C2 CONSOLIDATED
Winter Cooling
70-75 Deg F, 30-35% Relative Humidity heating and humidifying standard.
Lead
A blue-gray, soft, very heavy metal (the heaviest of the common metals). It is extremely workable, has good corrosion resistance, is easily recovered from scrap materials, and is relatively impenetrable to radiation.
Panel
A board on which are mounted the switches, fuses and circuit breakers for controlling and protecting a number of similar branch circuits installed in a cabinet and accessible from the front only. Also called a panelboard.
Locomotive Boiler
A boiler mounted on a self-propelled track locomotive used to furnish motivating power for traveling on rails.
Low Pressure Heating Boiler
A boiler operated at pressures not exceeding 1.05 kgs/sqm with steam or water temperature not exceeding 250ºF.
Condemned Boiler or Unfired Pressure Vessel
A boiler or unfired pressure vessel that has been inspected by the Building Official and declared unsafe or disqualified and power stamped or marked designating its rejection.
Toggle Bolt
A bolt having a nut with pivoted flanged wings that close against a spring when it is pushed through a hole, and open after emerging from the hole; used to fasten objects to a hollow wall or to a wall which is accessible only from one side.
Foot Bolt
A bolt which is fixed at the bottom of a door and can be operated by foot. Usually when the door is unbolted, the bolt is held up by a spring.
Bridging
A brace, or a system of braces, placed between joists to stiffen them, to hold them in place, and to help distribute the load.
Fluoroplastics
A class of paraffinic polymers that have some or all of the hydrogen replaced by fluorine. The most desired characteristic of this group of plastics is their ability to resist abrasion.
Tower Crane
A crane used in the construction of tall building because it has a built-in jack that raises the crane from floor to floor as the building is constructed. Also called Climbing Crane.
Direct Current
A current which flows at a constant time rate and in the same direction.
Alternating Current
A current which is periodically varying in time rate and in direction. It rises from zero to maximum, falls to zero, reverses its direction and again returns to zero.
Common Wire Nail
A cut or wire low-carbon steel nail, having a slender plain shank and a medium diamond point; used in work where finish is unimportant, as in framing.
Flat Cable Assembly
A field installed rigidly mounted square structural channel (1 - 5/8" standard) designed to carry 2 to 4 conductors (No. 10 AWG) and will act as light duty (branch circuit) plug-in busways.
Main Brake
A transportation safety device mounted directly on the shaft of the elevator machine.
Knife Switch
A form of air switch in which a hinged copper blade
Electricity
A form of energy generated by
Twist
A form of wood warp pertaining to the distortion of the board in which one corner is raised.
Crook
A form of wood warp pertaining to the distortion of the board in which the edge is convex or concave longitudinal.
Cup
A form of wood warp pertaining to the distortion of the board in which the face is convex or concave across the board.
Bow
A form of wood warp pertaining to the distortion of the board in which the face is convex or concave longitudinal.
Bus
A heavy conductor, usually in the form of a solid copper bar, used for collecting, carrying and distributing large electric currents. Also called a busbar.
Sledgehammer
A heavy hammer used to drive stakes into the ground and to break up concrete and stone.
Spring Hinge
A hinge containing one or more springs, when a door is opened, the hinge returns to its closed position automatically; may act in one direction only, or in both directions.
Dumbwaiter
A hoisting and lowering mechanism equipped with a car not to exceed 3861 sqcm in area and a maximum height of 1.20m, the capacity of which does not exceed 277 kilos, used exclusively for carrying materials.
Elevator
A hoisting and lowering mechanism equipped with a car or platform which moves in guides in a vertical direction serving two or more floors of a building or structure. Movement of the car may be controlled by gravitational, manual or mechanical power.
Concrete Hollow Block (CHB)
A hollow masonry unit, with two or three cells or cores, made of the following ingredients: water, Portland cement, and various types of aggregate such as sand, gravel, and crushed stone.
Structural Tubing
A hollow, structural steel shape of square, rectangle, or circular cross section.
Collar Beam
A horizontal member which ties together and stiffens two opposite common rafters, usually at a point about halfway up the rafters.
Soleplate
A horizontal timber which serves as a base for the studs in a stud partition.
Angle Bar
A hot-rolled structural steel section having an L shape followed by the length of each leg and their thickness.
Rim Joist
A joist set on top of the sill and forming the perimeter of a wood-framed floor. Also called header.
Powder-Actuated Stud Driver
A kind of nailer that is powered by gunpowder and is used to drive long pins into wood, steel or concrete.
Water Hammer
A knocking in the pipes caused when faucets in the lower levels are shut off abruptly or automatically.
Isolation
A lack of acoustical connection.
Front-End Loader
A large shoveling machine that can scoop or deposit a large amount of material.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
A largely amorphous, rigid, tough, solvent-resistant, flame-resistant thermoplastic. Used for resilient floor tile, films, pipes, and for paint lacquers, adhesives and safety glass.
Protection of Adjoining Structure
A law that provides that any person making an excavation is responsible for resulting damage to adjoining property.
Vitrification
A measure of the tile's density and relative absorption which depends partly on the tile's composition and partly on the degree of burning.
Compressor
A mechanical device for the purpose of increasing the pressure upon the refrigerant.
Structural Steel
A medium carbon steel with its carbon content controlled to give both the strength and ductility necessary for its use.
Zinc
A medium hard, bluish-white metal characterized by brittleness and low strength. Its most important uses are as protective coatings (galvanizing) on iron and steel as die-casting metal, and as an alloying element in brasses.
Headset
A phone system accessory allowing the option to hands-free calling.
Call Waiting (Multiple Lines)
A phone system feature responsible for keeping lines clear.
Call Attendant
A phone system feature that handles all phone calls directly before transferring the calls to extensions.
Surge Protection
A phone system feature that protects the phone system from an electrical surge causing memory and important codes to be lost.
Individual Unit
A phone system hardware for each person who will have an extension in the office.
Digital Line
A type of phone line that has 6-8 grooves on its connector, and is used for phones with multiple lines and phones with digital status indicators.
Analog Line
A type of phone line that has four grooves on the center of the connector, in which the middle two conductors, known as the "tip" and the "ring", connect a phone line, while the outer two would be for a second line.
One-Way Solid Slab and Beam
A type of reinforced-concrete floor system with a concrete slab of uniform thickness reinforced in one direction and cast integrally with parallel supporting beams.
Two-Way Solid Slab and Beam
A type of reinforced-concrete floor system with a concrete slab of uniform thickness reinforced in two direction and cast integrally with supporting edge beams or bearing walls on four sides.
Two-Way Flat Plate
A type of reinforced-concrete floor system with a concrete slab of uniform thickness reinforced in two direction and supported directly by columns without beams or girders.
Two-Way Flat Slab
A type of reinforced-concrete floor system with a flat plate thickened at its column supports to increase its shear strength and moment-resisting capacity.
One-Way Joist Slab
A type of reinforced-concrete floor system with a reinforced concrete slab cast integrally with a series of closely spaced joists, which in turn are supported by a parallel set of beams.
Two-Way Joist Slab
A type of reinforced-concrete floor system with a two way concrete slab reinforced by ribs in two directions.
Brazing
A type of soldering in which the operating temperatures are higher (but lower than in welding) and in which stronger and higher-melting alloys are used to fill the joints, which consequently are stronger than ordinary soldered joints. Generally used where the shape and position of the joint or the composition of the metal or metals are not adaptable to welding.
Electrician's Staple Nail
A u-shaped piece of metal or heavy wire, with pointed ends, driven into a surface to secure a sheet material, hold a hasp.
Soldier
A unit laid on its end with its face perpendicular to the face of the wall.
Sabin
A unit of measure of sound absorption.
Decibel (dB)
A unit of measurement for sound pressure level, sound intensity level or sound power level.
Dry Vent
A vent that does not carry liquid or water-borne wastes.
Riser Shafts
A vertical riser conduit required for very large installations and consist of a series of individual full length interconnecting closets called splicing closets which are aligned vertically one on each floor and each fitted with a fire proof access door.
Riser Conduits
A vertical riser conduit used in medium sized installations and consist of a series of metal cabinets called splicing cabinets aligned vertically through the building, one on each floor and connected by a vertical conduit.
Looped Vent
A vertical vent connection on a horizontal soil or waste pipe branch at a point downstream of the last fixture connection and turning to a horizontal line above the highest overflow level of the highest fixture connected there. Used in spaces without partitions.
Relief Vent
A vertical vent line that provides additional circulation of air between the drainage and vent systems or to act as an auxiliary vent on a specially designed system such as a "yoke vent" connection between the soil and vent stacks.
Unfired Pressure Vessel
A vessel in which pressure is obtained from an external source or from an indirect application of heat.
Condenser
A vessel or arrangement of pipes or tubing in which vaporized refrigerant is liquefied by the removal of heat.
Liquid Receiver
A vessel permanently connected to a system by inlet and outlet pipes for storage of a liquid refrigerant.
Riser
A water supply pipe extending vertically to one full story or more to convey water into pipe branches or plumbing fixtures.
Ammoniacal Copper Arsenate (ACA)
A water-borne wood preservative dissolved in water for pressure treating, producing a product that is clean and odorless.
Chromated Zinc Chloride (CZC)
A water-borne wood preservative that gives protection against decay, insects and fire, can be painted on, and has no objectionable odor.
Chromium
A steel-white metal which takes a brilliant polish and is harder than cobalt or nickel. It is nonmagnetic at ordinary temperatures but becomes magnetic at 13 Deg F. The principal use of chromium is an alloying ingredient in ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy.
Drier
Added to the vehicle of paints containing drying oils to accelerate the hardening of paint by speeding the union of the oil with oxygen from the air.
Coagulation and Precipitation
Addition of coagulants, such as ferrous sulfate and lime, to the water which cause the larger suspended particles to form a gelatinous mass which precipitates readily. The precipitate is gathered in large dumps and disposed of.
Animal or Fish Glue
Adhesive primarily for indoor use where temperature and humidity do not vary greatly; they may be weakened by exposure to heat or moisture.
Contact Cement
Adhesive that forms a bond on contact and therefore does not require clamping. It is generally used to secure large sheet materials such as plastic laminate.
White or Polyvinyl Glue
Adhesive that sets quickly, does not stain and is slightly resilient.
Scattering
An irregular diffraction of sound in many directions.
Knob and Tube Wiring
An obsolete wiring system consisting of single insulated conductors secured to and supported on porcelain knobs and tubes.
Structural Aluminum
Aluminum used as girders and columns that show increased efficiency with large bay spacing. However, because the modulus of elasticity of aluminum alloys is lower than steel, its means that buckling is a possibility and should always be checked.
Unit, Common, or Dual Vent
An arrangement of venting so installed that one vent pipe serve two (2) traps.
Concrete
An artificial, stonelike building material made by mixing cement and various mineral aggregates with sufficient water to cause the cement to set and bind the entire mass.
Asphalt Overlay
An asphalt leveling course made of an asphalt and aggregate mixture of variable thickness to correct the contour of existing surface, are placed on existing pavement.
Flat Cable Assemblies (Type FC)
An assembly of parallel conductors formed integrally with an insulating material web designed specially for field installation in square structural channels.
Unit Substation
An assembly of primary switch-fuse-breaker, step-down transformer, meters, controls, bus bars and secondary switchboard. It is used to supply power from a primary voltage line to any large facility.
Dip Soldering
An automated process of soldering used extensively in the electronics assembly industry.
Automatic Instantaneous Demand Control (Rate Control)
An automated version of the demand metering alarm system, where it automatically disconnects or reconnects loads as required.
Substation
An auxiliary power station where electrical current is converted or where voltage is stepped up or down.
Grader
An earthworking machine that grades or levels the ground.
Uninterruptible Power Supply
An emergency system designed to provide power automatically and instantaneously.
Machine House
An enclosure for housing the hoisting mechanism and power plant.
Machine house
An enclosure for housing the hoisting mechanism and power plant.
Cage/Cab
An enclosure for housing the operator and the hoisting mechanism, power plant and equipment controlling a crane.
Transit
An equipment used by surveyors to measure horizontal and vertical angles to obtain land elevation.
Mercury Switch
An especially quiet switch that opens and closes an electric circuit by shifting a sealed glass tube of mercury so as to uncover or cover the contacts.
Door and Exit Control
An industrial building security system that covers electrified security door hardware that triggers an alarm when a door is opened without authorization, such as, in exterior doors and doors to restricted areas.
Point of Operation
The part of a machine which performs an operation on the stock or material and/or that place or location where stock or material is fed to the machine. A machine may have more than one point of operation.
Torch
The parts to be soldered are heated by the torch flame and then the solder and flux are applied. This method is limited to metals which can be heated without altering their characteristics.
Pre-Tinning
The process of coating a metal before soldering.
Stabilizing the Soil
The process of compacting the soil on which the structure will rest.
Floor Framing
The process of constructing the structural frame of a floor.
Excavating
The process of digging the earth to provide a place for the foundation of the building.
Galvanizing
The process whereby a protective coat of zinc is applied to steel and iron to protect them against corrosion.
Lip Strike
The projection from the side of a strike plate which the bolt of a lock strikes first, when a door is closed. Projects out from the side of the strike plate to protect the frame.
Stack
The vertical main of a system of soil, waste or vent pipings extending through one or more stories and extended thru the roof.
Vent Stack
The vertical vent pipe installed primarily for providing circulation of air to and from any part of the soil, waste of the drainage system.
Stack Vent
The extension of a soil or waste stack above the highest horizontal drain connected to the stack.
Sweat Method
The heating of the metals to be joined causes the solder to run into the joint. This is the method used for joining copper tubing and fittings.
Direct Expansion Coils
This may either be installed in the spray chamber so that the water sprayed into the air comes into contact with the cooling coils or the air itself comes into direct contact with the cooling coils, as in the window type unit
Rolling Shutter
This shuts off the well way at a given floor, thus preventing draft and the spread of fire upward through escalator wells. The movement of the shutter is actuated by temperature and smoke relays.
Green Lumber
Type of lumber which dries out and shrinks if allowed to stand too long before the concrete is placed.
Kiln-Dried Lumber
Type of lumber with tendency to swell when soaked by the concrete, causing bulging and distortion of forms.
Oil-Base Paint
Type of paint where solvent used is organic liquid.
Water-Base Paint
Type of paint where solvent used is water.
Deep Seal P-Trap
Type of permissible trap about twice the size of the common P-trap. Used for extreme conditions because resealing quality is greater.
Common P-Trap
Type of permissible trap used for lavatories, kitchen sinks, laundry tubs, & urinals.
Running Trap
Type of permissible trap used within the line of the house drain.
Gunite
Type of processed concrete used for encasing structural steel, when reinforced, for floor and roof slabs and curtain walls. Ideal for swimming pool construction.
Aerocrete
Type of processed concrete used for structural floor and roof slabs, partition blocks for sound proofing, wall insulation, in rooms of refrigerator plants, lightweight fill on top of structural floor and roof slabs.
Concrete Pump
Type of pump used to move concrete from the concrete mixer to the concrete form.
Water Pump
Type of pump used to pump water out of holes in the ground so that construction work can commence.
Tile Roofing
Type of roofing which includes clay and concrete.
Sheet Metal Roofing
Type of roofing which includes galvanized iron roofing and aluminum roofing for various corrugations and rib sections.
Plastic Roofing
Type of roofing which includes plastic for various corrugation and rib sections and polycarbonate for corrugated and flat sheets.
Phillips Screwdriver
Type of screwdriver that has an X-shaped tip and is used to turn Phillips-head screws only.
Spiral Ratchet Screwdriver
Type of screwdriver which relies on a pushing force rather than a twisting force.
Sub-Surface Drainage
Type of site drainage that consists of an underground network of piping for conveying groundwater to a point of disposal, as a storm sewer system or a natural outfall at a lower elevation on the site.
Ordered Sound
Type of sound whereby instantaneous pressure follows a regular pattern.
Disordered Sound
Type of sound whereby the peak of acoustic power occur more or less at random, the periodic qualities of ordered sound are lacking.
