Geotechnical Engineering Vocabulary

noun a building material made from a mixture of cement, sand, and water

adjective relating to or denoting a material or substance that is solid and firm to the touch

• The engineer specified that the building foundation must be made of reinforced concrete.
• I accidentally spilled some concrete mix on the driveway.
• Let's pour some concrete and make this project solid.
• The artist's vision was still in the concrete stage, waiting to be fully realized.

noun a long artificial mound of earth and stone, built to hold back water, for protection or to support a road

• The engineers reinforced the embankment to prevent erosion.
• Let's have a picnic on the embankment by the river.
• I saw some kids skateboarding down the embankment yesterday.
• She felt like she was on the edge of an emotional embankment, ready to break down at any moment.

noun a facing of stone, concrete, or other material used to prevent erosion

verb to face with stone, concrete, or other material to prevent erosion

• The engineers decided to revet the riverbank to prevent erosion.
• We need to revet this wall before it collapses.
• Let's revet this fence before it falls down.
• He reveted his emotions, keeping them hidden from everyone.

noun a structure built to support the lateral pressure of an arch or span, e.g., at the ends of a bridge.

• The engineer designed a sturdy abutment to support the weight of the bridge.
• The workers are fixing the abutment on the side of the road.
• I accidentally bumped into the abutment while walking down the street.
• The strong friendship between them serves as an abutment during tough times.

noun a sound or vibration that is produced by a material when it undergoes stress or deformation

• Acoustic emission monitoring is commonly used in structural health monitoring of bridges.
• The acoustic emission sensors can detect any cracks in the building.
• I heard some weird noises coming from the wall, could be acoustic emissions.
• The silence in the room was shattered by the acoustic emission of laughter.