Building Construction Systems: Engineered Wood, Concrete, Curtain Walls, Cladding, Tilt-Up, and Skylights

Comprehensive flashcards covering engineered wood products, cast-in-place and prestressed concrete systems, glass curtain walls, metal cladding, tilt-up construction, and skylight installation details.

What is engineered wood, and how is it manufactured?

Also called composite or man-made wood, it consists of a range of wood derivative products manufactured by binding together strands, particles, fibers, or veneers of wood using adhesives to form composite materials engineered to precise standards.

Which adhesive used in engineered wood product manufacturing is characterized by its yellow or brown color and is formulated for exterior-exposure applications?

Phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin.

What is the most expensive resin used in engineered wood that possesses waterproofing capabilities and releases no formaldehyde?

Methylene diphenyl di-isocyanate (MDI) or polyurethane (PU) resin.

In a plywood panel, what is the term for a layer of veneer positioned immediately adjacent and at right angles to the face plies?

Crossband.

What type of engineered wood panel is shown, characterized by wooden strips at its core compressed between thin face veneers?

Plyboard.

What structural engineered wood product is shown, composed of multiple layers of thin wood assembled with waterproof adhesive under heat and pressure without crossbands?

Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL).

What structural lumber product is shown, manufactured by bonding long, narrow wood strands together under heat and pressure using a waterproof adhesive?

Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL).

What non-veneered wood panel is shown, composed of rectangular-shaped wood strands arranged in layers at right angles to one another and bonded with waterproof adhesives?

Oriented Strand Board (OSB).

What non-veneered panel product is composed of large, thin wood flakes bonded under heat and pressure with a waterproof adhesive?

Waferboard.

What type of building board is made of compressed wheat straw processed at $350^{\circ}\text{F}$ to $400^{\circ}\text{F}$ and covered with a tough kraft paper?

Strawboard.

What type of tempered hardboard is shown, featuring regularly spaced perforations designed for inserting hooks to store or display articles?

Peg Board (or Perforated Board).

Who first utilized glued laminated timber in Germany in 1890, and who introduced the technology to North America in 1934 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin?

Otto Hetzer first utilized it in Germany in 1890, and Max Hanisch, Sr. introduced it to North America in 1934.

What toothed metal fastener is shown, attached at the intersection of members such as chord-to-web connections in timber roof trusses?

Gang-Nail plate (or toothed metal connector plate).

What is cast-in-place (cast-in-situ) concrete?

Concrete deposited, formed, cured, and finished in its final position on-site as part of a structure, transported in an unhardened state primarily as ready-mix.

According to the provided flow diagram, what three sequential operations follow formwork and reinforcing preparation in cast-in-place concrete construction?

Pour Concrete, Cure Concrete, and Finish Concrete.

What automated machine ties reinforcing steel bars together in cast-in-place concrete construction?

The Talon 2 360 Rebar Crosstie system.

What cast-in-place wall forming system simultaneously casts walls, floors, and ceilings using suspended heaters to allow stripping and repositioning the following day?

Tunnel forms.

What two-way reinforced concrete floor system is shown, characterized by a slab of uniform thickness supported directly by columns without beams, girders, column capitals, or drop panels?

Flat plate.

What two-way concrete slab system is shown, thickened at column supports with column capitals and drop panels to resist heavy live loads exceeding $150\,\text{lb/sq ft}$?

Flat slab.

In a ribbed slab, what is the purpose of a distribution rib?

It is formed perpendicular to the joists to distribute load concentrations over a larger area (one is required for spans between $20$ and $30\,\text{ft}$, and two for spans over $30\,\text{ft}$).

What monolithic two-way concrete slab system is illustrated, reinforced by ribs running at right angles and formed using reusable square dome pans?

Waffle slab.

What 1965 structure in Niagara Falls, Ontario, served as a prominent application of vertical slipform construction?

The Skylon Tower.

What three types of mechanical shear interlocks between profiled steel sheeting and concrete are shown in the composite slab diagram?

Frictional interlock, mechanical interlock, and end anchorage.

What are the shoring rules for installing C-Joist concrete floor systems according to span length?

Quarter spacing of shoring is required for spans exceeding $5.0\,\text{m}$, midspan shoring is required for spans between $3.0\,\text{m}$ and $5.0\,\text{m}$, and no shoring is needed for spans under $3.0\,\text{m}$.

What is the key procedural difference between pre-tensioning and post-tensioning concrete?

In pre-tensioning, tendons are tensioned before the concrete is cast and released after curing; in post-tensioning, unstressed tendons placed in sheaths are tensioned and anchored after the concrete has cured.