Nail Set
Type of specialized hand tool used to drive finishing nails below the surface of a wooden trim or molding.
Blind Riveter
Type of specialized hand tool used to fasten pieces of sheet metal together.
Brick Trowel
Type of specialized hand tool used to place and trim mortar between bricks or concrete blocks.
Bull Float
Type of specialized hand tool used to smoothen out the surface of wet concrete.
One-to-One Double Wrap Traction Machine
Cables first wrap over the traction sheave T, then around the secondary or idler sheave S, and once more going around T and S to the counterweights. This provides greater traction and is used in many automatic high-speed installations.
Accelerator
Concrete admixture that increase the expansion and contraction of concrete, reduce resistance to sulfate attack, and increases efflorescence and corrosion of high tension steels.
Air-Entraining Agent
Concrete admixture that introduce minute air bubbles to greatly increase the resistance of concrete to freezing and thawing, increase plasticity and reduce bleeding.
Air-Entraining Agent
Concrete admixture that require careful control and more frequent slump tests.
Waterproofing Compounds
Concrete admixture used to reduce the capillary attraction of the voids in the concrete or mortar. They are manufactured from stearic acid or its compounds, mainly calcium steareate, and include asphalt emulsions.
Retarder
Concrete admixture used to slow down the hydration of the cement during very hot weather. Principal ingredients include zinc oxide, calcium lignosulfonate, derivatives of adipic acid.
Steel Trowelled Finish
Concrete finishing where the surface is leveled with a straight wood screed and given a wood float finish, after the concrete aggregate is forced below the surface. Before the concrete finally sets, the entire surface is steel-trowelled.
Plywood
Concrete form which works best where a smooth surface is required.
Mortar
Concrete mixed with water and a fine aggregate of less than 6mm (¼").
Cast-In-Place Concrete
Concrete poured at the job site into forms that are either constructed or assembled at the site.
Reinforced Concrete
Concrete strengthened by embedded steel.
Precast Concrete
Concrete transported to the construction site, lifted and positioned at the predetermined place.
Plain Concrete
Concrete without reinforcement.
Geocomposites
Consist of a combination of geosynthetic components; are usually sheet or edge drains consisting of a prefabricated core to which a geotextile filter is bonded.
Surveyor's Level
Type of surveying equipment used to determine an unidentified elevation from a known one.
Loudspeaker
Converts amplified electric current back into sound much louder than the original sound entering the microphone.
Filtration
Correction process for turbidity in water.
Aluminum Roofing
Corrugated aluminum rigidized sheet fabricated of special aluminum alloys specifically developed for this purpose. Silvery in color, strong and does not stain adjoining materials.
Utilization Equipment
Lighting, power and motor loads and wiring devices which are directly handled and utilized by users.
Galvanized Steel Pipe
Made out of mild steel and expected to last 15 to 25 years. Subject to deposits of salt and lime which can cause FHL.
Lacquer
Made synthetically, and is closely related to rayon or nylon fabrics. Average drying time is 1-1/2 hours.
Service Switch
Main disconnect for the entire electrical system of a building, except for any emergency power systems.
Non-Subterranean termites
Lumber deterioration-causing insects whereby the only relatively permanent method of arresting attack is to use lumber that has been given full length termite proofing with wood preservatives.
Board Foot
Lumber measure described as the measure of a piece of wood 1" thick, 12" (or 1') wide and 12" (or 1') long.
Board Lumber
Lumber pieces less than 2" thick and at least 8" wide.
Dimension Lumber
Lumber pieces more than 2" and less than 5" in any dimension.
Hot and Cold Bath Method
Lumber preservation method done by first in placing the wood in a bath of hot preservative for an hour or more. It is then withdrawn and quickly placed in a bath of cold preservative. This is generally used for creosote preservative.
Pressure Treatment
Lumber preservation method done by placing the wood in cylinders into which the preservative is pumped under pressure.
Horizontal Barriers
Made by applying 4 liters (one gallon) of termiticide per 3 square meters. The treatment is usually accomplished by applying a coarse spray at low pressure. All termite treatments to slab construction should include horizontal barriers, which are relatively easy to apply.
White Shellac
Made by refining seed lac and bleaching the refinement.
Conductor Ampacity
Maximum operating temperature that a conductor's insulation can stand continuously. Heat is generated as a result of the current flowing and the conductor resistance.
Minimum Dimension for Columns
May be at least 200 mm to provide enough concrete cover of bars.
Steel
May be in the form of pans for concrete joist construction or steel decking or corrugated steel for concrete slabs and slab-and-joist construction.
Continuous Footing
May be supporting a line of columns, or supporting all of the columns by strips at right angles to each other.
Unions
May be used in drainage work when accessibly located in the trap seal or between a fixture & its trap.
Steel Ratio
May not be less than 1 percent and greater than 8 percent as required by the Code.
Clear Spacing of Spirals for Columns
May not be less than 25mm or greater than 75 mm.
2% or 20mm/m (¼" per foot)
Minimum slope or pitch of horizontal drainage pipe.
Asphalt Emulsions
Minute asphalt particles dispersed in water and maintained in suspension (until applied) by a mineral colloid emulsifying agent. When the water vehicle evaporates, resilient reinforced weatherproof film remains which resist the passage of free water but allows movement of water vapor through the film and are classed as breathing films.
Portland Cement Plaster
Mixed with water, sand and lime putty. Used for two and threecoat finish surfaces for exterior and interior walls and ceilings.
Slaking (Hydration)
Mixing of quicklime with water prior to being used.
Gunite
Mixture of sand and cement deposited under high pneumatic pressure with a machine manufactured under the trade name Cement Gun, to which the required supply of water is added just before the dry constituents emerge from nozzle.
Cast Iron Soil Pipe
Most popular and generally specified material for drainage installation. Extensively used in the 60s and 70s.
Bush Hammering
Most popular method used in tooling concrete surfaces.
Sharp Point
Nail point having greater holding strength but may tend to split some woods.
Face-Nailing
Nailing in which the nails are driven perpendicular to the face of the material.
January 28, 1959
National Plumbing Code of the Philippines prepared by NAMPAP was promulgated and approved by Malacañang.
Booster Amplifier
Necessary for a television antenna system with two or more outlets.
Shellac
Made by refining seed lac and derived with a natural orange color. Serves as a preparatory coat for varnish and wax finishes, but is not satisfactory as an independent finish because it is not durable and turns white from contact with water.
Billet-Steel Bar
Made by the open hearth furnace by the acid Bessemer furnace and meet fixed chemical compositions. Comes in three grades.
Acid Resistant Cast Iron Pipe
Made of an alloy of cast iron and silicon. Installed in chemical laboratories, industries and other installations where acid wastes are being discharged.
Asbestos Pipe
Made of an asbestos fibers and portland cement. Used as soil, waste, ventilation pipe & downspouts and suited for concrete embedment because of similar properties.
Wire Fabric
Made of cold-drawn steel wire is widely used for the reinforcement of concrete slabs and floors, as well as for stuccoed work.
Ceramic Tile Finish
Made of compounded and of natural clay bodies.
Precast Cellular Concrete
Made of concrete cells fed from header ducts, which are normally installed in concrete fill above the hollow core structural slab or fed from the ceiling void below. The cells can be used for air distribution and for piping.
Wood Composites
Products made from a mixture of wood and other materials. Mostly produced in large sheets, usually 1220mm (4') x 2440mm (8').
Cement Mortar Joints
Prohibited on new building sewers.
Standby System
Provides power to selected loads not directly involved with life safety, such as, water and sewage treatment plants and industrial machines for manufacturing processes.
Sewage Ejectors
Pumps the wastes up form the sump pit to the sewers (which are usually higher than basement levels).
General-Purpose Wiring Switch
Single-pole or double-pole switches for the general purpose use of connecting or cutting-off circuits for the control of lamps or other loads from a single point.
Sludge
Solid organic matter that are denser than water and settle at the bottom of the septic tank.
Pigment
Solid, finely ground portion which gives to paint the power to obscure, hide or color the surface.
Bed
The horizontal surfaces on which the stones or bricks of walls lie in the courses.
Water Testing
Testing of water supply piping is conducted by closing all outlets & filling the system with water from the main to locate leaks and other potential problems.
Atterberg Limits
Tests performed on soils passing the No.40 sieve.
Masking
The increase in the threshold of audibility of a sound that is required so that the sound can be heard in the presence of another sound.
Load Scheduling and Duty Cycle Control
The installation's electric loads are analyzed and scheduled to restrict demand by shifting large loads to off-peak hours and controlled to avoid coincident operation.
Transmission Loss (TL)
The measure of sound insulation of a partition.
Frequency of the Wave
The number of cycles that the air particles move back and forth in one second in a sound wave.
Frequency
The number of sound ripples generated in unit time.
Transmission Coefficient
The ratio of transmitted sound energy to incident sound energy.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Saturated hydrocarbons found in petroleum (i.e. butane, propane, isobutane, etc.)
Redial
Saves time by allowing the user to simply press one button to make a call to the last number dialed.
Sprinkler Alarm
Water flow switches are installed to monitor the flow of water in a sprinkler head and when triggered will trip a coded transmitter, setting off a sprinkler code to show up on a sprinkler annunciator board.
Centrifugal Pump
Water is drawn into the pump & discharged with a centrifugal force.
Chlorination
Water is injected with hypo-chlorite or chlorine gas to kill the harmful bacteria.
Sedimentation
Water is passed through basins so sediments can settle through a period of time.
Filtration
Water is passed through layers of sand and gravel in concrete basins in order to remove the finer suspended particles.
Upfeed System
Water is provided by the city water companies using normal pressure from public water main.
Downfeed (Overheadfeed) System
Water is pumped into a large tank on top of the building and is distributed to the fixtures by means of gravity. Also known as "Gravity System".
Piston Pump
Water is sucked into a sealed vacuum by use of a piston.
Groundwater
Water near the surface of the ground which passes through the subsoil.
Black Water
Water plus solid and liquid human wastes.
Single-Line Diagram
When electrical symbols are used in lieu of the blocks.
Pre-Signal System
When it is desired to alert only key personnel, a system called pre-signaling is used, where it is also selectively coded. The personnel can immediately investigate and turn on the general alarm manually.
Condenser Coils
Where vapor is cooled by water to a degree below its liquefaction point. It condenses into a liquid state and still under high pressure, passes to the evaporator.
Essential Facility
(Category 1) Category of occupancy having surgery and emergency treatment areas. Includes fire and police stations, garages and shelters for emergency vehicles and emergency aircraft, structures and shelters in emergency preparedness centers, aviation control towers, structures and equipment in communication centers and other facilities required for emergency response, and standby power-generating equipment.
Metal Lath
A base for plaster fabricated by slitting metal and then stretching it to form a diamond-shaped mesh or by punching and forming sheet metal.
Simple Beam
A beam having a single span with a support at each end.
Continuous Beam
A beam resting on more than two supports.
Fast Pin Hinge
A butt hinge in which the pin is fastened permanently in place.
Series Circuit
A circuit where components are connected in tandem. All separate loads of the circuit carry the same equal current and the total resistance, R, is the sum of the resistances around the circuit.
Parallel Circuit
A circuit where components or loads are so arranged that the current divides between them.
Power Miter Saw
A circular saw mounted over a small table used to cut various angles in wood.
Controls
A combination of push buttons, contacts, relays, and devices, operated manually or automatically to initiate door opening, starting acceleration, retardation, leveling and stopping of the car.
Shear Wall-Frame Interactive System
A combination of shear walls and frames designed to resist lateral forces in proportion to their relative rigidities, considering interaction between shear walls and frames on all levels.
Piston Type Compressor
A compressor used for tonnages up to 100 tons.
Air-Cooled Condenser
A condenser used in unit and packaged-type air-conditioners up to 3 tons refrigeration.
Ground Wire
A conductor connecting electric equipment or a circuit to a ground connection. Also called a grounding conductor.
Grounding Electrode
A conductor, as a metal ground rod, ground plate or cold-water pipe, firmly embedded in the earth to establish a ground connection.
Riprap (Rock Lining)
A constructed layer or facing of stone, placed to prevent erosion, scour or sloughing of a structure or embankment.
Remote Control (RC) Switch
A contactor, or more specifically, a relay, that latches after being operated wireless from a distance.
Course
A continuous layer of bricks, stones, or other masonry.
Hot Mix Asphalt
A dark brown to black cementitious material, solid or semi-solid, composed of bitumens which when mixed with graded aggregates is used as paving material by placing, shaping, and compacting while hot over a prepared base.
Chain Door Fastener
A device attached to a door and its jamb which limits the door opening to the length of the chain.
Fuse
A device consisting of an alloy link of wire with a low melting temperature which is inserted in the circuit, in such a way, that all current which passes through the circuit, must also pass through this metal.
Fuse
A device containing a strip or wire of fusible metal that melts under the heat produced by excess current thereby interrupting the circuit.
Buffer
A device designed to stop a descending car or counterweight beyond its normal limit of travel by absorbing and dissipating the kinetic energy of the car or counterweight.
Pile Driver
A device used to drive piles into soil to provide foundation support for buildings or other structures.
Rivet
A device used to join or fasten metals. A metal cylinder or rod which has a head at one end, is inserted through holes in the materials being joined, and then the protruding end is flattened to tie the two pieces of material together.
Partition Wall
A dividing wall within a building.
Barrel Bolt
A door bolt not driven by a key, which moves into a cylindrical casing.
Copper
A ductile, malleable, nonmagnetic metal with a characteristic bright, reddish brown color that has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any substances except silver.
Armored Cable (Type AC)
A fabricated assembly of insulated conductors enclosed in flexible metal sheath.
Occupancy
A factor greater than or equal to 1.0 introduce to the base shear formula to account for the importance of the structure.
Site Characteristic
A factor greater than or equal to 1.0 introduce to the base shear formula to account for the variability of soil conditions.
Non-Metallic Sheathed Cable (Type SNM)
A factory assembly of two or more insulated conductors in an extruded core of moisture resistant and flame retardant material covered within an overlapping spiral metal tape.
Polycarbonates
A family of linear polyesters, is a white, substantially amorphous, very tough and strong material with good heat resistance up to 150 Deg C and excellent dimensional stability. It is injection-molded to produce plates, rods, gears, and other shaped parts that advantageously replace die-cast metal parts. Used for skylights.
Bullet or Ball Catch
A fastener which holds a door in place by means of a projecting spring-actuated steel ball which is depressed when the door is closed.
Transformer Vault
A fire-rated room housing a transformer and auxiliary equipment for a large building.
Trap
A fitting or device designed and constructed to provide, when properly vented, a liquid seal which prevents the backflow of foul air or methane gas without materially affecting the flow of sewage or wastewater through it.
Plate Bar
A flat, rectangular section with square edges varying in sizes.
Noncorrosive Flux
A flux that leaves residues which are noncorrosive and nonconductive and therefore need not be removed.
Deep Foundation
A foundation system that extends down through an unstable soil to transfer building loads to a more appropriate building stratum.
Header
A framing member crossing and supporting the ends of joints, studs, or rafters, so as to transfer the weight to parallel joists, studs, or rafters.
Unit Substation
A freestanding enclosure housing a disconnect switch, a step-down transformer and switchgear.
Freon*
A gas at normal temperature and pressure and a refrigerant used for cooling. It is first subjected to high pressure in a compressor which raises its boiling point and temperature.
Insulating Glass
A glass unit consisting of two or more sheets of glass separated by a hermetically sealed air space to provide thermal insulation and restrict condensation; glass edge units have a 3/16" (5) air space; metal edge units have a ¼" or ½" (6 or 13) air space.
High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel
A group of trade name steels with improved mechanical properties and resistance to atmospheric corrosion. They are being increasingly used as reinforcing for pre-stressed concrete, high strength bolts, special structural steels and cables for elevators, etc.
Circuit Vent
A group vent pipe which starts in front of the extreme (highest) fixture connection on a horizontal branch and connects to the vent stack.
Knob
A handle, more or less spherical, usually for operating a lock.
