Module 3 Flashcards
Enumerate the Human Needs and their corresponding specific nature of needs and civil engineering technical area.
- Breath
1.1 Clean Air
1.1.1 Environmental Engineering - Drink
2.1 Safe Water
2.1.1 Environmental Engineering - Sleep
3.1 Livable Shelter
3.1.1 Structural and Construction Engineering - Move Around
4.1 Ways to Travel
4.1.1 Transportation and Construction Engineering - Safe from Disaster
5.1 Earthquake Mitigation
5.1.1 Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
5.2 Flood Mitigation
5.2.1 Water Resources and Environmental Engineering
5.3 Wind Mitigation
5.3.1 Structural Engineering
5.4 Fire Mitigation
5.4.1 Structural Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Clean Air?
Environmental Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Safe Water?
Environmental Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Livable Shelter?
Structural and Construction Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Ways to Travel?
Transportation Engineering and Construction Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Earthquake Mitigation?
Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Flood Mitigation?
Water Resources and Environmental Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Wind Mitigation?
Structural Engineering
What is the corresponding Civil Engineering Technical Area for Fire Mitigation?
Structural Engineering
It is a specialty that deals with the analysis and design of constructed structures.
Structural Engineering
From spacecraft to deep-sea submarines, from tiny micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices to long bridges and tall buildings. What area of civil engineering is this?
Structural Engineering
Fill in the blank. A structure is always subjected to many _____ environmental forces upon it.
loads
What do you call the omnipresent gravitational load of its own weight?
dead load
What do you call the weight of things moving about in or upon the structure?
live load
These are loads that originated from the occurrence of earthquakes, strong wind, or heavy snow.
event-driven loads
It aims at providing a structure with a sufficient level of resistance against these loads at minimum cost.
Structural Design
It is the collection of elements within construction that are assured, and designed, to support the loads applied to the structure and transmit them safely to the foundations.
Structure
Define structure.
It is the collection of elements within construction that are assured, and designed, to support the loads applied to the structure and transmit them safely to the foundations.
It acts as the skeleton of the building.
Frame
It transmits the load from where it is applied to those members that support the structure.
Floor slabs
In what direction do the floor slabs direct loads of the infrastructure?
perpendicular to the direction of the loading
Fill in the blank. The slabs have to transfer the load _____ to supporting beams, walls, or columns.
horizontally
It collects the load from one or more slabs and transmits it to the members supporting it.
Beam
True or False. Beams behave the same way as slabs but, because they concentrate the loads from slabs, they tend to carry much fewer load intensities.
False (fewer - higher)
It is a particular form of a beam that is made up of small individual units usually arranged to form triangulated structure.
Truss
Enumerate the different kinds of trusses.
- Burr arch
- Arch
- Long
- Paddleford
- Howe (Usual)
- Howe (Single)
- Howe (Western)
- Haupt
- Warren
- Pratt (Revised)
- Childs
- Brown
They collect the loads from beams and slabs and transmit them downward to the foundations.
Columns
They behave differently from the beams and slabs in that they mainly transmit loads in a direction parallel to the axis of the member.
Columns
They carry out the same function as columns, that is, they transmit loads downwards.
Structural Walls
In tall buildings, they serve an important function in stiffening a building against lateral loads (i.e wind).
Structural Walls
Architecturally, structural walls serve as _________ and _________.
divider of buildings into compartments and provider of an outer skin
True or False. Generally, walls are fairly heavy-loaded.
False (heavy - light)
It is a wall that supports soil.
retaining wall
True or False. A wall that supports soil (retaining wall) is similarlly behaving structurally more as a column than a wall.
False (column - slab)
Give three examples of footing.
- Simple Footing
- Sloped Footing
- Stepped Footing
They take loads from the columns and walls and transfer them to the underlying soil or rock.
Foundations
Why does the foundation generally have to spread the load over a sufficient area of the soil for the stresses in the soil to be limited to levels that will not cause excessive settlements?
Because the soil is normally much weaker than the materials forming the structure
It is a relatively rare form of a member, and it carries a load by tension.
tie
These are the members that carry only compression, particularly if they are elements in a truss.
struts
Fill in the blank. Slab transmits load horizontally to _______.
beam
Fill in the blank.Beam transmits load fro slab to _________.
columns
Fill in the blank. Colum transmits loads from beam to ___________.
foundations
Fill in the blank. Foundation spreads column load into the _____.
soil
Describe the hierarchy of members in a structure.
- Slab transmits the load horizontally to a beam.
- Beam transmits the load from the slab to the columns.
