Building Construction Related To The Fire Service 4th Flashcards
The final consideration in the building design process is
Landscaping
Strategy to produce the overall time for completion of a project by merging the design and construction phase.
Fast-Track Construction
Is a body of law that determines the minimum standards that buildings must meet in the interest of communication safety and health
A building Code
The IBC is the successor to three earlier codes
1) The uniform building code(UBC)
2) The standard Building code
3) The Building officials and code Administrators ( BOCA )
Many Safety codes are developed in reaction to
Catastrophic Incidents
International building codes establishes
Numerical designations for construction types.
Type l
Fire Resistive
Type ll
Protected Noncombustible or noncombustible
Type III
Exterior Protected (Masonry or Ordinary)
Type IV
Heavy Timber
Type V
Wood Frame
Which is regulated in the wildland /Urban interface to address exposures?
Roof types and Siding Materials
NFPA standard on types of building construction.
NFPA 220 details requirement for each of the classification and subclassifications.
Areas of refuge may not be required in buildings equipment
With an automatic sprinkler system
(ADA)Americans with disabilities Act was signed into law when
1990
Type III construction has been commonly referred
Ordinary Construction
What is the fundamental fire concern with Type III construction
Combustible concealed spaces between floor and ceiling joist.
What is the most common characteristic of unprotected noncombustible construction ?
The use of unprotected Steel.
Modern heavy -timber wood frame construction is primarily used for
Aesthetic purpose
Type IV commonly known as
Heavy Timber or Mill Construction
Type V structures are required to have
1-hour fire resistance for structural components
What method of construction is Often used for wood-frame buildings
Light frame construction introduced in the 1830
Total quantity of combustible material in a compartment.
Fuel load
Maximum amount of heat that can be released if all the fuel in a given area is consumed
Fire load
Fire load is expressed
In pounds per square foot and obtained by dividing the amount of fuel present by the floor area
Most common method used to determine fire resistance
Laboratory testing
The earliest known fire test on building materials were
Germany in 1884-86
US -Denver, Colorado 1890
New York City 1896
What is the most commonly used test for determining combustibility
ASTME 136, standard test method for behavior of materials in a vertical tube furnace 750 C
Which characteristic of the fuel load will control the fire load
Heat of Combustion
Only standardized test method currently universally accepted by building codes
E-119 Test
Ability of Structure assemblies to carry a structure load and act as a fire barrier
Which building classification is not divided into subclassifications
Heavy Timber
Where can fire retardant treated woods be used within type I buildings
Roofs
What fire resistance rating must structure components have in Type V construction
1-hour ratings
What is the rating requirement for the primary structure frame of a type 1A building per IBC
3-hours
What is the maximum time that building assemblies are tested required by building codes
4 hours
What resistance rating is usually seen in the floor construction of the fire resistive structure
Two to three hours
Most common load imposed on a structure via the weight of the structures components contents and any occupancy activity
Gravity
Stress forces in materials
Tension, Compression, and shear forces.
force that pulls materials apart
Tension
A force that squeezes the material
Compressions
A force that Slides one plane of material past and adjacent plane
Shear
Stresses from external loads
Axial load, eccentric load and Torsional load
Load applied to the center of the cross section of a member and perpendicular to the cross section
Axial Load
Load perpendicular to the cross section but does not press through the center
Eccentric Load
Produces a twisting effect that creates shear stresses in a material
Torsional Load
Is fixed in location. Buildings permanent structural elements
Dead Load
A load that is not fixed or permanent
Live load
A load that is steady, motionless, constant, or applied gradually
Static loads
Load that involves motion also known as shock loading
Dynamic Loads
How are live loads quantified in building codes
They use minimum Loads
Water at a depth 3” adds a static Load of
21 pounds per square foot.
