Definition of Terms Structural Engineering and Construction

Statics - branch of mechanics which studies the Orthotropic material - has material properties at a
effects and distribution of forces of rigid bodies particular point, which differ along three mutually-
which are and remain at rest orthogonal axes.

Friction - a contact resistance by one body when the Prismatic -all cross sections are the same throughout
second body moves or tends to move past the first its length.
body
Creep - When a material has to support a load for a
Strain energy - energy stored in a material due to its very long period of time, it may continue to deform
deformation. until a sudden fracture occurs or its usefulness is
impaired. This time dependent permanent deformation
Modulus of toughness - it indicates the maximum
is known as creep.
amount of strain-energy the material can absorb just
before it fractures (ability to absorb energy in plastic Fatigue - When a material is subjected to repeated
range). cycles of stress or strain, it causes its structure to
breakdown, ultimately leading to fracture. This
Modulus of Resilience - represents the largest amount behavior is called fatigue.
of internal strain energy per unit volume the material
Buckling - lateral deflection that occurs when long
can absorb without causing any permanent damage to
slender members are subjected to an axial
the material (ability to absorb energy in the elastic
compressive force.
range).
Yielding -A slight increase in stress above the elastic
Elasticity - refers to the property of a material which
limit will result in a breakdown of the material and
makes it return to its original dimension when the load
causes it to deform permanently. This behavior is
is removed.
called yielding and the deformation that occurs is
Ductility -refers to the ability of a material to deform called plastic deformation.
in the plastic range without breaking.
Strain Hardening: - When yielding has ended, an
Stiffness - ability to resist a deformation within the increase in load can be supported by the specimen,
linear range. Inverse of stiffness is flexibility. until it reaches a maximum stress referred to as the
ultimate stress.
Toughness - material’s resistance to fracture.
Necking-Just after the ultimate stress, the cross-
Hardness - material’s resistance to indentation.
sectional area will begin to decrease in a localized
Ductile Materials - Any material that can be region of the specimen, until the specimen breaks at
subjected to large strains before it fractures is called the fracture stress.
a ductile material.
Concrete - a mixture of water, cement, sand, gravel,
Brittle Materials - Materials that exhibit little or no crushed rock, or other aggregates
yielding before failure are referred to as brittle
Aggregates - used in cocrte may be fine aggregates
materials.
and coarse.
Homogeneous material - has the same physical and
Fine aggregates - those that pass through no. 4 sieve
mechanical properties throughout its volume or
material has the same composition at any point. Water - used in mixing concrete shall be clean free
dram injurious amounts of oils, acid, alkalis, salts,
Isotropic material - has same physical and mechanical
organic materials or other substance that may be
properties in all directions.
deleterious to concrete or reinforcement

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 Focus - The originating earthquake source of the
elastic waves inside the earth which cause shaking of
Actual displacement - it is measured by seismometer
ground due to earthquake.
Center of rigidity – it is the point through which the
Fatigue – the structure is subjected to a cycle of
resultant of the resistance to the applied lateral force
stresses and ______, it causes the beam to have
acts
sudden ultimate structure
Center of gravity: - is the point where the object
Focal depth – besides the epicenter, it describes the
“suffers” no torque by the effect of the gravitational
location of the earthquake
force acted upon it.
Homogenous – the material has the same composition
Center of mass – it is the point through which the
at every point but the elastic may not be the same in
applied seismic force acts
all direction
Center of stiffness: - The point through which the
Hooke’s Law – stress is proportional to the strain
resultant of the restoring forces of a system acts.
within the elastic region
Column – structural member ha the ratio of its
-The principle used in equations related to the
unsupported height to its least lateral dimension of not
deformation of axially loaded material.
less than 3 and is used primarily support axial load
Isotropic - The material has the same elastic
Corbel – a short edge beam projecting from a column
properties in all direction
to support a weight
Kinetic Friction – retarding force acting opposite in
Creep – the structure is subjected to a load for a long
motion
period of time, it will continue to deform until a sudden
fracture occurs “Liquefaction” is best described as ....- A sudden drop
in the shear strength of a soil.
Damping - The addition of energy – absorbing
components into a structural building frame to reduce - is a state in saturated cohesionless soil wherein the
lateral deflections and lessen the stresses imparted effective shear strength is reduced to negligible value.
into the frame when subjected to high wind or seismic
- condition when soil tends to behave like a fluid mass.
forces.
Magnitude of earthquake – it is measured by the
Design seismic base shear - It is the total design
Ritcher scale
lateral force at the base of a structure.
Orthotropic – The composite material exhibits elastic
Ductility – it refers to the ability of a material to
properties in one direction different from that in the
deform in the plastic range without braking
perpendicular direction
- Property of a material enables it to under large
Poisson's Ratio – the deformation of axially loaded
permanent strains before failure.
members, the ratio of the lateral to the longitudinal
Elasticity – it refers to the property of a material strain is constant
which makes it return to its original dimension when
Post tensioning – stressing high strength steel after
the load is removed
the concrete has been cast and has attained sufficient
Eccentricity – it is the distance between the center strength
of rigidity and center of mass
Pre tensioning – stressing high strength steel wires
Epicenter -The geographical point on the surface of before concrete hardens
earth vertically above the focus of the earthquake.
Proportional Limit - It is the term for the value
beyond which the stress is no longer proportional to
the strain.