Glass
A hard, brittle, chemically inert substance produced by fusing silica together with a flux and a stabilizer into a mass that cools to a rigid condition without crystallization. Most commonly used to glaze the window, sash and skylight openings of buildings.
Ziegler Polyethyline (PE)
A hard, strong, tough and rigid thermoplastic for household and industrial applications.
Concrete Nail
A hardened steel nail having a flat countersunk head and a diamond point; used for nailing to concrete or masonry.
Masonry Nail
A hardened steel nail with a knurled or fluted shank especially used for fastening to masonry.
Wood Screw
A helically threaded metal fastener having a pointed end; forms its own mating thread when driven into wood or other resilient material.
Compactor
A highway construction equipment machine that compacts soil to prepare for road paving.
Scraper
A highway construction equipment machine that loads, hauls and dumps soil over medium to long distances.
Paver
A highway construction equipment that places, spreads and finishes concrete or asphalt paving material.
Invisible Hinge
A hinge so constructed that no parts are exposed when the door is closed. A famous brand name is SOSS.
Inverse Square Law
A law which states that the sound intensity in a free field varies inversely with the square of the distance from the source.
Framing Square
A layout tool that is used to measure 90-degree angles at the corners of framework and joints. They can also be employed to determine cutting angles on dimension lumber.
Loudness
A measure of the intensity of sound.
Rivet
A metal pin used for permanently joining two or more structural steel members by passing a headed shank through a hole in each piece and hammering down the plain end to form a second head. Its use has been largely superseded by the less labor-intensive techniques of bolting or welding.
Strike Plate
A metal plate or box which is set in a doorjamb and is either pierced or recessed to receive the bolt or latch of a lock, fixed on a door.
Metal Bath Dip
A metaljoining process where the workpieces to be joined are immersed in a pot of molten solder.
Bolt
A metallic pin or rod having a head on one end and an external thread on the other for screwing up a nut and for holding members or parts of members together.
Watt-Hour Meter
A meter for measuring and recording the quantity of electric power consumed with respect to time.
Soldering
A method of joining metals, to make electrical connections, to seal joints hermetically with another lower melting metal or alloy.
Plastic Hose Filled With Water
A method of leveling horizontally batter boards without transit.
Vermiculite
A micaceous mineral which expands on application of heat to as much as 30 times its original volume.
Neutral Flux
A mild flux used for easily soldered metals such as copper, brass, lead, and tin plate.
Terrazzo
A mixture of cement, marble chip aggregates and water laid as a topping or as a wall finish, and ground to a fine, smooth surface.
Underground Feeder and Branch Circuit Cable (Type UF)
A moisture resistant cable used for underground connections including direct burial in the ground as feeder or branch circuit.
Stucco
A mortar consisting of cement, sand and water. Hydrated lime is often added to make the mortar easier to work.
Hinge
A movable joints used to attach, support, and turn a door (or cover) about a pivot; consist of two plates joined together by a pin which support the door and connect it to its frame, enabling it to swing open or closed.
Metal Lath Nail
A nail designed for securing a metal lath.
Ring-Shank Nail
A nail having a number of ring-like grooves around the shank to increase its holding power.
White Noise
A noise whose energy is uniform over a wide range of frequencies.
Cesspools
A non-watertight lined excavation in the ground which receives the discharge of a sanitary drainage system, designed to retain the organic matter but permitting the liquid to seep through the pit bottom and sides.
Loom
A nonmetallic fire-resistant tubing where wires running through walls are inserted.
Distribution Panel
A panel for distributing power to other panels or to motors and other heavy power-consuming loads. Controls, distributes and protects a number of similar branch circuits in an electrical system.
Shaft
A part of an electric elevator serving as the vertical passageway for car and counterweights.
Duct
A passageway made of sheet metal or other suitable material not necessarily leak tight, for conveying air or other gases at low pressure.
Olive-Knuckle Hinge
A paumelle hinge with knuckles forming an oval shape.
Washer
A perforated disk of metal, rubber or plastic used under the head of a nut or bolt or at a joint to distribute pressure, prevent leakage, relieve friction or insulate incompatible materials.
Conference Calling
A phone system feature that gives a person the ability to add a third party to a phone call. This gives the user the ability to hold long-distance meetings without the need to have two of the parties in the same place.
Hands-Free Calling
A phone system feature that gives a person the opportunity to talk on the phone without holding the receiver, not only giving the user the option of moving around the office while talking, but also allows for several people to hear a phone call at once.
Timber
A piece of lumber 5 inches or larger in a smallest dimension.
Board
A piece of lumber less than 4 centimeters thick and at least 10 centimeters wide.
Hiding (Active) Pigment
A pigment which when mixed with the drying oil, produces an opaque finishing material.
Yoke or By-Pass Vent
A pipe connecting upward from a soil or waste stack below the floor and below horizontal connection to an adjacent vent stack at a point above the floor and higher than the highest spill level of fixtures for preventing pressure changes in the stacks.
Standpipe
A pipe installed in buildings not as part of the water supply or waste disposal system but primarily for use as water conveyor in case of fire.
Individual Vent (Back Vent)
A pipe installed to vent a fixture trap, that connects with the vent system above the fixture served or terminates in the open air.
Vent Pipe
A pipe or opening used for ensuring the circulation of air in a plumbing system and for relieving the negative pressure exerted on trap seals.
Wet Standpipe System
A piping network (line is directly connected to the main water line) connects to all levels of a building (at least 1 standpipe on each level).
Wet Standpipe System with Siamese Connection
A piping network directly connected to the main water line, connects to all levels of a building; additionally, a Siamese Connection is located outside the building for additional water supply.
Outlet
A point in the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment. It refers only to the box.
Moving Sidewalk
A power-driven, continuously moving surface, similar to a conveyor belt, used for carrying pedestrians horizontally or along low inclines
T1 Line
A powerful phone line that acts as a tube to funnel information at a fast rate; consists of 24 channels, each channel handling 64,000 bits per second. Each channel can be configured to your specifications, whether it is for voice mail or data traffic.
Chord
A principal member of a truss which extends from one end to the other, primarily to resist bending.
PBX Server
A private telephone switchboard that serves a designated group of users (like a building). The server provides on-premises dial service and can provide local and trunked communication network connections.
Concrete
A proportioned mixture of cement, aggregate and water.
Cement Mortar
A proportioned mixture of cement, fine aggregate and water.
Flutter Echo
A rapid but repetitive succession of sounds caused by highly reflective parallel surfaces (wall to wall, or ceiling to floor).
Fire
A rapid oxidation process accompanied by the evolution of heat, light, flame and the emission of sound.
Lac
A resin exuded by certain insects in India in the twigs of trees.
Knob Rose
A round disk or plate fastened to the face of a door around the hole in the door through which the doorknob spindle passes.
Anechoic Chamber
A sealed room in which all the surfaces are designed to completely absorb all sound produced in the room.
Hoistway
A shaftway for the travel of one or more elevators or dumbwaiters.
Angle Clip
A short angle for joining structural members meeting at right angles.
Seat Angle
A short angle for supporting a beam in a shear-resisting connection.
Nut
A short metal block having a central hole which is threaded to receive a bolt, screw, or other threaded part.
Roofing Nail
A short nail having a barbed or ring shank and a comparatively large flat head; may be galvanized or bright; often provided with a neoprene, lead, or plastic washer; used to secure roofing felt or shingles to a roof-deck or roof boards.
Annunciator
A signaling apparatus in an elevator car or at a landing that displays a visual indication of floor landings.
Toilet Lockset
A simply designed lockset which is locked from the inside by pushing, without a key, a universal button. To release, the cylindrical knob is turned from the inside only.
Resultant
A single force, a couple, or a force and a couple which acting alone will produce the same effect as the force system.
Free-Body Diagram
A sketch of a body showing the forces exerted by other bodies on the one being considered.
Two Way Slab
A slab which is less than or equal to 2 according to IS-456/2000.
One Way Slab
A slab which is more than 2 according to IS-456/2000.
Finishing Nail
A slender nail made from finer wire than the common nail; has a bradtype head which permits it to be set below the surface of the wood, leaving only a small hole which can be puttied easily; used in finishing work.
Casing Nail
A slender nail with a small, slightly flared head used for finishing work.
Brad Nail
A small finishing nail, usually of the same thickness throughout, with a head that is almost flush with the sides or a head that projects slightly to one side.
Leak
A small opening in a barrier that allows airborne sound to pass through.
Sound Lock
A small space that works as a buffer between a source room and a receiving room.
Intermittent Sound
A sound which is discontinuous or fluctuates to such an extent that at times its sound pressure level falls below a measurable level.
Spark Gap
A space between two terminals or electrodes across which a discharge of electricity may pass at a prescribed voltage.
Trencher
A special kind of excavator which digs trenches or long, narrow ditches for pipelines or cables.
Backsaw
A special type of handsaw that has a very thin blade and makes very straight cuts such as those on trims and mouldings.
Turpentine
A spirit obtained by steam distillation of the resin or gum which exudes from pine trees known as the best thinner.
Latch Bolt
A spring bolt, one edge of which is beveled. When the door or window to which it is attached is closed, the bolt is forced inward. When in the fully closed position, the bolt springs back into a fixed notch or cavity.
Indeterminate Structure
A stable structure in which the reaction components and internal stress cannot be solved completely using the equations of static equilibrium.
Dry Standpipe System
A standpipe is connected to the building exterior (max ht.= 1.20M) for connection to fire department.
Caisson Foundation
A system of caissons cast-in place, plain, or reinforced concrete piers formed by boring with a large auger or excavating by hand a shaft in the earth to a suitable bearing stratum and filling the shaft with concrete.
Natural System
A system of collecting storm water without using any roof gutters or downspouts
Pile Foundation
A system of end bearing or friction piles, pile caps, and tie beams for transferring building loads down to a suitable bearing stratum.
Platform Frame
A system of framing for a building of wood construction several stories high, in which the studs are only one story high.
Metal Reinforcement
A system of steel bars, strands, or wires for absorbing tensile, shearing and sometimes the compressive stresses in a concrete member or structure.
Open Circuit System
A system which is usually de-energized and functions only when activated.
Single-Line Phones
A telephone system comprising of the basic telephones, just like the ones in an average home, that can be bought at an appliance store and have no additional extensions, no transfer capabilities, and are analog units that hook up directly into a jack in the wall.
Stearic Acid
A typical neutral flux.
Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC)
A weighted single number rating of the sound reduction effectiveness of a partition that separates an indoor space from the outside.
Truss
A welded steel frame which supports the moving stairway equipment of an escalator. It comes in 3 sections: the middle straight section maybe of any desired length to provide rises of different heights.
Coarse Aggregate
Aggregate larger than ¼" in size. Consists of crushed stones, gravel or other inert materials of similar characteristics.
Fine Aggregate
Aggregates smaller than 6mm (¼") in size. Consist of sand, stone screenings or other inert materials of similar characteristics. 80 to 95% shall pass a No. 4 wire cloth sieve and not more than 30% nor less than 10% shall pass a No. 50 sieve.
Fire Growth Restriction
Aimed at ensuring that the growing fire is extinguished immediately and at providing adequate time for firemen to arrive, control the fire and evacuate the occupants.
Eliminator Plates
Air cleaning equipment that consist of corrugated galvanized iron sheets placed 1-1/8" apart which deflect the air flow about 30 deg catching the wet dust on the surfaces.
Viscous Filters
Air cleaning equipment that consist of metal deflecting plates or screens coated with viscous oil.
Ceiling Outlets
Air outlets that include plaques, perforated panels, and perforated ceilings.
Bored Lock and Latch
Also called cylindrical lock, is installed by boring holes through the face of the door and from the edge of the door to the other bored opening.
Oil Hydraulic Elevators
Also called plunger elevators. It is raised by means of a movable rod nor plunger rigidly fixed to the bottom of the car.
Toe-Nailing
Also called skew or tusk nailing. Nailing obliquely to the surfaces being joined.
Preassembled Lock and Latch
Also called unit lock, is a complete unit slid into a notch made in the edge of the door and requires very little adjustment. They are often found in older buildings.
Slaked Lime
Also known as Calcium Hydroxide.
Plaster Block
Also known as gypsum partition blocks, are usually made of gypsum, vegetable fibers as binders, and reinforcement. Used for lightweight, fire-resistant interior partitions and for furring and fireproofing columns.
Non-Metallic Sheathed Cable (Type NM or NMC)
Also known by the trade name ROMEX, is a factory assembly of two or more insulated conductors having a moisture resistant, flame retardant, and non-metallic material outer sheath.
Chemical Finish
Aluminum finish based on chemical reactions with the aluminum surface to achieve a clean surface texture, or a polished effect and oxidizing the surface with aluminum or other metallic oxides that protect the surface or serve as a base for subsequent treatment, or both.
Mechanical Finish
Aluminum finish obtained by grinding polishing, scratching, sandblasting, embossing, or other treatment of the surface to achieve a desired effect or to provide a base for other finishes.
Electroplating
Aluminum finish whereby aluminum is covered with a protective or decorative film or another metal, usually by electrodeposition.
Aluminum Mesh and Wire Cloth
Aluminum used for fencing, particularly chain link fencing and insect screening.
Amplifier
Amplifies and controls the current.
Corrosive Flux
An acid type and salt type flux which includes chlorides of zinc, ammonium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum and other metal.
Bronze
An alloy of copper and tin which varies only slightly from 90% copper and 10% tin composition.
Alclad
An aluminum protective coating (cladding) applied, primarily for corrosion resistance, to thin sheets of an alloy whose corrosion resistance has been decreased by the constituents added to give strength and other characteristics.
Screw Anchor
An anchor having a metal shell with a screw along its central axis; when the shell is placed in a hole and the screw is driven in, the shell expands, tightly securing the anchor in the hole. Locally called a tux screw with a plastic shell.
Force System
An arrangement of any two or more forces that act on a body or on a group of related bodies.
Prime Mover
An engine or motor operated by steam, gas, air, electricity, liquid or gaseous fuels, liquids in motion or other forms of energy whose main function is to drive or operate, either directly of indirectly, other mechanical equipment.
Process Machine
An equipment designed and operated for a specific purpose.
Conveyor
An equipment which moves materials other than fluids.
Personnel Entry Control
An industrial building security system that uses a card reader.
Nickel
An inert silvery metal which resembles iron in strength and toughness and copper in its resistance to oxidation and corrosion.
External Inspection
An inspection made on boiler during operation.
Internal Inspection
An inspection made when a boiler is shut down, with hand holes, manholes, or other openings opened or removed to permit inspection of the interior.
Spirit Level
An instrument or tool capable of vertical and horizontal line check.
Portable Boiler
An internally fired boiler which is self-contained, primarily intended for temporary location.
Entrance Lockset
An intricately designed lockset; operated inside with a key and a thumbturn or a universal button which when pushed stays put and locks the door.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
An over current protective device that will provide ground fault protection as well as function as an ordinary circuit breaker.
Circuit Breaker
An over-current protective device designed to function as a switch, or it can be manually tripped and thus act as a circuit switch. It breaks a circuit with an automatic tripping device without injury to itself.
Stud
An upright post or support especially one of a series of vertical structural members which act as the supporting elements in a wall or partition.
Western Framing
Another name for platform framing.
Waffle Slab
Another name for two-way joist slab.
Drilled Piles or Piers
Another term for caissons.
Absorbing Well
Another term for dry well.
Isolated Footing
Another term for individual footing.
Friction Catch
Any cabinet catch which, when it engages a strike, is held in the engaged position by friction.
Grounded Conductor
Any conductor of an electrical system intentionally connected to a ground connection.
Accidental Contact
Any inadvertent physical contact with power transmission equipment, prime movers, machines or machine parts which could result from slipping, falling, sliding, tripping or any other unplanned action or movement.
Web
Any member which joins the top and bottom chords in a truss.
Clinch Nail
Any nail designed for clinching, after driving.
Joist
Any of a series of small, repetitive parallel beams for supporting floors, ceilings, or flat roofs.
Feeder
Any of the conductors extending from the service equipment to various distribution points in a building.