- Column transmits the load from the beam to the foundations.
- Foundation transmits the column load into the soil.
Fill in the blank. A column supporting a bridge is generally described as ______.
pier
Fill in the blank. A wall supporting the end of a bridge is called ______.
abutment
It is the methodology applying these mathematical tools to be load-resistance analysis in structural design.
Structural Reliability
It is used in the development of design codes and specifications that are followed by designers to provide acceptable levels of safety against all loads.
Structural Reliability
What is the principle aim of structural design?
It is the assurance of satisfactory performance within the constraints of the economy.
What is the primary complication toward achieving the principle aim of structural design in practice?
imperfect execution and the lack of complete information
Using probability theory as a tool, it provides a rational and consistent basis for determining the appropriate safety margins.
Reliability analysis
Its success is exhibited by the numerous reliability-based provisions developed in recent code revisions to achieve a target reliability range in the design of structural elements.
Reliability analysis
It is defined as the probabilistic measure of assurance of performance with respect to some prescribed condition(s).
Reliability
What condition are they referring to in the definition of Reliability?
ultimate limit state (collapse) or serviceability limit state (excessive deflection and/or vibration)
It refers to the collapse.
ultimate limit state
It refers to excessive deflection and/or vibration.
serviceability limit state
Performance against failure is ensured if?
R > S (supply exceeds demand)
The capacity of the particular bar cannot be known exactly unless it is ___________.
tested to failure
It gives an indication of the reliability of the bar.
proportion of bars with strength equal to or above S (assumed deterministic)
It indicates the probability of failure of the system.
the proportion (shaded region) of bars below S
Fill in the blank. Reliability can be viewed as a ______________.
complimentary to the probability of failure
True or False. An exposition of some basic probability concepts is a prerequisite to understanding the complexity and solutions of such problems.
True
It means the occurrence of uncontrolled, painful, and serious conditions.
Disaster
Enumerate the various natural disasters.
- Earthquakes
- Volcanic eruptions
- Cyclones
- Fire
- Landslides
- Tsunami
- Flood
They need special consideration in building design and construction since they are more frequent, widespread, and disastrous.
- Earthquakes
- Cyclone
- Fire
Why do earthquakes, cyclones, and fires need special consideration in building design and construction?
Since they are more frequent, widespread, and disastrous
It is a sudden, rapid shaking of the earth’s surface caused by the breaking and shifting of rocks beneath.
Earthquake
Fill in the blank. During an earthquake, ground motion occurs in a random fashion in all directions radiating from a point within the earth’s crust called _________.
epicenter
It causes vibrations in structures and induces inertia forces on them.
epicenter
True or False. Earthquakes do not kill people, vulnerable buildings do so.
True
Fill in the blank. The effects of earthquake ground motion create _________ and _________ that change violently within a short duration.
vertical and horizontal forces
Fill in the blank. The _________ and _________ of the earthquake-induced load require special design and analysis considerations.
time-varying nature and multi-directional nature
What is the fundamental approach in earthquake engineering?
To design a structure that will not inflict injury to human lives at a reasonable cost.
What are the two types of earthquakes?
- Natural earthquake
- Earthquakes due to induced activities
Natural earthquakes may be due to:
a. active faults
b. movement of tectonic plates
c. due to volcanic eruptions
True or False. The displacement of rocks along faults cause an earthquake.
True
It means a large-scale process affecting the structure of the earth’s crust.
Tectonic
This process causes gradual movement of material within the crust of the earth.
Tectonic
It is a mountain or hill having a crater through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are or have been erupted from the Earth’s crust.
Volcano
These are caused by vibrations induced by atomic explosions and the collapse of ground due to faulty mining.
Earthquakes due to induced activities
True or False. A survey of engineering literature for the past 200 years reveals many references to structural failures caused by wind.
False (200 - 150)
Enumerate the infamous bridges that failed due to the wind.
- Tay Bridge in Scotland (1879)
- Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Washington (1940)
How many people died because of the failure of the Tay Bridge in Scotland in 1879?
75 deaths
Give the name of the building that collapsed because of the wind in the same period as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Washington in 1940.
Union Carbide Building in Toronto in 1958
They also create effects in structures that are also time-varying and multi-directional, just like earthquakes.
Strong wind is caused by a hurricane, a tornado, or a storm.
What is the realm of wind engineering?
to design against such wind-related effects
What is the design approach of wind engineering?
to protect human lives with a reasonable cost
It is a storm accompanied by high-speed whistling and howling winds, and it brings torrential rains.