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Elastic limit Static it refers to the force generated by a body at
rest
- The greatest stress a material is capable of
developing without a permanent elongation remaining Story Drift – it is the displacement of one level
upon complete unloading of the specimen relative to the level above or below

Modulus of elasticity Story - It is the space between two adjacent floors

- Slope of the straight line portion of the curve or the Story displacement: - is the lateral displacement of
ratio of stress over the strain the story relative to the base

Plasticity – A condition that when there is already a Out-of-plane offsets: - Discontinuities in a lateral
permanent deformation, it continues to deform when a force path
minimal load is applied beyond the elastic
Diaphragms - rigid horizontal planes used to transfer
Reciprocal of deflection – it refers to the rigidity of lateral forces to vertical resisting elements.
a structure
Shear wall - wall designed to resist lateral forces
Reciprocal of stiffness – it refers to flexibility of a acting in its own plane, typically wind and seismic loads.
structure
- stiffened walls and are capable of transferring
Relaxation –Loss of stress that takes place with the lateral forces from floors and roofs to the foundation.
passage of time as concrete is held at a constant strain
Torsional Shear Stress – occurs when the center of
Resilience – it refers to the ability of a material to mass and rigidity do not coincide
absorb energy in the elatsic range
Yielding – the material deforms considerably even with
Resonance – Refers to the large amplitude vibration of a slight increase in stress
an object or system when given impulses at its natural
Toughness – it refers to the ability of a material to
frequency
absorb energy in the plastic range
-It occurs when a building period coincides with the
Yield stress - The stress at which there occursa
earthquake period.
marked increase in strainwithout an increase in stress
Natural period - time period of undamped free
Ultimate stress- The max. stress a material is capable
vibration of a structure.
of developing
Intensity - a measure of the strength of shaking
Rupture strength - The stress at which thespecimen
during the earthquake
actually breaks.
Magnitude - a measure of energy released in an
Water – Cement Ratio - It significantly influences
earthquake.
the quality and strength of concrete.
Seismographs - are instruments used to record the
Young's Modulus – it is the constant of proportionality
motion of the ground during an earthquake.
that defines the linear relationship between stress
Soft Storey - It is one in which the lateral stiffness and strain
is less than 70 percent of that in the storey above or
Resilience - The property of a material
less than 80 percent of the average lateral stiffness
enabling high impact loads without inducing a stress in
of the three storeys above.
excess of the elastic limit.
Weak Storey - It is one in which the storey lateral
strength is less than 80 percent of that in the storey Factor of safety - Ratio of the failure stress to the
above. allowable stress.

Resultant – determines whether the body will be in

Failure - The condition that renders the
equilibrium or will have a varying state of motion

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load resisting member unfit for resisting further the specific weight.
increase in loads.
Isotropic material - One having the same elastic
Diagonal tension - The tensile stress that develops on properties in all directions at any one point of the
the diagonals surface. body.

Poisson's ratio Seismograph - Is a ground mounted – device

- The ratio of lateral strain to which measures the actual displacement of the ground
axial strain for an unrestrained with respect to a stationary reference point.
Stiffness - The property of a material to withstand
high stress without great strain Intensity - It is the oldest useful measure of an
earthquake’s strength which is based on the damage
Brittleness - Implies the absence of any plastic and other observed effects on people, buildings and
deformation prior to failure. other features.

Dynamic - Forces generated by a body in

Malleability - The property of a material enabling it to
undergo considerable plastic deformation under motion.
compressive load before actual rupture.
Anisotropic - Materials whose properties
Toughness - The property of a material depend upon the direction considered
enabling it to endure high-impact loads or shock loads.
Corrosion - Failure of a metal due to
Aggregates - It comprises the bulk of the repeated stress
concrete.
member. Camber - A built-in upward curvature of a

beam or girder to compensate for its deflection or sag.

Dilatation- Change of volume per unit volume.
Full sinewave - If a member is not restrained
Ductile material "e" - Is one having a relatively large
against sway, and has hinged ends, and the critical load
tensile strain up to the point of rupture
is reached, this member will buckle laterally turning
into the shape of ______
Brittle material - Is one having a relatively small
tensile strain up to the point of Workability - A slumptest is done in order to
Rupture
determine the ______
Tangent modulus - It is the measure of how easy or difficult it is to
- The rate of change of stress with respect to strain place, consolidate and finish concrete.

Specific strength - The ratio of the ultimate or Plastic Hinge - A deformation of a part of a
tensile strength to specific weight that is the weight
beam whenever plastic bending happens
per unit volume.
Collapse Mechanism - By inserting a plastic hinge at a
Which refers to the Rigidity of a
plastic limit load into a statically determinate beam, a
Structure?
- Deflection kinematic mechanism permitting an unbounded
- Reciprocal of Deflection displacement of the system can be found.
- Product of Stiffness and Deflection Concrete Pedestal - Is a compression element
- Reciprocal of Stiffness provided to carry the loads from supported elements
like columns, statues, etc. to footing below the ground
Specific modulus - Ratio of the Youngs modulus to

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Web Local Yielding - Assumes that the entire applied
force/reaction passes through a critical area of web
located at the top of the fillet that connects the
flange to the web

Web Local Crippling - Is actually a local buckling that

occurs when the web is slender

Plastic Analysis - Is the analysis in which the

criterion for design of structures is the ultimate load.

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