Building Construction definitions Flashcards
Type I building construction
Fire resistive; Common in schools, hospitals and High-rise buildings
Type II building construction
Noncombustible; Common in warehouse and factories
Type III building consrtuction
Ordinary; Common in strip malls and apartment buildings, have masonry outside walls
Type IV building construction
Heavy timber; common in old churches
Type V building construction
Wood frame; most common form of construction today.
Combines the function of a beam and column.
Arch
Vertical or horizontal orientation
Attitude
A load that passes through the centroid of a section under construction and is perpendicular to he plane of the section
Axial load
A collapse in which an entire wall fails as one unit
90- degree wall collapse
A collapse in which one end of the collapsed floor is supported by an interior wall creating two void spaces.
A- frame collapse
A material other than water, aggregate, and cement used as an ingredient in concrete or mortar
Admixture
Large, roughly molded, sun-dried clay units of varying sizes
Adobe
Any of a variety of materials such as sand and gravel asses to a cement mixture to make concrete
Aggregate
The use of high air velocity to stop smoke movement
Air flow
A lightweight metal that is both malleable and nonmagnetic. This metal has good conductivity.
Aluminum
A set of regulations passes in 1990 hat includes among other things regulations requiring area of refuge for disabled people in multistory buildings
Americans with disabilities act
Large stores attached o the mall that have all of heir required exits independent of the mall
Anchor stores
Steel members that have two legs at right angles to one another
Angles
A truss with an arched upper chord and a straight bottom chord with vertical hangers between the two chords
Arched truss
An individual who has engaged in he design of buildings and who often supervises construction
Architect
An area of a building separated from other spaces by fire rated smoke barriers in which a tenable environment is maintained for he period of time that such areas may need to be occupied at the time of a fire
Area of refuge
A fireproof roofing shingle that is comprised of cement reinforced with asbestos fibers
Asbestos cement shingle
Stone cut in rectangular units
Ashlar Masonry
Asphalt coating that is combustible and used as a weather protective coating on galvanized steel walls
Asphalt Asbestos Protected Metal
A type of siding manufactured by saturating a dry felt with asphalt, then coating it with a fine glass fiber
Asphalt felt siding
A large open space within a structure connecting two or more floors
Atria
The vertical spread of fire on the exterior of a multistory building from one floor to the floors above via convection and radiation
Autoexposure
A phenomenon in which a combustible material ignites spontaneously without the application of a flame or spark
Autoignition
Standpipe system attached to a water supple capable of supplying the system demand at all times
Automatic wet standpipe system
A joist that generally runs in the same direction as a beam and forms a lightweight, long-span system, used as floor supports and built-up roofing supports.
Bar joist
A structural member that transmits forces perpendicular to such forces to the reaction points.
Beam
A line of columns in any direction.
Bent
A structural system that uses diagonal members to provide bracing against lateral wind and earthquake loads.
Braced frame
Diagonal member that supports what would otherwise be a cantilever.
Bracket
Consists of an exterior wythe of brick directly mortared or parged to an inner wythe of concrete masonry unit (CMU)
Brick and Block composite wall
The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1°F at the pressure of 1 atmosphere and temperature of 60°F.
BTU
Made of steel plates and angles riveted together, as distinguished from one rolled from one piece of steel.
Built-up girder
Mass of masonry built against a wall to strengthen it. Necessary when a vault or an arch places a heavy load or thrust on one part of a wall.
Buttress
Measured in Btu; the amount of heat required to raise 1 pound of water 1°F.
Caloric Value
Upward rise
Camber
A beam supported at one end only, rigidly held in position at that end.
Cantilever beam
A type of construction in which an overhang is supported from only one end where one floor extends beyond and over a foundation wall.
Cantilevered
A wall built of two wythes (a single vertical thickness of masonry) separated by a space for rain drainage or insulation.
Cavity or hallow wall
The center point at which a body would be stable, or balance, under the influence of gravity.
Centroid
The outside members (top and bottom) of a truss, as opposed to the inner “webbed members.”
Chord
A structural member that transmits a compressive force along a straight path in the direction of the member.
Column
Built up of different parts, pieces, or materials.
Composite
Two different masonry materials, such as brick and concrete block, used in a wall and designed to react as one unit under load
Composite Wall
Direct pushing force, in line with the axis member; the opposite of tension.
Compression
A load acting on a very small area of the structure’s surface; the exact opposite of a distributed load.
Concentrated load
A beam supported at three or more points. It is considered structurally advantageous because if the span between two supports is overloaded, the rest of the beam assists in carrying the load.
Continuous beam
No external braces involved; bracing is done within the core of the structure
Core construction
Any wall at right angles to any other wall; the walls should brace one another.
Cross wall
A study of information that has been gathered as part of a prefire plan to identify specific construction issues/concerns and interactions
Prefire analysis
A document developed by gathering general and detailed data used by responding personnel to determine the resources and actions necessary to mitigate anticipated emergencies at a specific facility.
Prefire planning
A solid or hollow masonry unit of clay mixed with sand, which is molded into a small rectangular shape while in a plastic state.
Brick
Regulates the actual design and construction of new buildings, providing for minimum levels of health and safety. Regulates the level and amount of fire protection in a new structure.
Building code
A shaft of concrete placed under a building column or wall extending down to bedrock
Caisson
The hallow portions of the core of a concrete block
Cells (concrete)
An engineer who specializes in the design of parking lots, drainage areas, and roadways.
Civil engineer
A type of steel used in the construction of cables that are sometimes used to brace failing buildings or as tendons in tensioned concrete. It fails at 800°F (427°C).
Cold-drawn Steel
A material built up of different parts, pieces, and materials intended to act as a single unit.
Composite material
Precast hollow or solid structural block. Sometimes referred to as cinder block.
Concrete masonry unit (CMU)
Occupational health and safety regulations that apply to construction sites. These include provisions to prevent falls and protection from being hit or crushed.
Construction safety regulations
Grooved ridged material, often metal.
Corrugation
Internal bracing that transfers the lateral earth pressures between opposing walls through compressive struts.
Crosslot bracing
Concrete that is hardened to full strength.
Cured
The explosive burning of heated gaseous products of combustion when oxygen is introduced into an environment whose oxygen supply has been depleted due to fire.
Backdraft
Low-density fiberboard made of wood fibers or sugar cane residue.
Bagasse
Fiberglass or rock wool insulation with various thicknesses; it may or may not have a paper covering.
Batt insulation
The hot, buoyant gases that collect at the very top of a room.
Ceiling layer
Fiberboard in which holes have been punched.
