Structural Design Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering structural design terminology, load definitions, structural components, foundations, and soil mechanics based on the lecture slides.

P-delta effect

A secondary effect in shears and especially moments of frame members induced by vertical loads acting on a laterally displaced building frame.

Weak Storey

A building storey whose lateral strength is less than 80% of the strength of the storey above it.

Essential Facilities

Hospitals, Communication Centers, and other structures that are necessary for emergency post-earthquake operations.

Diaphragm

A horizontal or nearly horizontal system acting to transmit lateral forces to the vertical resisting system, including the horizontal bracing system.

Braced Frame

Essentially a vertical truss system provided to resist lateral forces acting on a building.

Plasticizer

A concrete admixture that reduces the required mixing water to produce a flowing, pumpable concrete that does not segregate and requires minimal vibration.

Preservation of Concrete Test Records

The requirement that records of test material and concrete must be preserved after project completion for a minimum of 2 years.

Weight of Steel (per cubic meter)

The weight of $1\,\text{cu. m.}$ of steel, which is equal to $7850\,\text{Kg}$.

Shotcrete

A type of gunite mixed with an accelerating admixture containing aggregate larger than $10\,\text{mm}$, sprayed under high air pressure for lining tunnels.

Limit state

The condition reached when a structure is judged either to be no longer useful for its intended function or to be unsafe.

Metal Fatigue

A failure or damage phenomenon resulting in sudden, brittle fracture of a ductile material caused by repeated stress reversals applied a great number of times.

Couple

Two forces of equal magnitude acting parallel to each other at a distance $d$ apart, directed in opposite directions.

Buckling load

The critical load at which a perfectly straight structural member under compression assumes a deflected position.

Hinge

A point within a structure where a member (beam or column) can rotate slightly to eliminate all bending moment at that point.

Semi-continuous beam

A beam type supported by a hinge or roller at one end while the other end projects beyond a fixed support.

Partition Load Allowance

A uniformly distributed load equal to $1000\,\text{Pa}$ designed for floors in office buildings where partition locations are subject to change.

Uplift pressure

The upward water pressure exerted against the bottom of a basement floor or road slab due to hydrostatic head.

Eyebar

A pin-connected tension member of uniform thickness with a forged loop or head wider than the body, proportioned for approximately equal strength in both head and body.

Riprap

A revetment consisting of rough stones of various sizes placed compactly to protect riverbanks or riverbeds from flowing water erosion.

Thin shell

A three-dimensional spatial structure composed of one or more curved slabs or folded plates whose thicknesses are small compared to their other dimensions.

Sway brace

A piece or pair of diagonal braces used to resist wind or other horizontal forces acting on a building.

Grillage foundation

A special foundation for intense column loads consisting of a platform with two layers of rolled steel joists placed at right angles to each other.

Soil Stabilization

Any artificial method of strengthening soil to reduce shrinkage and prevent movement, such as compaction or mixing soil with cement.

Sump

A pit excavated in a basement floor to collect water, from which a pump discharges the accumulated liquid into a sewer pipe.

Gerber beam

A long, straight beam that functions essentially as a cantilever beam through the insertion of hinges in alternate spans.

Seismograph

An instrument designed to measure and record the actual displacement of the ground relative to a stationary reference point during an earthquake.

Liquefaction

The phenomenon wherein saturated sandy soil substantially loses its load-carrying capacity when subjected to dynamic vibration, such as earthquake ground motions.

Lintel beam

A horizontal beam placed over an opening for a door or window to support the weight of the wall above.

Angle of repose

The steepest angle relative to the horizontal plane at which a heaped granular soil surface remains stable without sliding under normal conditions.