MSTE

• Arcs in a graph – the line segment (path) joining two nodes is an arc. Number of arcs is denoted
by ‘A’.
• Base – the main load-spreading layer of a pavement.
• Binder course – a premixed asphalt surfacing is sometimes laid in two layers of different
materials. The lower layer such a construction is known as the binder course.
• Bitumen – a black to dark brown sticky material, composed principally of high molecular-weight
hydrocarbons.
• Breaking waves – waves which fall forward since the forward velocity of the crest particles
exceeds the velocity of propagation of the wave length L is less than 7 times the wave height
(L<7H).
• Breakwater – an offshore barrier that protects a harbor or other coastal area from the full force
of the sea.
• Capacity – the maximum sustained 15-minute rate of flow, expressed in passenger cars per hour
per lane, which can be accommodated by a uniform freeway segment under prevailing traffic and
roadway conditions in one direction.
• Contour – graphically represent, in a two-dimensional format on a plan or map, the shape or
morphology of the terrain.
• Density – defined as the number of vehicles per unit distance occupying section of roadway at a
given instant in time, and is usually measured in vehicles per mile or vehicles per kilometer.
• Drainage – primary consideration in the design of geometric cross-section of highways, runways
and taxiways.
• Emotion – the driver identifies the object or control device and thus understands the example, to
step on the brake pedal, to pass, to swerve, or to change lanes.
• External distance – the shortest distance from a circular curve to the point of intersection of the
tangents.
• Flexible pavement – pavement structure that maintains intimate contact with, and distributes
loads to the subgrade and depends on aggregate interlock, particle friction, and cohesion for
stability.
• Flow – the number of vehicles passing a reference point per unit of time, and is measured in
vehicles per hour.
• Flyover – a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway.
• Freehaul – distance within which material is moved without extra compensation.
• Graph/network – a set of points together with line segments joining the points in pairs.
• Guide signs – inform and advise road users of directions, distances, routes, the location of
services for road users and points of interest.
• Horizontal control – commonly identified as primary, secondary and working control on the
jobsite.
• Identification – the driver identifies the object or control device and thus understands the
stimulus.
• Interchange – system of interconnecting roadways in conjunction with one or more grade
separations, providing for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways on different
levels.
• Lane lines must not be continued on the following cases: across signalized intersections.
However, lane lines of low priority rod must be discontinued at the intersection, across side
street entrances unless the street is one-way street (going in only), and past the start of the
taper at which a multi-lane road narrows down.
• Latitude – an imaginary line joining points on Earth’s surface that are all equal distance north or
south of the equator.
• Mean Lower Low Water meaning of MLLW.
• Meandering line – survey line at the high-water mark on navigable lakes and streams; the line
at which continuous vegetation ends and sandy or muddy shore begins.
• Minimum K value of sag vertical curve should be selected on the basis of three controlling factors:
sight distance is a requirement in all situations for driver safety, appearance is generally
required in low fill and flat topography situations, and riding comfort is a general
requirement with specific need on approaches to a floodway where the length of depression
need to be minimized.
• Nodes in a graph – a point is a node if there is at least one path (line) starting from it or reaching
it. Nodes are named by capital letters of English alphabet. However, the number of nodes is
denoted by ‘N’.
• North direction – should always be shown on site plans for orientation purposes. Displaying it
prominently is the standard practice.
• Overhaul – transport of excavation beyond specified limits.
• Pedestrian – a person travelling on foot, whether walking or running.
• Perception – the driver sees a control device, warning sign, or object on the road.
• Pier – a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water,
typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars.
• Pier – a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water,
typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars.
• Port – a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and
transfer people or cargo to or from land.
• Reaction distance and breaking distance – components of stopping sight distance.
• Reaction or volition – the driver actually executes the action decided on during the emotion sub-
process.
• Region – an area bounded by arcs (including outside) is called a region. Number of regions is
denoted by ‘R’.
• Reverse curve – a section of the horizontal alignment of a highway or railroad route in which a
curve to the left or right is followed immediately by a curve in the opposite direction.
• Road capacity –it is the maximum number of vehicles, which have a reasonable expectation of
passing over a given section of a lane or a roadway in one direction or in both direction during
one hour under prevailing road and traffic conditions.
• Sectional leveling – type of leveling that is used to produce ground profiles for use in the design
of roads, railways and pipelines.
• Sending out a large enough number of surveys so that even if the response rate is low, you
will have sufficient numbers of responses to do statistical analysis – most important in
avoiding bias in surveying.
• Shoulder paving is a valuable method of providing: integrity of the pavement, width to place
edgeline pavement markings, additional safety to prevent vehicles skidding or drivers losing
control in gravel, and low maintenance cost compared with paved shoulders.
• Stabilization – the process by which a soil is improved and made more stable.
• Steepness – the ratio of wave height to its wave length.
• Stopping distance – distance traveled by a vehicle from the point of application of force to the
brake control to the point at which the vehicle reaches a full stop.
• Sub-base – the secondary load-spreading layer of a pavement.
• Subgrade – soil prepared and compacted to support aggregate, paved surface, a concrete slab, or
other construction.
• Subgrade – the soil acting as a foundation for the pavement.
• Swells – waves under the influence of the winds that generated them.
• The design of overtaking lanes and climbing lanes requires the consideration of: initial diverge
taper, auxiliary lane length, and end or merge taper.
• The following are the step-by-step procedures for calculating azimuths clockwise: plan and
prepare, perform the calculation, repeat the calculation, and calculate the azimuths
clockwise traverse.
• The purpose of installing edge lines is generally based on the following except one: to delineate
the edge of the travelled way to distinguish it from the shoulder area.
• The warrant for the use of safety barriers can be established consisting of: fore slope of back
slope steepness and height, unforgiving hazards within the clear zone and water hazards
within the clear zone.
• Theodolite – an optical instrument consisting of a rotating telescopic sight, used by a surveyor to
measure horizontal and vertical angles.
• Three words or less – limitation of messages painted on pavement.
• Traffic – may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other
conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel.
• Traffic density – refers to number of vehicles on a given stretch of road.
• Traffic density – refers to number of vehicles on a given stretch of road.
• Transition curve – a curve of constantly changing radius.
• Triangulation – a method of locating the position of an object by observing the direction and/or
distance to the object from two or more observation points.
• Turning point – fixed point or object, often temporary in character, use din leveling where the
rod is held first for a foresight and then for a backsight.
• Turning point – fixed point or object, often temporary in character, used in leveling where the
rod is held first for a foresight and then for a backsight.
• Volume – the maximum number of vehicles, passengers, pedestrians and the like, which can be
accommodated by a given facility under a given level of service.
• Warning signs – warn road users of condition on or adjacent to the road that may be unexpected.
• Wearing course – the uppermost layer of a sealed pavement. It provides the riding surface for
the road users.
• Wharf – a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or
passengers. A continuous structure built parallel to along the margin of the sea or alongside
riverbank, canals, or waterways where vessels may lie alongside to receive or discharge cargo,
embark or disembark passengers or lie at rest.
• Zenith – the highest point reached by an astronomical object.

