Construction 101 Exam 1 with correct answers 2024

Building Code Occupancy - answer-Different levels of life-safety hazard in buildings. Ex. a hospital where patients need special assistance in case of a fire, must be designed to a higher standard for safety than a hotel with able-bodied residents. The more people there are in a building, the more safety there needs to be. Construction Types - answer-Buildings are made within these construction types for safety and fire resistance. Type 1 is the highest resistancy level, and made for large buildings with many people occupying them. Type 5 is usually made for residences because less people are in them. Combination of construction types and occupancies for building codes - answer-the maximum permitted size for a building of any particular use and type of construction can be determined based on occupancy and construction types fire resistance ratings - answer-measured by how long it takes a specific material to burn . The longer it takes, the better the rating. Structural frames must rate at least a 3, while nonbearing walls can be less. MasterFormat - answer-used as the outline for construction specifications for the vast majority of large construction projects; used to organize construction cost data, and cross-reference materials info on drawings design/bid/build - answer-the owner first hires a team of architects and engineers to design. next, construction firms are invited to bid on the project and proposes a cost design/build - answer-owner develops a conceptual design that describes the functional requirements but doesnt detail its form. next, a design/build organization is selected to complete the design and construction. May be based on bid process Lump Sum / Fixed Fee - answer-the general contractor is paid a fixed amount to complete the project, regardless of actual costs. Contractor assumes all risk cost plus a fee - answer-the owner agrees to pay the construction entity for the actual cost of construction, plus an additional amount to account for overhead and profit. owner assumes all risk Surety Bond - answer-form of legal instrument used to manage financial risks of construction, usually with very large projects. Protects an owner from the risks of bankruptcy. performance bond= assure completion of project payment bond=assure full payment to suppliers and subcontractors Fast-track construction/ phased construction - answer-aims to reduce the time required for a project by overlapping the design and construction of various project parts. Associated with design/build and construction management project delivery methods. reduced time=reduced money critical path and importance - answer-the sequence of activities that determines the least amount of time in which a project can be completed. If not put into use, there is more flexibility in their scheduling (float) and delays. *used to minimize the cost and duration of a project sequential construction - answer-each major phase in the design and construction of a building is completed before the next phase begins, and construction doesn't begin until all design work is done; associated with design/bid/build construction Foundation failure - answer-most of this is due to excess differential settlement. causes are earthquakes, weather loads, soil, etc sand - answer-.187 to .003 inches in diameter; coarse-grained soil, high strength when compact, but when not, can easily slide making it unsafe; wet sand looses all strength; frictional soil silt - answer-smaller than .0029 inches in diameter; slippery when wet; water retention; clay - answer-smaller than .0029 inches in diameter; when wet=putty like, but hard when dry; extremely small and flatter than other particles, making their surface area greater than silts; fabric= they arrange themselves into sheetlike or geometrical forms; sustain a higher moisture content; expansive= prone to expand or contract with changes in moisture; particles stick together-cohesive soil well graded soil - answer-a broad, well-distributed range of particle sizes; contain less empty space between particles; compact more effectively than poorly graded ones, but drain water less efficiently poorly graded soil - answer-consists of particles more limited in range of sizes; more empty spaces between particles, drain more water, dont compact as well as well graded soil test soil boring - answer-performed with portable drilling rigs, where soil conditions are evaluated at regular intervals and especially as differing soil strata are encountered. gives info on soil type, depth, and thickness excavation sheeting and purpose - answer-necessary for basement construction; consists of vertical sheets of various materials that are aligned tightly against one another and driven into the earth to form a solid wall. steel, wood, and aluminum are used as sheeting. conditions to use water-tight barrier instead of well points - answer-well points= depress the water table; vertically inserted into the ground with screened openings at the bottom that keep out soil particles while allowing water to enter water-tight barrier= made from a slurry wall or soil-mixed wall USE WATER TIGHT BARRIER when lowering the water table can affect neighboring buildings frost line affects on the placement of shallow