Exam 1 Flashcards
What is the intent of a building code?
To protect public health and safety by setting a minimum building safety
Organize these construction types by least to most fire-resistant:
1. heavy timber
2. ordinary construction, brick masonry bearing walls w interior wood/steel
3. site-cast concrete
4. light wood
5. fire-proofed steel
LEAST
1. light wood
2. heavy timber
3. ordinary construction
4. fire-proof steel
5. site-cast concrete
MOST
What is the point of a foundation?
Transfers structural load of the building safely into the ground
What are the 4 requirements for a successful foundation?
- safe
- settle uniformly across the building
- feasible
- no damage to anything around
What is the order of construction for foundations?
- conduct soil tests- digging (shallow) and boring (deep)
- excavation- site prepared & made safe for permanent construction of foundations. structures needed to hold Earth
- construction of foundations- shallow or deep systems
liquid limit of soil
the water content at which the soil passes from
plastic state to a liquid state.
plastic limit of soil
the water content at which the soil loses its
plasticity and begins to behave as a solid.
What is a tie back?
A commonly used method of bracing sheeting systems against soil and water pressure
What is excavation sheeting?
Provides a safe work zone for foundation construction. It is needed to brace the soil and prevent it from caving into the zone of excavation.
How are tie backs created?
- rotary drill bores a hole through slurry wall and into stable soil or rock. insert steel pipe casing to protect bored hole
- High strength pre-stressed steel tendons are inserted into the hole and grouted under pressure to secure to the soil
- tendons are tensioned by a hydraulic
jack and anchored to a horizontal steel
member, called a WALER.
What is a waler?
horizontal member used to provide lateral support for a vertical wall or excavation
What are the two foundation types and how do they work?
- shallow– transfer load to the earth at the base of column or wall or substructure
- deep– penetrate through layers of incompetent soil to transfer loads to competent bearing soil or bedrock below
How does a shallow foundation work?
Transfers the load to the earth at the base of column or wall of the substructure
How does a deep foundation work?
penetrate through layers of incompetent soil in order to transfer loads to competent bearing soil or bedrock below
What is superstructure?
above ground portion of the building
What is substructure?
habitable below ground section of a building
What are the foundations of a building?
Structure that transfers loads into the soil/earth
What are the two basic types of deep foundations?
Caissons (drilled) and piles (driven)
What is a caisson?
A type of deep foundation that is drilled through unsatisfactory soil to reach into bedrock or dense send or gravel. Permanent foundation supports made of concrete poured into drilled holes.
What are piles and how do they work?
A type of deep foundation that is driven to create pressure bulbs in unstable soil. Increasing the number of piles increases the bearing capacity of the soil and allows for a level substructure to be constructed on the pile field
caisson
drilled
pile
driven
What is a bell caisson
Spins around and creates bell shape for bottom of caisson
Be able to sketch a simple retaining wall
key- thickened part of footing to prevent sliding of wall
drainage layer– crushed stone or gravel, drain pipe where footing meets bottom of wall or weep holes
weep holes– individual draining pipes
What is a retaining wall?
sitecast reinforced concrete and reinforced concrete masonry to hold back earth
What is the difference between deep and shallow foundations?
- shallow– transfer load to the earth at the base of column or wall or substructure
- deep– penetrate through layers of incompetent soil to transfer loads to competent bearing soil or bedrock below