Archive for category Building Construction
Stress, Strain, Modulus of elasticity and Elastic Materials
Posted by BenzuJK in Building Construction on March 15, 2012
Design of RCC Structures | Basic definitions and formulas
In this article, we will go through the basic definitions of Stress, strain, elastic materials and modulus of elasticity. This will be our first step towards understanding the design of “Singly reinforced sections”.
What is stress and how does it develop?
When an object is subjected to an external force, the object tends to build up internal resistance within itself (material). This resistance is termed as “stress”.
In short, stress can be defined as load per unit area.
Stress can be classified into four types:
- Compressive stress
- Tensile stress
- Bending stress
- Shear stress
Stress = Load/Area = W/A = N/mm2
Where, N = Newton
What is Strain?
To make it easier for you to understand, let’s merge the definition of stress with strain.
When an object is subjected to an external load, the internal resistance which is built up with the object itself is not enough to withstand the external load results into deformation of the object. This alteration or deformation of the object is called strain.
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Sinking Foundation and Repair | Identifying Foundation problems
Posted by BenzuJK in Building Construction, Civil Projects on March 6, 2012
Sinking Foundation | Building Construction
Foundation is the most primary component of the building on which it stands. The life of the building depends on the quality of foundation. For a good and stable foundation, the structural design of the foundation has to be done properly in a systematic way under the guidance of a structural engineer.
If the casting of foundation is not paid attention to and is not laid properly on a stable soil, the structural problems are bound to develop. Every soil has a specific bearing capacity which is very necessary to be checked before designing the foundation. Without the consideration of bearing capacity of soil, the structural design for the foundation may not be suitable for that land.
Cause of Sinking Foundation
Sinking foundation is a problem that occurs in case of improperly laid foundations which is the result of careless consideration of the soil type. The problems are very crucial and have to be solved as soon as they are detected in order to prevent the structure from further damage.
Detecting Foundation problems
People living in areas with unstable soil conditions need to watch out for the signs of foundation problems. Some of the signs could be as follows:
First sign:
The house is gradually slanting to one side. (This is a very prominent example of sinking foundation problem. As soon as you notice this happening, you can immediately conclude it to be related to foundation and take action immediately before the condition of the structure gets worse.)
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Drainage and Dewatering | Building Construction
Posted by BenzuJK in Building Construction on February 7, 2012
Introduction to Drainage and Dewatering
In this article, we will discuss and classify drainage and dewatering in brief.
What is drainage?
As the name itself suggests, drainage is the process in which the free water is removed with the help of gravity in order to maintain stable soil conditions.
Drainage can be classified into two categories:
- Surface drainage
- Sub-surface drainage
What is Surface drainage?
The water that runs on the surface of the ground is collected and or diverted into a water body.
Sub-surface drainage
It is the collection and disposal of ground water. It is also called as dewatering.
What is dewatering?
The process in which the water is removed from a foundation pit;
- when it is situated below the ground water table or
- when it is surrounded by a coffer dam.
Conduits | Building Construction
Posted by BenzuJK in Building Construction on February 3, 2012
Construction of Conduits | Civil Engineering
In the previous article, we discussed “Types of Underground Conduits”. Now we will proceed with our discussion on “Construction of Conduits”.
Underground conduits can also be termed as buried conduits. They are constructed in variety of shapes with different materials used for construction.
Load on the conduit
The characters of the conduit determine the load withstanding capacity of the conduit. They are as follows:
- Material of the conduit
- Shape
- Type of the support
For example:
If we take the example of a concrete conduit (rigid material), the load that the concrete conduit can withstand would depend on the following:
- Strength of the concrete pipe
- Quality of the foundation bedding
How to determine the strength of the conduit?
A three edge bearing test has to be conducted in order to determine the strength of the conduit.
Three edge bearing test
This test simulates a very severe loading condition which would rarely occur in the actual conduits. This helps us determine the maximum load the conduit can take. It has been seen that the conduits can take greater load than that obtained in the test.
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Types of Underground Conduits | Civil Engineering
Posted by BenzuJK in Building Construction on February 2, 2012
Underground Conduits
What are conduits?
Conduits have different meanings in different subjects.
For example:
Geographically, conduits could refer to a channel carrying water, underground tunnel or waterway (river or canal).
In terms of electrical systems, it may refer to an electrical conduit, HVAC (duct) etc.
Electrical Conduits
We are referring to the conduits which is laid underground and used for variety of purposes.
For example:
- Sewers
- Drains
- Culverts
- Water mains
- Gas lines
- Electrical cables
- Telephone lines
Construction of Earth Tunnels | Building Construction
Posted by BenzuJK in Building Construction on February 1, 2012
How to construct Earth Tunnels?
In this article, we will discuss the procedure of the construction of the Earth Tunnels in a stepwise manner. It will be useful to you all in understanding and remembering the procedure.
We would be studying the construction method of tunnel in two types of soils:
- Firm soil
- Soft soil
Step1:
Excavation of the ground from below. It is similar to the process used in mining.
Step2:
Check the type and bearing capacity of soil. The method of construction would depend upon the ability of soil to support itself temporarily during construction.
It also depends on the ability of the soil to withstand the magnitude of pressure imposed on it during construction.
Construction of Earth Tunnel
Step3:
It is important to understand the factors that affect these parameters. They are as follows:
- Depth of the tunnel
- Diameter of the tunnel
- Properties of the soil
- Ground water table
Support to the Tunnel
Most of the time, the tunnel requires temporary support during construction and a permanent support after construction.
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