Blog Archives

Timber Framing versus Standard Stud Construction

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Most residential framing in North America today is done with stud construction — a light “stick frame” — often referred to as a platform frame, conventional frame or western frame. A “balloon frame,” popular about too years ago, is a special type in which the vertical members, now known as studs, were quite long, spanning from first story right through the second story. This is uncommon now, with most stories built independently using the ubiquitous eight-foot stud.

Conventional stick-frame construction is typically fabricated with framing lumber having a thickness of just 1V2 inches (3.8 centimeters). Vertical support studs are placed around the perimeter either 16 or 24 inches (40 or 61 centimeters) from the center of one stud to the center of the next one...

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Ferro-concrete pipes

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15
Many perfectly know that such ferro-concrete pipes and where they are used. Truly, ferro-concrete pipes are very necessary in construction. Them use for transportation of household liquids, industrial, ground and atmospheric waters. Essentially, that waters read more

Provide a fence for safety and security

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Installing a fence around your site is a good idea. It can deter or prevent the theft of tools and building materials. It also makes the site safer by discouraging unauthorized visits.

Подпись: NEATNESS COUNTS. A clean, well- organized job site enhances safety and improves construction efficiency. [Photo Roger Turk.J
Provide a fence for safety and security

Liability insurance is also a good idea, and it may even be required if you’re borrowing money from a bank. Always work to keep your site safe, organized, and free of debris, espe­cially boards with nails protruding from them. Stack unused materials neatly, keep trenches covered, and limit access to anv unsafe areas. One nail in a worker’s foot or a bad ankle sprain from tripping into a trench can cost a lot of time in medical attention and recovery.

Подпись: HABITAT HOUSES ARE AFFORDABLE AND EASY TO BUILD. Like most Habitat houses, this one (in Charlotte, N.C.) is designed to make economical use of basic building materials. STEP 3 Design the House

The bumper-sticker slogan, “Live Simply That Others May Simply Live,” speaks to the design aspects of an affordable hou...

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AND AIR-CONDITIONING

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Heating and cooling systems are varied and com­plex, so make your house purchase contingent on a professional inspection by an HVAC contractor. In your walk-through, look for the following:

► If the bottom of the heating unit is rusted out or if it’s 15 years to 20 years old, it probably should be replaced. It’s certainly not efficient and probably not safe.

► Soot around heat registers or exhaust smells in living areas mean that the furnace is dirty and poorly maintained or that the furnace heat exchanger is cracked, allowing exhaust gases to escape. If an HVAC specialist can see flame through the heat exchanger, it’s definitely time to replace the unit. It may be a fire safety and health hazard.

► If your house has forced hot-air heat, your family could develop respiratory problem...

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GAP GRADATION

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Our aim in designing an SMA’s aggregate structure has already been identified—a strong skeleton of coarse grains. Let us now consider what requirements an aggre­gate mix has to meet to create such a desirable skeleton. There is no room in it for too many fine or weak grains. The key solution for that question is gap gradation—that is, the right proportion of grains of defined sizes.

Let us start by examining a continuous gradation. If we want to design an aggregate mix with a maximum density (or otherwise, with a minimum void con­tent), we should create it from an aggregate with a roughly equal share of grains from consecutive fractions. In other words, such a mix should contain a propor­tionally even quantity of all fractions...

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Federal Requirements Concerning Hazardous and Nonhazardous Waste

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Projects that include purchase of new right-of-way, excavation, or demolition or modifica­tion of existing structures should be evaluated to determine whether there is any known or potential hazardous waste within the proposed project limits. Where hazardous substances are involved, adequate protection must be provided to employees, workers, and the com­munity prior to, during, and after construction. Typical materials that may constitute haz­ardous waste include pesticides, organic compounds, heavy metals, industrial waste, or other compounds injurious to human health and the environment.

Assessment of the potential presence of hazardous materials is conducted in two stages referred to as phases I and II...

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Framing Lumber

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Lumber is sized in “nominal," as opposed to number. For example, a piece of lumber that actually

Actual dimensions 1 3W" 1

Nominal 2 x 4 dimensions

Actual %"

1 3W" 1

Nominal 1 x 4
Framing Lumber Framing Lumber

“actual," dimensions. A nominal dimension rounds measures 1%”x 3%" is rounded off to the nominal off the actual dimension to the next highest whole 2” x 4”.

GWB = Gypsum wallboard (also called drywall or sheetrock). The most common thicknesses are V21 and 5/8".

Подпись: 3xo№eПодпись:

Подпись: Framing Sheathin Подпись: Although not as common in house framing, gypsum wallboard can be used on exterior walls, such as for apartments and condos, and commercial buildings for fire protection.
Подпись: У" — GWB 5/8" — GWB
Framing Lumber
Подпись: T&G Wood Structural Panels (tongue and groove)

Framing LumberThe engineered panel products on this wall provide the strength needed for the high ceiling of this elementary school

Dens Glass® gypsum sheathing is a brand that has fiberglass mat, which provides mold and moisture resistance and is gold in color.

Engineered wood products can be divide...

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Pavements and Their Construction

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Modern pavements normally comprise one or more bound layers overlying one or more unbound aggregate layers which, in turn, rest on the subgrade. In almost all cases the uppermost layers are bound by bitumen or cement. In the case of an embankment the subgrade is comprised of imported fill. In the case of a cutting it will often be the natural rock or soil at that location. Figure 1.5 provides two typical pavement profiles. Considering these from the bottom upwards, the following layers are, typically encountered:

• The pavement foundation consists of the natural ground (subgrade), and often a capping layer, the role of which is to improve the levelling, homogeneity and bearing capacity of the subgrade, and often also to ensure frost protection.

• The sub-base layer is normally comprised ...

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Federal Requirement Protecting Water Resources and Sensitive Ecological Resources

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Clean Water Act (33 USC §1251 et seq. CWA). The CWA was enacted in 1977 as amend­ments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972. Its stated goal is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” The CWA gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. The CWA also contained requirements to set water quality standards

for all contaminants in surface waters, and provided funding for the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants program. It also recognized the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by nonpoint source pollution.

One of the mechanisms to achieve the objectives of the CWA is the prohibition of dis­ch...

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Concept of Reliability Engineering

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

The basic idea of reliability engineering is to determine the failure probability of an engineering system, from which the safety of the system can be assessed or a rational decision can be made on the design, operation, or forecasting of the system, as depicted in Fig. 1.3. For example, Fig. 1.4 schematically illus­trates using reliability analysis for risk-based least-cost design of engineering infrastructures.

An infrastructure is a functioning system formed from a combination of a number of components. From the perspective of reliability analysis, infras­tructure systems can be classified in several ways. First, they can be grouped according to the sequential layout of the components (Fig. 1.5). A series sys­tem is a system of components connected in sequence along a single path, i...

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