A load that is applied at one point or over a small area
Concentrated Loads
In designing buildings to withstand wind forces what is used as the primary consideration
Direct Pressure
Application forces by earthquakes
Seismic Load
What are the most significant forces generated by an earthquake
Lateral loads that create horizontal motions
Common support systems for beams include
Simply supported Restrained Cantilever Overhanging Continuous
Building codes have traditionally required a minimum of one_______
For stairs serving buildings________stories or higher
Smoke proof stair enclosed
5 stories
A True Truss is
Made of only straight members
Typical truss shapes span distance of
22 to 70 feet. Modern construction. May exceed 100ft
Structural members designed to support an axial Load
Columns
Two most common types of power used in elevators
Hydraulic and Electrical
Hydraulic elevators do not have
Brakes
The practical upper limit for hydraulic elevators was about
Six Stories
Modern elevator cables are
Flat polyethylene coated steel Belts
What are the most common type of elevator in buildings over six stories
Traction Elevators
Name four common styles of electric elevators
Drum elevators(passenger)
Traction elevators
Machine room less
Dumb waiters -cargo use
What is the vertical shaft in which the elevator car travels, includes the elevator pit.
Hoistway
Electrical circuit in which the current can move through the circuit in both directions and flow can be constantly reversing
Alternating current circuit (AC)
Electric circuit in which the current moves through the circuit in only one direction.
Direct current. (DC)
On elevators with DC motors what does not stop the car
Brakes. The motor stops the car then the brakes are applied
What were dumbwaiter elevators historically used for
Drawn with Ropes and used to move food from kitchen
Four or more elevators must have a minimum of
Two separate hoist ways
A type of rooftop projection historically used for ventilation and lighting aesthetics
Cupola
Device that automatically restricts the flow of smoke
Smoke Damper
Standard for the installation of air-conditioning and ventilating System
NFPA 90 A
Protective treatment for exterior windows designed to withstand hurricane conditions
Hurricane Glazing
Lasalle hotel fire in Chicago, Illinois in 1946 claimed how many lives
61
Beverly Hills supper club 1977 South Gate, Kentucky claimed how many lives
165
How many lives did the station night club west Warwick Rhode Island in 2003 claim
100
Combustible interior finishes
Is highly dynamic and is influenced by several thermal variables
Fire Behavior
The most significant factor that determines fuels burn rate
Is the combination of fuel and the available oxygen
Large scale test used to evaluate the performance of textile wall coverings under fire conditions
NFPA 265
Free standing fire walls are usually found in building of
Type III or V construction
Free standing walls must be designed to resist a
Lateral Load of at least 5lbs per sqft
4 hour rated firewalls must be constructed of
Masonry or concrete
Interior walls that do not qualify as firewalls but are used to subdivide a floor or area of a building
Fire Partitions
The purpose of ___________is to block the vertical spread of fire through a buildings opening
Enclosure Walls
The development of the _________ lead to the existence of the_________
Steel Framed high rise buildings
Curtain walls
Curtain walls are often
Nonload bearing
What are the four styles of fire doors identified in NFPA80
Rolling overhead doors
Horizontal sliding doors
Swinging fire doors
Special fire doors
Doors that commonly protect stairwell enclosure and corridors
Swinging Fire Doors
Horizontal sliding fire doors are usually held open with a
Fusible link
What was the first type of fire rated glazing available
Wired Glass
Are the most common application of fire rated glazing
Fire doors
Doors with ratings up to _______hours can be equipped with glazing
3 hours
Fire doors with ratings of 1-3 hours can have glass panels up to
100 square inches
Standard methods of fire test of door Assemblies
NFPA 252/ ASTm E-152
The function of a foundation is to
Transfer a buildings weight to the ground
Sheet like layer of Rock or earth
Stratum
Increased thickness of a floor slab at its edges
Monolithic Floors
The weight of one story of soil can equal
Five to eight stories of a building
Closed cell foam used for a growing number of purposes including building insulation
