Civil Engineering Interview Questions and Answers you Should Know

1. What is a foundation and explain the types of foundations?
Ans. A foundation is the lowest part of a building or any structure which is in direct contact with the ground and transfers its gravity load to the earth. The lowermost section of the foundation which is in direct contact with the sub-soil is called the footing.
Foundation is generally categorized into two sections viz Shallow foundations and Deep foundations.

2. Unit Weight of different construction materials?
Ans. This is one of the most important Civil Engineering Interview questions which is being asked very frequently.
So, go through all the materials used in construction work and muck up their Unit weight.
For the Unit weight of different construction materials refer to this link. Unit weight of different Construction Materials.

3.  What is the role of foreman at the construction site?
Ans. A foreman is basically the top supervisory position at a construction site. This position is gained after having years of experience in a particular trade. A site foreman assigns duties to workers at the site and is responsible for monitoring the progress of the project. A foreman also ensures a safe working environment at the site.

4. What is the minimum Grade of Concrete used in R.C.C. works?
Ans. M 20 Grade of Concrete.

5. What is the standard cover provided in Concrete reinforcement?
Ans. Footing = 50 mm – 75 mm, Column = 25 mm – 40 mm, Beams = 25 mm – 30 mm and, Slab = 15 mm – 25 mm

6. How much quantity of binding wire is required for binding 1 MT of rebars?
Ans. Basically, the binding wire required to tie 1 MT steel bars of 8 mm dia will be approximately  12 Kg. Binding wire required to tie 1 MT steel bars of 28 mm or 32 mm dia will be approximately 7 kg. The more the diameter of the steel bar, the lesser will be the requirement for binding wire. Approximately it is taken as 9 to 13 kg of binding wire per MT of steel bars.

7. What is the Initial and Final setting time of Ordinary Portland Cement?
Ans. The Initial Setting time of Ordinary Portland Cement is 30 minutes and the Final Setting time for Ordinary Portland Cement is 10 hours.

8. How is the Workability of Concrete checked at the construction site?
Ans. Slump Test.

9. What is Honeycombing in Concrete in construction works?
Ans. Honeycombing in Concrete structures refers to the voids or cavities on the surface or inside the concrete which are formed due to insufficient compaction during the placement of the concrete in the formwork. Over reinforcement, Stiff concrete (non-workable), and the use of oversized aggregate in concrete are also the reason for honeycombing in concrete structures.

10. How to calculate the weight of steel bars at the site?
Ans. Weight of steel bar (kg/m) = d²/162.2

where d = diameter of the bar.
For example – If you have to calculate the weight of an 8 mm dia bar, then
Weight of 8 mm dia steel bar (kg/m) = 8²/162.2   =  0.395 kg/m

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