footings, with an exception - answer-footings must be placed below the frost line, unless in climates with little to no ground freezing. mat foundation use - answer-In situations where the bearing capacity of the soil is low in relation to building loads, column footings may become so closely spaced that it is more effective to merge them into a single mat to support the entire building shallow vs deep foundations - answer-shallow=transfer building loads to the earth close to the base of the substructure deep=either piles or caissons, extend downward through layers of weak or unstable strata to reach more competent soil or rock caissons - answer-spreads the load from a column over a large enough area of soil that the allowable pressure in the soil is not exceeded, constructed by drilling a hole Piles - answer-more slender than caissons forcibly driven into the earth, used where non-cohesive soils, subsurface water, or excessive depth of bearing strata make caissions impractical type of pile well suited to repair improvement of existing foundations - answer-minipiles- made from steel bar or pipe, pressed into holes drilled in the soil and then put in place list and explain some cost thresholds frequently encountered in foundation design - answer-water, heat flow, and radon gas damp proofing - answer-a moisture-resistant cement plaster or asphalt compound applied to basement walls where groundwater conditions are mild or waterproofing requirements are not critical. waterproofing - answer-resists the passage of water even under the more demanding conditions of hydrostatic pressure. It is more costly than dampproofing, but needed where groundwater conditions are severe liquid-applied membrane waterproofing - answer-materials are applied by spray or roller as liquid and then allowed to cure in place. easy to form around intricate shapes blind-side waterproofing waterproofing - answer-installed prior to pouring concrete walls; used when wall is built close to property edge; draining matting is first applied directly to the excavation sheeting, then the concrete walls are poured against the membrane typical foundation drainage - answer-a drain is placed on the outside of the footings, going downwards to keep water far from building filling and why it is placed in lifts - answer-any placing of earth material, ex. to raise an existing grade. It is placed in lifts to achieve optimal compaction and minimize future settlement springwood cells in a tree - answer-larger and less dense in substance; springwood and summerwood make up the annual growth rings in a trunk summer cells in a tree - answer-smaller and more dense in substance three softwood species - answer-come from coniferous trees. cone bearing, with needle-like leaves. less dense than hardwoods ex. hoop pine, fir, and douglas fir three hardwood species - answer-from broadleafed trees. drop leaves seasonally. more dense than softwoods. ex. maple, oak, and walnut plainsawn lumber and when its used - answer-significant portions of the growth rings are oriented roughly flat relative to the boards; most structural lumber is sawed this was because it requires the least repositioning quartersawn and when its used - answer-the growth rings are consistently aligned at an angle of approximately 45 degrees or steeper relative to the boards broader face. requires more handling, producing smaller pieces and generates more waste how moisture content affects dimension of lumber from the time the tree is cut and had been in a building for a year - answer-the moisture expands the wood, and drying it out shrinks it. a sample 8 foot long 2x4 weighs 10 pounds, then dried to 8 pounds. what was the moisture content before drying and would it have been adequately seasoned for use as a structural frame - answer-MC= 25%; no because it must be between 19 and 15 percent to be used as structure three growth characteristics - answer-knots, insect damage, and decay three manufacturing characteristics - answer-crooking, bowing, twisting, and cupping all occur from nonuniform shrinkage give an example of a structural grade wood species group. why are species groups used in structural grading? - answer-used to rate the strength and stiffness properties of a piece of lumber, either done visually or by machine. rated by species group (wood pieces sufficiently similar in properties) to reduce harvesting, production, and distribution costs give actual cross-sectional dimensions of the following lumber: 1x4, 2x4, 6x2, 2x8, 4x4, 4x12 - answer-1x4= 3/4, 3 1/2 2x4= 1 1/2, 3 1/2 2x6= 1 1/2, 5 1/2 2x8= 1 1/2, 7 1/4 4x4= 3 1/2, 3 1/2 4x12= 3 1/2, 11 1/4 slicing used for plywood panels - answer-rotary-cut veneer is the most common common method for hardwood veneers destined for fine architectural woodwork - answer-filtch= used for fine paneling, cabinetry, or other veneered applications structural vs solid lumber - answer-structural products can exceed the structural efficiency and quality of sawn lumber three common structural panel products - answer-plywood panels (thin layers of woof glued together), composite panels, and nonveneered panels most commonly available panel size - answer-4x8 with a thickness of 1/4 to 1/8 most appropriate plywood veneer grade for; outer face of a wall or roof ;under