Cantilever, and Counterfort type retaining walls. Water tanks: Design requirements for Rectangular and circular tanks resting on the ground. Prestressed concrete: Methods and systems of prestressing, anchorages, Analysis and design of sections for flexure based on working stress, loss of prestress. Design of brick masonry as per I.S. Codes.

Fluid Mechanics, Open Channel Flow, and Hydraulic Machines

• Fluid Mechanics: Fluid properties and their role in a fluid motion, fluid statics including forces acting on plane and curved surfaces. Kinematics and Dynamics of Fluid flow: Velocity and accelerations, stream lines, equation of continuity, irrotational and rotational flow, velocity potential, and stream functions. Continuity, momentum and energy equation, Navier-Stokes equation, Euler’s equation of motion, application to fluid flow problems, pipe flow, sluice gates, weirs.
• Dimensional Analysis and Similitude: Buckingham’s Pi-theorem, dimensionless parameters.
• Laminar Flow: Laminar flow between parallel, stationary, and moving plates, flow through the tube.
• Boundary layer: Laminar and turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate, laminar sublayer, smooth and rough boundaries, drag and lift. Turbulent flow through pipes: Characteristics of turbulent flow, velocity distribution and variation of pipe friction factor, hydraulic grade line and total energy line.
• Open channel flow: Uniform and non-uniform flows, momentum and energy correction factors, specific energy and specific force, critical depth, rapidly varied flow, hydraulic jump, gradually varied flow, classification of surface profiles, control section, step method of integration of varied flow equation.
• Hydraulic Machines and Hydropower: Hydraulic turbines, types classification, Choice of turbines, performance parameters, controls, characteristics, specific speed. Principles of hydropower development.

Fluid Mechanics, Open Channel Flow, and Hydraulic Machines

• Fluid Mechanics: Fluid properties and their role in a fluid motion, fluid statics including forces acting on plane and curved surfaces. Kinematics and Dynamics of Fluid flow: Velocity and accelerations, stream lines, equation of continuity, irrotational and rotational flow, velocity potential, and stream functions. Continuity, momentum and energy equation, Navier-Stokes equation, Euler’s equation of motion, application to fluid flow problems, pipe flow, sluice gates, weirs.
• Dimensional Analysis and Similitude: Buckingham’s Pi-theorem, dimensionless parameters.
• Laminar Flow: Laminar flow between parallel, stationary, and moving plates, flow through the tube.
• Boundary layer: Laminar and turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate, laminar sublayer, smooth and rough boundaries, drag and lift. Turbulent flow through pipes: Characteristics of turbulent flow, velocity distribution and variation of pipe friction factor, hydraulic grade line and total energy line.
• Open channel flow: Uniform and non-uniform flows, momentum and energy correction factors, specific energy and specific force, critical depth, rapidly varied flow, hydraulic jump, gradually varied flow, classification of surface profiles, control section, step method of integration of varied flow equation.
• Hydraulic Machines and Hydropower: Hydraulic turbines, types classification, Choice of turbines, performance parameters, controls, characteristics, specific speed. Principles of hydropower development.

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus PDF 

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus for Optional Paper 2

Surveying and Transportation Engineering

• Surveying: Common methods and instruments for distance and angle measurement for CE work – their use in plane table, traverse survey, leveling work, triangulation, contouring, and topographical map. Basic principles of photogrammetry and remote sensing.
• Railway Engineering: Permanent way – components, types, and their functions – Functions and Design constituents of turn and crossings – Necessity of geometric design of track – Design of station and yards.
• Highway Engineering: Principles of Highway alignments – classification and geometrical design elements and standards for Roads. Pavement structure for flexible and rigid pavements – Design principles and methodology of pavements. Typical construction methods and standards of materials for stabilized soil, WBM, Bituminous works, and CC roads. Surface and sub-surface drainage arrangements for roads – culvert structures. Pavement distresses and strengthening by overlays. Traffic surveys and their applications in traffic planning – Typical design features for channelized, intersection, rotary, etc – signal designs – standard Traffic signs and markings.