Combustible acoustical tile
The transfer of heat within an object or between objects through direct contact.
Conduction
The transfer of heat through circulation within a medium such as a gas or a liquid.
Convection
A fire protection system intended to protect materials that can be damaged by water; it uses carbon dioxide to suppress the fire.
Carbon Dioxide system
Gaseous fire extinguishing agent that does not leave a residue when it dissipates.
Clean agent system
Subdivision of a building into small areas so that fire or smoke is confined to the room or section in which it originates.
Compartmentation
Rapid involvement of a fire situation that goes beyond the normal attack situations that fire departments encounter.
Conflagration
The amount of external radiant heat energy (measured in watts per square centimeter) below which a flame front will cease to propagate.
Critical Radiant Flux (CRF)
A wooden structure in which all vertical studs in the exterior bearing walls extend the full height of the frame from sill to roof. No firestops are present within the walls.
Balloon frame
A type of siding that uses vertical strips of wood to cover joints.
Batten
A structural member laid on the subfloor where the vertical studs are installed.
Bottom plate
Braces placed between parallel-frame members to prevent movement from their vertical axes.
Bridging
To cut off the corners of a timber to retard ignition.
Chamfer
Wood chips that are glued together to make flat sheets. Often used in the floor construction of mobile homes.
Chipboard
Grooved panels utilized on industrial buildings of wood or steel framing; it poses an electrical hazard from stray electrical wires or lightning.
Corrugated metal siding
A non-load-bearing wall that carries no weight other than its own. It is installed only to keep out the weather.
Curtain wall
An iron box built into a wall to receive the end of a girder.
Cast iron box
A wooden heavy timber column that has been cut at an angle (beveled) on each of the corners to make it more difficult for fire to ignite the column at that location.
Chamfered column
A structure that presents severe exposure problems that are capable of initiating a conflagration—a large, multiple-building fire that is not easily contained.
Conflagration breeder
A series of projections, each one stepped progressively outward from the vertical face of the wall as it rises up to support a cornice or overhanging member above.
Corbelled
A freestanding wall unsecured at the top that acts like a cantilever beam with respect to lateral loads, such as wind or a hose stream.
Cantilever wall
Includes plain concrete, reinforced concrete, and post-tensioned concrete. This concrete is molded in the location in which it is expected to remain.
Cast-in-place concrete
Hollow wall in which wythes are tied together with steel ties or masonry trusses
Cavity wall
Void space between the top floor ceiling and the roof.
Cockloft
Two different masonry materials, such as brick and concrete block, used in a wall and designed to react as one unit under load.
Composite wall
Concrete placed over the first-floor wood floors for fire resistance or to provide sanitary floors.
Concrete topping
The masonry cap on top of a wall.
Coping
A projecting decorative (ledge) at the top of a masonry wall.
Cornice
A horizontal line of masonry
Course
Any wall at right angles to any other wall; the walls should brace one another.
Cross wall
A joist that generally runs in the same direction as a beam and forms a lightweight, long-span system, used as floor supports and built-up roofing supports.
Bar joist
Plates fewer than 6 inches in width; may be square or round.
Bars
A large hollow column built from steel plates.
Box column
A large girder, which is hollow, like a box column, and often used for highway bridges.
Box girder
A tee where the end of the cutoff is thickened.
Bulbtee
An upright partition that divides a ship into compartments and is meant to prevent the spread of leakage or fire.
Bulkhead
A wide flange beam that has been cut in half in a zig-zag pattern and then welded back together in an offset manner, creating a new, deeper beam.
Castellated beam
Noncombustible material often used for friable construction.
Cement-asbestos board
Steel structural component that has a square U-shaped cross section.
Channel
Special high-strength, cold-drawn steel cables. Also referred to as strands or tendons.
Cables
A process of placing fluid concrete into molds, generally called forms, in which the concrete is permitted to harden to a certain shape.
Casting
Small devices designed to keep the rods up off the surface of the form so concrete will flow underneath.
Chairs
Columns that use steel and concrete combined into one unit.
Composite and combination columns
Buildings in which different load-bearing materials are used in different areas of the building.
Composite Construction
Process for casting or pouring concrete without interruption from start to finish.
Continuous casting
Pouring concrete continuously as forms move upward so that continuous casting may be accomplished.
Continuous Slipforming
In terms of construction materials, a naturally produced plastic from renewable, living sources (e.g., starches, wood), instead of nonrenewable sources such as oil.
Biopolymers
PV systems that are incorporated into the building itself in the form of either PV shingles or PV wall panel systems.
Building-integrated Photovoltaics
A composite material composed of clay, straw, sand, and earth; similar to adobe; typically laid in courses.
Cob
Brick and mortar filling between studs utilized as a makeshift fire barrier.
Brick nogging
The deterioration of a product by heating to high temperatures.
Calcination
Smoke that falls downward
Cold smoke
A building or portion of a building within which hazardous materials are allowed to be stored, dispensed, used, or handled in quantities not exceeding the maximum allowable quantities.
Control area
A single building enclosing a number of tenants, including retail stores, drinking and dining establishments, entertainment facilities, offices, and other similar uses where the tenants have an opening on to one or more malls
Covered mall
A collapse in which one end of the floor is still supported while the other end is unsupported. Voids can be created in such situations.
Cantilever floor collapse
Often associated with brick veneer non-load-bearing walls, but also including other masonry walls. The wall falls straight down.
Curtain wall collapse
The weight of a building; it consists of the weight of all materials of construction incorporated into a building.
Dead load
The deformation or displacement of a structural member as a result of loads acting on it.
Deflection
Wall bounding a tenant space.
Demising wall
A floor designed to stiffen a building against wind and other lateral loads such as earthquakes.
Diaphragm floor
A force that is perpendicular to the plane of the section but does not pass through the center of the section.
Eccentric load
A pump that removes water from the ground or excavations that hinder construction from an area of the site.
Dewatering pump
A subcontractor hired by the contractor to oversee all electrical installation
Electrical contractor
An engineer who specializes in the design of lighting, power, telecommunications, and emergency power of a structure
Electrical engineer
That portion of a means of egress that is separated from all other spaces of a building or structure by construction or equipment as required to provide a protected way of travel to the exit discharge.
exit
That portion of a means of egress that leads to an exit.
Exit access
That portion of a means of egress between the termination of an exit and a public way.
Exit discharge
The “expected” area of sprinklers that will activate as anticipated by the sprinkler design standard; essentially the projected size of the fire.
Demand area
The unit rate of water application to an area or surface; expressed in gpm/ft2 [(L/min)/m2].
