Building Construction Questions

• Door frame detailing — term for the cut to receive the shutter In door joinery, what is the term for the stepped or recessed cut formed in the frame to receive and locate the closing shutter leaf?
• Foundation Engineering – Understanding negative skin friction on piles In geotechnical engineering, what is meant by “negative skin friction” on a pile, and under which site condition(s) does it commonly develop?
• Groundwater Control – Staged well point dewatering for deep excavations For an excavation 20 m deep, how many single-stage well point systems placed at successive levels are typically required (assume each single stage can practically lower water by about 6 m)?
• Building Construction – Name of the concrete protection atop an external wall What is the term for the protective layer or cover of concrete placed on the exposed top of an external wall to throw off rainwater and prevent ingress?
• Under-Reamed Piles – Minimum centre-to-centre spacing of bulbs For multi under-reamed piles having bulb diameter du, what is the minimum recommended centre-to-centre vertical spacing between successive bulbs?
• Architectural Elements – Ornamental moulded course at the top of a wall What is the correct term for an ornamental, moulded course provided along the top of a wall or at the eaves line for aesthetic emphasis and water throw?
• Stone Masonry – Identifying the type with equal course heights What is the name of the rubble masonry in which stones are roughly dressed to the same height and laid in distinct horizontal layers (courses)?
• Timber Roofs – Appropriate span range for a couple roof A traditional couple roof (without a collar tie) is generally suitable for which span range?
• Timber Partitions – Meaning of nogging in framed wooden partitions In a common framed wooden partition, what does the term “nogging” refer to?
• Foundations – Situations where pile foundations are preferred Pile foundations are generally provided when the soil at shallow depth is:
• Building Stones – Which stone has the highest crushing strength? Among the following commonly used stones, which one typically exhibits the maximum compressive (crushing) strength?
• Doors and Shutters – Name of the vertical side member of a shutter frame In building carpentry terminology, what is the correct name for the vertical side member of a door/window shutter frame that carries the hinges and receives the closing stile?
• Bricklaying Practice – Sliding each brick slightly and bedding by tapping with a hammer In brick masonry, the method in which each brick is slid a small horizontal distance into its final position and then pressed/bedded by light tapping with a brick hammer is called what?
• Roofs – What do you call a roof that slopes in four directions? Identify the correct term for a roof form in which all sides slope downwards from a ridge or apex, providing slopes in four directions.
• Flat Roofs – Minimum slope for effective drainage For a flat (nearly level) roof with adequate drainage outlets, what is the minimum recommended slope (fall) that should be provided to ensure positive drainage and avoid ponding?
• Pile Foundations – Engineering News formula (drop hammer) for safe bearing capacity For driven piles with a drop hammer, the Engineering News formula gives the allowable (safe) load in terms of hammer weight W, height of fall H, observed final penetration per blow S, and an empirical constant C (to account for elastic losses). Which expression is used for the safe bearing capacity (with consistent units)?
• Piles – Ways to determine bearing capacity in practice Which of the following approaches are used to determine the bearing capacity of piles for design and verification?
• Floor Finishes – Common sizes of clay/cement floor tiles used in buildings Which of the following standard floor tile sizes are commonly used in practice for interior floors (thickness as indicated)?
• Driven Cast-in-Situ Piles – Which keep a cast iron shoe after casing removal? Among the following cast-in-situ pile types that use a hollow cylindrical steel casing during driving, which retain a cast iron shoe at the toe even after the casing is withdrawn?
• Best pile type for very soft soils with little resistance to concrete flow In very soft soils that offer little lateral resistance to the flow of fresh concrete, which pile type is particularly suitable because it forms and compacts an enlarged base by ramming a concrete plug?