Programming & Analysis Flashcards from Amberbook Video Lessons
What are buoyant upload forces?
When water in the soil under the building pushes upwards on the structure.
(Anecdotal) when do people usually start noticing a tilt in the floor, due to something like differential settling?
1 degree slope
What are some examples of organic soils?
Peat - incomplete decomposition of plant matter. Often used for vegetable gardens. High porosity, low density, contains lots of water and plant material.
Topsoil - highest concentration of organic matter. Where most of the Earth’s biological soil activity occurs.
These are spongy and cannot be built on.
What is the liquid limit of a soil?
The water content at which the soil transitions from solid to plastic
What is the plastic limit of soil?
The water content at which the soil begins to expand
What is the shear strength of soil?
Shear strength of a soil is indicative of its resistance to erosion. Specifically, it is defined as the resistance to deformation by the action of tangential (shear) stress.
Densely packed coarse grain soils are high
Loosely packed coard grain soils have less
Smaller grain soils (clay, silts, sands) have the lowest
When do we want to use grading to compact soils, or not?
We want the soil to be well graded when we are supporting something, like a building. And we use poorly graded soils where we want to drain water.
What is a well-sorted soil?
Regarding particle distribution. When a soil is well-sorted, that means that particles of a similar size are located near each other and there are lots of air gaps resulting. When we grade a soil it becomes less sorted because all the small particles fill the gaps between the larger ones. Therefore, sorted is the inverse of graded.
What is an EPA superfund site?
A site identified by the EPA with a previous use that’s believed to have likely polluted the land. The EPA created this list and attempted to get the polluters to pay for site remediation. It’s called superfund because there was originally a government fund used to start this process before any polluters started paying.
How is angle of repose measured?
From horizontal!
What are elements 01 and 02 in an excavated site?
- Soldier beams
- Lagging
What is soil mixing?
Without removing the soil, using an auger to mix a binding agent into the existing soil to reinforce it.
What is a slurry wall, and when is it useful?
Where a hole for a foundation pier is dug and a clay/water mixture is poured into the hole to temporarily prevent it from collapsing (using hydrostatic pressure). Rebar reinforcement is then inserted into the liquid hole and concrete is added to displace the liquid and form an excavation wall. Once it solidifies the soil on the excavation side can be removed.
What is this?
A Tremie!
A tremie is a pipe that can be used for pouring concrete below ground level, often underwater. Common applications include piling works, basements, diaphragm walls, caissons, underwater foundations, and so on. A tremie is made of rigid metal or plastic tubes, generally with a diameter ranging from 20 - 30 cm.
What are some common shoring methods used in excavation?
What are some different foundation types and their uses?
What’s the difference between Tie beams and Grade beams?
Tie beams only handle horizontal loads
What are some strategies for mitigating lateral movement during earthquakes?
- Rubber Dampers
- Hydraulic Shock Absorbers
- Base Isolation Pads
What is the difference between a caisson and a pile?
Caissons are drilled and filled.
Piles are hammered in.
When would you use a pile instead of a caisson?
When the soil is such that a hole drilled to pour a caisson would collapse before the caisson could be poured. Think of drilling a hole in the sand on a beach.
When would you use a mini pile or helical pile instead of a full-sized one?
When shoring up an existing building where excess vibration associated with ramming piles would be a problem. (If the adjacent building’s foundations or occupants may be disturbed) or where too much soil displacement may be destructive.
Helical (screw) piles don’t require a hole.
What are the general slopes involved in drainage away from a building?
8” drop at foundation of building
5% minimum grade for the first 10 feet
2% minimum grade on lawn areas
.5% minimum grade on pavement
What are some ways to prevent a retaining wall from failing?
- Cantilevered footing to prevent overturn
- Footing key to prevent sliding
- Proper drainage or weep holes to prevent pressure buildup
What is an ALTA survey?
ALTA/ASCM = land ownership! Easements, utilities, rights-of-way
What are the ADA dimensions for a bathroom?
What are the ADA requirements for a curb cut?
What is this?
A standpipe! Used as a sort of indoor fire hose.
Preservation
- Sustains the existing form.
- Focuses on the maintenance and repair of existing historic materials and retention of a property’s form as it has evolved over time.
- Same use historically, or new use that BEST keeps materials, features, spaces…
How to Remember: You are not building anything new, or removing anything that is there, simply preserving what you see, regardless of original historic appearance.