Cyclone
It develops over the tropical oceans and blows at speeds as high as 200-240 km/hr. It is usually accompanied by lightning, thunder, and a continuous downpour of rain.
Cyclone Storm
Fill in the blank. A cyclone storm blows at a speed as high as _________.
200 - 240 km/hr
They extend from 150 km to 1200 km in lateral directions with forced winds spiraling around a central low-pressure area.
Cyclones
Fill in the blank. They extend from ______ to ________ in lateral directions with forced winds spiraling around a central low-pressure area.
150 km to 1200km
It is the central region of light winds and low pressure that has an average diameter of 20 to 30 km.
Eye of the Cyclone
What is the average diameter of the eye of the cyclone?
20 to 30 km
True or False. The central eye is surrounded by a ring of very strong winds extending up to 60 to 70 km beyond the center.
False (60 to 70 - 40 to 50)
The central eye is surrounded by a ring of very strong winds extending up to 40 to 50 km beyond the center. It is called what?
wall cloud
In this region, the strongest winds and torrential rains occur.
wall cloud
The following care should be taken in designing buildings in cyclone-prone areas:
- Foundations should be deeper
- Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) framed structures are to be preferred over load-bearing structures.
- Sloping roofs should be avoided
- Cantilever projections should be avoided.
- Roof and parapet walls should be properly anchored to the columns and walls.
- Height of the buildings should be restricted.
- Suitable wind load should be considered in the building design
- Openings in the wall should be less
- Structure should not rest on loose soil
It deals with the effective application of protective materials to the structural components, such as steel beams and columns, such that sufficient time is provided for the occupants to escape and the firefighter to arrive.
Fire Engineering
True or False. The research in fire engineering provides data to be incorporated into design and construction codes and specifications.
True
True or False. The fire load in a building should be kept to the maximum possible.
False ( maximum - minimum)
It indicates the amount of heat liberated in kiloJoules per square meter of the floor area of any compartment by the combustion of the content of the building including its own combustible part.
Fire load
How is the fire load determined?
by multiplying the weights of all combustible materials by their respective calorific values and dividing that by floor area.
A building may be made more fire resistant by:
- Using suitable materials
- Taking precautions in building construction
- By providing fire alarm systems and fire extinguishers
The fire-resisting material should have the following characters:
a. It should not disintegrate under the effect of heat
b. It should not expand under heat so as to introduce unnecessary stresses in the building
c. The material should not catch fire easily
d. It should not lose its strength when subjected to fire
How can a building be made more fire-resistant?
- by minimizing the use of combustible materials
- by protecting steel by fire resistant paints
- by providing stairs at suitable positions and protecting them from fire.
A bridge is a key element in a transportation system for three reasons:
- It likely controls the capacity
- It is the highest cost per mile
- If the bridge fails, the system fails
What will happen if the width of a bridge is insufficient to carry the number of lanes required to handle the traffic volume?
The bridge will be a constriction to traffic flow
What will happen if the strength of a bridge is deficient and unable to carry heavy trucks?
load limits will be posted and truck traffic will be rerouted
True or False. The bridge controls both the area and height of the traffic carried.
False ( area and height - volume and weight)
What will happen when a bridge is removed from service and not replaced?
- The transportation system may be restricted in its function
- Traffic may be detoured over routes not designed to handle the increase in volume.
- Users of the system experience increased travel times and fuel expenses
What will happen when a bridge is removed from service and not replaced?
- The transportation system may be restricted in its function
- Traffic may be detoured over routes not designed to handle the increase in volume.
- Users of the system experience increased travel times and fuel expenses.
True or False. Normalcy does not return until the bridge is repaired or replaced.
True
True or False. Balance must be achieved between handling future traffic volume and loads and the cost of a heavier and wider bridge structure.
True
It is always a foremost consideration but so should measures to prevent deterioration.
Strength
True or False. Bridge design can be categorized according to material and bridge type.
True
What is one unique feature of a bridge design?
It is closely integrated with construction
Enumerate some of the typical bridges.
- Stone Arch Bridges
- Wooden Bridges
- Metal Truss Bridges
- Suspension Bridges
- Metal Arch Bridges
- Reinforced Concrete Bridges
- Girder Bridges
True or False. Structural engineers often become building design specialists because building design is more frequently in demand than fridge or dam designs.
True
Enumerate the basic elements of a building.
- Foundation
- Plinth
- Walls and Column
- Sills, lintels, and chejjas
- Doors and windows
- Floors
- Roofs
- Steps, stairs, and lifts
- Finishing work
- Building services
It is the most important part of the building.
