Chapter 2 Concepts Of Construction Flashcards
Arch
Combines the function of a beam and a column.
Attitude
Vertical or horizontal orientation.
Axial load
A load that passes through the centroid of a section under construction and is perpendicular to the plane of the section.
Bar joist
Lightweight steel truss joist.
Beam
A structural member that transmits forces perpendicular to such forces to the reaction points.
Bent
A line of columns in any direction.
Braced frame
A structural system that uses diagonal members to provide bracing against the lateral wind and earthquake loads.
Bracket
Diagonal member that supports what would otherwise be a cantilever.
Brick and block composite wall
Consist of an exterior wythe of brick directly mortared or parged to an inner wythe of concrete masonry unit (CMU).
BTU
British thermal unit; the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1°F at the pressure of 1 atm and temperature of 60°F.
Built-up girder
Made of steel plates and angles riveted together, as distinguished from one rolled from one piece of steel.
Buttress
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.
Caloric value
Measured in BTU; the amount of heat required to raise 1 pound of water 1°F.
Camber
Upward rise.
Cantilever beam
A beam supported at one end only, rigidly held in position at that end.
Cantilevered
Supported by cantilever.
Cavity or hollow wall
A wall built of two wythes (a single vertical thickness of masonry) separated by a space for rain drainage or insulation.
Centroid
The center point at which a body would be stable, or balanced, under the influence of gravity.
Chord
The outside members (top and bottom) of a truss, as opposed to the inner “webbed members.”
Column
A structural member that transmits a compressive force along a straight path in the direction of the member.
Composite
Built up of different parts, pieces, or materials.
Composite wall
A wall composed of two or more masonry materials that react together under load.
Compression
Direct pushing force, in line with the axis member; the opposite of tension.
Concentrated load
A load acting on a very small area of the structures’s surface; the exact opposite of a distributed load.
Continuous beam
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.
Core construction
No external braces involved; bracing is done within the core of the structure.
Cross wall
Any wall at right angles to any other wall; the walls should brace one another.
Dead load
The weight of a building; the dead load consist of the weight of all materials of construction incorporated into the building, including but not limited to walls, floor, roofs, ceilings, stairways, built-in partitions, finishes, cladding, and other similarly incorporated architectural and structural items, as well as fixed service equipment, including the weight of cranes.
Deflection
The deformation or displacement of a structural member as a result of loads acting on it.
Demising wall
Wall bounding a tenant space.
Diaphragm floor
A floor designed to stiffen a building against wind and other lateral loads such as earthquakes.
Eccentric load
A force that is perpendicular to the plane of the section but does not pass through the center of the section.
Fire cut
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 load
The potential fuel available for a fire in a building.
Fire resistance
The ability of a material to avoid ignition, combustion, and the thermal effects of fire.
Fire wall
Wall with a fire-resistive rating and structural stability that separates buildings or subdivides a building to prevent the spread of fire.
Fixed beam
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.
Flitch plate girder
Made by sandwiching a piece of steel between two wooden beams.
Foundation
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.
Gang nail
Another name for a gusset plate in a lightweight wood truss.
Girder
A beam that supports other beams.
Gravity connection
A connection that depends on the weight of the building to hold it in place.
Gravity resistance system
All of the structural elements of a building and the connections that support and transfer the loads.
Grillage
A series of closely spaced beams designed to carry a particularly heavy load.
Gusset plate
(Lightweight wood truss) Connecting plate made of a thin sheet of steel used to connect the components of the truss.
Header
A masonry unit that overlaps two or more adjoining wythes of masonry to tie them together.
Heat release rate (HRR)
The rate at which the potential heat in a fuel is released.
Homogeneous
When describing wall construction, a wall that acts as one unit (good bonding exist between bricks blocks, and mortar.
Hurricane bracing
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 use to connect stud walls with sill and sole plates.
Impact load
The effect of a moving load upon a stationary structure.
Inverted king post truss
A truss incorporating a single compression member; it is inverted because the compression member extends downward.
Joist
A beam.
K-bracing
An arrangement of braces between columns that resembles the letter “K.”
Kilojoule (kJ)
Metric unit approximately equivalent to one BTU.