Density
An automatic fire extinguishing system that discharges a dry chemical agent.
Dry chemical system
Adequate exits within a building.
Egress
A descriptor for lumber with tongues and grooves at the ends
End matched
In the construction trade, laminated timbers. In this text, wood modified from its natural state.
Engineered wood
Balloon-frame structure finished to resemble post and frame construction.
English Tudor
Connects the girders and imparts some lateral stability under normal conditions; resembles a big staple.
Dog iron
Thicker section of floor on top of columns to assist in resisting the natural tendency of the floor to shear off at the column.
Drop panel
Valve that senses a sudden increased flow, as from a broken line, and shuts off flammable gas.
Excess flow valve
A type of fast response sprinkler capable of providing fire suppression of specific high- challenge fire hazards
Early suppression/ fast response (ESFR)
Hallways, corridors, passages, or tunnels used as exit components and separated from other parts of the building in accordance with NFPA 101: Life Safety Code.
Exit passageway
The end of a joist that is cut at an angle to permit the joist to fall out of a wall without damaging the load-bearing wall.
Fire cut
The potential fuel available for a fire in a building.
Fire load
The ability of a material to avoid ignition, combustion, and the thermal effects of fire.
Fire resistance
Wall with a fire-resistive rating and structural stability that separates buildings or subdivides a building to prevent the spread of fire.
Fire wall
Beam supported at two points and rigidly held in position at both points. This rigidity may cause collapse of a wall if the beam collapses and the rigid connection does not yield properly.
Fixed beam
Composite of a steel plate or plywood sandwiched between two beams.
Flitch plate girder
The lower division of a building that serves to transmit and anchor the loads from the superstructure directly to its earth or rock, usually below ground level.
Foundation
Another name for a gusset plate in a lightweight wood truss.
Gang nail
A beam that supports other beams
Girder
A connection that depends on the weight of the building to hold it in place.
Gravity connection
All of the structural elements of a building and the connections that support and transfer the loads.
Gravity resistance system
A series of closely spaced beams designed to carry a particularly heavy load.
Grillage
Connecting plate made of a thin sheet of steel used to connect the components of the truss.
Gusset plate
A masonry unit that overlaps two or more adjoining wythes of masonry to tie them together
Header
The rate at which the potential heat in a fuel is released.
Heat release rate (HRR)
When describing wall construction, a wall that acts as one unit (good bonding exists between bricks, blocks, and mortar).
Homogeneous
Components of a hurricane resistance system that prevent uplift of the components of a structure, including galvanized steel straps used to connect roof trusses to stud walls and anchor bolts used to connect stud walls with sill and sole plates.
Hurricane bracing
The effect of a moving load upon a stationary structure.
Impact load
A truss incorporating a single compression member; it is inverted because the compression member extends downward.
Inverted king post truss
A Beam; Wooden 2 × 8’s, 2 × 10’s, or 2 × 12’s that run parallel to one another and support a floor or ceiling and are supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls.
Joist
An arrangement of braces between columns that resembles the letter “K.”
K-Bracing
Metric unit approximately equivalent to one Btu.
Kilojoules (kJ)
A unit for measuring the energy release rate of a fire.
Kilowatt (KW)
1,000 pounds force
KIP
A wall typically found in the top floor of a wood-frame home with a peaked roof. This short wall “squares off” the triangular area at the edge of the room where the sloping roof meets the floor.
Knee wall
A force that acts on a structure from a horizontal direction, such as wind or seismic forces.
Lateral impact load
A wood board typically attached to a wall’s studs that is used to support wood joists.
Ledger board
A collection of lightweight structural components joined in a triangular unit that can be used to support either floors or roofs.
Lightweight truss
The horizontal beam that forms the upper structural member of an opening for a window or door and supports part of the structure above it.
Lintel
The weight of the building contents
Live load
Force or other action that results from the weight of all building materials, occupants and their possessions, environmental effects, differential movement, and restrained dimensional changes.
Load
Any wall that carries a load in addition to its own weight.
Load-bearing wall
A very large structure
Megastructure
A unit for measuring the energy release rate of a fire.
Megawatt (MW)
The tendency of a force to rotate or twist a structural member.
Moment
A structural system that utilizes special “moment” connections between columns and beams to resist rotation due to lateral loads such as earthquakes and wind.
Moment frame
A construction technique in which all successive poured concrete castings are joined together so that the structure seems to be like one piece of stone.
Monolithic concrete
When any change is to be made in the foundation of an existing wall, the wall must be supported.
Needle beam
The line along which the length of the beam does not change.
Neutral axis
A wall supporting no load other than its own weight
Non-load bearing wall
A beam that projects beyond its support, but not far enough to be a cantilever.
Overhang beam
The connection points joining ties, struts, and chords in a truss.
Panel points
Non-load-bearing enclosing wall on framed buildings.
Panel wall (Curtain wall)
A truss in which both the upper and lower chords are parallel to each other.
Parallel-chord truss
A non-load-bearing wall that subdivides spaces within any story of a building or room.
Partition wall
A load-bearing wall that is common to two structures
Party wall
A short column of masonry, usually rectangular in horizontal cross section, used to support other structural members.
Pier
A masonry column projecting from one or both faces of the wall in which it is located.
Pilaster
A description for structural elements that are connected by simple connectors such as bolts, rivets, or welded joints.
Pinned
Design based on connections that redirect overloads to other sections of the building
Plastic design
Heavy riveting of girders to columns from the top to the bottom of the frame.
Portal bracing
A concrete member that is cast and cured in a place other than its final position in the structure.
Precast
A type of wall that acts as a vertical cantilever when it is being erected and is braced by tormentors or temporary bracing poles
Precast concrete tilt slab wall
A designation of the HRR; refers to the rate at which fuel will burn
Q
A truss with two compression members
Quests post truss
Diagonal bracing columns
Rakers
The response in structures to the imposed loads, which are generally developed at the supports.
Reaction
In concrete masonry construction, steel reinforcement that is embedded in such a manner that the two materials act together in resisting forces.
Reinforced concrete
A load that is applied intermittently
Repeated load
Structural frame in which all columns and beams are rigidly connected. There are no hinged joints, and the angular relationship between beam and column members is maintained under load.
Rigid frame
A phenomenon in wood trusses in which differences in moisture levels between the upper and lower wood truss chords cause the truss to bend and create a rise in the roof.
Rising roof
A wall composed of inner and outer wythes of coursed masonry. The space between the wythes is filled with random masonry sometimes mixed with mortar.
Rubble masonry wall
The ratio of the strength of the material just before failure to the safe working stress.
