Structures and Forces Vocabulary

Structures

Supports on object or weight

Natural Structures

A structure made without people and naturally

Manufactured Structures

Structures made by humans

Type of Forces

A push or pull, or anything that causes change in motion on an object 

Load

Weight carried/supported by a structure

Mass Structures

Made by the piling of materials 

Frame Structures

Skeleton of materials supports the weight of other parts 

Shell Structures

Obtains strength from a thin outer layer, no internal frame

Function

Main purpose of a structure

Aesthetics

The beauty of a building

Safety

Being protected from danger and how much the structure is able to take on before a fault happens.

Balancing cost with safety

Ensuring that everybody in the structure is safe. although too much money is not spent on it and other gear. Everything should be balanced.

Composite materials

Lots of different materials used for one thing 

Layered Materials

Materials being layered to create something 

Woven and Knit materials

Materials woven together to create a stronger material

Joints

Holds parts of a structure together 

Mobile Joints

Allow Movement

Rigid Joints

Do not allow movement

Fasteners

Join two parts

Ex. Screws, Bolts

Interlocking Shapes

Connecting two things, so that they fit together. A specific shape is needed 

Ex. Dovetail

Ties

Gets pulled from opposite ends and tries to resist tension 

Ex. Rope

Adhesives

Sticky substance used to hold materials together 

Ex. Glue

Melting

Joining two parts through melting and then freezing

Ex. Soldering, Welding

Gravitational Forces

Force exerted by gravity. Measured in Newtons (N) 

Newton (N)

Scientific term for weight 

Forces meter (spring scale)

Used to measure force 

Force Diagram

Uses arrows to represent the direction/strength of one or more forces

External Forces

Stresses on the outside of a structure 

Dead vs Live Load

The weight of a structure upon itself = Dead. Act in a structure, but are not part of the structure = Live. 

Internal Forces

The act of a force on the inside

Tension Forces

Pulls on a material and stretches it apart

Shear Forces

Bends/Tears a material by pushing parts of it in opposite directions

Compression Forces

Compacts/Squeezes a material

Torsion Forces

Twists a material’s ends in opposite directions

Bending Forces

Push(Compression) and Pull(Tension). Temporary curving changes the shape of structures.

Bend or Buckle

Makes a structure less stable by the middle dipping downwards and breaking.

Metal Fatigue

Weakening of metal due to stress. Accumulation of small cracks.

Friction

Resists the movement of two surfaces rubbing together.

Stable Structures

Have internal and external forces balanced

Unstable Structures

Do not have internal and external forces balanced

Center of Gravity

Point where the weight is even on all sides.

Spin Stabilization

Tendency that an object is spinning on its axis. Should move in a predictable manner.