Paint
Applied as finish to aluminum surfaces that have been prepared by a suitable chemical treatment finish.
Life Risk Areas
Areas in which all occupants are ambulant and able to move unaided away from a fire
High Life Risk Areas
Areas in which persons may reside and are not able to move unaided away from a fire.
High Fire Load Areas
Areas which, because of their construction or contents, contain large amounts of combustible materials, thereby constituting a fire load in excess of that normally found
High Fire Risk Areas
Areas which, due to their function, are more usually susceptible to an outbreak of fire, or to a rapid spread of fire or smoke.
Reflective Glass
As a thin, translucent metallic coating to reflect a portion of the light and radiant heat that strike it. The coating may be applied to one surface of single glazing, in between the plies of laminated glass, or to the exterior or interior surfaces of insulating glass.
Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX)
Based on solid-state technology, thus the entire system can handle up to 500 lines and trunks, 4 operator consoles, and over 140 simultaneous conversations plus full intercom facilities, all occupying a cabinet 0.60 M x 0.70M x 1.8 M.
Lag Screw
Bolt having a square head and a thin, coarse-pitched thread.
Flemish Bond
Brick work that consists of alternate headers and stretchers in each course.
Triangle-Mesh Wire Fabric
Built up of either single or stranded longitudinal wires with cross wires or bond-wires running diagonally across the fabric. The longitudinal wires are spaced at 4" on centers and the cross wires 4" or 8" apart.
Foamed Slag
By-product lightweight aggregate used for precast blocks, cast-inplace walls of houses and for panel filling of steel-framed buildings.
Short Column
Category of column where failure is initiated by material failure.
Pedestal or Short Compression Blocks
Category of column where height is less than three times the least dimension.
Long or Slender Column
Category of column where strength of the column is significantly reduced due to slenderness.
Shallow Foundation
Category of foundation system which are employed when stable soil of adequate bearing capacity occurs relatively near the ground surface.
Battery Equipment
Central storage batteries are mounted in individual racks and always provided with automatic charging equipment.
Turbine Pump
Centrifugal pumps used for large applications because of their multiple impellers.
Bituminous Fiber Sewer Pipe
Cheapest of all types of pipes. Light in weight, slightly flexible and can take slight soil movement without danger of cracking or pulling out of its joints. It is thus suited for house sewer and septic tank installations.
15-20 Amperes
Circuit load limits for lighting, small appliances, and current devices.
Conduit
Circular raceways used to enclose wires and cables and are of metal or plastic (PVC).
Indirect Pressure Distribution
Classification of public water distribution where water is taken form a drilled well or underground water.
AASHTO Soil Classification System
Classifies inorganic soils for suitability as subgrade materials in terms of good drainage and bearing capacity.
Joist
Closely spaced beams supporting the floor of a building.
Scratch Coat
Coat in the cement plaster finish with average thickness of 3/8".
Control Devices and Systems
Collective term for the following:
Spiral Column
Columns with longitudinal bars and closely spaced continuous spiral hooping.
Tied Column
Columns with longitudinal bars and lateral ties.
Timber
Combustible material manifesting little loss of strength as charcoal formed insulates wood core; spreads flames.
Class D Fire
Combustible metals such as potassium, sodium, magnesium and other reactive metals
Flexible Metal Conduit Wiring
Comes in lengths of 25 ft - 250 ft (8 M - 83 M) depending on the size of the conduit.
Water-Resistant Backing Gypsum Board
Comes with water-resistant gypsum core and water-repellant face paper. May be used as base for walls of bathrooms, showers, and other areas exposed to wetting.
Propeller (Axial Fans)
Commonly used for wall exhausts.
Electrical Circuit
Complete conducting path carrying current from a source of electricity to and through some electrical device or load and back to the source
Diagonal
Component of the metal shoring which may be of the adjustable and the fixed type.
Accelerator
Concrete admixture used to speed up setting time, to develop earlier strength, and to reduce length of time for protection.
Compressive Strength
Concrete curing property that reaches about 60% of its own maximum value at an age of 28 days and about 80% at an age of 3 months.
Plastic
Concrete form including polystyrene.
Floor Conduits
Connects the splicing closets or cabinets into the distribution terminal cabinets and to floor ducts, wall outlets, etc.
Statuary Bronze
Considered the only true bronze of architectural work consisting usually of 97% copper, 2% tin and 1% zinc.
All-Season Centralized Air Conditioning System
Consists of a method of cooling, a refrigeration plant, a source of heating such as a boiler or furnace an Air Handling Unit (AHU) equipped with filters, pre-heater, spray, cooling coils and re-heater, the air distributing equipment composed of ducts, fans and air outlets, and the necessary manual or automatic controls.
Sound Amplifying System
Consists of a microphone, amplifier, and loudspeaker. Also called a "Public Address System".
Controller
Consists of contactors, relays and a circuit breaker in an elevator.
Millwork
Consists of finished lumber which is further cut and processed at a lumber mill. Includes doors, windows, mouldings, trim and other ornamental forms of wood.
Tempering Coils
Contain steam and are used to heating the air ie., preheaters and reheaters.
Switchgear Room
Contains the service equipment for a large building.
Pollution
Contamination by organic matter or sewage.
Geomembranes
Continuous polymeric sheets that are impermeable.
Collective Control
Control is arranged to collect all waiting up calls on the trip up and all waiting down calls on the trip down.
Globe Valve
Controls the flow of water with a movable spindle.
Oxidizing Filter
Correction process for color problems in water.
Chlorination
Correction process for pollution in water.
Galvanized Iron Roofing
Corrugated galvanized iron sheets manufactured in lengths of 5 to 12 ft. in 1 ft. increments, the 8 ft length being the most commonly used. Sometimes used as siding for industrial buildings.
Metal Decking
Corrugated steel panels used as a working platform during construction and eventually as formwork for sitecast concrete slab.
Broken Range Ashlar
Course laid with the horizontal joints uninterrupted but the width of the courses and the length of the stones are varied to produce a wall with a less regular pattern.
Rustic Work
Courses of stone face which is jagged, so as to present a rough surface.
Vertical Barriers
Created by applying 4 gallons of termiticide per 3 linear meters by rodding or trenching around the base of foundations, plumbing, utility entrances, expansion joints, and where two slabs will join.
Steel
Defined as alloys of iron and carbon which do not contain more than 2% carbon and which are made in malleable or ingot form.
Consistency
Defined as the "state of fluidity of the mix", and includes the entire range of fluidity from the wettest to the driest possible mixtures.
Panel Hardboard
Denser than the standard hardboard but not as dense as tempered hardboard.
Tempered Hardboard
Densest type of hardboard, made by impregnating standard board with tempering compound of oils and resins and baking it to polymerize the tempering materials. It is dark brown in color, brittle and stiff, with improved machining qualities and greater resistance to moisture and water penetration, making it ideal for exterior use.
DPWH
Dept. of Public Works and Highways (Phil Govt)
Protected Escape Routes
Designed in such a way that they lead to a place of safety, and once inside the occupants are safe from the immediate danger from fire and smoke.
Automatic Door Bottoms
Devices that are mortised or surface applied to the bottom of the door to provide a sound or light seal. When the door is open the seal is up. As the door is closed a plunger strikes the jamb and forces the seal down.
Wavelength
Distance between two adjacent compressions or rarefactions in a sound wave.
T-Telescopic Extension
Drawer runner with full extending systems.
E-Single Extension
Drawer runner with withdrawal distance designed to be less than installation length.
Driven Well
Dug with a sharp pointed hollow slotted iron rod and well screen.
Plumbing Trade
Duly recognized by the government in the City of Manila in 1902.
Copper Pipe
Durable and extremely corrosive resistant, easy to install, and has smooth interior surface.
Wythe or Tier
Each continuous, vertical section of the wall, one masonry unit thick.
Coded Manual Station
Each station in a manual fire alarm system is coded and this code is received at the control panel, processed and transmitted audibly on the system gongs
Strings
Either plastic cords or galvanized wires strung across batter boards and used to indicate the outline of the building wall and foundation.
Volt
Electromotive force or potential difference between two points in an electric field which will move a charge of one coulomb between these points.
Class C Fire
Energized electrical equipment.
Service Equipment
Equipment necessary for controlling, metering and protecting the electric power supply to a building.
Heavy Equipment
Equipment which is very large and very powerful.
Waste Pipe
Essential part of a sanitary drainage system, conveys only wastewater or liquid waste free of fecal matter.
Vent Pipe
Essential part of a sanitary drainage system, used for ensuring the circulation of air in a plumbing system and for relieving the negative pressure exerted on trap seals.
Service Conductors
Extend from a main power line or transformer to the service equipment of a building.
House/Building Sewer
Extends from the house drain at a point 0.60 meters from the outside face of the foundation wall of a building to the junction with the street sewer or to any point of discharge, and conveying the drainage of one building site.
Environmental Noise
Exterior background noise in a neighborhood.
Screw
Externally threaded fastener.
Epoxy Resin
Extremely strong, waterproof adhesive that may be used to secure both porous and nonporous materials. Sets at low temperatures and under wet conditions.
Sheet Glass
Fabricated by drawing the molten glass from a furnace (drawn glass), or by forming a cylinder, dividing it lengthwise, and flattening it (cylinder glass). The firepolished surfaces are not perfectly parallel, resulting in some distortion of vision.
Fidelity
Faithful reproduction of a sound source.
Metal Screw
Fastened by screwing into metal.
Mineral Wool Tile
Felted rock wool with a fissured surface. This type of acoustic tile has limited acoustic values, is flame retardant but will not withstand rough usage and cannot be painted. It is available in ½, 5/8, 2/4, 7/8 and 1 in. thickness. Sizes are 12"x12", 12"x24" and 24"x24".
Choker Course
Filter layer of finer material that is installed over a coarse road base material. Its purpose is to provide a stable foundation of fine-grained aggregate for the construction of a pavement.
Finish
Final coat in a three-coat job plastering.
Grounding Rod or Electrode
Firmly embedded in the earth to establish a ground connection.
Class B Fire
Flammable or combustible liquids, flammable gases.
Sound Pressure
Fluctuating pressure of sound superimposed on the static air pressure.
Vehicle
Fluid portion of the paint. It carries the particles of the pigment in suspension and by the oxidation deposits and hardening binds them to painted surface or by evaporation deposits them thereon.
Cantilever Footing
Footings of the exterior and interior columns connected by a tie-beam or strap which is so extended to suppport the exterior column.
Flared Joints
For soft copper, water tubing shall be expanded with a proper flaring tool.
Type X Gypsum Board
For use in fire-rated assemblies, wallboard, backing board, or coreboard made more fire-resistant by addition of glass-fiber or other reinforcing materials.
Plate Glass
Formed by rolling molten glass into a plate that is subsequently ground and polished after cooling. Provides virtually clear, undistorted vision.
Binder
Forms the film of the paint vehicle.
Cellular Metal Floor Raceway
Found usually in office landscaping, it is an integrated structural/electrical system in a cellular metal floor.
Switchboard
Free standing assemblies of switches, fuses, and/or circuit breakers whose function normally is to provide switching and feeder protection to a number of circuits connected to a main source.
Direct Current Generator
Furnish electrical energy for elevators,
Lath
Furnished either in flat or segmental sheets, pressed into a series of solid ribs, between which the metal is stamped, perforated or deformed into an open mesh-work.
Lift-Off Butt
Furniture butt hinge for cabinet doors which have to be removed from time to time without disturbing setting.
Clock Case Hinge
Furniture butt hinge where one plate is wider to allow for a projecting door.
Back Flap Hinge
Furniture butt hinge with wide plates for table leaves and rabbeted full flaps.
Protector
Generally required in residential telephone lines to protect against lightning.
Elevator
Generally used in buildings where several peak periods of traffic occur each day, (i.e. In office buildings, hospitals, apartment buildings).
Chromium Plating
Gives a thin, hard, bright, wear resistant surface which sheds water when highly polished.
Iron Oxide
Gives glass a pale blue-green tint.
Foamed (Cellular) Glass
Glass form used as rigid, vapor proof thermal insulation.
Matte Glaze
Glaze finish which do not clearly reflect an image or are entirely without sheen.
Bright Glaze
Glaze finish which have a highly polished surface and reflect an image clearly.
Gypsum Rock
Ground fine and heated (calcined) between 325 Deg F to 340 Deg F when it loses about three-fourths of its combined water.
Bonding Plaster
Gypsum plaster mixed with ingredients develop more adhesive strength in combinations covered by trademarks or patents. Used for interior finish for smooth concrete walls or ceilings.
Fibered Gypsum Plaster
Gypsum plaster premixed with fibers. Mixed on the job with water and sand for scratch coat for three-coat plastering job.
Base Course Materials
Hard durable fragments of stone and a filler of sand or other finely divided mineral matter, free from vegetable matter and lumps of clay.
Impervious Tile
Hardest tile according to its degree of vitrification. Their moisture absorption is negligible and they are readily cleansed of stains and dirt.
Rough Hardware
Hardware meant to be concealed, such as bolts, nails, screws, spikes, and other metal fittings.
Patterned Glass
Has a linear or geometric surface pattern formed in the rolling process to obscure vision or to diffuse light.
Lockset
Has a special mechanism that allows the door to be locked with a key or thumbturn.
Lally Column
Has a steel pipe on the outside and concrete or grout on the inside. Usually cylindrical in shape.
Obscure Glass
Has one or both sides acid-etched or sandblasted to obscure vision. Either process weakens the glass and makes it difficult to clean.
Interconnected Lock
Have a cylindrical lock and a dead bolt. The two locks are interconnected so that a single action of turning a knob or lever handle on the inside releases both bolts.
Semivitreous Tile
Have a degree of density that limits moisture absorption to from 3 to 7% of the weight of the tile.
June 18, 1955
House Bill No. 962 became R.A. 1378 "Plumbing Law of the Philippines" upon ratification of President Ramon Magsaysay.
Sound
Human ear's response to pressure fluctuations in the air caused by vibrating objects.
Ohm's Law
I (amp) = V (Volts) / R (Ohms)
Cobalt Oxide
Imparts a grayish tint to glass.
Time Equipment
Include clock and program equipment.
Water-Cooled Condenser
Include double-piped condenser, shell and tube condenser, and evaporative condenser.
Cabinet Knob
Includes screw-in knob, bolt-on knob, flush knob, flush ring, and pull.
Zoning
Indicate the effective peak ground acceleration.
Survival Limit State
Inelastic behavior and may have major structural damage as categorized by the performance criteria of RC members resisting earthquake. Major - Magnitude 7 and up - 100-500 years.
Extender Pigment
Inert pigments which when mixed with the drying oils possess very little hiding power. They serve to prevent the primary pigment from settling in a hard mass at the bottom of the paint can.
Reverberation Time
Influenced by volume of the room, sound absorbing qualities of the room's surfaces, number of people and furniture in the room.
Selenium
Infuses a bronze tint to glass.
Storage Boiler
Large hot water tank (60-130 cm in diameter; 5m max length); Made of heavy duty material sheets applied with rust proof paint; Standard working pressure limit is 65 to 100 psi.
Girder
Large-sized beams usually carrying the floor beams.
Membrane Waterproofing
Layers of waterproofing materials used in this method range from ordinary tar paper laid with coal-tar pitch to asbestos or asphalted felt laid in asphalt.
Wood Screw
Length should be about 1/8" (3) less than the combined thickness of the boards being joined, with ½ to 2/3 of the screw's length penetrating the base material.
Standard Hardboard
Light brown in color and has a fairly hard, smooth surface on one side and a screened impression on the other. It is flexible and easy to bend. It is suitable for interior use only and where it is not subject to moisture.
Aerocrete
Light-weight, expanded structural concrete produced by adding a small amount of metallic aluminum powder to the mixture of Portland cement and sand of cinders.
Scum
Lighter organic material that rise to the surface of the water.
Balloon Frame
Lightest form of framing, in which the studding and corner posts are set up in continuous lengths from first floor line or sill to roof plate.
Effluent
Liquid content of sewage.
