Structural Terms

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 Grade beam

A part of a foundation system which

supports the exterior wall of a super-
structure
Commonly designed as a beam
which bears directly on the column
footing
lowermost spandrel of a building that
has no basement
 abrasion

a surface discontinuity caused by

roughening or scratching

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 batten

a narrow strip of wood applied to

cover a joint along the edges of two
parallel boards in the same plane.

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 blistering

bulges in plaster finish coat resulting

from applying finish coat over to
damp a base coat

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 block-out

concrete structures under

construction, a space where concrete
is not to be placed.

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 cast iron

an iron alloy usually including carbon

and silicon which has high
compressive strength but low tensile
strength.

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 kerf

in a suspended acoustical ceiling, a

groove cut into the edges of an
acoustical tile to receive splines or
supporting members of the ceiling
suspension system

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 pantile

a roofing tile which is the shape of an

s when laid on its side

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 marble

a metaphoric rock made up of mostly

calcite or dolomite

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 extrusion

the process of producing metal

shapes of a constant cross section by
forcing the hot metal through an
orifice in a die by means of a
pressure ram

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 mission tile

a clay roofing tile, approximately

semi-cylindrical in shape, laid in
courses with the units having their
convex side alternately up and down

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 static equilibrium

a body acted upon by a balanced

force system is in equilibrium

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 force

is the action of one body upon

another

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 resultant

is a single force, a couple, or a force

and a couple which acting alone
produces the same effect as the
force system

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principle of transmissibility

states that the external effect of a

force on a body acted upon is
independent of the point of
application of the force but the same
for all points along its line of action

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 force system

is an arrangement of any two or

more forces that act on a body or on
a group of related bodies

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 free body diagram

a sketch of a body showing the

forces exerted by other bodies on the
one being considered

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 load

is acting parallel to member axis

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 stress

in uniform for homogenous sections

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 stress due to tension

tends to elongate the body

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stress due to compression

tends to shorten the body

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 truss

is an articulated structure composed

of lines or bars assumed to be
connected by frictionless pin at the
joints and arranged so that an area
enclosed within the boundaries of
the structure is subdivided by the
bars into geometric figures which are
usually triangles.
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 beam and girders

are usually horizontal or nearly

horizontal elements carrying a stress
primarily due to shear and flexure,
they usually carry load directly from
the floor.

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 determinate structure

is a structure in which the reaction

components and internal stress
cannot be solved completely using
the equation of static equilibrium

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 western framing

a system of framing a building on

which floor joists of each storey rest
on the top plates of the storey below
and the bearing walls and partitions
rest on the subfloor of each step

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 hydrostatic pressure

a pressure exerted against the

underground portion of a building
created by the presence of water in
the soil.

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 anchor bolt

a steel bolt usually fixed in building

structures with its thread portion
projecting

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 ledger strip

a narrow piece of lumber nailed to

the side of a beam along its bottom
edge which carries joist flush with
the upper edge of the beam

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 batt insulation

a flexible blanket type thermal

insulation commonly used between
studs or joists in frame construction

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 balloon framing

a system of framing a building in

which the studs are continuous to
the roof supporting the second floor
joists

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 beam blocking

the boxing in or covering a joist,

beam or girder to give the
appearance of a larger beam

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 100mm

allowable sag (NSCP)

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 foundation wall

that part of a building foundation

which forms the permanent retaining
wall of the structure below grade

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 control joints

joints employed to reduce restraint

by accommodating movement of
masonry walls

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 forging

a process where a piece of metal is

heated prior to changing its shape or
dimension

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 wrought iron

a commercially pure iron of fibrous

nature, valued for its corrosion
resistance and ductility

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degree of indeterminacy

refers to the number of unknowns

over and above the equation of
static

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 purlin

carries the roof load between trusses

or rafters

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 rafter

usually a sloping beam carrying the

reactions of purlins

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 lintel

carries the masonry across the

opening made by a door or window

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 joist

a closely spaced beam supporting

the floor of a building

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 stringer

similar to a joist, it carries the

flooring of a bridge.

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 girder

large sized beams usually carrying

the floor beams

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 spandrel

spans between columns and

supports the floor and curtain walls

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 shaft

circular beam that transmits power

to the machinery
it also carries torsion in addition to
shear and flexure

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 adobe

large roughly molded sun-dried

bricks of varying sizes

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 concrete

is a mixture of sand and gravel held

together in a rock-like mass with a
paste of cement and water.

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 reinforced concrete

is a combination of concrete and

steel wherein the steel reinforcement
provides the tensile strength lacking
in concrete

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 pedestal or short compression
blocks

height is less than three times the

least dimension

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 long or slender column

strength of column is significantly

reduced due to slenderness

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 short column

failure is initiated by material failure

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 bearing wall system

a structural system without a

complete vertical load-carrying
space frame

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 building frame system

a structural system with an

essentially complete space frame
providing supports for gravity loads

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 bridging

the method of stiffening floor

construction by fitting solid blocks
between joists

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 checking

a shallow crack at closely spaced by

irregular intervals on the surface of
mortar or concrete

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 post-tensioning

the stressing of un-bonded tendons

after the concrete has cured

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 slump test

a ready means of determining the

consistency of freshly mixed
concrete

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 creep

the permanent reformation of a

material under a sustained load

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 tyrolean finish

rough plaster finish obtained by

flinging plaster on a wall with a hand
operated machine

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 chord

a principal member of a truss which

extends from one end to the other
primarily to resist bending

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 alloy

a composition of two or more metals

fused together usually to obtain a
desired property

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 backset

the horizontal distance from the face

of a lock latch to the center of the
knob or lock cylinder

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 lapseam

a joint formed by overlapping the

edges of metal sheet or plated and
joining them by riveting, soldering
and brizing.