layment to receive a thin floor covering; plywood to receive paint - answer-Appropriate plywwod veneer Grade A) outer face of wall grade C or DB)subflooring grade grade B C)Underlayment to recieve thin resilent vinyl floor covering grade C D) Plywood with paint finish grade A structural panel span rating of 32/16 and types of wood products that are rated this way - answer-may be plywood, composite, or OSB. can be used as roof seathing over rafters or as subflooring example of an agrifiber panel and why its better than wood products - answer-made from agricultural waste products usually disposed of as solid waste or by open-air burning. rank well in LEED system as a bio-based alternative to wood why specify preservative free-treated wood - answer-Preservative-Treated wood is used where decay/insect resistance is required. Marine docks, fences, and docks. To replace lumber treated with salts that do not contain arsenic is used. wood that is naturally decay or insect resistant heartwood - answer-redwood, cedar, black walnut, etc why are nails the most common fastener type used in wood construction - answer-they are inexpensive, require no predrilling, and can be installed extremely rapidly common nail or a joist hanger nail longer, both made from the same diameter wire - answer-common nail when are screws preferable to nails for fastening wood - answer-they can be inserted with greater precision, exert greater clamping force between joined pieces, have greater holding power, and can be backed out and reinserted if it has to be adjusted two possible advantages of a bio-based adhesive over a synthetic polymer adhesive - answer-exposure limits are higherand air quality is better. low manufacturing costs heavy timber gets better treatment from building codes and insurance companies because... - answer-because they are so large and are much slower to catch fire and burn What are the two basic requirements for Type IV Heavy Timber construction in the International Building Code? - answer-its wooden structural members must meet minimum size requirements and its exterior walls must be constructed of noncombustible materials. The minimum permitted sizes and exterior walls may be constructed of concrete, masonry, or a steel frame with metal or other noncombustible cladding. Assume that heavy timber beams will shrink approximately 2 percent in the cross-grain dimension as they continue to dry after installation in a building. If there are four framed floor levels, supported by 24-inch-deep (600 mm) beams at each level, what would be the accumulated shrinkage at the roof if columns at each floor rested on these beams, rather than being supported as recommended in this chapter? - answer-this chapter recommends the beams laying on top of one another, not the floor. 1/2 shrinkage What are the important factors in detailing the junction of a wood beam with a masonry loadbearing wall? - answer-the beam cant go straight into the wall it has to be on an angle because it there was a fire, the entire wall would go down with the straight-edged beam, rather than just the beam if it was at an angle Draw from memory one or two typical details for the intersection of a wood column with a floor of a building of Heavy Timber construction. - answer-the columns have to be directly on top of another to minimize shrinkage What are three options for routing electrical services along CLT wall panels? - answer-either run through exposed metal conduits below the deck, or channeled within the deck through the insulation above the deck What is the difference between a prescriptive code and a performance-based code? What is the potential advantage of a performance-based code? - answer-Conventional building code requirements for Heavy Timber construction are prescriptive.; .performance-based methods for demonstrating structural fire safety rely on the modeled behavior of a particular structure, without presumed limits on the size of the building or the members from which it is made. advantage of performance-based code is that exceeding limits are becoming more prevalent balloon framing - answer-the earliest wood framing system to be constructed exclusively of slender, closely spaced wooden members. can be made by one or two carpenters; had many air openings from studs being too long and made it easy for fire to travel upwards platform framing - answer-a floor platform is built at each level, loadbearing walls are erected upon it and then and attic and roof are placed. used universally today why is less fireblocking required in platform framing than balloon? - answer-because there are more openings in a balloon frame where fire can enter and travel Why is a steel beam or glue-laminated wood beam preferred to a solid wood beam for supporting floor joists at the foundation level? - answer-the steel and glue-laminated are better because they benefit the earth (help preserve real wood and trees) and also are more sturdy and can take on more weight than solid wood. How is a platform frame building braced against wind and earthquake forces? - answer-wall sheathing spanning across the building Light framing of wood is highly combustible. In what different ways does a typical building code take this fact into account? - answer-they set building codes