Construction Materials and Methods Practice Flashcards

These vocabulary flashcards cover common construction terminology, materials, structural reinforcement techniques, and contract documentation based on the lecture notes.

Over-reinforced beam

A type of beam where concrete fails instantaneously without warning after the failure of steel reinforcements.

Batten

A wood or metal material used to anchor and elevate a roof tile over its undersheeting.

Medium Density Board

A type of hardboard made from wood fibers glued under heat and pressure, utilized for doors and furniture.

Cantilevered beam reinforcement

Reinforced by providing extra top bars at and near the support to resist tension.

Concrete cover for footings

A thickness of $75\,mm$ for cast-in-place concrete permanently exposed to earth.

Wrought Iron

A ferrous material with a very low carbon content which is malleable, tough, and ductile, produced from pig iron to remove impurities.

Differential Settlement

Relative movement of parts of a structure caused by uneven settlement of the underlying soil, for which a mat footing may be ideal.

Carriage Bolt

A bolt featuring a smooth, domed head with a square section underneath that prevents spinning during installation.

Bituminous Waterproofing

A material used for roof decks and basements that may be installed by torching to activate adhesion and often requires a concrete topping for protection.

Two-way slab reinforcement

Main reinforcements run in both ways if the ratio of the long span to the short span of the slab is less than $2$.

Cantilevered slab thickness

Determined by the formula Length of Slab / $10$.

Slump Test

A test utilizing open-ended conical cones to measure the workability and consistency of freshly mixed concrete.

Undersheeting

A layer between the finishing roof material and framing that serves as an additional layer of weatherproofing and drainage.

End lapping for corrugated GI

The required length is $10$ to $12\text{ inches}$.

Footing depth measurement

The measurement taken from the NCL (Natural Grade Line) to the bottom of the footing.

CHB wall reinforcement

Steel reinforcements laid out as $10\,mm$ diameter every $3$ rows vertical and $0.60\,m$ horizontal.

Anchor Bolts

L-shaped, machine-threaded bolts typically embedded in concrete to fasten steel or wood.

Dead load

The static load comprising the weight of construction materials like walls and floors that generally carry the live load.

Bridging

An arrangement of braces fixed between floor joists to keep them in place and distribute loads to adjacent joists.

Solvent

A paint component that dissolves the paint to make it usable and workable at normal room temperature.

Stringer

The part of a wooden staircase that supports the steps.

Nickel & Chromium

Specific elements added to steel to create stainless steel.

Suspended beam extra bottom bars

For a clear span of $8\,m$, the length will be $4.8\,m$.

Stirrups

Reinforcing material designed to resist shear and diagonal tension stresses in a beam.

Performance Specification

A specification stipulating how a component or system must perform without giving the exact means to achieve the results.

Temperature Bars

Reinforcements that absorb stresses resulting from shrinkage particularly during the curing of concrete.

Tempered Glass

Glass processed by thermal or chemical treatments to create outer compression and interior tension, causing it to shatter into small granular chunks when broken.

End Bearing Pile

A pile that depends on the resistance of soil or rock beneath its foot for stability.

Curing

The hardening of concrete requiring time, favorable temperature, and the continuous presence of water or moisture.

Rivet

A metal pin used for joining members by passing a headed shank through a hole and hammering the plain end to form a second head.

Gusset plate

A plate providing a greater surface area to connect chords and web members together through welding or bolting.

Substrate

A layer of gravel placed on undisturbed soil to prevent the capillary rise of moisture to a ground slab.

Cantilever beam

A type of beam that is supported on only one side.

Cementitious Waterproofing

A waterproofing technique using cement that requires no specialized expertise for installation.

Wrinkling

A paint defect occurring when the top coat dries before the bottom layer, often when paint is too wet.

Piles

Long slender columns of wood, steel, or reinforced concrete driven vertically into the earth to form a foundation system.

Grout

A fluid cement mortar containing a considerable amount of water and cement used to fill narrow cavities in masonry.

Mortar

A mixture of water, cement, and fine aggregates, such as sand, used as a bonding agent.

Welding

A fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, through the process of coalescence.

28 days

The duration required for concrete to reach approximately $90\text{\%}$ of its compressive strength and be considered fully cured.

Fine Aggregate

Inert granular materials smaller than $9\,mm$ in diameter.

Course Aggregate

Inert granular materials over $9\,mm$ in diameter.

Batch Box

A container of known volume used to ensure proper proportions of concrete, plaster, or mortar constituents.

Admixture

An ingredient added to concrete other than water, aggregate, lime, or cement immediately before or during mixing to modify its properties.

Foundation Bed

The soil or rock located directly beneath the footing.

Honeycomb

Voids left in concrete due to the failure of mortar to effectively fill spaces among coarse aggregate particles.

Spacer

A piece of concrete used to hold or support steel reinforcement in its proper position.

Tied Column

A column with reinforcement consisting of vertical bars held in position by lateral ties.

Dowel

Short reinforcing steel bars extending into two abutting pieces of concrete to increase joint strength.

16 GI Wire

The size of wire typically used to attach or connect steel reinforcement.

Splice

To connect two similar members in a straight line by fastening lapped ends using mechanical connectors, welding, or wire.

Gauge

The term used to describe the thickness of galvanized iron (GI) roofing.

Flashing

Material designed to prevent water penetration and provide drainage between a roof and a wall.

Gutter

A shallow channel below and along eaves used to catch and carry off rainwater.

Purlin

A horizontal timber or steel member laid on rafters to support common rafters or roof coverings.

King Post

A vertical member in a truss extending from the apex of inclined rafters to the tie beam.

Chord

A principal member of a truss extending from one end to the other to resist bending.

Fascia Board

A board nailed horizontally to the ends of roof rafters.

Gable Roof

A common and economical roof form made of triangular sections with two slopes meeting at a center ridge.

Hip Roof

A roof with four straight sides that all slope toward the center of the building.

Mansard Roof

A roof with two sides sloping steeply toward the center, forming a flat deck on top.

Cove

A concave interior molding used at the transition from wall to ceiling or floor.

Baseboard

A flat projection at the base of an interior wall covering the joint between the floor and the wall.

Addenda

Written or graphic instruments that clarify, correct, or add to specifications before contract execution.

Change Orders

A type of contract modification authorizing a change in work, contract sum, or contract time after the agreement is signed.

Descriptive Specification

A specification stipulating exact quantities and qualities of materials and installation methods.

Integral waterproofing

A type of waterproofing mixed directly into concrete that does not require skilled workmanship.

Annealed glass

Float glass that has undergone controlled cooling to prevent residual stress; it can be cut, drilled, and polished.

Effective depth

The measure from the top of a concrete beam to the center of the bottom reinforcement bar.