Structurally Sound Buildings: Engineering Principles and Design

Vocabulary flashcards covering the core structural engineering concepts, foundation types, wind-resisting technologies, and seismic mitigation techniques discussed in the lecture.

Dead Load

The static force exerted by a structure's own materials, which must be engineered so that it never causes any sort of structural failure.

Live Loads

Transient or movable forces exerted on a building, including people, furniture, snow, and equipment, which must be safely distributed.

Deep Foundations (Piles)

Structural foundation columns driven through weak, soft surface soil to reach stronger ground or bedrock below to support a building.

Topsoil

The loose, organic, and unstable uppermost layer of soil where engineers should never build.

Bearing Stratum

A dense sand or stiff clay layer located beneath loose soil that serves as an ideal depth for laying a foundation.

Bedrock

The solid, deep rock layer that provides the strongest base for a building's foundation.

Shallow Foundation

A foundation system that uses spread footings to distribute a building's weight over a wide area, employed when the surface soil is strong.

Mat (Raft) Foundation

A single continuous, thick concrete slab capable of supporting an entire structure by spreading its load evenly over poor soil.

Tuned Mass Damper

A heavy internal pendulum installed near the top of a tall building that swings in the opposite direction of the building's sway to counteract wind and seismic forces.

Structural Bracing

Internal supports, such as cross-bracing and shear walls, that redirect lateral wind and earthquake forces safely down to the ground.

Base Isolation

An earthquake mitigation system using flexible rubber-steel bearings that allow the ground to move beneath a structure while the building above experiences minimal shaking, reducing seismic forces by up to $80\%$.

Energy Dissipation

A structural strategy using dampers that absorb seismic energy like shock absorbers, directly reducing stress placed on the frame during an earthquake.

Ductile Design

An engineering approach where steel frames are designed to bend safely during seismic activity rather than breaking.

Buttressed Core

A structural core supported by extending wings in a Y-shaped plan, utilized by the Burj Khalifa ($828\,\text{m}$) to resist high wind forces and ensure stability.

Open Lattice Design

A structural framework consisting of crisscrossed members, pioneered by the Eiffel Tower ($1889$), which allows wind to pass through and minimizes wind resistance.