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Terminologies in Civil Engineering Page 5
Orientation
The positioning of a house on a lot concerning the sun, wind, view, and noise.
Paper Building
Building paper is a general term referring to sheets of materials used in construction that are made out of either paper, felt, or similar material. Often used as moisture or air barrier. Sometimes called Sheathing paper.
Parapet Wall
A low wall around the perimeter of a roof deck
Parking Apron
A paved or unpaved airfield surface used for fixed-wing aircraft parking. The area includes parking lanes, taxi lanes, exits, and entrances. Aircraft move under their power to the parking spaces, where they may be parked and secured with tie-downs. Parking designed to distribute aircraft for increased survivability (dispersed hardstands) is included in this category code. For inventory purposes, only the prepared surface is included.
Parking Apron
A paved or unpaved airfield surface used for fixed-wing aircraft parking. The area includes parking lanes, taxi lanes, exits, and entrances. Aircraft move under their power to the parking spaces, where they may be parked and secured with tie-downs. Parking designed to distribute aircraft for increased survivability (dispersed hardstands) is included in this category code. For inventory purposes, only the prepared surface is included.
Parting Stop or Strip
A small wood piece used in the side and head jambs of double-hung windows to separate upper and lower sash.
Party Wall
A shared wall between two pieces of property, most often in row-houses, semidetached houses, or townhouses. The shared wall generally stands on the property line.
Pascal
SI unit of measure for force per unit area (N/m2 ).
Passive Solar Heating
The maximization of the sun’s heating abilities through the careful design of a building.
Pea Gravel
A portion of concrete aggregate passing the 3/8” sieve and retained on a No. 4 sieve.
Pedestal Pier
One or more piers are built in a block-like form that may be connected by an integrally built web between them; when composed of a single, wide block-like form, it is called a wall or solid pier.
Pedestal
Concrete or built-up metal member constructed on top of a bridge seat to provide a specific bearing seat elevation.
Perimeter Drain
The drainage system is installed below the ground around the exterior base of a foundation footing.
Pier Cap
The topmost portion of a pier which distributes uniformly over the pier the concentrated loads from the bridge.
Plastic Consistency
Condition in which concrete, mortar, or cement paste will sustain deformation continuously in any direction without rupture.
Plastic Deformation
Deformation of material beyond the elastic range.
Plasticity
Property of freshly mixed concrete, cement paste or mortar which determines its ease of molding or resistance to deformation.
Plate Girder
A large I-shaped beam is composed of a solid web plate with flange plates attached to the web plate by flange angles or fillet welds.
Plinth Area
The built-up covered area is measured at the floor level of the basement or of any story.
Ponding
A condition where water stands on a roof for prolonged periods due to poor drainage and /or deflection of the deck.
Pontoon Bridge
A bridge that floats on pontoons moored to the riverbed; a portion may be removable to facilitate navigation.
Pony Truss
A through truss having an insufficient height to use a top chord system of lateral bracing.
Porch
A covered structure supported on pillars or otherwise for pedestrian or vehicular approach to a building.
Post & Beam Construction
A most common type of wall framing, using posts which carry horizontal beams on which joists are supported. It allows for fewer bearing partitions and less material.
Post Tensioning A method of externally pre-stressing concrete in which the tendons are stressed after the concrete has been cast.
Pot Holes
Irregular shaped, disintegrated areas of the bridge deck or approach pavement concaved by the failure of the surface material.
Precast Concrete
Building components that are formed and cured at a factory and then transported to a work site for erection.
Prefabricated Buildings
Buildings that are built in sections or parts in a factory, and then assembled at the site.
Prestressed Concrete
Concrete in which the reinforcing cables, wires, or rod in the concrete are tensioned before there is a load on the member, holding the concrete in compression for greater strength.
Protected Membrane Roof (PMR)
Roof assembly with insulation on top of membrane instead of vice versa, as in conventional roof assembly (also known as inverted or upside-down roof assembly).
P-Trap
A piece of a pipe shaped like a letter P, used in drains. Its shape prevents fumes or sewage gases from going against the flow of draining water and entering the interior of a home.
Punching Shear
Shear stress in a slab due to the application of a concentrated load.
Purlins
A horizontal structural member spanning between beams or trusses of support a roof deck. In slope glazing, purlins are the horizontal framing members.
Quoin
1. Projecting right angle masonry corner.
2. Cornerstones lending either strength or emphasis, distinguished from the rest of the surface by greater size, different color, rustication, or the imitation of same in brick or paint; b: A large square ashlar or stone at the angle of a wall to limit the rubble and make the corner true and strong; an exterior masonry corner.
3. The keystone of an arch.
4. A wedge to support or steady a stone.
Rafter
A sloping roof member that supports the roof covering which extends from the ridge or the hip of the roof to the eaves. A common rafter is one that runs square with the plate and extends to the ridge. A hip rafter extends from the outside angle of the plate towards the apex of the roof. They are 2” deeper or wider than common rafters. A valley rafter extends from an inside angle of the plates toward the ridge of the house.
Rain Caps:
Waterproof cap, also called weather heads, mastheads, or entrance caps, which is placed at the upper part of an electrical mast at the point where the wires are run to the inside electrical meter. Wires hang from the pole to the entrance cap so that the entrance cap is not the low point in the downhill run from the pole because water will run to the low point before dripping to the ground. Wires enter the entrance cap at an upward angle through a tight insulator. Water is further stopped from getting through the entrance cap because of this entrance angle.
Random Rubble
Stonework having irregularly shaped units and no indication of systematic course work.
Rebar
The common term used to denote the steel reinforcement bar used to reinforce formed concrete slabs, beams or columns.
Redundancy
A structural condition where there are more elements of support than is necessary for stability.
Refractory Concrete
Concrete having refractory properties, suitable for use at high temperatures. Calcium-aluminate cement and refractory aggregates are normally used for the manufacture of this project.
Roof Overhang
A roof extension beyond the end wall/sidewall of a building.
Roof Truss
Any frame or structure with diagonal members that can withstand compression forces. Examples include any girder, roof, or floor truss system.
Rose Window
A circular window with tracery arranged like the spokes of a wheel; found in Gothic Revival church architecture.
Run
1) With stairs: The horizontal distance of one stair in a staircase. It is how far “in” the stair goes which gives the amount of room for someone’s foot as he or she climbs the stairs. Per most Building Codes, the run should be between 8 ¼ inches and 14 inches. An intermediate run is 11 inches.
2) With a roof, the run is the horizontal distance of a section of the roof, compared to the rise, which is the vertical distance of that same section. When measuring the pitch of a roof the run is one foot.
Runway, Surfaced
A flexible or rigid paved airfield surface is used for normal takeoffs and landings of fixed or rotary-wing aircraft. It can also accommodate rotary-wing aircraft. For inventory purposes, only the prepared runway surface is included.
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