Building Construction – Page 11 – Civil Engineering Projects

Structures and Classification of Structures | Design of Steel Structures

September 7, 2010 by Designer

What is a Structure?

When any body is subjected to a system of loads and deformation takes place and the resistance is set up against the deformation, then, the body is known as structure. The structure are means of transferring forces and moments. The structures may be classified as statistically determinate structures and statistically indeterminate structures. When the equations of statistics are enough to determine all the forces acting on the structures, in the structures, then, the structures are known as statistically determinate structures.

When the equations of statistical equilibrium are not sufficient to determine all forces acting on the structure and in the structures, then the structures are known as Statistically Indeterminate Structures. The equations of consistent deformations are added to the equations of equilibrium inorder to analyse the Statistically Indeterminate Structures.

Classification of Structures

The structures are categorised by their supporting systems. There are one dimensional, two dimensional and three dimensional supporting systems.

When a supporting system is subjected to only one type of stresses, then, it is known as basic system.
When a system is subjected to simultaneously several types of stresses, then it is known as mixed system.

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Specifications for Plain Cement Concrete (PCC) | Building Estimation and Costing

September 5, 2010 by Designer

Plain Cement Concrete (PCC) is a construction material generally used as a binding materials and is composed of cement, (commonly Portland Cement) and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate made of gravels or crushed rocks such as limestone or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water, and chemical admixtures.

In my earlier articles, I discussed types of specifications, purpose of specifications, RCC specifications, Specifications for Brick masonry in Cement Mortar, Coursed Rubble Masonry Specifications. In this article, we are going to discuss in detail various specifications that are to be given before the initiation of PCC work.

Specifications for Plain Cement Concrete (PCC)

Materials Specifications

Aggregate shall be of invert materials and should be clean, dense, hard, sound, durable, non-absorbent and capable of developing good bond with mortar.

Coarse aggregate shall be of hard broken stone of granite or similar stone, free from dust, dirt and other foreign matters. The stone ballast shall be of 20mm size and smaller. All the coarse material should be retained in a 5mm square mesh and should be well graded such that the voids do not exceed 42%.

Specifications for Coursed Rubble Stone (CRS) Masonry

September 3, 2010 by Designer

Coursed Rubble Masonry

Masonry is affected by the use of low grade materials that is in case of stone masonry, use of low grade stones, improperly cut stones, chipped off stones etc. The mortar mix should follow a specific standard for the proper bonding between the joints of Course Rubble Masonry. Therefore, specifications have to be given for the materials used, the laying technique, Bond or Through stones, Quoins and curing – for the ultimate strengthening of the final masonry work.

In our earlier articles, we studied different types of specifications, purpose of specifications, RCC specifications, Specifications for Brick Masonry in Cement Mortar. We will be discussing Specifications for Plain cement concrete in our next articles. In this article, we are going to discuss in detail all the necessary specifications that are to be given for the construction of Coursed Rubble Masonry.

Specifications for Coursed Rubble Stone (CRS) Masonry

Material Specifications

Stone shall be hard, sound, free from decay and weathering. Stones with porous matter or with boulder skin shall be rejected. The size of stones shall not be less than 15cm in any direction.

Cement and sand for cement mortar or lime and surkhi for lime mortar shall be of standard specification.

Specifications for Brick masonry in Cement Mortar

September 1, 2010 by Designer

Brick Masonry with Cement Mortar

Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone such as marble, granite, travertine, limestone, concrete block, glass block and tile. Masonry is generally a highly durable form of construction. Brick masonry construction involves use of high quality materials in construction. Use of low grade materials in construction or mortar mix in inappropriate ratio can affect the quality of construction.

In our earlier articles, we discussed different types of specifications and purpose of specifications, RCC specifications in detail. We will be discussing specifications for Coursed Rubble Masonry (CRS) and Specifications for Plain Cement Concrete (PCC) in our further articles. In this article, we are going discuss or rather list out all the specifications that are to be given for “Brick Masonry in Cement Mortar”.

Specifications for Brick masonry in Cement Mortar

The bricks shall be of first class, regular in shape, size and colour.

The bricks should be free from flaws, cracks and lumps of any kind.

Shall have minimum crushing strength 10.5N/mm2.

The bricks shall not absorb the water more than one sixth of the weight of the brick.

Methods to calculate Property Depreciation | Building Costing and Estimation

August 24, 2010 by Designer

Depreciation is the gradual exhaustion of the usefulness of a property. This may be defined as the decrease or loss in the value of a property due to structural deterioration, life wear and tear, decay and obsolescence.