Expanded Polystyrene
Cement like liquid material that hardens and bonds individual masonry units into a solid mass
Mortar
What is the unique position among building materials that wood has
Cheap to produce and renewable
Most of wood manufacturing occurs
In nature
Types of wood used in construction
Typically Softwoods
Pine, fir, spruce
Wood is never
Dimensionally True
Lumber with standard nominal measurements for use in building construction
Dimensional Lumber
The standard tensile strength of wood is
700psi
What is a significant factor in wood strength
Moisture Content
What is the moisture content of Lumber
19% or less
Wood is stronger ________ to the grain than________the grain
Parallel
Against
Manufactured by bonding pieces of wood with glue or resin to form finished shapes
Engineered wood
Advantages of Engineered wood
Strength and Cost
Products are made of flat strips of wood joined with glue
Laminated wood
What are the 3 common joints used in wood construction
Scarf joint, butt joint, finger joint
Used frequently in heavy Timber construction where greater length components are required
Glulam Beams
Structural Composite Lumber
The waste products of harvesting and processing Lumber
Name three (SCL) Structural Composite Lumber
Laminated Veneer Lumber
Parallel Strand Lumber
Laminated Strand Lumber
Note: Parallel Strand Lumber is the strongest of the three SCL product
A wood like product made from wood fiber and polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Thermoplastic composite lumber
IE: Decking and Handrails
Panels that are made up of several thin layers(veneers) rotary-sliced from rotating logs and glued together
Plywood
Is the thermal decomposition of wood ?
Pyrolysis
Below what approximate temperature does pyrolysis Begin?
392 F (200 C)
What is it called when the total amount of thermal energy that can be released if the fuel is completely burned ?
The Heat of Combustion
Heat of Combustion is measured in?
British Thermal Units.
BTU per pound or kilojoules per gram. KJ/g
What is the relationship between the available surface area of the fuel and the mass of the fuel called?
Surface -To- Mass Ratio
Ability of a substance to absorb moisture from the air?
Hygroscopic
Most Wood frame buildings do not exceed how many stories?
3 stories.
Note: Engineered wood structures can be built several stories in height.
What type of construction is called when exterior wall studs are continuous from the foundation to the roof?
Balloon Frame Construction
What temperature will weaken steel to its yield point?
1200 degree F (659 C)
What minimum dimensions are seen in the internal support columns of heavy Timber construction ?
8x8 inches (200 x 200 mm)
When was there a decline in the use of ballon frame construction
1920s
Which is the most common style of connector between heavy Timber members?
Steel gusset plates with through-bolts
Construction characterized by heavy wooden structural interior supports with a masonry exterior
Type IV Heavy Timber(Mill) Construction.
Up until what time was asbestos commonly used in siding materials in the US.
1970s
From the 1930s to the 70s
What nominal size members are used to construct light-frame trusses?
2 -Inches
Which type of wood joint can be used to transmit tensile stress
Scarf and Finger joint
Which are the initial products of pyrolysis?
Water and carbon dioxide
In which construction type does code allow the use of fire-retardant wood?
Type I & II
What material is used to construct a space frame?
Aluminum
What is the usual requirement for the attic space with combustible construction to be subdivided into for fire-stopping purposes (Draftstopping)
3000 sqft
What is the primary benefit of masonry components ?
Durability and inherent resistance to weather, fire, and sects.
Most common brick sizes are?
Three courses(horizontal Layers) of brick + mortar joints =height.
8” (200MM)
What is the most common concrete masonry units (CMUs)
Hollow Concrete Blocks
WhT type of foundation involves removing the same amount of soil that equals the weight of the building ?
Floating
What is the primary function of mortar ?
Bond individual masonry units into a solids mass.
The firing process in a kiln for bricks takes how long ?
40-150 hours at temps as high as 2400 F (1300 C)
Weakest part of a masonry wall?
Mortar Joints
Most Mortar is produced from
A mixture of Portland cement, hydrated lime, sand, and water
What is consisting of calcium and aluminum silicate
Portland Cement/ Hydraulic Cement.