Safety Factor
A water-soluble mixture used in the past as mortar; when water is applied, the mortar can be washed away from the wall.
Sand-lime mortar
A type of floor in which floor girders are set on anchor boxes in walls and caps attached to columns. A wood cleat or steel dog-iron similar to a big staple is used to provide minimal stability. Often used in heavy-timber construction.
Self-releasing floor
Another term for dead load
Self-weight
A curving wall
Serpentine wall
A wall that counteracts the effects of lateral loads such as wind and earthquakes.
Shear wall
A beam supported at two points near its ends. In simple beam construction, the load is delivered to the two reaction points and the rest of the structure renders no assistance in an overload.
Simple beam
A 3D pyramid like truss
Spaceframe
A girder that ties wall columns together in a framed building.
Spandrel girder
An open web design used for the support of floors and roofs.
Steel joist
The capacity of a member or framework to resist imposed loads without excessive deflection.
Stiffness
The actual percentage of elongation (deformation) when a material is stressed.
Strain
Force per unit area that produces a deformation
Stress
A masonry unit laid horizontally with its length in the direction of the face of the wall.
Stretcher
Components of a structure that include beams, trusses, columns, arches, and walls.
Structural elements
All members of a structure that are tied together to carry the imposed loads to the substructure, and hence to the ground.
Structural frame
A bracing column
Strut
A simple beam, with one or both ends suspended on a tension member such as a chain, cable, or rod.
Suspended beam
A hanging load supported from above
Suspended load
A pulling or stretching force in line with the axis of the body; the opposite of compression, which is pushing, crushing stress.
Tension
The tensile connecting members of a truss web.
Tie
A rod in tension; used to hold parts of a structure together
Tie rod
The measurable turning force applied to a structural member.
Torque
A force tending to twist a structural member.
Torsion
A beam that typically carries a load around a large opening or over an area in order to avoid intervening columns.
Transfer beam
The manner in which a load is spread from the point of application to the ground.
Transmission
A roof truss that is triangular in shape; it is used to create a peaked roof.
Triangular Truss
A type of beam that is a framed structure consisting of a triangle or group of triangles arranged in a single plane in such a manner that loads applied at the points of intersections of the members will cause only direct stresses (tension or compression) in the members.
Truss
Externally braced structure
Tube construction
The highest load that a member or structure can sustain before failure occurs.
Ultimate strength
A load that is applied evenly over an area
Uniformly distributed load
A wall made up of a single vertical thickness of masonry that is designed to improve the exterior appearance of a building.
Veneer wall
A rectangular truss with very rigid corner bracing.
Vierendeel truss
A wedge-shaped block whose converging sides radiate from a center, forming an element of an arch or vaulted ceiling.
Voussoir
A structural element that transmits to the ground the compressive forces applied along the top or received at any point.
Wall
A column of steel, reinforced concrete, or solid masonry (such as brick or solid block) in a block wall.
Wall column
A unit for measuring the energy release rate of a fire.
Watt (W)
The group of struts, ties, and panel points in a truss.
Web
A drainage hole in a masonry wall that allows water trapped inside the wall to escape.
Weep hole
Cast-in-place concrete that unites the rods projecting from precast sections.
Wet joint
The positive or negative force of the wind acting on a structure.
Wind load
A single continuous vertical wall of bricks, one masonry unit in thickness.
Wythe
Temporary shoring, formwork, beams, or lateral bracing to support the work in the process of construction.
Falsework
A subcontractor hired by the contractor to oversee all fire and security system installation.
Fire alarm/Security system contractor
Regulates the activities that take place in existing buildings, including the maintenance of existing fire protection features such as automatic sprinklers and fire doors, hazardous processes such as spray finishing, the storage of hazardous materials, and general fire safety precautio
Fire code
A fire-rated assembly that subdivides a building to prevent the spread of fire such as between dwelling units in a multiple dwelling.
Fire partition
An engineer who specializes in the design of fire protection systems including sprinkler and standpipe systems, and fire systems of a structure.
Fire protection engineer
A subcontractor hired by the contractor to spray a layer of cementitious material onto steel for fire resistance purposes.
Fireproofing contractor
A structural element used to strengthen the roof of a structure over large areas
Folded plate
Thick concrete pads, usually heavily reinforced, which transfer the loads of piers or columns to the ground.
footing
Temporary shoring, framework, beams, or lateral bracing to support the work in the process of construction; also known as a falsework
Formwork
The lower division of a building that serves to transmit and anchor the loads from the superstructure directly to its earth or rock, usually below ground level.
Foundation
A system of rough timber structural woodwork that is joined together to support or enclose, such as partitions, flooring, and roofing.
Framing
The prime contractor who oversees and is responsible for the overall work on the site.
General contractor
A natural mineral used in the manufacture of drywall and plaster.
Gypsum
Regulates the activities that take place in existing buildings, including the maintenance of existing fire protection features such as automatic sprinklers and fire doors, hazardous processes such as spray finishing, the storage of hazardous materials, and general fire safety precaution
Fire code
Elevators specifically designed for fire fighter use that are found in new buildings more than 120 feet (36 m) in height
Fire service access elevators
The column of flames, smoke, and heated gases rising above the burning object.
Fire plume
A situation in which unburned fuel gases, having gathered in sufficient quantities at the ceiling layer, suddenly ignite
Flameover
A transition stage in a fire in which exposed surfaces within the compartment ignite simultaneously and fire spreads throughout the compartment, resulting in full room involvement.
Flashover
A material that will sustain combustion
Fuel
Assemblies that are typically 1- to 2-hour rated and used to enclose shafts, exit stairwells, exit passageways, and horizontal exits, and to separate spaces from certain hazardous areas.
Fire barriers
A mechanical device installed in an HVAC system at the point at which it passes through a fire-resistive assembly so as to block the spread of fire through the fire-rated assembly
Fire damper
A fire-rated assembly that subdivides a building to prevent the spread of fire such as between dwelling units in a multiple dwelling.
Fire partitions
Material applied to structural elements or systems that provides increased fire resistance; usually serves no structural function.
fireproofing
The classification indicating in time (hours) the ability of a structure or component to withstand a standardized fire test.
Fire-rated
Quality ascribed to a wall, floor, or column assembly that has been tested in a standard manner to determine the length of time it remains structurally stable (or resists the passage of fire) when attacked by a test fire.
Fire resistance rating
Construction designed to provide reasonable protection against fire.
Fire resistant
Substance that helps delay or prevent combustion
Fire retardant
Wall with a fire-resistive rating and structural stability that separates buildings or subdivides a building to prevent the spread of fire.