 Construction Technology, Equipment, Planning, and Management

• Construction Technology: Engineering Materials: Physical properties of construction materials concerning their use in construction – Stones, Bricks, and Tiles; Lime, Cement, different types of Mortars, and Concrete. Specific use of Ferro cement, fiber reinforced C.C., High strength concrete. Timber, properties, and defects – common preservation treatments. Use and selection of materials for specific use like Low-Cost Housing, Mass Housing, High Rise Buildings.
• Construction: Masonry principles using Brick, stone, and Blocks – construction detailing and strength characteristics. Types of plastering, pointing, flooring, roofing, and construction features. Common repairs in buildings. Principles of functional planning of building for residents and specific use – Building code provisions. Basic principles of detailed and approximate estimating – specification writing and rate analysis – principles of valuation of real property. Machinery for earthwork, concreting, and their specific uses – Factors affecting selection of equipment – operating cost of Equipment.
• Construction Planning and Management: Construction activity – schedules- an organization for the construction industry – Quality assurance principles. Use of Basic principles of network – analysis in the form of CPM and PERT – their use in construction monitoring, Cost optimization and resource allocation. Basic principles of Economic analysis and methods. Project profitability – Basic principles of Boot approach to financial planning – simple toll fixation criteria.

Hydrology, Water Resources, and Engineering

• Hydrology: Hydrological cycle, precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, overland flow, hydrograph, flood frequency analysis, flood routing through a reservoir, channel flow routing-Muskingum method.
• Groundwater flow: Specific yield, storage coefficient, coefficient of permeability, confined and unconfined aquifers, aquifers, aquitards, radial flow into a well under confined and unconfined conditions.
• Water Resources Engineering: Ground and surface water resource, single and multipurpose projects, the storage capacity of reservoirs, reservoir losses, reservoir sedimentation.
• Irrigation Engineering: (i) Water requirements of crops: consumptive use, duty and delta, irrigation methods, and their efficiencies. (ii) Canals: Distribution systems for canal irrigation, canal capacity, canal losses, alignment of main and distributary canals, most efficient section, lined canals, their design, regime theory, critical shear stress, and bedload. (iii) Waterlogging: causes and control, salinity. (iv) Canal structures: Design of, head regulators, canal falls, aqueducts, metering flumes, and canal outlets. (v) Diversion headwork: Principles and design of weirs of permeable and impermeable foundation, Khosla’s theory, energy dissipation. (vi) Storage works: Types of dams, design, principles of rigid gravity, stability analysis. (vii) Spillways: Spillway types, energy dissipation. (viii) River training: Objectives of river training, methods of river training.

Environmental Engineering

• Water Supply: Predicting demand for water, impurities of water and their significance, physical, chemical, and bacteriological analysis, waterborne diseases, and standards for potable water.
• Intake of water: Water treatment: principles of coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation; slow-; rapid-, pressure-, filters; chlorination, softening, removal of taste, odor, and salinity.
• Sewerage systems: Domestic and industrial wastes, storm sewage-separate and combined systems flow through sewers, design of sewers.
• Sewage characterization: BOD, COD, solids, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, and TOC. Standards of disposal in normal watercourses and on land.
• Sewage treatment: Working principles, units, chambers, sedimentation tanks, trickling filters, oxidation ponds, activated sludge process, septic tank, disposal of sludge, recycling of wastewater.
• Solid waste: Collection and disposal in rural and urban contexts, management of long-term ill effects.

Environmental pollution

• Sustainable development. Radioactive wastes and disposal. Environmental impact assessment for thermal power plants, mines, and river valley projects. Air pollution. Pollution Control Act.
• Civil Engineering should be prepared thoroughly if one has chosen it for the UPSC Mains by studying the previous years’ papers and also going through relevant books on Civil Engineering for UPSC.

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