Single vertical column of masonry units in a wall
Wythe
Horizontal layer of individual masonry units
Course
Most basic facets of brick structures
Wythe and course
Bricks placed end to end ?
Bricks placed vertically on end?
Placed with the end facing out?
Stretcher course
Soldier course
Header course
Buildings with Masonry walls strongest Part?
Corners, stairwells, elevators shafts.
Which NFPA code is often adopted by a governmental agency with a specific area of responsibility ?
NFPA 101
The primary two metals alloyed in steel are?
Iron and Carbon
Substance or mixture composed of two or more materials (Ora metal and nonmetallic elements)
Alloy
An Alloy of Iron and Carbon is
Steel
What is manganese used for when added to steel?
Resistance to abrasion
What carbon content does cast iron have which makes it hard but brittle?
3 to 4 %
Normal design strength of properly cured concrete is reached
After 28 days
Single most important factor in determining the ultimate strength of concrete is
Water to Cement Ratio
Chemical process of gardening of concrete is
Hydration
Ideal correct temp for curing of concrete is
50 and 70 degrees F
Method of evaluating the moisture content of wet concrete by measuring the amount that a small of the cone leaves
Slump Test
The expansion of the moisture within concrete when heated or frozen
Spalling
Heat released slowly from concrete from retained heat of an exposing fire is?
Heat Sink effect
Slab and beam framing is best suited for what kind of buildings
With light floor loads. Concrete slabs thin as 2”
What is the most commonly used size of rebar
5
What is added to concrete to reduce the density
Shale
What forces are being address when components are added to reinforce the concrete
tensile strength
Roofs of buildings can be classified into three styles
Flat
Pitched
Curved
Name the common pitched roof types
Gable Hip Gambrel Mansard Butterfly Monitor Sawtooth Shed Arched Flat
A sloped Roof 12/12 equals to
45-degree angle
Slope roofs have slopes of
4/12 to 12/12 pitch
Frequently provided in buildings with pitched roofs to increase the available living space in an attic.
A dormer
False dormer decorative
Horizontal structure members used to support a ceiling of floors
Joist
Horizontal member between trusses that support the roof
Purlin
Most common types of trusses used for pitched roofs
Fink and Pratt
Which type of roof is basically two shed roofs that meet at their low eaves
Butterfly Roof
A pitched roof consist of two inclined surfaces that meet at their high side to form a ridge
Gable
What is the base of modern Asphalt shingles
Fiberglass
What type of roof truss is arranged with all of the chords and diagonal members in the same plane
Common Roof Truss
How far apart center to center are lightweight wood trusses spaced.
2 to 4 feet
Model building codes define a high rise building as being more than
75ft
Fire protection definition for high rise buildings
Any building with occupied stories beyond the effective reach of fire equipment located at street level
The earliest high rise buildings were
10-12 stories 1920-1930s
NFPA 14 mandates the use of
Pressure reducing valves
Elevator code requires elevator hoistway or rooms to have this if protected by automatic sprinklers
Shunt trip
Emergency operation mode for elevators. Recall the car
Phase 1 operation
An explosion can be defined as an event that produces a rapid
Release of energy
The maximum pressure reached during an explosion may exceed
10 x the atmospheric pressure
NFPA 241 requires the presence of what during roofing operations during construction
20 B rated extinguisher
NFPA 241
Standard includes parameters for construction sites and organization.
In which southeastern state do sinkholes occur often
Florida
In physics: Any interaction that may change the motion of an object. Simply measure of weight, usually expressed in pounds. (Kilograms)
Force
Pg- 66
Any effect that a structure must be designed to resist, including the forces of gravity, wind, earthquakes, or soil pressure.
Load
Pg- 66
Factors that work against the strength of any piece of apparatus, equipment or structural support. Measurement of force intensity is calculated as force divided by area
Stress
Pg - 66
A condition of balance that exist when a structural system is capable of supporting the applied load.
Equilibrium
Pg- 66
