# Civil Construction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 21, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731 "2001-10-21T20:07:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sei\_taer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sei\_taer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sei_taer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/1 "2001-10-21T20:07:35Z")
In My years as a civil engineering inspector, I have noticed a complete lack of knowledge in the general public about certain civil aspects of life in general. For instance, many people don’t realize what happens when you flush the toilet…where does the “stuff” go? Why does my yard drain off and where does the water go after a big rain? How does water get to my house, and where does it come from? What are those things in the road that the rainwater runs into (Besides a home for “IT”)? I noticed a post from some time back about clean fill and realized that most people don’t really understand the construction process. I am in West Tennessee, and these things are fairly regional but the concepts are the same. For instance, Do you know what soil cement is and what it is used for? It is a regional use item that is more prevelant here than in most areas of the US, but 95% of you probably have no idea what it is, although you could find out fairly easily. Just offering if there is a question that you feel you might like to know…so you can amaze and wow you friends! Sei’taer ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/2 "2001-10-22T02:01:10Z")
Hi and welcome to the SDMB! Is this in response to one of Cecil’s columns? If you could post a link to it, then we could all be on the same page, so to speak. Just Copy and Paste the URL from the address window–vBulletin will automatically make it into a link. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/3 "2001-10-22T04:29:16Z")
I’m guessing this is in response to the staff report by Ian (who I miss badly, btw): [Why do you see signs, “Clean Fill Wanted”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfill.html) So it belongs in that forum. Jill ---
**Author:** ![Sei\_taer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sei\_taer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sei_taer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/4 "2001-10-22T11:31:39Z")
Sorry, my bad. I had some problems getting logged in and since I am fairly new to the internet, I forgot where the other post was at…but yes it is in reply to the clean fill post. Sooooo what do I do now? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/5 "2001-10-22T12:53:01Z")
Don’t worry, you haven’t burried yourself. Jill has moved your thread for you. Simply sit back and see if anyone responds to you post. In answer, limestone, and in reply, what is the percentage of rebar in the concrete walls of North America’s largest reactor chamber? ---
**Author:** ![Sei\_taer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sei\_taer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sei_taer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/6 "2001-10-23T01:19:42Z")
Soil Cement is a base used for roadbeds. The soil subgrade is mixed with cement, watered heavily and compacted, then slicked off with a motor grader. A tar mixture is then put over the top and after some curing time (usually 7 days) asphalt is put over the top. In this area, limestone is expensive and hard to find, so it is rarely used in any application. As to your question, I have absolutely, positively, no idea!!! I am in civil and geotechnical engineering, not structural. So that question is way out of my league.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/7 "2001-10-23T01:53:11Z")
Boy am I a numpty. I thought the question was what type of soil cement is. Never had a clue about “soil cement”. Thanks. That’s neat stuff. As far as the rebar at Darlington goes, the average is 85% – mondo tough to absorb an exocet. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/8 "2001-10-23T04:15:37Z")
> [@](#): > > mondo tough to absorb an exocet You know something we don’t? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sei\_taer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sei\_taer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sei_taer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/9 "2001-10-23T12:04:00Z")
Numpty and exocet in the same reply…awesome. I am assuming an exocet is some type of high heat or explosive event in a reactor, and a numpty is similar to a yutz, dingleberry, or a nimrod… ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/10 "2001-10-23T13:46:47Z")
“Numpty” is kinder than either “yutz” or “dingleberry”, and all three are kinder than “nimrod”. An Exocet is a cruise missile. [http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/ships/ship-ffg.html](http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/ships/ship-ffg.html) > [@](#): > > This “toughness” was aptly demonstrated when…USS Stark was hit by two Exocet cruise missiles. [http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/124295.asp](http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/124295.asp) > [@](#): > > . In 1987, an Iraqi Mirage pilot fired an Exocet missile at what he believed to be an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf. The French-built missile, also used by Argentina to tear up Britain’s navy off the Falklands, tore this time into the USS Stark, an American frigate escorting neutral vessels during the Iran-Iraq war. Thirty-seven sailors lost their lives and the Stark was reduced to a smoldering hulk. 1. Funny, none of the 80s Nostalgia Tours have mentioned this yet. And hey, apparently they’re small enough that you can put them on your car. The 21st century solution to Road Rage! [South Africa Picks Exocet Missile for New Corvettes](http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews/00farn3/hardwr05.htm) I didn’t know they even had 'Vettes in South Africa. Kewl! 😃 Hee. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/11 "2001-10-25T04:11:07Z")
Yup. A missile. The walls surrounding the reactor at Darlington were designed to take a direct hit, thus the very high rebar content. Definitely an 80s thing. But of you were into concrete, that was the place to be. The entire project (lots of concrete buildings) had about 4,000 people building it, and a concrete plant that was massive. ---
**Author:** ![Midgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Midgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Midgard)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/12 "2001-10-30T17:01:11Z")
So, what _exactly_ is a numpty, and what language is it? [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) pulls a blank…☹ ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/13 "2001-10-31T01:47:38Z")
It’s a Gingerism. Canadian English. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/14 "2001-10-31T01:59:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muffin \* > \*\*It’s a Gingerism. Canadian English. \*\* No you numpty, it is neither. Go check the [Scots dictionary](http://www.britannia.org/scotland/scotsdictionary/n.shtml). ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_G](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_g/32/5080_2.png) [@Steven\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_G)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/15 "2001-10-31T14:57:20Z")
is not a “cruise” missile, its a high speed sea-skimmer, shoot and scoot. I think its normally an air-to-sea or sea-to sea weapon, so unless the reactor is in a ship it’s not the best example for this purpose. Though it gets the point across… ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/16 "2001-11-01T01:19:52Z")
On the shore of a Great Lake, thus air-to-sea risk. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-construction/88731/17 "2001-11-01T01:25:08Z")
I recall many of the design team (about 80 engineers) had backgrounds in British nukes, especially subs. I wonder if that might explain their orientation to exocets and air-sea risk? Just a guess.