Galvanic Series
Lists metals in order from most noble to least noble.
Electric Final Limit Switches
Located a few feet below and above safe travel limits of elevator car. If car over-travels, either down or up, these switches de-energizes the motor and sets the main brake.
Foot Valve
Located at the lower end of the pumps. Used mainly to prevent loss of priming of the pumps. Also caled "Retention Valve".
Grade Beam
Lowermost spandrel of a building that has no basement.
Subterranean Termite
Lumber deterioration-causing insects that live in the ground and build earthen tubes to reach their food - cellulose which includes wood primarily but also paper and pulp products.
Strip Lumber
Lumber less than 2" thick and less than 8" wide.
Timber
Lumber pieces 5" or more on the smallest dimension.
Engine-Generator Set
Machines intended to produce electricity and composed of three components: the machine and its housing (if any), fuel storage tank and the exhaust facilities.
Cranes
Machines that lift large and heavy materials.
Expanded Slag
Made by treating molten blast furnace slag with controlled quantities of water or steam.
Check Valve
Main function is to prevent reversal of flow (backflow) in the line.
Colored Pigments
Mainly to used to give color to concrete floors.
Occupancy and Structural Configuration
Major parameters in the selection of design criteria.
Membrane Waterproofing
Method of concrete-waterproofing pertaining to surrounding the concrete with layers of waterproofing materials.
Liquid Limit (LL)
Moisture content at which a soil changes from the liquid state to the plastic state, measured when soil in a shallow dish flows to close a 12.5 mm groove after 25 drops from 1 cm.
Geotextiles
Most common geosynthetics, and consist of woven or nonwoven fabric made from polymeric materials such as polyester or polypropylene generally used for reinforcement, separation, filtration, and in-plane drainage.
Thermostat
Most common temperature detector.
Folding Rule
Most common tool for measuring boards, pipe, wire, etc. Includes tape measure.
Drum Mixer
Most common type of continuous concrete mixer.
Full Mortise Hinge
Most common type of hinge and has both leaves fully mortised into the frame and edge of the door.
Plywood
Most common wood composite. It gets its name from its construction: it is made of several thin plies, or veneers, of wood that have been glued together.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Extinguishers
Most effective on Class B and C (liquids and electrical) fires. Since the gas disperses quickly, these extinguishers are only effective from 1.0 to 2.4 feet.
Two-Wire Circuit
Most elementary of all wiring systems, consists of a live wire carrying the current to the various power consuming devices in the circuit and a neutral or grounded wire which is the return wire carrying the circuit back to the source of supply.
Brass Pipe
Most expensive pipe classification. Made of an alloy or zinc (15%) and copper (85%). Resistant to acids and has a smooth interior surface.
Corridor System
Must be direct and not tortuous. Must have simple lay-out, no barriers, cul-de-sacs, bottlenecks, doors open out, easily detectible, and not hidden from view.
Corner and Alternate Longitudinal Bar for Columns
Must have lateral support provided by the corner of the tie and no bars shall be located more than 150 mm on either side from such laterally supported bar.
Sodium Silicate
Neutralizer introduced in the acidic water treatment to raise alkaline.
Rustication
Occurs when heavier stones or areas of stone project from the normal face of the surrounding wall or of the joint themselves.
Architectural Gold
Of the colors used in anodic treatments, it has proven to be one of the most stable from the standpoint of fade resistance.
Outside Privies
Oldest form of disposal of organic waste. Consists of a vault constructed of concrete for the collection of raw sewage and a wooden shelter.
Floor Joist
One of a series of parallel beams used to support floor and ceiling loads, and supported in turn by larger beams, girders or bearing walls.
Polystyrene
One of most important thermoplastics because of its excellent transparency and rigidity and its easy moldability. It is non-water absorbent, it is found in colorful, but brittle wall tiles. It is one of several plastics used in lighting fixture diffusers. In foam form, it has become an important thermal insulator. Also found in paint for concrete.
Commercial Bronze
One of the more commonly used brasses consisting 90% copper and 10% zinc.
Lime
One of the oldest manufactured building materials used as a mortar and plaster by all the early civilizations. Manufactured by the calcination of limestone (carbonates of calcium and magnesium).
Vitrified Clay Pipe
One of the oldest materials used for sewer lines. Highly resistant to most acids. Because it is made of clay, it is brittle and cracks easily when laid on unstable ground.
Switchboard
One or a group of panels on which are mounted switches, overcurrent devices, metering instruments and buses.
Receptacle Outlet
Outlet where one or more receptacles are installed.
Methods of Cooling and De-Humidifying
Passing the air through a spray of cold water; Passing the air through coils containing cold water; Passing the air through coils containing the refrigerant itself; Passing the air through a combination of sprays and coils.
Speed
Physical quantity of sound referring to the rate at which sound travels in air.
Disposal Fields
Private sewage disposal system common in rural areas for structures with large adjacent open fields
Hardening
Process wherein cement and water unite to form compounds that give strength and durability to the concrete. It continues as long as the temperatures are favorable and moisture is present.
Flexibility
Property of wood pertaining to the amount of piece that will bend before breaking.
Rust-Inhibiting Paint
Protective paint for ferrous metal and are of two types: priming paint and finish paint.
Emergency System
Provides electric power and illumination essentially for life safety and protection of property during an emergency, such as, electricity for exit lighting, elevators, fire alarm systems, fire pumps and the like.
Surface Water
Rainfall which runs over the surface of the ground and water carried by an aggregate except that held by absorption within the aggregate particles themselves.
Plumbing Fixture
Receptacles which are used to provide, receive and discharge water, liquid and water-carried wastes into a drainage system with which they are connected to.
Vinyl Flooring
Recommended where a colorful, textured, tough, durable, easily maintained, grease resistant type of finish flooring is required for areas of both light and heavy human traffic.
Counterweights
Rectangular blocks of cast iron stacked in one frame which is fastened to the opposite ends of the cables to which the car is fastened.
Fire Avoidance
Reducing the possibility of accidental ignition of construction materials, as well as fittings and fixtures.
Butt Hinge
Referred to as butts because they are usually attached to the butt edge of a door. Consists of two leaves with an odd number of knuckles on one leaf and an even number of knuckles on the other.
Second Level Personnel Entry Control
Requires the encoding of a three-digit number simultaneously with the insertion of a card. This bars the entry of unauthorized card holders.
Spirit Varnish
Resolution of resin in volatile solvent.
Rail-Steel Bar
Rolled from standard T-rails and come only in one grade.
Sand-Float Finish
Rubbed finish where fine sand is used instead of grout.
High-Strength Gypsum Plaster
Same as gypsum plaster but mixed to meet established standards. Mixed on the job with water, sand, lime putty, hair or fiber for two and three-coat finish surfaces for both exteriors and interiors.
Bedroom Lockset
Same as the entrance lockset but simpler in design.
Acoustics
Science dealing with the production, control, transmission, reception and effects of sound in an enclosed space.
Panel Board
Serves to control and protect the sub feeders and branch circuits.
Feeder Circuit
Set of conductors which extends from the main switchboard to a distributing center (panel board) with no other circuits connected to it between the source and the distributing center.
Combination Public Sewer
Sewer classification that carries both storm & sanitary wastes.
Burned Lead Joints
Shall be lapped and the assembly shall be fused together to form a uniform weld at least as thick as the lead sheets being joined.
Transverse Reinforcement
Shall be proportioned to resist shear assuming Vc = 0 when both of the following conditions occur: (MprA + MprB)/L greater than or equal to Ve and Pu less than or equal to 0.05f'cAg for flexural members.
General Purpose Branch Circuit
Shall be rated at 20 amperes wired with No. 12 AWG minimum. may be No. 14 AWG if the lighting load permits.
Tie Spacing for Columns
Shall be spaced not more than 16 times the diameter of longitudinal bar, 48 times the diameter of ties, or the least lateral dimension of the column.
Branch Circuit
Shall be sufficient to supply a load of 30 watts per square meter (3 watts per square foot) in buildings excluding porches, garages and basements.
Primary Lines
Shall have a minimum vertical clearance of 10 m from the crown of the pavement when crossing the highway
Secondary, Neutral, and Service Lines
Shall have a minimum vertical clearance of 7.5 m from the crown of the road pavement when crossing the highway and from the top of the shoulder or sidewalk when installed along the side of the highway or street in highly urbanized area.
Guarded
Shielded, fenced or otherwise protected by means of suitable enclosure guards, covers or standard railings, so as to preclude the possibility of accidental contact or dangerous approach to persons or objects.
Ceiling Board
Shiplapped board with a bead running along the center of the board and along the joint. Thickness are 3/8 and ½ in. Widths of boards are 4 and 6 in.
Clear Distance of Longitudinal Bars for Columns
Should not be less 1.5bd or 40mm as required by the Code.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
Similar in operation to the shell and tube condenser. The refrigerant is expanded into a shell enclosing the tube through which the water flows.
First Level Personnel Entry Control
Simple insertion of a card by the holder to an electric device which grants entry when a card is inserted into it for identification.
Test Pits
Site investigation method for shallow work which calls for an actual inspection of the undisturbed material over a considerable area.
Range Boiler
Small hot water tank (30-60 cm diameter; 180cm max length); Made of galvanized steel sheet, copper or stainless steel; Standard working pressure limit is 85 to 150 psi
Main Terminal Cabinet for Room
Small sized wall type terminals are mounted to metal cabinets attached to or recessed in walls or columns. Large sizes of wall type terminals and frame type terminals (terminals mounted in frames accessible from both sides) should be located in rooms which are intended for the purpose and constructed of fire resisting materials.
Ceramic Tile
Small surfacing units made from clay or mixture of clay with other ceramic materials and fired according to various processes.
Silt-Clay Particles
Soil classification passing no.200 sieve.
Spandrel
Spans between columns and support the floors and curtain walls.
Switch
A device for making, breaking, or changing conditions in an electrical circuit under the conditions of load which they are rated.
Lightning Arrester
A device for protecting electric equipment from damage by lightning or other high-voltage currents, using spark gaps to carry the current to the ground without passing through the device.
Structural Steel
Steel that is hot-rolled or cold-formed in a variety of standard shapes and fabricated for use as load-bearing members or elements.
Culverts
Sub-surface drainage system component pertaining to drains or channels passing under a road or walkway.
Plastic or Synthetic Pipe
Superior type of pipe because it weighs less, is easy to cut, is flexible, has a smooth interior surface, and is cheaper than steel.
General Purpose Branch Circuit
Supplies outlets for lighting and appliances, including convenience receptacles.
Ponds and Marshes
Surface drainage system component pertaining to designed catchments areas for surface water.
Smoke Containment/Barrier
Technique of restricting the movement of smoke by the provision of fire resisting elements.
Shoring
Temporary supports designed to carry forms for beams and slabs.
Penny
Term of designation for nail lengths.
Evaporation
That part of the AC/refrigeration system in which liquid refrigerant is vaporized to produce refrigeration.
Polyester
The plastic most commonly used in large glass-fiber reinforced translucent panels that are strong, rigid, and impact-resistant. Also used for impregnating paper and wood, as laminating material, and for contact adhesive.
Service Entrance
The point of delivery of electricity to a building by a public utility company.
Service Entrance Conductor
The portion of a service conductor extending from a service drop or service lateral to the service equipment of a building
Staking-Out
The process of relocating the point of boundaries and property line of the site where the building is to be constructed.
Seasoning
The process of removing moisture from green wood (wood from freshly-cut logs).
Extrusion
The process of shaping material by forcing it to flow through shaped opening in a die.
Air Conditioning
The process of treating air so as to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, cleanliness and distribution to meet the requirements of the conditioned space.
Noise Reduction (NR)
The reduction in sound pressure level of noise.
Service
The supplying of utilities required or demanded by the public.
Selectomatic elevator system
The system of Westinghouse Electric Company.
Reverberation Time
The time it takes for sound intensity to decay by 1 millionth of its steady state value after the sound source has been terminated.
Capacity of Works, Project or Plant
The total horsepower of all engines, motors, turbines or other prime movers installed, whether in operation or not.
Story Strength
The total strength of all seismic-resisting elements sharing the story for the direction under consideration.
Service Lateral
The underground portion of service conductors extending from a main power line or transformer to a building.
Watt-Hours
The unit of energy or the capacity for doing work.
Vent Stack Through Roof (VSTR)
The uppermost end above the roof.
Ton of Refrigeration
The useful refrigerating effect equal to 12,000 BTU/hour; 200 BTU/min.
Plastic Limit (PL)
The water content at which a silt or clay material will just begin to crumble when rolled into a thread approx 3.2mm (1/8inch) in diameter.
Fixture Branch
The water supply pipe between the fixture supply pipe and the water-distributing pipe.
Receptacle
The wiring device in which the utilization equipment (appliance) cord is plugged into.
Non-Coded Systems
These are continuous ringing evacuation type alarm devices, manual or automatic, which can be zoned and identifiable by means of an annunciator.
The Fire Triangle
Three elements - fuel, oxygen and heat - required to start a fire. The oxidation process will not be possible without any one of these elements.
Termite Proofing
Three types include physical barriers, chemical barriers, and colony elimination (bait) system.
Geocell
Three-dimensional prefabricated polymeric systems ranging from 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 inches) high. Originally developed to rapidly stabilize soft subgrades for mobilization of large equipment, they are now frequently used for protection and stabilization of steep slope surfaces and protective linings for channels.
Ceramic Mosaic Tile
Tiles less than 6 square inches in facial area, preponderantly unglazed, and having fully vitrified or fairly dense bodies. Usually mounted at the factory on sheets of paper about 2 square feet in area to facilitate installation.
Power Tools
Tools that employ power supplied by forces other than that coming from humans.
Hand Tools
Tools that use power delivered by man only.
Polypropylene
Tough plastic with good resistance to heat and chemical action.
Pure Iron
Tough, malleable silvery-white metal that is soft and ductile as copper. It is easily magnetized and is the most magnetically permeable of the metals.
Low-Emissivity Glass
Transmits visible light while selectively reflecting the longer wavelengths of radiant heat, produced by depositing a low-e coating either on the glass itself or over a transparent plastic film suspended in the sealed air space of insulating glass.
Oil Wood Stain
Transparent finish where pigments are derived from various earth clays. After they are dissolved in linseed oil, the coloring particles remain suspended between the oil molecules.
Pratt Truss
Truss commonly used in long span building ranging from 20 to 100 meters in span.
Elevator Machine
Turns the sheave that lifts and lowers the car.
Sticklac
Twig with lac resin attached that is crushed and washed to produce seed lac.
Asbestos and Varnished Cambric
Type Letter: AVA
Rubber Insulator
Type Letter: RHW
Silicone-Asbestos
Type Letter: SA
Thermoplastic Insulator
Type Letter: T
Heat-Resistant Thermoplastic Insulator
Type Letter: THHN
Facing Brick
Type of brick specially processed to give certain specific surface characteristics. Used for exposed masonry surfaces.
Wood Chisel
Type of chisel used to trim wood and clear away excess material from wood joints.
Brushed Finish
Type of concrete surface finish is obtained by scrubbing or brushing the concrete surface with fiber or wire brushes and water to remove the surface film or mortar, leaving the coarse aggregate exposed.
Exposed Agreggate Finish
Type of concrete surface finish where color is obtained from exposed aggregate and not by adding coloring material to the mixture.
Tooled Finish
Type of concrete surface finish where only small-sized aggregate should be used in the facing material, as it is hard to dress and obtain uniform results where large angular stones are encountered.
Sand-Blast Finish
Type of concrete surface finish which produces a granulated finish somewhat similar to sandstone but not so uniform, because the aggregates are likely to be brought out irregularly.
Oil Drier
Type of drier used in powdered or crystalline form such as litharge (monoxide of lead), manganese dioxide, borate.
Granolithic Finish
Type of finish that consists of a topping with a mixture of 1 part cement, 1 part sand and 1 part finely crushed stone.
Terrazo Finish
Type of finish that is used for floor and bases where durability, resistance to wear, and minimal maintenance are necessary. It is available either in precast form e.g. tile, or cast-in-place form, with either a smoothly polished or non-slip surface.