Fire walls
Resistant to fire
Flameproof
Combustible that is capable of easily being ignited and rapidly consumed by fire. Flammables may be solid, liquid, or gas.
Flammable
A firefighting system that provides for the delivery of a proportioned foam and water mixture for use in fire extinguishment
Foam system
Interlocking wood pieces that are glued together to create a longer piece of dimensional lumber.
Finger joints
Composite of a steel plate or plywood sandwiched between two beams
Flitch plate girder
Planks glued together to form a solid timber
Glued laminated timber
The end of a joist that is cut at an angle to permit the joist to fall out of a wall without damaging the load-bearing wall.
Fire cut
Older code provision that would not allow a structure to be built without the use of exterior masonry walls that would limit fire extension.
Fire limit
Material applied to structural elements or systems that provides increased fire resistance; usually serves no structural function
Fireproof
Masonry pier at a distance from the wall and connected to it that resists the outward thrust of the roof.
Flying buttress
Walls made of weatherized steel. Can conduct heat easily
Galvanized steel walls
A composite material made of plastic reinforced with glass fibers.
Glass fiber-reinforced plastic
Cast-in-place floor in which there are no beams supported by columns; the floor plate itself rests directly on the columns
Flat plate structural system (continuous beam)
Wastewater from industrial processes, laundries, and other sources.
Grey water
Easily disintegrated
Friable
Results in the complete failure of a building
Global (total) collapse
The rules of an insurance company in regard to coverage, which may require more fire protection for structures than local building and fire codes require.
Insurance regulations
The exposed material on a wall, ceiling, or floor.
Interior finish
A collection of lightweight wood structural components joined in a triangular configuration that can be used to support either floors or roofs.
Lightweight wood truss
The property of a metal that allows it to be shaped by bending, hammering, or extruding without cracking or rupturing.
Malleable
The type of masonry used on a given structure. Examples include bricks or concrete block.
Masonry unit
A person trained in a branch of engineering related to mechanical equipment. Usually designs the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems and plumbing of the building.
Mechanical engineer
A construction technique in which a set of prefabricated modules are transported to and assembled at a construction site, creating a building.
Modular construction
A type of board made of layers of strands of wood cut from logs, with a fairly constant width-to-length ratio.
Oriented strand board
One of a series of large timbers or steel sections driven into soft ground down to bedrock to provide a solid foundation for the superstructure of a building.
Pile
Synthetic materials (typically hydrocarbon based) that are composed of organic polymers that can be shaped and molded.
Plastic
A subcontractor hired by the contractor to oversee the installation of plumbing within a building.
Plumbing contractor
Plumbing codes apply to the installation of domestic water systems, sanitary systems, and the like. Mechanical codes apply to systems like air handling systems. Electrical codes applies to the installation of electrical systems.
Plumbing, mechanical, and electrical codes
Wood panels manufactured with the grain of alternate plies laid at right angles to develop the approximate equal strength in either direction.
Plywood
The most common type of cement in use today. The powder, when mixed with water, will become a hydrated solid over time.
Portland cement mortar
Extensive structural failure initiated by local structural damage or a chain reaction of failures following damage to a small portion of a structure.
Progressive collapse
Natural stones such as granite, marble, limestone, and sandstone. Can be used in the construction of walls and foundations.
Quarried stone
Braced sheeting used in soil walls to protect against collapse.
Raker
Steel bar placed in concrete to increase its overall tensile strength.
Reinforcement bar (rebar)
Water soluble mixture; when water is applied to it, the mortar can be washed away from the wall
Sand-lime mortar
An instrument with uniformly spaced marks used to measure distance on a set of blueprints
Scale
Stabilization of outer walls, overhangs, floors, and walls to resist destruction by an earthquake.
Seismic protection
A foundation wall in an excavation that is heavily reinforced with steel and temporarily filled with a liquid slurry mixture that is subsequently displaced by concrete.
Slurry wall
A small fragment or chip dislodged from the face of a stone or masonry unit.
Spall
Manuals prepared by building designers that specify which type of device or equipment is to be used in the building
Specifications
A subcontractor hired by a contractor to oversee the installation and design of sprinkler systems within a building
Sprinkler contractor
An engineer who is consulted in large buildings to design the structural frame.
Structural engineer
Steel rolled in a variety of shapes and fabricated for use as load-bearing structural members or elements.
Structural steel
A specialist who undertakes part of a main building contract from a contractor.
Subcontractor
The foundation and footings
Substructure
Any structure above the substructure
Superstructure
Units composed of two or more glass panes in a hermetically sealed frame.
Thermal pane windows
Construction material that softens when heated and rehardens when cooled.
Thermoplastic
Plastic that chars and burns, but does not flow.
Thermoset
Cold-drawn steel cables inserted into holes driven into the rock and anchored with epoxy. Also refers to braced sheeting used in soil walls to protect against collapse.
Tie back
A large, rigid gypsum sheet that is fastened to the frame of a building and provides the surface finish.
Wallboard
A subcontractor hired by a contractor to oversee the surface finishes of walls that are fastened to the frame of the building.
Wallboard contractor
Composite lightweight wood material used in an “I” cross section.
Wooden I-joist
A commercially pure iron of fibrous nature; used for water pipes, rivets, and other ornamental forged work.
Wrought iron
Dictate land usage in specific cities (and are written by the cities themselves). Spell out which types of buildings can be built in specific locations and their permitted uses.
Zoning regulations
A 2-hour fire-rated wall typically running from exterior wall to exterior wall on an individual floor of a building, which is used when travel distances to a fire-rated stairwell or exit discharge are excessive.
Horizontal exit
A form of energy that is the source of ignition
Heat
A fire protection system that provides for the transfer of halogenated agents between fire extinguishers, supply containers, and recharge and recovery containers so that none of the halogenated agents escape into the atmosphere
Halon system
Class II standpipe system that supplies 100 gpm at 65 psi. Intended for use by building occupants.
Houseline
Flame resistance that is derived from an essential characteristic of the structural member.
Inherent fire resistance
A system component that originates transmission of a change-of-state condition, such as in a smoke detector, manual fire alarm box, or supervisory switch.
Initiating device
Buildings constructed with noncombustible or limited-combustible exterior walls and floors made of large-dimension combustible materials.
Heavy timber
The rafter at the angle where two sloping roofs or sides of a roof meet.
Hip
Bricks laid so that the end is visible
Header or bond course
Two connected wythes of masonry with an air space in between.
