CEA-Vocab Unit 3.2
Key Terms
Key Term
Allowable Strength
ASD
Axial Force
Beam
Beam Analysis
Caisson
Column
Continuous Beam
Dead Load
Deep Foundation
Deflection
Deformation
Design Load
Equilibrium
Fixed Support
Footing
Force
Foundation
Free-body Diagram
Definition
Nominal strength divided by the safety factor.
Allowable Strength Design. A method of designing structural
elements such that the allowable strength is greater than or
equal to the strength necessary to support the required load
combinations.
A force that acts along the longitudinal axis of a structural
member. Axial tension causes elongation of the member. Axial
compression causes shortening of the member.
A structural member, usually horizontal, that carries a load that
is applied transverse to its length.
The use of physical laws and mathematics to compute internal
forces, stresses, and deformations.
A long cylindrical reinforced concrete foundation element
formed by drilling into firm soil and pouring concrete into the
hole.
An upright structural member acting primarily in compression.
A single beam that is supported by more than two supports
such that it has at least two distinct spans.
The weight of the building or building components.
A foundation that transfers building loads into the earth well
below the building structure.
The distance a beam or structure deforms under
loading, typically due to bending in a beam.
A change in the shape of a structure or structural member
caused by a load or force acting on the structure.
The applied load determined by the required load combinations.
The state of a body such that the sum of all the external forces
acting on the body equals zero and the sum of all external
moments acting on the body equals zero.
A support condition in which translation of a structural member
is restricted in two perpendicular directions and rotation is
restricted. A fixed support provides two perpendicular reaction
forces and a reaction moment when the member is loaded.
The lowest, widest part of the foundation that distributes the
load over a broad area of the soil.
An agent that causes stress in an object.
The lower part of a building, which transfers structural loads
from the building to the soil.
A diagram used to isolate a body from its environment, showing
all external constraints and forces acting upon it and all
geometric measurements necessary to model the body.
Girder
A horizontal beam that supports other beams; a very large
beam, especially one that is built up from other sections.
Grade Beam
A reinforced concrete beam that transmits the load from a
bearing wall into a spaced foundation such as pile caps or
caissons.
Internal Force
A force that is internal to structural elements and is needed to
determine the material stress and strain.
Kip
A unit of weight equal to 1000 pounds.
Lateral Load
A force acting generally in a horizontal direction, such as wind,
earthquake, and soil pressure against a structure.
Live Load
The weight of movable objects such as people, furnishings,
machines, vehicles, and goods in or on a building.
Load
Forces or other actions that result from the weight of building
materials, occupants and their possessions, and environmental
effects.
Load Path
A continuous system of structural elements that transfer an
applied load to the supporting soil.
Mat (Raft) Foundation A single concrete footing that is essentially equal in area to the
area of ground covered by the supported structure.
Moment
The tendency of a force to rotate an object about point P. It is
about a point P
equal to the product of the magnitude of the force acting on the
object and the perpendicular distance from the point P to the
force.
Moment Arm
The perpendicular distance from a reference point to the line of
action of the force.
Moment Diagram
A plot of the internal moment in a beam versus position along
the axis of the beam.
Nominal Strength
The load carrying capacity of a structural member.
Occupancy Category A category used to determine structural requirements based on
occupancy of the building.
Pile
A long slender piece of material driven or drilled into the ground
to act as an element of a foundation.
Pin Support
A support condition in which translation of a structural member
is restricted in two directions but rotation is not restricted. A pin
support provides two perpendicular reaction forces when the
member is loaded.
Roller (Rocker)
A support condition in which translation of a structural member
Support
is restricted in only one direction and rotation is not restricted. A
roller support provides one reaction force when the member is
loaded.
Safety Factor
A factor intended to compensate for uncertainties in design and
analysis by reducing the theoretical strength of a member for
use in design.
Seismic Load
A load on a structure caused by movement of the Earth relative
to the structure during an earthquake.
Serviceability
The ability of a structure to maintain its appearance, durability,
comfort for occupants, proper function of equipment, and ease
of maintenance.
Shallow Foundation A foundation that transfers building loads into the Earth at the
base of a column or bearing wall.
Shear Diagram
A plot of the shear force in a beam versus the position along the
axis of the beam.
Shear Force
The internal force, usually in a beam, which acts in the plane of
the cross-section of the beam.
Simple Beam
A beam that is supported on one end by a pin support and
supported on the other end by a roller support.
Span
The distance between supports for a beam, girder, truss, or
other horizontal structural member; to carry a load between
supports.
Spread Footing
A wide shallow footing usually constructed of reinforced
concrete.
Stability
A condition of a frame or structure in which a slight disturbance
in the loads or geometry of the structure does not produce large
displacements or failure.
Statically
A beam which is supported such that the number of unknown
Determinate Beam
reaction forces is equal to the number of equilibrium equations.
Statically
A beam which is supported such that the number of unknown
Indeterminate Beam reaction forces is greater than the number of equilibrium
equations.
Strain
Deformation under stress.
Stress
Force per unit area.
Structural Engineer An engineer that is licensed to design the structural systems for
a building.
Tributary Area
The area of floor or roof representing the surface area from
which an applied uniform load is assumed to transfer to a
supporting structural member.
Tributary Width
The width of floor or roof along the length of a beam, measured
perpendicular to the beam, representing the portion of surface
from which an applied uniform load is assumed to transfer to
that beam.
Truss
An assembly of structural members joined to form a rigid
framework, usually connected to form triangles..
Weight
The force exerted upon a body due to gravitational attraction to
a planet.
Wind Load
Pressure from the wind that can cause lateral loads as well as
uplift on the roof or downward pressure.
Yield Stress
The stress at which a material begins to deform plastically.