Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam (PE) Civil Engineering (PE Civil) Syllabus

Civil Engineering (PE Civil) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Civil Engineering (PE Civil) in Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam (PE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Structural Engineering

   5 topics

   • Loads and Load Combinations
     • Dead, live, and environmental loads
     • ASCE 7 wind and seismic loads
     • LRFD and ASD load combinations
   • Steel Design
     • Tension, compression, and flexural members
     • Bolted and welded connections
     • AISC specification provisions
   • Concrete Design
     • Reinforced beams, columns, and slabs
     • Development length and detailing (ACI 318)
     • Prestressed concrete basics
   • Structural Analysis
     • Determinate and indeterminate structures
     • Shear and moment diagrams
     • Deflection and influence lines
   • Timber and Masonry Design
     • Sawn lumber and glulam members
     • Masonry walls and reinforcement
2. 2

   Geotechnical Engineering

   4 topics

   • Soil Properties and Classification
     • Phase relationships and index properties
     • USCS and AASHTO classification
     • Atterberg limits and compaction
   • Subsurface Exploration
     • Boring logs and sampling
     • SPT, CPT, and in-situ testing
   • Foundations
     • Shallow foundation bearing capacity
     • Deep foundations and pile capacity
     • Settlement analysis
   • Earth Structures and Stability
     • Lateral earth pressure and retaining walls
     • Slope stability
     • Seepage and effective stress
3. 3

   Water Resources and Environmental

   3 topics

   • Hydraulics
     • Open channel flow and Manning's equation
     • Pipe flow and energy/momentum equations
     • Pumps and system curves
   • Hydrology
     • Rainfall-runoff and the rational method
     • Hydrographs and detention design
     • Storm sewer and culvert design
   • Water and Wastewater
     • Water treatment unit processes
     • Wastewater treatment and biological processes
     • Disinfection and water quality standards
4. 4

   Transportation Engineering

   3 topics

   • Geometric Design
     • Horizontal and vertical curves
     • Sight distance and superelevation
     • AASHTO Green Book criteria
   • Traffic Engineering
     • Capacity and level of service
     • Signal timing and warrants
     • Highway Capacity Manual methods
   • Pavement and Materials
     • Flexible and rigid pavement design
     • Aggregate and asphalt properties
5. 5

   Construction Engineering

   3 topics

   • Construction Operations
     • Earthwork and mass diagrams
     • Temporary structures and shoring
     • Quantity takeoff
   • Safety and Contracts
     • OSHA construction standards
     • Contract documents and delivery methods
   • Scheduling and Productivity
     • Critical path method
     • Resource leveling and crew productivity

Civil Engineering (PE Civil) flashcards for Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam (PE)

18 of 60 cards from the Civil Engineering (PE Civil) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In ASCE 7 LRFD, what is the load combination that typically governs for gravity loads combining dead and live load?

   $U = 1.2D + 1.6L + 0.5(L_r \text{ or } S \text{ or } R)$, where $D$ is dead load, $L$ is live load, $L_r$ is roof live, $S$ is snow, and $R$ is rain.

2. What is the basic LRFD design inequality relating factored loads and resistance?

   $\sum \gamma_i Q_i \leq \phi R_n$ — the factored load effect must not exceed the resistance factor $\phi$ times the nominal resistance $R_n$.

3. For Allowable Stress Design (ASD), how is the allowable load related to nominal strength?

   $R_a \leq \dfrac{R_n}{\Omega}$, where $\Omega$ is the safety factor and $R_a$ is the required strength from ASD load combinations (unfactored).

4. In steel design, what is the nominal yielding strength of a tension member based on gross area?

   $P_n = F_y A_g$ with $\phi_t = 0.90$ (LRFD), where $F_y$ is yield stress and $A_g$ is the gross cross-sectional area.

5. What is the nominal tensile rupture strength of a steel tension member on the net section?

   $P_n = F_u A_e$ with $\phi_t = 0.75$, where $F_u$ is ultimate tensile stress and $A_e = U A_n$ is the effective net area (U = shear lag factor).

6. What is the Euler buckling (flexural buckling) elastic critical stress for a steel column?

   $F_e = \dfrac{\pi^{2} E}{\left(\frac{KL}{r}\right)^{2}}$, where $K$ is the effective length factor, $L$ the unbraced length, and $r$ the radius of gyration.

7. In AISC, what slenderness limit separates inelastic from elastic column buckling?

   If $\dfrac{KL}{r} \leq 4.71\sqrt{\dfrac{E}{F_y}}$ (i.e. $F_y/F_e \leq 2.25$), use the inelastic equation $F_{cr}=\left(0.658^{F_y/F_e}\right)F_y$; otherwise $F_{cr}=0.877 F_e$.

8. What is the nominal flexural strength of a compact, fully braced steel beam reaching the plastic moment?

   $M_n = M_p = F_y Z_x$ with $\phi_b = 0.90$, where $Z_x$ is the plastic section modulus.

9. In reinforced concrete, what is the nominal moment capacity of a singly reinforced rectangular beam?

   $M_n = A_s f_y \left(d - \dfrac{a}{2}\right)$, where $a = \dfrac{A_s f_y}{0.85 f'_c b}$ is the equivalent stress-block depth.

10. What strength-reduction factor $\phi$ does ACI 318 assign to tension-controlled flexure, and to shear?

    $\phi = 0.90$ for tension-controlled flexure and $\phi = 0.75$ for shear and torsion.

11. What is the concrete shear strength carried by normal-weight concrete in a non-prestressed beam (simplified ACI)?

    $V_c = 2\lambda\sqrt{f'_c}\, b_w d$ (psi units), where $\lambda$ is the lightweight factor (1.0 for normalweight), $b_w$ is web width, and $d$ effective depth.

12. What is the balanced strain condition assumption in ACI concrete design (concrete crushing strain)?

    Concrete reaches ultimate strain $\varepsilon_{cu} = 0.003$ simultaneously as steel reaches yield strain $\varepsilon_y = f_y/E_s$; the Whitney block uses $\beta_1$ with $a = \beta_1 c$.

13. How is the equivalent stress-block factor $\beta_1$ defined for concrete strengths in ACI 318?

    $\beta_1 = 0.85$ for $f'_c \leq 4000$ psi, decreasing by $0.05$ per $1000$ psi above $4000$, but not less than $0.65$.

14. State the three classic equations of static equilibrium used in 2D structural analysis.

    $\sum F_x = 0$, $\sum F_y = 0$, $\sum M = 0$ — sum of horizontal forces, vertical forces, and moments each equal zero.

15. What is the formula for static determinacy of a 2D pin-jointed truss?

    $m + r = 2j$ for determinacy, where $m$ = members, $r$ = reaction components, $j$ = joints. If $m + r > 2j$ the truss is statically indeterminate.

16. What is the maximum deflection of a simply supported beam under a uniform load $w$?

    $\delta_{max} = \dfrac{5 w L^{4}}{384 E I}$ at midspan, where $L$ is span, $E$ modulus, $I$ moment of inertia.

17. What is the maximum deflection of a cantilever beam with a point load $P$ at its free end?

    $\delta_{max} = \dfrac{P L^{3}}{3 E I}$ at the free end.

18. State the moment-area / slope-deflection fixed-end moment for a uniform load $w$ on a fixed-fixed beam.

    $M_{FE} = \dfrac{w L^{2}}{12}$ at each end (magnitude), producing equal and opposite fixed-end moments.

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