Chapter 6

Question 1

Soil Property

Answer 1

Physical qualities of the materials at the surface of the earth. Affects a building’s foundation and size. Influential variables include texture, structure, density, porosity, and consistency.

Question 2

Water Table

Answer 2

The highest level of ground water saturation of subsurface materials. Influential variables include the season, soil properties, and topography.

Question 3

Frost Line

Answer 3

Common depth at which ground water in soil will freeze. Influential variables include climate, soil properties, and nearby heat sources.

Question 4

Stratum

Answer 4

Sheet-like layer of rock or earth; numerous other layers, each with different characteristics, are typically found above and below. Plural: Strata

Question 5

Footing

Answer 5

Part of the building in contact with the bearing soil. Footings are thicker (deeper) than the column or foundation wall and are often embedded below the surface of the soil to rest on bedrock.

Question 6

Wall Footing

Answer 6

Type of shallow foundation that includes a wide, thick area to distribute the weight of a wall on the bearing soil. Also known as Strip Footing.

Question 7

Column Footing

Answer 7

Square pad of concrete that supports a column. Footings of decorative columns are often above the bearing surface.

Question 8

Grillage Footing

Answer 8

Footing consisting of layers of beams placed at right angles to each other and usually encased in concrete.

Question 9

Mat Slab Foundation

Answer 9

Thick slab beneath the entire area of a building; thicker and more reinforced than a simple slab-on-grade foundation. A mat may have several feet thick and heavily reinforced

Question 10

Floating Foundation

Answer 10

Shallow foundation type; the supported building “floats” as the supporting earth contracts and expands with the seasons.

Question 11

Piles

Answer 11

Deep foundation type that uses beams used to support loads. Develop load-carrying ability either through friction with the surrounding soil or by being driven into contact with rock or a load-bearing soil layer.

Question 12

Pier

Answer 12

Deep foundation type that uses beams mounted on concrete wedges/blocks to support loads. Also known as Caissons and Belled Piers.

Question 13

Caisson

Answer 13

Protective sleeve used to keep water out of an excavation for a pier.

Question 14

Foundation Wall

Answer 14

Vertical element of a foundation; rests on the foundation footers. May be full-story height as in a basement, or partial height. Materials often include poured concrete, or mortar elements such as block, brick, or stone.

Question 15

Masonry

Answer 15

Bricks, blocks, stones, and unreinforced and reinforced concrete products.

Question 16

Mortar

Answer 16

Cement-like liquid material that hardens and bonds individual masonry units into a solid mass.

Question 17

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)

Answer 17

Closed-cell foam used for a growing number of purposes including building insulation. Properties include rigidity, low weight, and formability.

Question 18

Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Construction

Answer 18

Construction technique that uses hollow foam blocks with predetermined sizes and shapes. The blocks lock together and are filled with concrete to form structural supports.

Question 19

Settlement

Answer 19

Downward deformation of a building’s structural elements. Also known as Settling.

Question 20

Heaving

Answer 20

Upward deformation of a building’s structural elements.

Question 21

Lateral Displacement

Answer 21

Sideways deformation of a building’s structural elements.

Question 22

Shoring

Answer 22

General term used for lengths of timber, screw jacks, hydraulic and pneumatic jacks, and other devices that can be used as temporary support for framework or structural components or used to hold sheeting against trench walls. Individual supports are called shores, cross braces, and struts.

Question 23

Underpinning

Answer 23

The use of permanent supports to strengthening an existing foundation.

Question 24

Causes of differential settlement include

Answer 24

Nonuniform soil conditions under the foundation
Footings of different sizes
Footings placed at different elevations
Unequal loads on footings

Question 25

Two strategies used to assess soil are

Answer 25

Test pits and test boring.

Question 26

Test pits reach

Answer 26

A depth up to 8 feet.