Hallow masonry wall
Beam shaped like the letter I
I-beam
Tile unit composed of vertical hallow cells, utilized in certain efforts to lighten concrete floors
Hollow tile
A device used in a PV roof panel to convert DC into AC
Inverter
Required in most codes, this statement lists the materials, hazards, and quantities of hazardous material products within a building.
Hazardous materials inventory statement
Required in most codes, this plan explains how hazardous materials are to be stored and safely used within a building.
Hazardous materials management plan
Pallets without product
Idle pallet storage
Sprinklers that are placed within racks to control fires where overhead sprinklers are not adequate.
In-rack sprinklers
A layer of air that is warmer than the air below.
Inversion layer
A collapse in which the exterior wall fails horizontally, with the interior wall “folding” horizontally. The top portion of the building fails inward while the bottom half fails outward.
Inward outward collapse
A source code that is no longer supported or printed
Legacy code
Complete regulatory documents that can be adopted by cities and states as they are written.
Model code
The building code classification for the intended use or purpose of a building or building space.
Occupancy type
Special elevators intended for the self-evacuation of occupants in office buildings more than 420 feet (128 m) in height.
Occupant evacuation elevators
Elevators are recalled to the first floor lobby of the building by the activation of a smoke detector located in an elevator lobby or on one of the upper floors. Upon arrival at the first floor, the doors open and allow the occupants to leave. The doors remain open for fire fighters to begin their use of the elevators.
Phase I operation
A fire fighter selects one of the elevators in a bank to access the upper floors. Fire fighters can then control the elevators using a special key and set of procedures.
Phase II operation
The number of feet from any point in a building to a rated stairwell or outside.
Travel distance
Sometimes used as an interior finish, a product made of wood particles such as wood shavings and bound together with a suitable binder.
Low density fiber board
A compilation of fire-rated assemblies that have been tested by a testing laboratory and found to meet the minimum requirements of the test standard.
Listing
Wooden 2 × 8’s, 2 × 10’s, or 2 × 12’s that run parallel to one another and support a floor or ceiling and are supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls.
Joist
In terms of wood-frame construction, the use of solid wood members as opposed to lightweight wood trusses and wooden I-joists.
Legacy construction
Structure constructed of entire tree trunks, as opposed to boards sawn from trees.
Log cabin
Wood that has been sawn and planed
Lumber
Metal angle or strap used to support an individual joist against a beam or a girder.
Joist hanger
Small court commonly placed in large buildings to admit daylight into interior areas not exposed to an open view.
Light well
Column made of vertical units connected with diagonal pieces
Lattice column
An exterior wall constructed with lightweight galvanized steel studs.
Light gauge steel-framed wall
Steel pipes filled with concrete to increase their load-carrying capacity.
Lally columns
Concrete floors that are cast onto corrugated steel.
Left in place form
Type of building construction where concrete slabs are cast on the ground and lifted into place.
Lift slab
In reference to an elevator, this zone is 18 inches above or below the landing floor.
Landing zone
The condition in which the atmospheric temperature is constantly decreasing as height increases.
Lapse
Limited to wood-frame structures, this type of collapse is characterized by a wooden building that shifts at the upper levels, leaning into adjacent buildings or totally collapsing sideways in the absence of adjacent buildings.
Lean over collapse
A collapse of a building’s floors (and possibly roof) in a pancake stack fashion with each floor (roof) laying flat on top of the one below.
Lean to floor collapse
Ceilings made of embossed steel and wooden boards.
Matchboarding
The interface between the hot ceiling layer and the cooler air flowing into the compartment.
Neutral plane
Normally atmospheric oxygen, but may also be chemical compounds known as oxidizers that release oxygen as they react.
Oxidizing agent
Ignition of a heated combustible material when a flame or spark is applied.
Piloted ignition
Toxic chemicals used as nonflammable coolants in transformers that may be released during fires.
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)
A commercially produced organic compound used in transformers and capacitors due to its electrical insulator properties and low flammability rating.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Heat transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves
Radiation
Cellular foam plastic that is used as an interior finish
Rigid-foamed polyurethane
Asphalt coated steel
Robertson protected metal
The airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases produced by a fire.
Smoke
A sustained oxidation reaction that produces sufficient excess heat to continue heating unburned fuel, making it available for combustion.
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction
Dry standpipe system that does not have a permanent water supply attached to the system.
Manual dry standpipe system
Wet standpipe system connected to a small water supply for the purpose of maintaining water within the system or sharing a water supply with an automatic sprinkler system, but not having a water supply capable of delivering the system demand attached to the system.
Manual wet standpipe system
A material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, will not aid combustion or add appreciable heat to an ambient fire
Noncombustible
Tongue and grooved lumber ( usually lengthwise)
Matched lumber
A type of siding that is often made to look like another type of siding—for example, stone or clapboards.
Metal siding
Joints that are fitted together to transfer loads properly
Mortise and tenon
Combustible siding laid over the sheathing of a building. This type of siding comes in many different shapes and is laid horizontally.
Novelty siding
The earliest form of heavy timber construction; a type of factory that emerged during the industrial revolution
Mill
Masonry bracing incorporated into unstable masonry walls; also called piers, buttresses, pilasters, or columns.
Masonry column
Wire truss embedded into the mortar in specified courses, making the header course no longer necessary.
Masonry wire truss
A low-ceilinged story located between two main stories; usually constructed directly above the ground floor, often projecting over it as a balcony.
Mezzanine
The most common walls for unprotected steel-framed buildings; made of concrete block or a composite of concrete block and brick.
Masonry walls
Prefabricated metal structure that is often made up in a sandwich construction to provide one unit combining thermal insulation and interior finish in a steel-framed structure.
Metal panel
A measurement of the ability of steel to distort and restore.
Modulus of elasticity
Method in which all the concrete in a building is properly bonded together and acts as one.
Monolithic construction
Planks on which framework shores rest
Mudsills
Tapered extension at the tops of columns that assists in the transfer of loads from floor to column.
Mushroom cap
Individuals who are not capable of self-preservation
Nonambulatory people
Forcible attachment of a thermocouple to a steel column or beam
Peened
Flow of air or an inert medium at a rate that will effectively remove any gaseous or suspended combustibles and replace them with air.
Purge
Device indicating an off-standard or abnormal condition by both visual and audible signals.
Remote annunciator
Standpipe system that is attached to a water supply capable of supplying the system demand at all times and that requires activation of a control device to provide water at hose connections.
Semiautomatic- dry standpipe system
When flipped, the fire alarm is silenced but still active.
Silence switch
A 1-hour fire-rated assembly that has also been designed and tested to minimize the migration of smoke.
Smoke barrier
System that utilizes fans to produce pressure differences so as to manage smoke movement.