HGE

• 0.074 mm – largest grain size that may pass through a No. 200 sieve.
• 10 to 30 – number of blows that the medium dense sand has in a standard penetration test.
• 4°C – temperature at which liquid water has the highest density.
• 40 – atterberg limit tests is done on aggregates that pass through this sieve size.
• A cohesive soil deposit is considered soft if the unconfined compression strength in kPa, is
between: 0 to 24.
• According to NSCP, cut and fill slopes must not be steeper than 1 to 2.
• Archimedes – states the law of buoyancy.
• Bernoulli – in any stream flowing steadily without friction, the total energy contained is the same
at every point in its path of flow.
• Cohesion – component of rock or soil that is independent of interparticle friction.
• Degree of Saturation – the ratio between the volume of water and the volume of voids.
• Effective stress – weight and pressure when a pile of sand keeps from spreading out like a liquid
because the weight of the sand keeps the grains stuck together in their current arrangement,
mostly out of static friction.
• Gas – not a component of soil.
• Gravel – soil grain with grain size greater than 4.75 mm but less than 75 mm.
• Hydraulic gradient – a line joining the points of higher elevation of water in a series of vertical
open pipes rising from a pipeline in which water flows under pressure.
• Liquefaction – a phenomenon in which the strength and stiffness of a soil is reduced by
earthquake shaking or other rapid loading.
• Longitudinal lines, transverse lines, other lines, & other markings – the four types of
pavement and curb markings.
• Moisture content – the ratio between the weight of water and the weight of solid particles.
• Pascals – the pressure exerted on a liquid is transmitted equally and undiminished to all portions
of the liquid.
• Porosity – the ratio between the volume of voids and the volume of the soil mass.
• Possess low shear strength – not a characteristic of cohesive soil.
• Practically impermeable – not a characteristic of a cohesionless soil.
• Sieve Analysis – a practice or procedure used to assess the particle size distribution (also called
gradation) of a granular material. The size distribution is often of critical importance to the way
the material performs in use.
• Steady flow – a flow in which the velocity of the fluid at a particular fixed point does not change
with time.
• Surface tension – the elastic tendency of liquids which makes them acquire the least surface area
possible. It I responsible, for example, when an object or insect such as mosquitoes that is denser
than water is able to float or run along the water surface.
• Turbulent flow – when the path lines of the individual particles of a flowing liquid are irregular
curves and continually cross each other and form a complicated network.
• Water hammer – a pressure surge or wave caused when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or
change direction suddenly (momentum change).

SEC

• Allowable stress – this refers to the ratio of the yield strength to the factor of safety.
• Center of mass – the point on a structure where the resultant vertical forces acts.
• Center of rigidity – it is the point through which the resultant of the resistance to the applied
lateral force acts.
• Ductility – refers to the ability of a material to deform in the plastic range.
• Eccentricity – the distance between the center of mass and center of rigidity.
• Elastic limit – the greatest stress that can be applied to an elastic body without causing
permanent deformation.
• Elasticity – refers to the tendency of solid materials to return to their original shape after being
forces are applied on them. When the forces are removed, the object will return to its initial shape
and size.
• Factor of safety – this refers to the ratio of the actual strength to the required strength.
• Force – any action that tends to maintain or alter the motion of a body or to distort it.
• Ground displacement – can be measured by a seismometer.
• Homogeneous – this refers to the property of a material that has the same composition (and
hence the same elastic properties) at every point.
• Inverse of stiffness – flexibility of a structural system.
• Joule – a unit of moment.
• Kinematics – a branch of mechanics concerned with the geometrically possible motion of a body
or system of bodies without consideration of the forces involved.
• Margin of safety – the factor of safety minus 1.
• Modulus of rigidity – the ratio of the shear stress to the shear strain.
• Newton – a unit of force.
• Orthotropic material – the material composition is the same but its mechanical properties are
different in every direction.
• Poisson’s ratio – the ratio of the lateral strain to the axial strain.
• Reciprocal of deflection – refers to the rigidity of a structure.
• Reciprocal of stiffness – refers to the flexibility of a structure.
• Resilience – the ability of the material to absorb energy in the elastic range.
• Resultant – the combination of two or more vectors.
• Stability – this refers to the ability of the structure to resist buckling under compressive stresses.
• Stiffness – this refers to the ability of the structure to resist changes in shape.
• Sudden drop of shear strength – best describes liquefaction.
• Toughness – the ability of material to absorb energy in the plastic range. The ability of material
to deform in plastic range without breaking.
• Transmissibility – a principle which states that the point of application of a force can be moved
anywhere along its line of action without changing the external reaction forces on a rigid body.
• Varignon’s Theorem – states that the moment at any point of the force acting on a body is equal
to the moment of the resultant at that particular point.
• Yielding – refers to the stress at which a material begins to deform plastically. The stress point
where a material will have applicable deform when small amount of stress is experienced.

Sources as of 9/3/2021

- 1001 (gillesania)
- November 2020 reviewers
- CE Reference Vol. 4

Compiled by: francine sa discord ^_^