Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers [Hardcover]

Frederick S. Merritt (Author), M. Kent Loftin (Author), Jonathan Ricketts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0070415978 | ISBN-13: 978-0070415973 | Edition: 4th

This text discusses important principles and techniques that are of use to practicing civil engineers. This edition incorporates significant changes in design and construction practices, specifically in design specifications for structural materials, buildings and bridges, environmental and other federal regulations such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA). Up-to-date code changes from such groups as the American Concrete Institute, American Society for Testing and Materials, American Institute of Steel Construction and National Design Specification for Wood Construction are also covered.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The fifth edition of this reference in civil engineering features coverage of recent code changes, including AIC, ASTM, and NDS for Wood Structures, and current EPA and OSHA regulations, plus expanded information on design build delivery systems and increased coverage of stormwater runoff. There is also new information on three-dimensional modeling of pile groups, cracking in high strength steel beams, intelligent transportation, and various types of wharf designs. Coverage encompasses fundamentals of civil engineering and the latest changes in design, construction, materials, and equipment in 23 different disciplines including systems design, geotechnical engineering, and community and regional planning. Ricketts is a consulting engineer. (Sci-Tech Book News ) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

A COMPLETE UPDATE OF THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CIVIL ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES

Now revised and updated with the most current information, the fourth edition of this long-established reference is the most comprehensive and authoritative book of principles and techniques for effective civil engineering practice.

The new edition of STANDARD HANDBOOK FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS incorporates hundreds of significant changes in design, construction, materials, and equipment, including:

* Code changes from the ACI, ASTM, and AISC
* New speicifications for wood construction
* The most recent EPA and OSHA regulations
* Changes in highway and airport pavement design
* Expanded coverage of harbor engineering
* Additional information about water resources
* State-of-the-art modeling techniques

You'll also find new methods for nondestructive testing of piles and applications of geosynthetics...the lates techniques of load-and-resistance factor design of structural steels...plus fully updated sections on systems design, value engineering, peer review, and much more.

Illustrated with more than 700 helpful graphics, the fourth edition of this indispensable reference provides simplified solutions to the many practical problems you face in your day-to-day civil engineering work.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1600 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing; 4th edition (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070415978
• ISBN-13: 978-0070415973
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,249,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A civil engineer's review - this book is a good buy, July 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers (Hardcover)

The Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers is a comprehensive single volume book. This book is divided into 23 sections covering entire gamut of civil engineering. In first few chapters it deals with design management, specifications etc. These chapters are quite informative. It also describes various construction materials in a lucid form. But the chapter on structural theory should have more elaborately presented. Many aspects of advanced structures such as plate, shell etc. are not discussed. Finite element method is almost untouched. This book does not contain too many numerical examples. Rather it tells you how to take decision. For example, it tells you how to choose structural system for multistory building, but does not tell how to analyze the same. Geo-technical engineering section is also little bit concise. Concrete design section is good but a number of worked out problems would have made it better. Same goes for steel design section. Surveying was featured in very lackadaisically. Building engineering section is well written with very good general descriptions. Transportation, water resource and environment parts are also well covered. Coastal engineering is just touched. In overall this book is a good buy. But this book won't be much useful to all because it is written only in American code. What I dislike most about this book is that it is not written in metric units.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's just a desk, of field, reference., August 23, 2005

By 

R. G. Thomas (Salmon, Idano, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers (Handbook) (Hardcover)

I've read several other of the reviews, and feel the need to add a little to the conversation.

This book will not make you into an engineer if you don't have the foundation knowledge required. It is a desk reference, useful mainly for a quick review, of principles outside your primary area of engineering practice, when you need a quick refresher.

I am a degreed and licensed Civil Engineer, but I am primarily a Construction Engineer. I use this book to get myself back upto speed on topics that I haven't dealt with in a while, and to do field checks on designs I'm trying to build before I call the Design Engineer. I've got several hundred text books, and years worth of journals, and technical reports available in my office. They don't fit in my breifcase and travel to the field well. The handbook does.

I wouldn't rely on the knowledge contained in this book alone, to execute a design for any complex or critical project. I doubt that any competent professional would, or should.

All said, it is worth every penny you spend on it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still the best Civil Handbook, February 9, 2004

By 

bookology "bookology" (Studio City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers (Handbook) (Hardcover)

The fifth edition update mainly reflects changes in code requirements for structural engineering. Other sections seem barely changed from the fourth edition. The water resources chapter has several misprinted tables. Use the corresponding tables out of the fourth edition.

Generalle well-written and easy to follow. Useful as a supplemental study reference for the Civil PE Exam.

Could use a good bibliography.