Smoke control
In the Steiner tunnel test, a calculation of smoke spread made by measuring the obscuration as the smoke passes a photoelectric cell placed in the stack from the test tunnel.
Smoke developed
System that introduces positive pressure into a stairwell to provide a tenable environment within the stair tower in the event of a building fire.
Stairwell pressurization system
The profile of the furnace temperatures that are dictated by the test standards NFPA 251, UL 263, and ASTM E-119
Standard time-temperature curve
An arrangement of piping, valves, hose connections, and allied equipment installed in a building or structure, with the hose connections located in such a manner that water can be discharged in streams or spray patterns through attached hose and nozzles, for the purpose of extinguishing a fire.
Standpipe system
A common term that refers to NFPA 255, Standard Method of Test of Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials
Steiner tunnel test
An electrical temperature-measuring device used in laboratory fire testing.
Thermocouple
Act and manner of discharging an agent for the purpose of achieving a specified minimum agent concentration throughout a compartment.
Total flooding
A switch that detects the movement of water in a sprinkler system and transmits a signal to the alarm system.
Water flow switch
Distribution system connected to a water supply or water and atomizing media supplies that is equipped with one or more nozzles capable of delivering water mist intended to control, suppress, or extinguish fires and that has been demonstrated to meet the preforance requirements of its listing
Water mist system
Special fixed pipe system connected to a reliable fire protection water supply and equipped with water spray nozzles for specific water discharge and distribution over the surface or area to be protected.
Water spray system
An automatic fire extinguishing system that discharges a wet chemical agent.
Wet chemical system
Defined area within the protected premises
Zone
Smoke control system that includes smoke exhaust for the smoke zone and pressurization for all contiguous smoke control zones.
Zoned smoke control
Another name for OSB
Oriented flakeboard
A type of board made of layers of strands of wood cut from logs, with a fairly constant width-to-length ratio.
Oriented strand board (OSB)
Used in modern construction, a wood-frame structure built with heavier beams that are spaced much farther apart than the traditional 16 inches.
Plank and beam
A structure in which subflooring is laid on the joists, and the frame for the first-floor walls is erected on the first floor.
Platform frame
Wood panels manufactured with the grain of alternate plies laid at right angles to develop the approximate equal strength in either direction.
Plywood
Four-foot-wide sheets that give the appearance of four-inch-wide strips about a half inch apart.
Plywood siding
A wood-frame structure with an identifiable frame or skeleton of timber fitted together. Joints are constructed by mortise and tenon, fitted together to transfer loads properly.
Post and frame
The chemical decomposition of a compound into one or more other substances by heat alone; pyrolysis often proceeds combustion
Pyrolytic decomposition
Buildings in which the exterior walls are noncombustible or limited combustible, but the interior floors and walls are made of combustible materials.
Ordinary construction
Application of mortar to the back of the facing material or the face of the backing material.
Parging (pargetting)
A load-bearing wall that is common to two structures.
Party wall
Square metal device used to transfer loads of columns on upper floors by passing the loads through intervening beams and girders to metal column caps on the column below.
Pintle
Flat pieces of steel
Plates
Concrete panels that are precast and brought to the construction site.
Precast prestressed concrete panels
Beams set at right angles to trusses or roof rafters to provide support for lightweight roofing.
Purlins
System that incorporates floors that have beams running in one direction only.
One way structural system
Concrete that has no reinforcement, except possibly light reinforcement to resist temperature changes.
Plain concrete
Concrete that has been cast at a location other than the place where it is to remain.
Precast concrete
Engineered stresses placed in architectural and structural concrete to offset the stresses that occur in the concrete when it is placed under load.
Prestressing
Processes by which steel tendons or rods are placed under tension, drawing the anchors together. Tension steel places the concrete in compression.
Pretensioning and post-tensioning
Pv systems that are not connected to traditional public electrical grid; they are often located in rural areas.
Off grid systems
Used in building codes to refer to the intended use of a building.
Occupancy
A plan in which low-height partitions create cubicles for personal space; essentially one large open room.
Open office plan
A material that is applied to a substrate and is designed to protect it from thermal effects.
Passive fire protection
In reference to atmospheric conditions, the layer of air warmer than the air below it.
Pause
A raised area in a building for presentations, wrestling matches, and the like where there are no hanging curtains, drops, or scenery other than lighting and sound effects.
Platform
Used in smoke control systems. These detectors can cover large areas with a single beam of light.
Projected beam detectors
Found on a stage, it is the large ornamental opening and wall that separates the audience from the stage.
Proscenium arch and wall
Gas that ignites in air without the introduction of an ignition source.
Pryophoric gas
A collapse of a building’s floors (and possibly roof) in a pancake stack fashion with each floor (roof) laying flat on top of the one below.
Pancake collapse
Results from a failure of a portion of a building. A situation in which a section of floor gives way without bringing down the rest of the building would be a partial collapse.
Partial collapse
Extensive structural failure initiated by local structural damage or a chain reaction of failures following damage to a small portion of a structure.
Progressive collapse
Wood members used to support the roof sheeting and loads.
Rafters
A structural member placed on the ridge of the roof onto which the upper ends of rafters are fastened.
Ridge board
All of the wood framing members and sheathing of a building.
Rough carpentry
Lumber that is left as sawn on all four sides.
Rough lumber
Wooden beam sawn out of a tree trunk. To some extent, these beams have been replaced by the wooden I-beam due to the weight and cost of the true wooden beam.
Sawn beam
Component found on the bottom of the frame of a wood structure. It rests on and is bolted to the foundation.
Sill
False space above built-in cabinets, usually in a kitchen, or in the undersides of stairways and projecting eaves.
Soffit
Due to the shortage of solid timbers, these members are joined together by various metal connectors to transfer loads so that the spliced timber acts as a single member.
Spliced timber
Wooden strips that fit into grooves in two adjacent planks to make a tight floor.
Spline
A component of a set of stairs used to support risers (vertical stair components between treads) and treads (horizontal stair components on which people place their feet).
Stringers
An exterior plaster finish made of Portland cement.
Stucco
A column in a frame building, usually nominal 2 by 4 inches (2 × 4) or 2 by 6 inches (2 × 6).
Stud
Laid on top of the joists, the structural member that serves as the base for the finished floor.
Sub flooring
Top horizontal member of a wood-frame wall that supports the ceiling joists.
Top plate
A piece of lumber that supports a header and can be found in floor openings such as stairwells (runs perpendicular to floor joists).
Trimmer
Wooden peg used to pin together mortise and tenon joints.