Four Methods for calculating depreciation

Straight line Method
Constant percentage method
Sinking Fund Method
Quantity Survey Method

Straight Line Method

In this method, it is assumed that the property losses its value by the same amount every year. A fixed amount of the original cost is deducted every year, so that at the end of the utility period, only the scrap value is left.

Annual Depreciation, D = (original cost of the asset – Scrap Value)/life in years

For example, a vehicle that depreciates over 5 years, is purchased at a cost of US$17,000, and will have a salvage value of US$2000, will depreciate at US$3,000 per year: ($17,000 ? $2,000)/ 5 years = $3,000 annual straight-line depreciation expense. In other words, it is the depreciable cost of the asset divided by the number of years of its useful life.

Major causes of Cracks in Buildings | Building Construction

August 22, 2010 by Designer

Causes of cracks in Buildings

In the previous article, we discussed the occurrence of cracks in buildings due to climatic factors and cracks occurred due to problem at the time of construction of the building. These fall under the category of Minor causes of Cracks in Buildings.

Now we will go ahead with our discussion on “Major causes of Cracks in a Building”.

Major causes of cracks in a building

Movements of the ground
Over loading
Effect of gases, liquids and solids
Effect of changes of temperature
General causes such as vibrations etc

Unrestrained Movement of Building Materials

Movements of the ground

Mining subsidence, land slips, earthquakes, moisture changes due to clay shrinkable soils (for example, Black cotton soil).

Cracks occur because a part of the building is displaced from the rest without any change in the actual size of the material.

Overloading

Overloading of the ground
Overloading of the building itself
Overloading of the building parts result in cracks

For example; Cracks under a floor due to overloading of slab.

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Capitalized Value and Year’s Purchase | Property Valuation System

August 9, 2010 by Designer

Property Valuation System

Capitalized Value and Year’s Purchase calculations are a necessary part of Building estimation system or we could simply term it as “Property Evaluation System”. The Value of a property is listed into various different categories such as;

Market Value
Book Value
Capital Cost
Capitalized Value

In this article, we are going to discuss and study “what is capitalized value of a property?” which will form the part of Evaluation system and Year’s Purchase which will fall under the category of investment system.

Capitalized Value of a Property

The capitalized value of a property is the amount of money whose annual interest at the highest prevailing rate of interest will be equal to the net income from the property. To determine the capitalized value of a property, it is required to know the net income from the property and the highest prevailing rate of interest.

Therefore, Capitalized Value = Net income x year’s purchase

Market Value, Book Value, Capital Cost | Property Valuation System

August 2, 2010 by Designer

Property Valuation System

Studying Building Estimation and Costing helps us evaluate the value of the property according to its current market trends. The Value of a property is listed into various different categories such as;

Market Value
Book Value
Capital Cost
Capitalized Value

In this article, we are going to discuss different categories under which a property is evaluated that is Valuation is done.

Market Value

The market value of a property is the amount which can be obtained at any particular time from the open market if the property is put for sale. The market value will differ from time to time according to demand and supply.

The market value also changes from time to time for various miscellaneous reasons such as changes in industry, changes in fashions, means of transport, cost of materials and labour etc.

Six important Purposes of Property Valuation | Building Estimation and Costing

August 1, 2010 by Designer

Building Estimation and Costing

Building Estimation and Costing is a vital part of Civil Engineering. No project can begin without the total Building Estimation and Costing done by the Engineer. The entire Cost of construction and the infrastructure used for the purpose of construction is estimated and the final costing is done on the basis of which a certain percentage of the Project cost is paid to the Engineer, the Architect and other consultants involved in the project.

Valuation is one such important part of Building Estimation and Costing. Valuation is done after the project is complete on the latest trends of the land prices in the market.

In this article, we will discuss what is Valuation and the six important purposes of Valuation.

Valuation

Valuation is the technique of estimating and determining the fair price or value of a property such as a building, a factory or other engineering structures of various types, land etc.

Plate Girders | Structural Steel Components

July 23, 2010 by Designer

The plate girders are used to carry the loads beyond the capacity of universal beams. They consist of plates and angles riveted together. Plates and angles form an I-section. They are used in building construction and also in bridges. Plate girders are economically used for spans upto 30m. In common, section used for plate girders are shown in figure.

Figure (A)

It shows the simplest form of plate girder.