Automatic Fire Alarm System
Type of fire alarm system that uses detectors to trigger the alarm system.
Manual Fire Alarm System
Type of fire alarm system that uses visual detection and the alarm is triggered by hand.
Ripsaw
Type of handsaw that has chisel-like teeth designed for ripping or cutting with the grain of wood.
Crosscut Saw
Type of handsaw used to cut across the grain of wood.
Hacksaw
Type of handsaw used to cut metals.
Full-Surface Hinge
Type of hinge applied to the face of both the door and frame.
Half-Surface Hinge
Type of hinge that has one leaf mounted on the face of the door and the other leaf mortised into the frame.
Half-Mortise Hinge
Type of hinge where leaves are surface-applied to the frame and mortised into the edge of the door.
Scarf Joint
Type of joint by which the ends of two pieces of timber are united to form a continuous piece.
Dado Joint
Type of joint made in one piece at right angles to the grain of the other board.
Rotary Hammer
Type of power hammer that operates with both rotating and reciprocating actions and is used to drill holes in concrete, similar to an electric drill.
Pneumatic Hammer
Type of power hammer used to break up concrete or asphalt paving.
Radial Arm Saw
Type of power saw used for crosscutting wood and consists of a motor-driven saw blade that is hung on an arm over a table.
Table Saw
Type of power saw used for cutting large sheets of wood and wood composites and consists of a blade mounted on an electric motor beneath a table-like surface.
Portable Circular Saw
Type of power saw used for cutting materials that are difficult to cut with stationary tools.
Saber Saw
Type of power saw used to cut curves or holes in floors and roofs for pipes and has a small knifeshaped blade that moves up and down.
Shingles
Type of roofing that include wood and tar.
Standard Screwdriver
Type of screwdriver that has a flat tip and is designed to fit a standard slotted screw.
Speech
Type of sound consisting of both ordered and disordered sound.
Music
Type of sound generally not always made up of ordered sound.
Pipe Wrench
Type of specialized hand tool used to turn round objects like pipes.
Construction Laser
Type of surveying equipment that flashes a narrow, accurate beam of light to make a baseline for additional measurements and is used as a level or as an alignment tool.
Pressure Welding
Type of welding where pressure and heat make the weld.
Fusion Welding
Type of welding where the heat and added metal make the weld. the methods of heating are gas flame and electric arc.
Plain Joint
Type of wood joint made by lapping one piece over the other and nailing them together. Not a very strong joint.
Butt/Square Joint
Type of wood joint made by placing full thickness of wood directly against the second piece.
30 degrees
Typical angle of inclination of an escalator.
120 fpm and 180 fpm
Typical standard speed for electric walks.
90 fpm and 120 fpm
Typical standard speed for escalators.
27" and 36"
Typical standard width specification of an electric walk.
32" and 48"
Typical width specification of an escalator.
Quarry Tile
Unglazed floor tiles made from natural clays or shales by the plastic method. They are a very durable flooring material, being impervious to moisture, stains and dirt, and are resistant to abrasion.
Coursed Ashlar
Uniform courses with stones uniform in size.
Watt
Unit of electric power or the rate of doing electrical work.
Coulomb
Unit of electricity comprising approximately 6.25 x 10 18 electrons.
Noise
Unwanted sound.
Power-Driven Fasteners
Use gunpower charges to drive a variety of studs into concrete or steel.
Zeolite Process
Use of an ion exchanger in hard water treatment.
Plastic Pipe Connection to Other Materials
Use only approved types of fittings adapters designed for the specific transition intended.
Carpenter Ants and Powder-Pest Beetles
Use wood for shelter rather than for food, but if they are not found and are left undisturbed they can do extensive damage. They convert wood to powder, shredded fibers or pellets.
Weather Stripping
Used along the edge and bottom of doors to provide a tight seal against water and air infiltration. Different types of neoprene, felt, metal, vinyl, and other materials are used.
Gypsum Formboard
Used as a permanent form in the casting of gypsum concrete roof decks.
Foam
Used as flotation material, thermal insulators, and shock-resistant mountings. Offers possibilities for lightweight materials of high strength.
Transformer
Used by medium-sized and large buildings to step down from a high supply voltage to the service voltage.
Integral Colors
Used for body coloring and are incorporated in the mortar topping.
Acoustic Tile
Used for ceiling and wall finishes in rooms where it is required to control sound by absorption.
Silicones
Used for clear, waterrepellant paints for concrete and masonry surfaces above grade.
Controls and Valves
Used for control, isolation and repair of the water distribution system.
Motor
Used for converting electrical energy to mechanical energy.
Transformer
Used for converting one voltage to
Drilled Well
Used for drilling oil and can reach up to 1000m.
Corroding Lead
Used for fine white lead paints, red lead, litharge.
Grease Trap
Used for fixtures where grease may be introduced into the drainage or sewer system in quantities that can effect line stoppage or hinder sewage treatment or private sewage disposal.
Dry-cast, Broadcast or Dust-On
Used for for surface coloring. They are dusted on, usually in two coats, after all surface water has disappeared.
Air Pressure Testing
Used in detecting leaks by filling the piping system with compressed air (use of soap suds in locating escaping air).
Slip Joints
Used in fixture traps (exposed for maintenance) and drains.
Back Flow Valve
Used in house drain to prevent the unlikely occurrence of back flows.
Urethanes
Used in paint coatings, and as foams, are self-adhesive.
Glass Fiber
Used in textiles and for material reinforcement. Form glass wool in spun form, which is used for acoustical and thermal insulation.
Pneumatic Water Tank
Used in the Air Pressure System; Often used with a pump and makes use of a pressure relief valve, which relieves pressure automatically if necessary.
Cast Iron
Used in the architectural field mainly for piping and fittings, ornamental ironwork, hardware, as the base metal for porcelain enameled plumbing fixtures, and for miscellaneous casting such as floor and wall brackets for railings, vents, circular stairs manhole covers, and gratings.
Class B Extinguishers
Used on fires involving flammable liquids, such as grease, gasoline, oil, etc. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher states the approximate number of square feet of a flammable liquid fire that a non-expert person can expect to extinguish.
Flush Bolt
Used on the inactive leaf of a pair of doors to lock the door in place. They may be surface mounted or mortised into the edge of the door.
Safety Valve
Used on water systems, heating systems, compressed air lines & other pipe lines with excessive pressure
Jetted Well
Used only where ground is relatively soft, hence sometimes referred to as "Sand-Point Wells".
Conduit
Used protect the enclosed conductors from mechanical injury and chemical damage.
Glass Block
Used to control light transmission, glare, and solar radiation.
Plastic
Used to describe a product of synthetic origin which is capable of being shaped at some stage of its manufacture, but is not rubber, wood, leather or metal.
Control Unit or Panel
Used to energize the audible devices (bells, buzzers, gongs) upon receipt of a signal from the detector. Other functions include shut-off of oil and gas lines, shut off of attic fans to prevent fire spread, and turning off of lights.
Toggle Bolt
Used to fasten materials to plaster, gypsum board and other thin wall materials. They have two hinged wings that close against a spring when passing through a predrilled hole and open as they emerge to engage the inner surface of a hollow wall.
Nailer
Used to fasten materials together by shooting nails into the building material.
Pry Bar
Used to force open boards used in forming concrete.
Plasticizing Agent
Used to lower water cement ratio and make the mix more workable.
Digital Rule
Used to measure relatively long distances such as those in highway construction.
Push Plates and Pull Bars
Used to operate a door that does not require automatic latching. They are also used on doors to commercial kitchens.
Petroline
Used to preserve the lumber forms against damage by alternate wetting and drying.
Formwork
Used to shape and support fresh concrete until cured and able to support itself.
Storage Battery
Used to supply emergency
Turpentine
Used to thin ground oil color for spreading color particles over large surfaces.
Laser-Powered Welder
Used to weld material by employing a laser to heat the metal.
Arc Welding Machine
Used to weld materials by melting portions of the metal.
Explosive Rivet
Used when a joint is accessible from one side only, have an explosive-filled shank that is detonated by striking the head with a hammer to expand the shank on the far side of the hole.
Toggle Bolts
Used when attaching pipes to hollow masonry units; with spring-operated wings.
Threshold
Used where floor materials change at a door line, where weather stripping is required, where a hard surface is required for an automatic door bottom, or where minor changes in floor level occur.
Urea
Useful for incandescent light diffusion and for baked enamels.
Beam and Girder
Usually A horizontal or nearly horizontal element carrying a stress primarily due to shear and flexure. It usually carries a load directly from the floor.
Rafter
Usually a sloping beam carrying the reaction of purlins.
Alarm Devices
Usually audible such as, bells, buzzers, gongs and horns. Most common is the a-c vibrating bell and a weatherproof external bell to alert neighbors and passersby.
Cistern
Usually built of reinforced concrete underground and connected with a pump.
Asphalt Tile
Usually made in 9" squares and less commonly in 12" squares, may be installed on any smooth concrete subfloor above or below grade and on any wood subfloor with sufficient strength so that no deflection can occur.
Standard
Vertical component of the metal shoring.
Surface Metal Raceway Wiring
Wires are supported on a thin sheet steel casing. The raceway is installed exposed, being mounted on the walls or ceiling.
Electrolier or Multi-Circuit Switch
Wiring switch used for the control of lights in multi-lamp fixtures so that one lamp or set of lamps may be turned on alone or in combination with other lamps.
Four-Way Switch
Wiring switch used in conjunction with two 3-wire switches where it is desired to control lamps from three or more desired points.
Momentary Contact Switch
Wiring switch used where it is desired to connect or cut-off a circuit for only a short duration. The switch is provided with a spring so that it will return to its original position as soon as the handle or button is released.
Three-Way Switch
Wiring switch used where it is desired to control lamps from two different points, as in a stairwell.
Particleboard
Wood composite made of small wood chips and base materials including cotton stalk, rice straw, bagasse, conventional wood chips and sawdust that have been pressed and glued together.
Warping
Wood defect pertaining to any variation with the plane surface of the piece caused by unequal shrinkage of the board.
Shakes
Wood defect pertaining to the cracks between and parallel to the annual rings of the growth.
Checks
Wood defect pertaining to the cracks or lengthwise separation across the annual rings of growth caused by irregular shrinkage during drying.
Pitchpockets
Wood defect pertaining to the well-defined openings between annual rings containing solid or liquid pitch.
Fine-Threaded Screw
Wood screw generally used for hardwoods.
Coarse-Threaded Screw
Wood screw generally used for softwoods.
Water Stain
Wood stain made from anilyne dyes and mineral extracts which have been dissolved in hot water.
Spirit or Alcohol Stain
Wood stain mixed with alcohol-solution anilyne powders and warmed alcohol.
Batter Board
Wood sticks or boards nailed horizontally at the stake which serve as the horizontal plane where the reference point of the building measurements are established.
Lumber
Wood that is used in construction.
Impregnating the Wood with a Chemical
Wood treatment method used where wood itself does not support combustion. The chemicals commonly used for impregnation are monobasic ammonium phosphate, dibasic ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, borax, boric acid and zinc chloride.
Flutter Echo
A rapid but repetitive succession of sound from a sound source usually occurring as a result of multiple reflections in a space with hard, flat and parallel walls.
Independent System
A system of collecting storm water that brings collected water directly to the water reservoirs. Also called "The Separate System".
Combined System
A system of collecting storm water that combines storm water with sanitary wastes.
Angle Cleat
Another name for angle clip.
Square Edge (SE) Gypsum Board
Gypsum board used for coverstrip jointing; visible butt - jointed panelling with clamp fixing and free suspension.
Demand Metering Alarm
In conjunction with a duty cycle controller, demand is continuously metered and an alarm is set on when a predetermined demand level is exceeded.
Soldering Iron
In this method the iron piece is preheated and applied to the joint along with the solder and the flux.
Copper Water Tube
Joints shall be made by the use of approved brass fittings soldered, or by brass compression type fitting.
White Lead
Most widely used active pigment.
Surface Drainage
Refers to the grading and surfacing of a site in order to divert rain and other surface water into natural drainage patterns or a municipal storm sewer system.
Degree of Indeterminacy
Refers to the number of unknowns over and above the equations of static equilibrium.
Hard Wall Plaster
Remaining product of heating gypsum rock where 39.5% of impurities are present.
Plaster of Paris
Remaining product of heating gypsum rock where pure gypsum is used.
Gypsum Plaster
Rendered more plastic by the addition of hydrated lime. Fiber or hair is also sometimes added for greater cohesiveness.
Ampere
Represents a rate of flow of one coulomb or 6.25 x 10 18 electrons/second through a given cross section.
Oil-Filled Transformers
Require a well-ventilated, fire-rated vault with two exits and located on an exterior wall adjacent to the switchgear room.
Dammar Varnish
Spirit varnish made by treating dammar resins with turpentine.
Foundation Drainage Tile
Sub-surface drainage system component pertaining to tile or piping for the collection of subsurface water, dispersion of septic tank effluent, and the like.
Admixture
Substance added to cements, mortars, and concrete for the purpose of improving or imparting particular properties.
Class C Extinguishers
Suitable for use on electrically energized fires. This class of fire extinguishers does not have a numerical rating. The presence of the letter "C" indicates that the extinguishing agent is non-conductive.
S4S
Surfaced four sides.
Tributary Sewer
Termination points of individual units or structures.
Frequency
The number of full cycles per second measured.
Welding
The process by which two metals are so joined that there is an actual union of the interatomic bonds.
Ohm
The resistance which will allow one ampere of current to flow when one volt is impressed upon it.
Stand Trap
Type of permissible trap used for fixtures such as slop sinks that are usually built low in the ground, leaving very little space for a foundation & a trap.
Drum Trap
Type of permissible trap used for fixtures that discharge large amount of water (bathtubs, shower or floor drains).
Vermiculite
Used as an aggregate in concrete fireproofing steel, for floor and roof fill, and for acoustic and fireproof plaster.
Hydrated Lime
Used as an ingredient of hard-finish coat for two-and three-coat Portland cement plasters. It is also used for mixing with cement mortar or concrete to: increase its workability, decrease its permeability to water, reduce cracking due to shrinkage.
Gypsum Sheathing
Used as fire protection and bracing of exterior frame walls. It must be protected from the weather by an exterior facing.
Guide Rails
Vertical tracks that guide the car and the counterweights.
Header
A brick or block masonry extending over the thickness of the wall.
Stretcher
A brick or block masonry laid lengthwise of a wall.
Loose Pin Hinge
A butt hinge having a removable pin which permits its two parts to be separated.
Escutcheon
A protective plate surrounding the keyhole of a door, a light switch, etc.
Call Button
A pus button for requesting an elevator.
Sound Intensity Level (SIL)
A quantity expressed in decibels of airborne sound.
Masonry
A built-up construction or combination of building materials as clay, concrete, or stone set in mortar; or plain concrete.
Portland Cement-Base Paint
A water-base paint used for painting concrete and masonry surfaces.
Loudness
An auditory sensation that depends on sound pressure level and the frequency of sound.
Ball Faucet
Constructed with a ball connected to the handle.
Clay Tiles
Roofing for rest house near the beach.
Edison System
Three-wire single-phase DC electrical system.
Common (Building) Brick
Type of brick used for all purposes, including facing.
USCS
Unified Soil Classification System
Thousand Circular Mil (MCM)
Used beyond AWG No. 4/0.
Decay
Wood defect caused by the attack of fungi.
Ledger
Horizontal brace of metal shoring.
Reflection Coefficient
A measure of the sound reflective property of a surface.
Hazardous Facility
(Category 2) Occupancies and structures therein housing or supporting toxic or explosive chemicals or substances.
Special Facility
(Category 3) Buildings with an assembly room with an occupant capacity > 1000. Includes educational buildings with a capacity of 300 or more students, buildings used for college or adult education with a capacity > 500, institutional buildings, mental hospitals, sanitariums, jails, prison and other buildings where personal liberties of inmates are similarly restrained, and all structures with an occupancy 5,000 or more persons.