Trunnel
Developed by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, a type of wood frame that substitutes sawn beams for truss members used in roofs and floors. It is held together with nails.
Truss frame
Found within a truss roof system, a void space located between the top floor ceiling and the roof.
Truss void
The lower slope formed by the connection of two inclined planes of a roof.
Valley
Mineral used as bulk insulation and as an aggregate in insulating
Vermiculite
A thermoplastic that will deform and drip when introduced to a fire situation. Often made to look like wood siding.
Vinyl siding
A descriptor indicating a structure in which the entire structural load is carried on the walls; the opposite of a curtain wall.
Wall bearing
A hard fibrous material forming the major part of trees. It is usually milled or otherwise processed for use in construction.
Wood
Building with exterior walls, interior walls, floors, and roofs made of combustible wood material.
Wood framed
Narrow, rough strips of wood nailed to studs. Plaster is spread on them. Generally no longer used, they are present in many existing buildings.
Wood lath
A wall-bearing building that carries the load of the structure and the contents.
Wooden walled building
An outlet in a wall of a building for drainage of water from a floor or a flat roof.
Scupper
A characteristic of a building that should allow a fire in that building to be brought under control before the building itself becomes involved.
Slow burning
Rough stones of irregular shapes and sizes, used in rough, uncoursed work in the construction of walls and foundations.
Rubble Masonry
A wall composed of an inner and outer wythe of coursed masonry.The space between is filled with random masonry sometimes mixed with mortar.
Rubble masonry wall
Masonry units (either solid or hollow) laid contiguously with the joints filled with mortar.
Solid masonry walls
Bricks laid so that the long side is visible
Stretcher course
Modern one-story retail occupancy building that typically has a lightweight wood truss roof and concrete block walls (Type III construction) or steel bar joists and a metal deck roof with a masonry wall (Type II construction).
Strip mall
Diagonal columns that brace an entire structure.
Rakers
Steel structural members; rolled members are one solid piece of metal; built-up members are made up of different sections rivited, bolted, or welded together.
Rolled or built-up members
A girder that ties wall columns together in a framed building.
Spandrel girders
Distance between the top of one window and the bottom of the one above
Spandrel space
A metal connection that allows for movement of floors.
Steel expansion joints
In concrete masonry structure, steel reinforcement that is embedded in such a manner that the two materials act together in resisting forces.
Reinforced concrete
Steel rods or bars used to reinforce concrete
Reinforced bars or rods
Shores that are put back into concrete to help carry the load of the still-curing concrete
Reshoring
Tiles shaped to fit around steel
Skewbacks
Technique by which forms are moved upward as the concrete is poured
Slipforming
Loss of surface material when concrete is subjected to heat
Spalling
Special high-strength, cold-drawn steel cables. Also referred to as cables or tendons
Strands
After concrete is poured and reaches its specified strength, steel tendons are stretched and anchored at the ends of the unit.
Stressing the tendons
“Stud-less” wall assemblies using a core of polyurethane
Structural insulated panels (SIP)
Installed as an exterior sheathing in wood-frame dwellings, providing structural stabilization (similar to plywood and particleboard sheathing over wood studs), insulation, and a barrier to moisture.
Structural insulated sheathing
Construction that is deemed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly; also known as green construction.
Sustainable Construction
Remove all people in the immediate danger to safety
Activate the manual pull station and have someone call 911
Close doors to confine the spread of smoke and fire
Extinguish the fire; if possible
RACE
Any combination of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal members that supports stored materials.
Racks
Storage on structures that are less than 2.5 feet (0.75 meters) deep, with shelves usually 2–3 feet (0.6–0.9 meters, respectively) apart vertically, and seldom exceeding 15 feet (4.5 meters) in total height.
Shelves
A completely vertical stair with a width that is not more than 24 inches wide.
Ship’s ladder
A 1-hour fire-rated assembly that has also been designed and tested to minimize the migration of smoke.
Smoke barrier
Storage that is either box on box or pallet load on pallet load.
Solid pile
The vertical airflow within buildings caused by the temperature-created density differences between the building interior and exterior or between two interior spaces
Stack effect
Performance area in a theater that has a proscenium arch and wall; hanging curtains, drops, and scenery; lighting; and support rooms (dressing room, etc.).
Stage
An additional collapse that occurs after the initial collapse. Often occurs when loads shift after a primary collapse, causing additional portions of the structure to fail.
Secondary collapse
In firefighting terms, the perception of the surroundings in terms of time and space, the understanding and comprehension of these observations, and the projected outcome of a change in these conditions.
Situational awareness
Multistory working-class apartment buildings constructed in the 1800s and early 1900s, often substandard in terms of fire safety and health.
Tenement
Made of clay and fine sand and fired in a kiln
Terra-cotta tile
Arch in which a steel tension rod ties the ends of the arch together to eliminate the need for the masonry.
Tied arch
Ordinary masonry walls are not reinforced, so they have no resistance to lateral movement.
Unreinforced masonry
A wall made up of a single vertical thickness of masonry that is designed to improve the exterior appearance of a building
Veneer wall
A single continuous vertical wall of bricks, one masonry unit in thickness
Wythe
A standard I-beam cut lengthwise through the web forms two such beams with T-shaped cross sections.
Tee
Cold-drawn steel cables inserted into holes driven into the rock and anchored with epoxy. Also refers to braced sheeting used in soil walls to protect against collapse.
Tiebacks
Embossed steel; will transfer heat in either direction
Tin ceiling
A beam that typically carries a load around a large opening or over an area in order to avoid intervening columns
Transfer beam
To evaluate and categorize
Triage
A steel structural member that is rolled in cylindrical, square, or rectangular shapes.
Tube
A horizontal beam that ties rows of soldier beams together.
Waler
I-beams that have flanges wider than standard I-beams
Wide flange shapes
Members with a z shaped cross section
Zees
Thin rods installed near the surface of concrete, usually at right angles to the main reinforcing rods, to help the concrete resist cracking due to temperature changes
Temperature rods
Special high-strength, cold drawn steel cables. Also referred to as strands or cables.
Tendons
System that incorporates floors that have beams running in two directions.
Two-way structural system
Concrete blocks poured per Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.’s classifications.
Underwriters blocks
Two-way structural system with closely spaced beams set at tight angles to one another in which unnecessary concrete is formed out; lower side resembles a waffle.
Waffle concrete
Heavy weights installed high up in a building that are adjusted by computers to counter wind induced oscillations.
Tuned-mass dampers
A collapse in which the floor fails near its center, with the perimeter of the floor still supported by the walls. Two voids are created in this type of collapse.
V shaped floor collapse
