Topic to be discussed of Friday (Oct.

4, 2013)
Structural Concepts:
1. Arch - Romans also developed the arches. An arch is both an Architectural &
Structural element that spans a space while supporting weight. The arch is
significant because, in theory at least, it provides a structure which eliminates
tensile stresses in spanning an open space. All the forces are resolved into
compressive stresses. This is useful because several of the available building
materials such as stone, cast iron and concrete can strongly resist compression
but are very weak when tension, shear or torsional stress is applied to them. By
using the arch configuration, significant spans can be achieved.
PARTS of an ARCH:

2. VAULT is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with
a ceiling or roof. It is also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an
architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves,
in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance.

3. DOME - can be thought of as an arch which has been

rotated around its central vertical axis. Thus domes,
like arches, have a great deal of structural
strength when properly built and can span large
open spaces without interior supports.
4. A BUTTRESS is an architectural structure built
against (a counter fort) or projecting from a wall
which serves to support or reinforce the wall.
5. A FLYING BUTTRESS is a specific form of
buttressing most strongly associated with
Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral
forces pushing a wall outwards (which may arise from stone vaulted ceilings or
from wind-loading on roofs) by redirecting them to the ground.

Structural Loads:
1. DEAD LOAD as consisting "... of the weight of all materials of construction
incorporated into the building...". This is generally considered to mean that
anything that is a fixed part of the structure is a dead load.
2. LIVE LOADS are a result of the occupancy of a structure. In other words, it
varies with how the building is to be used. Live Loads are those loads which are
transient and can change in magnitude.
3. LATERAL LOADS are live loads whose main component is horizontal force
acting on the structure. Typical lateral loads would be a wind load against a
facade, an earthquake, the earth pressure against a beach front retaining wall or
the earth pressure against a basement wall.
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement (commonly
Portland cement) and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement,
aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate made of gravel or crushed rocks such as

limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water and chemical
admixtures.