What is a Shear Wall Building? Reinforced concrete (RC) buildings often have vertical plate-like RC walls called Shear Walls (Figure 1) in addition to slabs, beams and columns. These walls generally start at foundation level and are continuous throughout the building height. Their thickness can be as low as 150mm, or as high as 400mm … Read more
Objective Determination of modulus of rupture and breaking strength of a whole tile by means of three point loading, the central point being in contact with the glazed surface of the tile. Apparatus Drying oven having capacity of 110±50C Recording gauge – Accurate to 2% Two support cylindrical rods – These rods are made up … Read more
A potable water is one that is safe to drink, pleasant to taste and usable for domestic purposes. Contaminated water is one that contains the bacteria which causes diseases. Polluted water is one that contains substances which are undesirable or unfit for drinking or domestic use. Drinking water must be free from: Disease producing organisms … Read more
Plastics are nothing but synthetic organic high polymers. It is important to know the general outstanding properties of plastics to make best use of this an engineering material. It should also be noted that each plastic material has its own peculiar properties to suit the various uses. Hence the success of plastic as an engineering … Read more
The primary function of wall is to enclosure or divide the space. Basically wall is an essential component of the building. These walls may be built of different materials such as solid brick or stone masonry, plain monolithic concrete, reinforced masonry, hollow concrete blocks etc. Building walls can primarily be of two types, such as … Read more
Bonding in Brickwork Bonds in brick work means method of arranging the bricks in courses so that individual brick units are tied together and the vertical joints of the successive courses do not lie in same vertical line. Purposes of Brick Bonding Obtain maximum strength whilst distributing the loads to be carried throughout the wall, … Read more
Aggregates influence the properties of concrete/mortar such as water requirement, cohesiveness and workability of the concrete in plastic stage, while they influence strength, density, durability, permeability, surface finish and colour in hardened stage. Field Tests for Aggregate 1. Surface Moisture Content & Absorption The surface moisture in the aggregate, influences the water cement ratio, strength … Read more
Surface Index of Aggregates Surface index of aggregates is another way to represent the specific surface of aggregate. This method was suggested by Murdock. Murdock provided some empirical numbers to represent the specific surface of different aggregates grading (as shown in the table below). Surface Index Values for Single Graded Aggregate TABLE-1 Sieve Size Within … Read more
A contour line is an imaginary line which connects points of equal elevation. Such lines are drawn on the plan of an area after establishing reduced levels of several points in the area. The contour lines in an area are drawn keeping difference in elevation of between two consecutive lines constant. Characteristics of Contours The … Read more
A stair is a series of steps arranged in such a manner as to connect different floors of a building. Stairs are designed to provide an easy and quick access to the different floors. A staircase is an enclosure which contains the complete stairway. Terminologies Used During Staircase Design A few technical terms generally used … Read more