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 shear

the tendency for one part of the

beam to move vertically with respect
to an adjacent part

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 deformation

any material change in shape when

subjected to the action of a force

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 working stress

the maximum value of tension,

compression or shear respectively
which the material can sustain
without failure

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 marquee

a permanent roofed structure

attached to and supported by the
building and projecting over public
property

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 addition

is an extension or increase on floor

area or height of a building structure

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 allowable stress design

is a method of proportioning
structural elements such that
computed stresses produced in the
elements by the allowable stress
load combinations do not exceed
specified allowable stress (also called
working stress design)

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 alter or alteration

is any change, addition to or

modification in construction or
occupancy

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 approved

as to material and types of

construction, refers to approval by
the building official as the result of
investigation and tests conducted by
the building official, or by reason of
accepted principles or test by
recognized authorities, technical or
scientific organizations
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 building

is any structure used or intended for

supporting or sheltering any use or
occupancy

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 existing building

a building erected prior to the

adoption of NSCP, or one for which a
legal building permit has been issued

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 building official

is the officer or other designated

authority charged with the
administration and enforcement of
this code, or the building officials
duly authorized representative

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 load and resistance factor design (LRFD)
method

is a method of proportioning
structural elements using load and
resistance factors such that no
applicable limit state is reached
when the structure is subjected to all
appropriate load combinations
the term used in the design of steel
and wood structures
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strength design or ultimate strength
design

is a method of proportioning
structural elements such that the
computed forces produced in the
elements by the factored load
combinations do not exceed the
factored element strength
the term is used in the design of
concrete and masonry structures
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 structure

is that which is built or constructed,

an edifice or a building of any kind,
or any piece of work, artificially built
up or composed of parts joined
together in some definite manner

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 structural engineer

is a resigned civil engineer with a

special qualification in the practice of
structural engineering as recognized
by the board of civil engineering of
the professional regulation
commission

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 prefabricated assembly or
precast assembly

is a structural unit, the integral parts

of which have been built up or
assembled prior to incorporating in
the building

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 bedrock

in-place solid rock

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 bench

is a relatively level step excavated

into earth material on which fill is to
be placed

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 borrow

is earth material acquired from an

off-site location for use in grading on-
site

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 compaction

is the densification of fill by

mechanical means

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 earth material

is any rock, natural soil or fill or any

combination thereof

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 erosion

is the wearing away of the ground

surface as a result of the movement
of wind, water or ice

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 excavation

is the mechanical removal of earth

material

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 fill

is a deposit of earth material placed

by artificial means

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 grade

is the vertical location of the ground

surface.

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 existing grade

is the grade prior to grading

the elevation of the original ground
surface before excavation or grading
begins
also called natural grade

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 finish grade

final grade of the site that conforms

to the approved plan
the elevation of drives, walks, lawns,
or other improved surfaces after
completion of construction or
grading operations

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 rough grade

the stage at which the grade

approximately conforms to the
approved plan

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 grading

is any excavating or filling or

combination thereof

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 slope

is an inclined ground surface the

inclination of which is expressed as a
ration of vertical distance to
horizontal distance

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 key

is a designed compacted fill placed

in a trench excavated in earth
material beneath the toes of a
proposed fill slope

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 soil

is naturally occurring deposits

overlying bedrock

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 terrace

is a relatively level step constructed

in the face of a graded slope for
drainage and maintenance purposes

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 access floor system

is an assembly consisting of panels

mounted on pedestals to provide an
under-floor space for the installation
of mechanical, electrical,
communications or similar systems
or to serve as an air supply or return
air plenum

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 assembly building

is a building or portion of a building

for the gathering together of fifty or
more persons for such purposes as
deliberation, education, instruction,
worship, entertainment, amusement,
drinking or dining or awaiting
transportation

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 awning

is a shelter supported entirely from

the exterior wall of the building

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 exterior balcony

is an exterior floor system projecting

from a structure and supported by
that structure with no additional
independent supports

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 dead loads

consist of the weight of all materials

and fixed equipment incorporated
into the building or other structure

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 deck

is an exterior floor system supported

on at least two opposing sides by an
adjoining structure and/or posts,
piers, or other independent supports

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 essential facilities

are buildings and other structures

that are intended to remain
operational in the event of extreme
environmental loading from wind or
earthquakes

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 garage

is a building or portion thereof in

which motor vehicle containing
flammable or combustible liquids or
gas in its tank is stored, repaired or
kept

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 private garage

is a building or portion of a building,

not more than 90sq.m in area, in
which only motor vehicles used by
the tenants of the building or
building on the premises are kept
and stored

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 limit state

is a condition in which a structure or

component is judged either to be no
longer useful for its intended
function or to be unsafe

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serviceability limit state

a condition in which a structure or

component is judged to be no longer
useful for its intended function

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 strength limit state

is a condition in which a structure or

component is judged to be unsafe

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 live load

loads produced by the use and

occupancy of the building or other
structure and do not include dead
load, construction load, or
environmental load such as wind
load, snow load, rain load,
earthquake load or flood load

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 loads

forces or other actions that result

from the weight of all building
materials, occupants and their
possessions, environmental effects,
differential movements, and
restrained dimensional changes

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 done! :)

June 2008
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GOOD LUCK!

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