Standard Facility
(Category 4) All structures housing occupancies or having functioned not listed in other categories.
Miscellaneous Facility
(Category 5) Private garages, carports, sheds, agricultural buildings, and fences over 1.8 meters high.
Class AA
1 part cement : 1.5 parts sand : 3 parts gravel concrete proportion used under water, and for retaining walls.
Class A
1 part cement : 2 parts sand : 4 parts gravel concrete proportion used for suspended slabs, beams, columns, arches, stairs, walls of 100mm (4") thickness.
Class B
1 part cement : 2.5 parts sand : 5 parts gravel concrete proportion used for walls thicker than 100mm (4"), footings, steps, reinforced concrete slabs on fill.
Class C
1 part cement : 3 parts sand : 6 parts gravel concrete proportion used for concrete plant boxes, and any non-critical concrete structures.
Class D
1 part cement : 3.5 parts sand : 7 parts gravel concrete proportion used for mass concrete works.
Minimum Number of Bar for Columns
4 for rectangular, 6 for circular, and 3 for triangular as required by the Code.
Air Supply
5-7.5 Cu Ft of air per minute per person in rooms where smoking is not allowed. 25 Cu Ft to 40 Cu Ft of air per minute per person allowed in rooms where smoking is permitted.
Summer Cooling
68-74 Deg F, 50% Relative Humidity cooling and de-humidifying standard.
Porete
A Portland cement concrete to which a chemical foam is added to generate gases in the process of deposition, resulting in light weight precast or shopmade unit in both hollow and solid forms.
Three-Phase Electrical System
A Triple Circuit where lighting and outlet loads are connected between any phase leg and a neutral line. While machineries and other bigger loads are connected to the phase leg only.
Cantilever Beam
A beam that is supported at one end only.
Trimmer
A beam, joist, or rafter supporting one end of a header at the edge of an opening in a floor or roof frame.
Bituminuous Cement
A black substance available in solid, semi-solid, or liquid states at normal temperatures. Composed of mixed indeterminate hydrocarbons, appreciably soluble only in carbon disulfide or other volatile liquid hydrocarbon. Used for sealing built-up roofing, and joints and cracks of concrete pavements.
General Purpose Circuit
A branch circuit that supplies current in a number of outlets for lighting and appliances
Appliance Circuit
A branch circuit that supplies current in one or more outlets specifically intended for appliances
Individual Circuit
A branch circuit that supplies current only to a single piece of electrical equipment
Architectural Bronze
A bronze of leaded brass composition.
Loose Joint Hinge
A butt hinge having two knuckles; one of which has a vertical pin that fits into a corresponding hole in the other by lifting the door up off the vertical pin. The door may be removed by unscrewing the hinge.
Travelling Cable
A cable made up of electric conductors which provides electrical connection between an elevator or dumbwaiter car and a fixed outlet in the hoistway.
Car
A cage of light metal in an electric elevator, supported on a structural frame, the top member of which the cables, that carry the car, are fastened.
Diffraction
A change in the direction of propagation of sound as a result of bending caused by a barrier in the path of a sound wave.
Crawler Crane
A crane mounted on metal treads so that it can move over rough terrain.
Boiler
A closed vessel for heating water or for application of heat to generate steam or other vapor to be used externally or to itself.
Reinforced Concrete
A combination of concrete and steel wherein the steel reinforcement provides the tensile strength lacking in the concrete.
Dual System
A combination of moment-resisting frames & shear walls or braced frames. Moment-resisting frame shall be designed to resist 25 % of the base shear & 75 % for the shear walls/braced frame.
Cable Tray (Open Raceway)
A continuous open support for approved cables. When used as a general wiring system, the cables must be self-protected, jacketed types, type TC.
Thermostat
A controller which responds to changes in temperature.
Heading Course
A course in which the bricks or other masonry units are all headers.
Blocking Course
A course of stones placed on top of cornice crowning the walls.
Truck Crane
A crane mounted on a truck frame so that it can be driven in the site.
Closer
A device that automatically returns the door to its closed position after it is opened. They also control the distance a door can be opened and thereby protect the door and surrounding construction from damage. They can be surface mounted on the door or head frame or concealed in the frame or door.
Metal Clad Cable (Type MC)
A factory assembled cable of one or more conductors each individually insulated and enclosed in a metallic sheath of interlocking tape of a smooth or corrugated tube.
Lighting Track
A factory assembled channel with conductors for one to four circuits permanently installed in the track that will act as light duty (branch circuit) plug-in busways.
Mineral Insulated Cable (Type MI)
A factory assembled conductor/s insulated with a highly compressed refractory mineral insulation enclosed in a liquid and gas tight continuous copper sheath.
Power and Control Tray Cable (Type TC)
A factory assembled two or more insulated conductors with or without associated bare or covered grounding under a metallic sheath and is used for installation in cable trays, raceways, or where supported by wire.
Termite Resistant Sand
A layer of sand with uniform size particles. The sand must be large enough to prevent the termite from moving through it effectively and of a consistency that prevents its use in "tunnel" construction. Sometimes used around the foundation of a home during construction.
Lantern
A light, usually over the entrance to an elevator on each floor of a multistory building that signals the approach of the elevator.
Pitch
A listener's perception of the frequency of a pure tone.
Bar
A long, solid piece of metal especially one having a square, round, rectangular or other cross sectional area.
Level
A long, straight tool that contains one or more vials of liquid and used to determine if the horizontal or vertical is exact.
Concrete Mixer (Cement Mixer)
A machine that mixes concrete ingredients by means of a rotating drum. Raw materials are introduced into the mixing drum through its open end and discharged by tilting the mixing drum to allow the concrete to pour out.
Excavator
A machine used for digging or scooping earth from a place and depositing it in another.
3-4-5 Multiples With the Use of Steel Tape Measure
A manual method of squaring the corners of building lines in staking.
Door Bolt
A manually operated sliding rod or bar attached to a door for locking it; a spring is not part of the locking mechanism.
Conductor
A material which allows the free flow of electrons through them.
Insulator
A material which prevents the flow of electrons through them.
Bright
A metal finish using a dip to give a bright surface to brasses; often a mixture of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and water.
Paint
A mixture containing a pigment and a vehicle.
Creosotes Solution
A mixture of coal-tar or petroleum oils and 50 to 80% by volume of coal-tar creosotes used as a wood preservative.
Concrete
A mixture of sand and gravel held together in a rock like mass with a paste of cement and water.
Local Vent
A pipe or shaft to convey foul air from a plumbing fixture or a room to the outer air.
Indirect Waste Pipe
A pipe that does not connect directly with the drainage system but conveys liquid wastes by discharging into a plumbing fixture, interceptor or receptacle directly connected to the drainage system.
Rotary Pump
A piston pump that makes use of a pump driver. Can discharge from 900 to 1200 GPM and are more efficient for viscuous fluids.
Inclined Lift
A platform mounted on a steel guide rail and driven by an electric motor used for raising or lowering a person or moving along a stairway. Also called a stair lift
Escalator
A power driven, inclined, continuous stairway for raising or lowering passengers.
Attenuation
A reduction in sound level. Specified in terms of dB per meter in air-conditioning.
Deformed Bar
A reinforcing bar hot-rolled with surface deformations to develop a greater bond with concrete.
Varnish
A resolution of resin in drying oil or in a volatile solvent such as alcohol or turpentine. It contains no pigment and hardens into a smooth, hard and glossy coat by the oxidation of the oil or by the evaporation of the alcohol. Drying time is from 4 to 24 hours.
Dimmer Switch
A rheostat or similar device for regulating the intensity of an electric light without appreciably affecting spatial distribution.
Beam
A rigid structural member designed to carry and transfer transverse across space to supporting elements.
Column
A rigid, relatively slender structural member designed primarily to support compressive loads applied at the member ends.
Dead Room
A room containing an unusually large amount of sound absorption.
Live Room
A room containing an unusually small amount of sound absorption.
Machine Room
A room housing the hoisting machinery, control equipment, and sheaves for raising and lowering an elevator car, in an oil hydraulic elevator.
Machine Room
A room usually placed directly above the shaft in which the elevator machine is housed. It contains the motor-generator (MG) set which supplies energy to the elevator machine, the control board and the control equipment.
Door Contact
A safety device for preventing the operation of an elevator car unless its door or gate is fully closed.
Door Interlock
A safety device for preventing the operation of an elevator car unless the hoistway door is locked in the closed position.
Tekscrew
A screw used to fasten metal roofing sheets to the purlins.
Stiffened Seated Connection
A seated connection stiffened to resist large beam reactions, usually by means of a vertical plate or pair of angles directly below the horizontal component of the seat angle.
Power Transmission Machinery
A shaft, wheel, drum, pulley, system of fast and loose pulleys, coupling, clutch, driving belt, V-belt sheaves and belts, chains and sprockets, gearing, torque connectors, conveyors, hydraulic couplings, magnetic couplings, speed reducers or increasers or any device by which the motion of an engine is transmitted to or received by another machine.
Seated Connection
A shear-resisting steel connection made by welding or bolting the flanges of a beam to the supporting column with a seat angle below and a stabilizing angle above.
Framed Connection
A shear-resisting steel connection made by welding or bolting the web of a beam to the supporting column or girder with two angles.
Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)
A single number rating derived from measured values of sound absorption coefficients of a material at 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz.
Noise Isolation Class (NIC)
A single number rating derived fromvthe measured value of noise reduction between two rooms.
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
A single number rating of the sound insulation rating of a partition.
Service Entrance Cable (Type SE or USE)
A single or multi-conductor assembly provided with or without an overall covering primarily used for service wire.
Medium Voltage Cable (MV)
A single or multi-conductor solid dielectric insulated cable rated at 2,000 to 35,000 volts. Trade name is Medium Voltage Solid Dielectric.
Tin
A soft, ductile, malleable, bluish-white metal. Because it is normally covered with a thin film of stannic oxide, it resists corrosion by air, moisture, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide (which usually tarnishes and corrodes other metals).
Aluminum
A soft, nonmagnetic silvery metal characterized by its light weight (1/3 that of iron, brass or copper) which readily combines with oxygen to form aluminum oxide, a transparent film that makes it corrosion resistant.
Reverberant Sound Field
A sound field created by repeated reflections of sound from the boundaries in an enclosed space.
Diffuse Sound
A sound field in which the sound comes in equal intensity from all directions.
Echo
A sound that has been reflected with sufficient time delay.
Infrasonic
A sound that is below the human audible frequency, below 20 Hz.
Reinforcing Bar
A steel bar for reinforcing concrete, usually specified by a number equivalent to its diameter in eights of an inch. Also called Rebar.
Moment Connection
A steel connection made so as to develop a specified resisting moment, usually by means of plates welded or bolted to the beam flanges and the supporting column.
Cripple
A structural element that is shorter than usual, as a stud above a door opening or below a window sill.
Cantilevered Column Building System
A structural system relying on cantilevered column elements for lateral resistance.
Building Frame System
A structural system with an essentially complete space frame providing support for gravity loads. Resistance to lateral load is provided by shear walls or brace frames.
Moment-Resisting Frame System
A structural system with essentially complete space frame providing support for gravity loads. Resistance to lateral load is provided primarily by flexural action of members.
Bearing Wall System
A structural system without a complete vertical load-carrying space frame. Provides support for all or most gravity loads. Resistance to lateral load is provided by shear walls or brace frame.
Brick
A structural unit of clay or shale formed while plastic and subsequently fired.
Determinate Structure
A structure in which the reaction components and internal stresses can be completely determined using the equations of static equilibrium.
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
A styrenic resin with improved toughness and heat resistance. Applications include panels for large appliances and thermoformed items such as hot tubs and recreational vehicle parts.
Flux
A substance used in soldering to clean the surfaces of the metals to be joined and to aid fluidity.
Refrigerant
A substance which produces a refrigerating effect by its absorption of heat while expanding or evaporating.
Patina
A surface layer of an insoluble green salt that forms on copper upon exposure which retards further corrosion.
T-Hinge (Tee Hinge)
A surface-mounted door hinge in the shape of a letter T, of which one leaf, the strap, is fastened to the door, and the other (short and wide) is fixed to the door post.
Float Switch
A switch controlled by a conductor floating in a liquid.
Air Switch
A switch in which the interruption of a circuit occurs in air.
Key Switch
A switch operated only by inserting a key or a card. Also called a card switch.
Circuit Breaker
A switch that automatically interrupts an electric circuit to prevent excess current from damaging apparatus in the circuit or from causing a fire. A circuit breaker may be reclosed and reused without replacement of any components. Also called a breaker.
Large Business Multiple-Line Calls
A telephone system used in businesses that has has over 50 employees with a large number of phone calls for holding up to hundreds of outside lines, with an even larger number of extensions.
Small Business Multiple-Line Phone
A telephone system used in small businesses that has moderate-to-large phone traffic for handling all calls efficiently.
Rate-of-Rise Unit
A temperature detector unit that activates when the rate of ambient temperature differential exceeds a predetermined amount. This unit may be combined with the fixed temperature unit in a single housing such as in the case of an automatic resetting unit.
Fixed Temperature Unit
A temperature detector unit that triggers a set of contacts when a present temperature is reached. This unit is available in a one-time non-renewable design that uses a low melting alloy fusible plug.
Girder
A term applied to a beam that supports one or more smaller beams, as concentrated loads.
Phenolic Resin/Phenol-Formaldehyde Resin
A thermosetting, waterproof, low-cost, mold-resistant, high strength synthetic resin made from phenol and formaldehyde; has good resistance to aging; used extensively in the manufacture of adhesives, exterior and marine plywood, laminated products, and molded articles.
Mat Foundation
A thick, slab-like footing of reinforced concrete supporting a number of columns or an entire building.
Carriage Bolt
A threaded bolt having a circular head, an oval or flat bearing surface, and a means (such as a square shoulder under the head) of preventing rotation of the bolt.
Machine Bolt
A threaded bolt having a straight shank and a conventional head such as a square, hexagonal, button, or countersunk type.
Bolt
A threaded metal pin or rod, usually having a head at one end, designed to be inserted through holes in assembled parts and secured by a mating nut.
Message Keyboard
A tool used to send messages from one employee to another when the receiving party is on another call or in a meeting. Through a code system and a regular keyboard, users can send text messages instantly and receive replies without interrupting their call.
Bulldozer
A tractor with a pushing blade which moves earth and clears land of bushes and trees.
Molly
A trademark for a brand of expansion bolt having a split, sleevelike sheath threaded so that turning the bolt draws the ends of the sheath together and spreads the sides to engage a hole drilled in masonry or the inner surface of a hollow wall.
Dead Bolt
A type of door lock; the bolt which is square in cross section, is operated by the door key or a turn piece.
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
A type of fiberboard which is made from wood fibers glued under heat and pressure. It is dense, flat, stiff, has no knots and is easily machined. Its fine particles provide a material without a recognizable "grain".
Geonet
A type of geosynthetic that consists of a continuous extrusion of polymeric ribs that form void space through which provide in-plane flow capacity.
Moving Walk
A type of horizontal passenger-carrying device on which passengers stand or walk, with its surface remaining parallel to its direction of motion and is uninterrupted.
Hydraulic Lime
A type of lime which will set under water and is used only where slow underwater setting is required.
Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA)
A water-borne wood preservative used in guide rail posts, utility poles, bridge timbers, piles, structural glued-laminated timbers, landscape timbers, posts, boardwalks, permanent wood foundations and residential construction, decking and fencing.
Ammoniacal Copper Arsenate (ACA)
A water-borne wood preservative used in piles, utility poles, marine timbers, construction lumber.
Creosote
A water-borne wood preservative used in railway ties, mine timbers, poles, foundation piles, marine piles and bulkheads.
Pentachlorophenol
A water-borne wood preservative used in utility poles, cross arms, bridge timbers and ties.
Septic Tank
A watertight covered receptacle designed and constructed to receive the discharge of sewage from a building sewer, separate solids from the liquid, digest organic matter and store digested solids through a period of detention, and allow the clarified liquids to discharge for final disposal.