What precast prestressed concrete unit is depicted, featuring continuous longitudinal tubular cores that reduce dead weight and provide pathways for utilities?

Hollow-core slab (voided slab or hollow-core plank).

What precast prestressed concrete member is shown, having two stems and a wide top flange resembling the capital letters TT?

Precast Double Tee beam.

What precast ledger beam shape is depicted, resembling an inverted capital T and designed to provide bearing shelves for double tee slabs?

Inverted Tee beam.

What precast, prestressed ledger beam profile is shown, designed with an L-shaped cross section to provide floor bearing at reduced structural depth?

L-Beam.

What lightweight precast unit features a thin compression flange and longitudinal tension ribs, achieving cement savings of $15\%$ and steel savings of $25\%$?

Precast RCC Channel Unit (or Channel Beam).

What structural benefit makes box girders advantageous for bridges that have a curved deck in plan?

Box girders offer superior resistance to torsion (twisting due to applied torque).

What 1918 building in San Francisco, designed by James Polk, was among the first structures to feature a pure glass curtain wall suspended in front of concrete columns?

The Hallidie Building.

How does a window wall differ functionally from a continuous glass curtain wall?

A continuous curtain wall hangs uninterrupted across multiple floors, whereas a window wall bears directly on the floor slab at each story, requiring fire, air, and water barriers to wrap around each floor structure.

Which aluminum curtain wall framing method is shown in Diagram A, assembled and glazed piece-by-piece on-site?

Stick System.

Which curtain wall framing method is illustrated in Diagram B, composed of large, pre-glazed, factory-assembled panels that interlock sequentially?

Unit Panel System.

How do annealed glass and tempered glass differ when broken?

Annealed glass is not safety glass and breaks into large, sharp pieces; tempered glass is break-resistant safety glass that shatters into small, blunt granular pieces.

What dual mechanism allows Pilkington Activ self-cleaning glass to maintain a clean surface?

It features a photocatalytic coating that breaks down organic dirt with sunlight and a hydrophilic surface that causes rainwater to sheet evenly and wash the dirt away.

What is the primary function of building wall cladding?

Cladding refers to applying one material over another to create a skin that directs wind and water to control runoff and infiltration, or to fulfill aesthetic requirements, without necessarily providing a fully waterproof barrier.

In aluminum anodizing, what metallic salts are deposited into surface pores to produce striking reds and deep blue tones?

Copper salts produce striking reds, while cobalt salts produce deep blue tones.

Why is alloy 316 stainless steel preferred over alloy 304 for exterior architectural applications in coastal zones?

Alloy 316 contains molybdenum, providing superior corrosion protection against saltwater and high pollution levels.

What is 'oil canning' in metal wall cladding systems?

A visual defect characterized by waviness or pillowing across flat areas of a metal panel, caused by fabrication stresses, thermal expansion, or installation alignment issues.

What two problems can occur when dissimilar metals are used in close proximity in cladding assemblies?

Water runoff staining (such as copper washing over aluminum) and galvanic corrosion (where physical contact causes the less noble metal to corrode).

What is tilt-up (tilt-slab) concrete construction?

A construction method where concrete wall panels and structural elements are cast horizontally on-site on a concrete slab, cured, and subsequently hoisted into a vertical position with a crane and temporarily braced.

What is the purpose of a chemically reactive bondbreaker in tilt-up construction?

It prevents freshly cast panel concrete from adhering to the underlying casting slab or formwork, ensuring clean separation when the panel is lifted.

What 1922 residence in West Hollywood, California, designed by Rudolf Schindler, served as a pioneering early application of tilt-up concrete construction?

The Schindler House.

What accessibility criterion distinguishes a roof window from a skylight?

If an overhead glazed unit can be reached directly from the floor, it is called a roof window; if it is out of reach, it is classified as a skylight.

What is the general sizing rule of thumb for skylight area relative to room floor space?

Figure on $1\,\text{sq ft}$ of skylight area for every $20\,\text{sq ft}$ of floor space.

How do curb-mounted and framed-in-place skylights differ in roof positioning and side flashing?

A curb-mounted skylight sits raised on a wood or integral curb using continuous side flashing, whereas a framed-in-place skylight sits flush with the roof plane using step shingles woven into each row of roofing.

What framing procedure is required when cutting an existing roof rafter to accommodate a skylight?

Nail temporary $2\times 4$ supports across adjoining rafters, cut the rafter out $3\text{ inches}$ back from the sheathing edge, and install double headers at both the top and bottom of the opening.

What three geometric skylight configurations are depicted in the accompanying image?

Gable, Pyramid, and Barrel Vault.