Foundation
Where does the building activity start?
with digging the ground for the foundation and then building it
It is the lowermost part of the building.
Foundation
It transfers the load of the building to the ground.
Foundation
It is the portion of the wall between the ground level and the ground floor level.
Plinth
Fill in the blank. The plinth is usually made of ______.
stone masonry
Fill in the blank. If the foundation is on piles, a plinth beam is cast to _________.
support wall above floor level
What is provided at the top of the plinth? Give its the usual thickness.
A damp roof usually 75 mm thick plain concrete course
What is the function of the plinth?
to keep the ground floor above ground level, free of dampness
True or False. The height of the plinth is not less than 500 mm. It is required that the plinth level is at least 200 mm above the road level so that connections to the underground drainage system can be made.
False (500 - 450)( 200 - 150)
Their function is to transfer the load of the structures vertically downwards to transfer it to the foundation.
Walls and Columns
True or False. A window frame should be directly placed over the masonry.
False (it should not be directly placed over the masonry)
How is the window frame should be placed over the masonry?
It should be placed over 50 mm to 75 mm thick plain concrete course provided over the masonry.
What do you call the course between the masonry and window frame?
sill
These are the R.C.C or stone beams provided over the door and window openings to transfer the load transversely so as to see that door or window frame is not stressed unduly.
Lintels
True or False. The width of the lintels is equal to the width of the wall while the thickness to be provided depends upon the opening size.
True
It is the projection given outside the wall to protect doors and windows from the rain.
Chejja
True or False. Chejjas are usually made of R.C.C.
True
Fill in the blank. The projection of chejjas varies from _____ to ______.
600 mm to 800 mm
Its function is to give access to different rooms in the building and to deny access whenever necessary.
Doors
True or False. The number of doors should be the minimum possible.
True
They are provided to get light and ventilation in the building.
Windows
They give working/useful areas for the occupants.
Floors
How is the ground floor prepared?
It is prepared by filling bricks bats, waste stones, and gravel and well compacted with not less than 100 mm sand layer on its top.
It is the topmost portion of the building which provides the top cover to the building.
roof
True or False. Roofs must leak.
False (it should be leak proof)
It gives convenient access from ground level to ground floor level.
steps
What is the ideal size for steps?
250 to 200 mm wide and 150 mm rise
True or False. In no case the size of two consecutive steps is different.
True
It gives access from floor to floor.
Stairs
They are provided for the convenience of old and disabled persons.
lifts
Where should the lift be located?
near the entrance
True or False. Hostels with G+3 floors can be built without lifts.
True
What is the maximum number of floors permitted without lifts in residential flats?
G + 2 floors
Lifts are available at what capacity?
4 to 20 people
This is what the bottom portion of the slab (ceiling), walls, and top of the floor need.
Finishing with plaster
How is the finishing provided?
with whitewash, distemper or paints or tiles
These are the water supply, sanitation and drainage works, electric supply work and construction of cupboards, and who cases.
Building services.
It is built in the house property near the street for storing water from the municipal supply or from the tanker.
sump
It is made so as to get water in the kitchen, bathrooms, water closets, sinks, and garden taps.
Plumbing work
What is used for draining rainwater from roofs?
down take pipes of at leat 100 mm diameters
True or False. Proper slopes should be given to the roof towards the down take pipe.
True
Fill in the blank. The pipes should be fixed at _____________ so that rainwater is directed to the down take pipe easily.
10 to 15 mm below the roof
These are to be connected to stoneware pipes with suitable traps and chambers.
sanitary fittings
These are connected to the underground drainage of municipal lines or to the septic tank.
Stone ware pipes
These are required for building services. They are in the form of showcases, cupboards, racks, etc.
carpentry works
It is an essential part of building services. The building should be provided with sufficient points for the supply of lights, fans, and other electric gadgets.
electric supply
The planning and construction of a building should be aimed at fulfilling the following requirements:
- Strength and stability
- Dimensional stability
- Resistance to dampness
- Resistance to fire
- Heat insulation
- Sound insulation
- Protection against termite attack
- Durability
- Security against burglary
- Lighting and ventilation
- Comforts and convenience
- Economy
The building should be capable of transferring the expected loads in its life period safely to the ground. The design of various structural components, like slabs, beams, walls, columns, and footing, should ensure safety. None of the structural components should buckle, overturn, or collapse.
