Blog Archives

Construction

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

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his book has been enriched immeasurably by the contributions of professional architects, contractors, and engineers throughout the country. The first edition was reviewed in its entirety by the following architects and builders: Edward Allen, South Natick, MA; Judith Capen, Washington, DC; Steve Kearns, Ketchum, ID; Scott McBride, Sperryville, VA; Jud Peake, Oakland,

CA; Dan Rockhill, LeCompton, KS; Joel Schwartz, Princeton, NJ; Stephen Suddarth, Miami Beach,

FL; Blaine Young, Santa Fe, NM.

In addition, portions of the second edition were reviewed by: Edward Allen, South Natick, MA; John Carmody, Minneapolis, MN; Walter Grondzik, Talla­hassee, FL; Christine Theodoropolous, Eugene, OR.

This third edition was reviewed in part by the following: Edward Allen, FAIA, South Natick, MA; C...

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FROM GERMANY TO…OR SMA ALL OVER THE WORLD

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Until the beginning of the 1980s, SMA was essentially known only in Germany. Its application in other European countries was limited in scope. Scandinavian states where studded tires used were the quickest to adopt the SMA concept; for example, in Sweden a few sections of roads had been paved with SMA by 1974 European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA, 1998). In Poland, which at that time was behind the Iron Curtain, concepts in West German publications were officially dis­allowed. Despite that, the Polish road administration permitted the first road sec­tion of an SMA-like mixture to be placed within its borders in 1969 (Jablotiski, 2000)...

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The Concept of Stone Matrix Asphalt

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

For more than two decades, stone matrix asphalt (SMA), called stone mastic asphalt in Europe, has been taking over the global asphalt paving market at a remarkably high speed. Its fast-growing popularity has been surprising to many people. Although asphalt concrete may have appeared to be the indisputable leading choice for an asphalt layer, increasing vehicle axle loads have forced the application of new and better solutions.

The SMA mix, or Splittmastixasphalt in German, has been known since the mid – 1960s. Dr. Zichner, a German engineer and manager of the Central Laboratory for Road Construction at the Strabag Bau AG, was its inventor. It was an attempt to solve the problem of the damage to wearing courses caused by studded tires...

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Some Words on Terminology

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Krzysztof Btazejowski, a graduate of the Civil Engineering Department of the Warsaw University of Technology, Poland, completed his PhD dissertation at the Kielce Technical University, Poland. Since 1992 he has been working as a research engineer for the Road and Bridge Research Institute in Warsaw, Poland, and then in research departments of various companies that manufacture such products as road binders, aggregates, and concrete. He is also the author of a series of publications on asphalt surfacing. In addition, Dr. Blazejowski remains active in standardization and train­ing. When he is not involved in writing or research, Dr. Blazejowski spends time as a mountain guide.

Due to differences in terminology, chiefly between the United States and European countries, some assumptions were...

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GENERAL TRADE MATHEMATICS

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

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his book is your ticket to smooth sailing when it comes to doing the math for plumbing and pipe fitting. Most of the work is already done for you when you consult the many tables and references contained in these pages. Why waste time with calculators and complicated mathematical equations when you can turn to the ready-reference tables here and have the answers at your fingertips? There is no reason to take the difficult path when you can put your field skills to better use and make more money.

A few words of advice are needed here. Our country uses multiple plumb­ing codes. Every code jurisdiction can adopt a particular code and amend it to their local needs. It is impossible to provide one code source to serve every plumber’s needs...

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THE ENERGY-SMART HOUSETHE

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

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f there is one topic that has dominated the homebuilding field in recent years, it’s energy efficiency. But for all the headlines and airtime dedicated to the topic of trimming home-energy use, many of the discussions they generate don’t go any further than the admission that, yes, we need to work harder to save energy where we live. What we really need to talk about is how.

At Fine Homebuilding magazine, we focus not only on what good, responsible builders should do to construct or remodel homes that don’t waste energy, but also on how they do it. This book explains how you can, too.

In The Energy-Smart House, you’ll be able to follow these builders step-by-step through critical energy enhancements that include air-sealing, insulation upgrades, and window replacement, as well as ...

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Introduction

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

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HAVE BEEN WRITING AND UPDATING one edition or another of this book for nearly three decades. I started the first edition in 1978, when Jimmy Carter was president and most computers were the size of closets. Since publication of the second edition in 1990, building materials and tools have changed so dramatically that I decided to rewrite the book com­pletely this time around, adding new chapters. All told, Renovation represents thousands of conversations with carpen­ters, electricians, engineers, plumbers, painters, masons, archi-

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tects, and other building professionals. And its nearly 700 new photos were winnowed from more than 9,000 shots taken on job sites across North America.

That last point—"on job sites”—is what distinguishes this book and is what should prove mo...

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Hydrosystems Engineering Reliability Assessment and Risk Analysis

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15


Failures of major engineering systems always raise public concern on the safety and reliability of engineering infrastructure. Decades ago quantitative evalua­tions of the reliability of complex infrastructure systems were not practical, if not impossible. Engineers had to resort to the use of a safety factor mainly de­termined through experience and judgment. The contribution of human factors to structural safety still remains elusive for analytical treatment. The main areas of concern and application in this book are hydrosystems and related environmental engineering.

Without exception, failures of hydrosystem infrastructure (e. g., dams, levees, and storm sewers) could potentially pose significant threats to public safety and inflict enormous damage on properties and the environment...

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Screwdrivers

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

Screwdrivers

I’ve tried my hand at many jobs.

I worked for several years as a farmer. I was a spiker once, laying railroad track.

I taught Spanish and carpentry at night for years, and I even worked as a coun­selor for the deaf and for wounded Vietnam veterans. But I always came back to carpentry. It must have been the smell and feel of wood.

Not all of carpentry is easy. Moving and cutting lumber all day long can be hard work. Yet I hardly remember a time when I wasn’t doing carpentry work. I was born in a farming-ranching region of western Nebraska, and carpentry – like sleeping and eating—was something everyone did.

I helped build my first house before I was out of high school...

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A Healthy. House

Posted by on 11/ 11/ 15

For this 3rd edition of Prescriptions for a Healthy House we would like to thank our readers, who over the years have used this book in search of a healthier way to build their homes. We thank the folks at New Society Publishers for keeping us in print and inviting us to update our information to make this work current in a rapidly growing field. We also want to take this opportunity to thank them for their ex­ceptional vision in publishing a whole roster of books for creating a better world. We wish to acknowledge our editor, Diane Killou, for her thoughtful, skilled, and thorough work.

Many thanks to Jesus Bendezu and Liz Jan from the Baker-Laporte office for their re­search assistance, to Stephen Wiman for his review and additions regarding water puri­fication, and to Toni and Paul Fu...

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