Strength and Stability
Excessive deformation of structural components gives a sense of instability and results in a crack in walls, flooring, etc. All structural components should be designed so that deflections do not exceed the permissible values specified in the codes.
Dimensional Stability
Dampness in a building is a great nuisance and it may reduce the life of the building. Great care should be taken in planning and in the construction of the building to avoid dampness.
Resistance to Dampness
Regarding achieving resistance to fire, the basic requirements laid down in the codes are:
a. the structure should not ignite easily
b. building orientation should be such that the spread of fire is slow
c. In case of fire, there should be means of easy access to vacate the building quickly.
A building should be so oriented and designed that it insulates the interior from heat.
Heat Insulation
Buildings should be planned against outdoor and indoor noises.
Sound Insulation
Buildings should be protected from termites.
Protection from termite
Each and every component of the building should be durable.
Durability
This is the basic need the owner of the building expects.
Security against Burglary
For healthy and happy living natural light and ventilation are required. Diffused light and good cross ventilation should be available inside the building.
Lighting and Ventilation
Various units in the building should be properly grouped and integrated keeping in mind the comfort and convenience of the user.
Comforts and Conveniences
Economy without sacrificing comfort, convenience, and durability is another basic requirement of the building.
Economy
It refers to the study of the causes of an engineering event, usually a disaster or failure of some kind.
Forensic Engineering
It refers to the investigation of a structural failure.
Forensic Engineering
They reveal the weakness in design and provide guidance for future designs.
Forensic Engineering
What are the activities associated with forensic engineering?
- determination of the physical or technical causes of accidents or failures
- preparation of reports
- presentation of testimony or advisory opinions
True or False. In case of major disasters, often a team of experts is assembled to study the cause of the disaster and to make recommendations to prevent future disasters.
True
The collapse of the building was caused by the bombing that destroyed ground-level columns in front of the building. Which building is it?
1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City
What is the reason that vigorous interest in forensic engineering has developed over the past two decades, especially in the United State?
rash of spectacular collapses that occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s
When was the Committee on Forensic Engineering (CFE) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) formed?
1982
What does CFE stand for?
Committee on Forensic Engineering
When did the Committee on Forensic Engineering become a technical council of ASCE?
1984
How many committees do the Technical Council of Forensic Engineers (TCFE) have?
8
TCFE stands for __________.
Technical Council of Forensic Engineers
Technical Council of Forensic Engineers (TCFE) addresses two broad interests. What are these?
a. the recognized need of our profession to learn from its failures
b. the rapidly increasing number of engineering professionals specializing in forensic engineering
In examining the activities of the ASCE, one sees that the scope of civil engineering investigations can be quite large, encompassing the following disciplines:
- Structures
- Geotechnical Works
- Highways
- Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Facilities
- Culverts and pipelines
- Air Transportation and aerospace
- Environmental Facilities
- Hydraulics, irrigation, and drainage installations
- Architectural technology
- Materials Engineering
To develop and implement means for disseminating accurate and complete information regarding the nature and causes of structural failures in civil-engineered projects. They act as a vehicle for coordinating and assisting in the dissemination of forensic engineering information generated by other organizations, both within and from outside ASCE.
Committee on Dissemination of Failure Information (CDFI)
To develop objectives for change in the design and construction industry specifically targeted to reducing the incidence and severity of failures in civil-engineered projects. To pursue implementation of these changes and to act as a liaison between ASCE and other professional societies and organizations to pursue the prevention of failures.
Committee on Practices to Reduce Failures
To enhance the competent and ethical practice of forensic engineering. The committee develops practice guidelines, seminars, and conference sessions aimed at elevating the understanding of professionals engaged in the investigative and judicial arenas.
Forensic Practices Committee
To improve the practice of Civil Engineering by promoting the study of failure case histories in educational activities.
Committee on Education
To identify research needs related to the investigation of constructed facilities that do not perform in accordance with the established standards; define the research problems and assign priorities to them; develop effective means of implementing the results.
Committee on Technology Implementation
To review manuscripts, technical notes, and discussions submitted to the council for publication in the Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities and to be responsible for the publication of papers sponsored by the Council.
Publications Committee
To develop guidelines that engineers can follow so as to avoid failures caused by misuse of hardware, operating system software, and civil engineering software in the planning, modeling, analysis, design, and operation of civil engineering facilities.
Task Committee on Avoiding Failures Caused by Computer Misuse
To produce a document to be titled “Guidelines for Lift-Slab Construction,” which will provide the design professional with information on aspects of the planning, design, and administration of a lift-slab project.
Task Committee on Lift-Slab Construction