Cracking
A wear characteristic of hard-drying paints that contain large proportions of zinc oxide pigment.
Plumb Bob
A weight attached to a string, used for vertical line check.
Plank
A wide piece of lumber from 4 to 5 inches thick.
Fiberboard
A wood composite finishing material made from vegetable fibers such as corn or sugarcane stalks pressed into sheets.
Chipboard
A wood composite made by bonding together wood particles with an adhesive under heat and pressure to form a rigid board with a relatively smooth surface, often faced with veneer. It is made by binding phenolic resin or urea formaldehyde glue.
Acoustic Fiberboard
A wood composite manufactured from wood, straw, bagasse pulp pressed into boards with or without holes or slots.
Hardboard
A wood composite paneling material made by reducing and refining wood chips into small, threadlike fibers, and then pressing them under heat in hydraulic pressure into dense, smooth, and very rigid panels.
Pentachlorophenol
A wood preservative dissolved in oil, leaving a clean brown-colored surface. It was used extensively for lumber and posts when introduced in the 1930s, but now is specified almost exclusively for the treatment of utility poles and cross arms.
Compact Steel Section
Allowable flexural stress of Fb = 0.66Fy.
People Mover
Any of various forms of mass transit, as moving sidewalks or automated driverless vehicles, used for shuttling people around airports or in congested urban areas.
Machine Parts
Any or all moving parts of a machine.
Branch
Any part of the piping system other than a main, riser or stack.
Ornamental Aluminum
Aluminum rods, bars, pipes, railings, fittings, and special shapes are manufactured as stock items for use in ornamental design of railings, grilles, screens, etc.
Thinner
Acts as a solvent both for the materials of the paint and for the resin in the wood surface thereby providing greater penetration and anchorage in the wood pores. It improves the brushing and spreading qualities of the paint and also hastens its drying by absorbing oxygen from the air and transferring it to the drying oil.
Insulation
Ability to prevent heat transfer from one face to the other face.
Integrity
Ability to resist the development of crack or perforations so as not to allow passage of smoke and flame
Dry Filters
Air cleaning equipment that consist of wire frames enclosing felt, cotton or sponge through which the air is screened.
Ducts
Air distribution equipment made of galvanized sheet metal, or aluminum sheets, usually rectangular in section, depending on the aspect ratio*, although circular ducts are also used for high velocity systems.
Wall Outlets
Air outlets that include vaned outlets and perforated grills.
Air Motion
Air velocity at 4.57 - 7.6 meters per minute measure 36" above the floor.
Sylvester Process
Alum and soap mixtures applied in alternate mixtures, which penetrates the pores of the concrete forming insoluble compounds due to chemical action between the alum and soap solutions, and these compounds prevent percolation.
Slender Steel Section
Allowable flexural stress of Fb < 0.60Fy.
Non-Compact Steel Section
Allowable flexural stress of Fb = 0.60Fy.
Voice Mail
Allows the employee to leave a personalized message for incoming calls.
Battery Backup
Allows the phone system to operate for a short period of time if power leaves the building.
Wrought Iron
Almost pure iron with less than 0.1% carbon, usually not more than 0.05%. It is soft, malleable, tough, fatigue resistant, and resistant to progressive corrosion.
Garage Trap
Also called "Garage Catch Basin". Trap is filled with water & located at the lowest point of the garage so it can collect all wastes.
Trickling Filter Process
Also called "Percolating or Sprinkling Filter System". Requires less mechanical elements and less stages, a large ground area for its building, and pProduces water with 95% purity.
Dug Well
Also called "shallow well" and is dugged manually.
Thin-Wall Steel Conduits
Also called Electric Metal Tubing (EMT).
Humidistat
Also called Hygrostat, is a controller, sensitive to the amount of humidity in the air.
Parquet Tile Flooring
Also called block flooring. Consists of square pieces or blocks which have been built up in several layers like plywood and having a veneered surface, or consists of several parquet strips assembled at the factory to form a tile.
Blind-Nailing
Also called concealed or secret nailing. Nailing in such a way that the nail heads are not visible on the face of the work. In finished roofing, the use of nails that are not exposed to the weather.
Sub-Panel Board
Also called cut-outs.
Background Noise
Ambient noise.
AASHTO
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
ANSI
American National Standards Institute
ASTM
American Society for Testing Materials
Brass
An alloy of copper and zinc with small quantities of other elements sometimes added to give the special qualities.
Expansion Bolt
An anchoring device having an expandable socket that swells as a bolt is tightened into it and used in masonry walls for attaching timber.
Hoist
An apparatus for raising or lowering a load by the application of a building force, but does not include a car or platform. It may be base-mounted, hook suspension, monorail, overhead, simple drum type or trolley suspension.
Spandrel Glass
An opaque glass for concealing the structural elements in curtain wall construction, produced by fusing a ceramic frit to the interior surface of tempered or heat-strengthened glass.
Supervised System
An open circuit system which integrates a trouble light to indicate a malfunction.
Claw Hammer
An ordinary hammer used to drive or remove nails.
Expansion Bolt
Anchor bolt having a split casing that expands mechanically to engage the sides of a hole drilled in masonry or concrete.
Heat-Strengthened Glass
Annealed glass that is partially tempered by a process of reheating and sudden cooling. Has about twice the strength of annealed glass of the same thickness.
Tempered Glass
Annealed glass that is reheated to just below the softening point and then rapidly cooled to induce compressive stresses in the surfaces and edges of the glass and tensile stresses in the interior. has three to five times the resistance of annealed glass to impact and thermal stresses but cannot be altered after fabrication.
End Joint
Another name for butt or square joint.
Masonite
Another name for hardboard derived after the man who invented it.
Raft Foundation
Another name for mat foundation.
Ribbed Slab
Another name for one-way joist slab.
Continuous Hinge
Another name for piano hinge.
Lap Joint
Another name for plain joint.
Spread Foundation
Another term for shallow foundation.
Wiped Joints
Joints in lead pipe or fittings; between lead pipe or fittings & brass or copper pipe, ferrules, solder nipples or traps.
Lightning Rod
Any of several conducting rods installed at the top of a structure and grounded to divert lightning away from the structure. Also called air terminal.
Alkyds
Appear chiefly as molded electrical parts, and as the vehicle in paints, lacquers, and enamels.
Cement Plaster Finish
Applied in three coats namely scratch coat, brown coat and finish coat.
Heavy-Wall Steel Conduits
Approximate thickness of 0.117 mm. Also called Rigid Steel Conduits (RSC).
Cold Mix Asphalt
Asphaltic concrete prepared with a relatively light and slow-curing asphalt, placed over a prepared surface without heat. This hardens to a state that is less firm and durable than hot-mix asphaltic concrete.
Fire Containment
Assumes that measures to control a growing fire may not be successful, hence its maximum size needs to be restricted both to reduce the risk and to allow effective firefighting.
Chain Bolt
At the top of a door, a spring bolt which is actuated by a chain attached to it.
Copper Tubing To Screw Pipe Joints
Joints shall be made by use of brass adaptor fittings.
Security Glass
Laminated glass that has exceptional tensile and impact strength.
Anaerobic Bacteria
Bacteria that can survive in places without oxygen.
Aerobic Bacteria
Bacteria that rely on oxygen to survive.
Site Investigation
Before any design is made, the architect is required to get as much valuable data about site excavation and building erection at the project site in order to determine the character of the materials which will be encountered at the level of a foundation bed.
Galvanized Wrought Iron Pipe
Better then steel pipe for plumbing installation. More resistant to acid waste.
Coal-Tar Creosote
Black or brownish oil made from distilling coal tar used as a wood preservative.
Number Block
Blocks out calls to specific area codes (such as 900 toll calls), keeping phone calls limited to interoffice if necessary.
Celotex
Brand name for fiberboards.
Lawanex
Brand name for panel hardboards.
Lawanit
Brand name for standard and tempered hardboards.
English Bond
Brick work that consists of alternate courses of stretchers and headers.
Common Bond
Brick work that consists of five stretcher courses and then a header course. It is generally begun with a row of headers at the bottom course.
Herringbone
Brick work where bricks are laid diagonally to form a herringbone pattern.
Quicklime
By-product of the decomposition of lime carbonates into carbon dioxide and calcium oxide.
Single-Phase Electrical System
Can either be 2-wire or 3-wire and composes two hot legs and a neutral wire.
Galvanic Action
Can occur between two dissimilar metals when enough moisture is present for electric current to flow. This electric current will tend to corrode one metal while plating the other.
Pneumatic Nailers and Staplers
Capable of fastening materials to wood, steel or concrete, driven by a compressor.
Storm Sewer
Carries only rainwater collected from the storm drain or from the streets and terminates at natural drainage areas (i.e. lakes, rivers, and water reservoirs).
Sediment Control
Category of geotextile filtration are exclusively those used for silt fence applications. While they serve the purpose of "filtering" runoff, the mechanism by which they function is different than subsurface drainage or erosion control applications.
Subsurface Filtration
Category of geotextile filtration employed in sub-surface drainage applications, such as filters around under-drains or edge drains, or under paving.
Erosion Control
Category of geotextile filtration employed to protect cut slopes or drainage features. When used in conjunction with a stone lining or riprap, they would serve a secondary function of separation.
Undue Focusing of Sound
Caused by concave surfaces which causes sound to converge at certain points with resulting loss of energy in other parts of the room.
Expansion/Contraction
Caused by continuous changes of temperatures in pipes.
Turbidity
Caused by silt or mud in surface or in ground.
Acidity
Caused by the entrance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in water.
Color
Caused by the presence of iron and manganese.
Hardness
Caused by the presence of magnesium and calcium salts.
Pre-Wired Ceiling Distribution System
Ceiling raceways that are pre-wired in the factory and plugged in where required.
Mortar
Cement mix used to glue masonry units to each other, or other surface finishing materials like tiles, bricks, stones to a receiving structure like a wall or floor.
Unglazed Tile
Ceramic tile composed of the same ingredients throughout and derive their color and texture from the materials of which the body is made.
Glazed Tile
Ceramic tile which have a glassy surface of ceramic materials fused upon their face to give them a decorative appearance and to make the surface impervious to moisture.
Raceway
Channels or wiring accessories so designed for holding wires, cables and bus bars that are either made of metal, plastic, or any insulating medium.
Shaft
Circular beam that transmits power to the machinery. Also carries torsion in addition to shear and flexure.
Yokes
Clamping devices for keeping column forms and tops of wall forms from spreading under the fluid pressure of newly placed concrete.
Continuous Mixer
Class of concrete mixer where materials are fed constantly and from which the concrete is discharged in a steady stream.
Batch Mixer
Class of concrete mixer where sufficient materials are placed at one time to make a convenient size batch of concrete, the whole amount being discharged in one mass after it is mixed.
Direct Pressure Distribution
Classification of public water distribution where water is obtained through a large intake installed on the lake basin & extended into deep water.
Hardwood
Classification of wood coming from the broad-leaved or deciduous trees.
Softwood
Classification of wood coming from the conifers (evergreens) which have needles instead of leaves.
Spray Nozzle Curtain
Closely spaced, high-velocity water nozzles which will, in the case of fire, form a compact water curtain to prevent smoke and flame from rising through the well ways.
Brown Coat
Coat in the cement plaster finish applied a few days after the first coat has set firm and hard, also to a thickness of 3/8". It is applied with a wood float and leveled to a flat, even and relatively smooth surface.
Scratch and Brown Coat
Coat in the cement plaster finish mixed in the proportion of 1 part Portland cement to 3 parts of sand, with about 10lbs. of hydrated lime.
Retarder
Concrete admixture that causes some loss of early strength and will therefore require careful control and more frequent slump tests, also reduces the expansion and contraction of concrete.
Finish Coat
Coat in the cement plaster finish usually richer in the proportion of 1 part of Portland cement to 2 parts of sand. Applied over the brown coat after all work is free from waves and cracks, and set and dry. Thickness is 1/8" minimum and rarely exceeds ¼" except for finishes requiring rough texture.
Direct Expansion Coils
Coils containing the refrigerant.
Rain Water
Collected from roofs of buildings and special water sheds and stored in cisterns or ponds; Cistern water for drinking should be boiled, chlorinated or otherwise sterilized
Electrolytic Finish
Commonly referred to as anodized finish, this finish is based on the specific ability of aluminum to develop a protective coating of oxide on its surface.
Lag Shields
Commonly used to attach pipe hangers or fixtures to concrete or masonry.
Cutback Asphalts
Composed of a variety of products from thin liquids to heavy paste, often one or more asphalts dissolved in solvent are filled with minerals and fibers to meet requirements of different coating uses and provide tough, durable films resistant to the passage of water vapor.
Ceiling Raceway Systems
Composed of header ducts and distribution ducts separate for power and telephone cabling. They permit very rapid changes in layouts at low cost and are therefore particularly desirable in stores where frequent display transformations necessitate corresponding electrical facility adjustments.
Paste Filler
Composed of silex (stone dust), japan-drier, linseed oil, turpentine, and sometimes colors ground in oil. It is applied with the grain and allowed to dry "flat" for about 10 minutes and requires about 24 hours for drying before it can be sanded.
Cinders
Composed of the ash components of the coal along with the various quantities of unburned or partially burned combustible matter.
Time-Controlled Switch
Comprises a precision low speed miniature drive motor (timer) to which some type of electric contact-making device is connected.
Sandwich Panel
Comprises a system of construction called skin construction. A cellular core of aluminum or other material has a skin of aluminum applied and bonded to both sides, thereby forming a unified whole in which all the components work as one.
Intercom System
Comprises one or more master stations (administrative) and several remote stations (staff), one of which monitors the front door. The master station allows selective calling while remote stations operating through the masters are non-selective.
Forecasting Systems
Computerized systems which continuously forecast the amount of energy remaining in the demand interval, then examine the status and priority of each of the connected loads and decide on the proper course of action.
Inert, Finely Divided Powders
Concrete admixture added to improve workability, used as per manufacturer's directions.
Smoke Guard
Consists of fire proof baffles surrounding the well way, extending downward about 20" below ceiling level. Smoke and flames rising upwards, meet a curtain of water from sprinkler heads surrounding the baffles, which serves as a smoke and flame deflector.
Rubbed Finish
Consists of grinding down the surface of the concrete a day or two after it is poured, using a brick of carborundum, emery or soft natural stone. With the rubbing, a thin grout of cement and sand is applied to the surface and well rubbed in to fill surface imperfections, and the work afterward washed down with clean water.
Armored Cable Wiring (BX Wiring)
Consists of rubber or thermoplastic covered wire protected from injury to a certain extent from dampness by one or two layers of flexible steel armor.
Wood Floor Framing
Consists of the common floor joists, cross bridging, solid bridging, and other members which provide support for the flooring.
Asphalt Tile and Sheet Finish
Consists of thoroughly bonded composition of thermoplastic binder, asbestos and other fibers, inert filler materials and inert color pigments, formed under pressure while hot and cut to size.
Flat Conductor Cable (Type FCC)
Consists of three or more flat copper conductors placed edge to edge separated and enclosed within a insulating assembly. This type of cable is used for appliance or individual branch circuits installed inside floor surfaces.
Laminated or Safety Glass
Consists of two or more plies of flat glass bonded under heat and pressure to interlayers of polyvinyl butyral resin that retains the fragments if the glass is broken.
Plastic
Constituent of compound clay bodies pertaining to clays having high bonding power and some fluxing ability.
Filler
Constituent of compound clay bodies that reduces shrinkage in drying and firing and imparts to the body a certain rigidity which prevents deformation under heat.
Flux
Constituent of compound clay bodies which melts under intense heat and fuses the heat resisting elements into a solid mass.
Geosynthetics
Construction materials consisting of synthetic components made for use with or within earth materials.
Halon Extinguishers
Contain a gas that interrupts the chemical reaction that takes place when fuels burn. These types of extinguishers are often used to protect valuable electrical equipment since them leave no residue to clean up. Halon extinguishers have a limited range, usually 1.2 to 1.8 meters.
Fire Compartmentation
Containing fire-prone areas by means of fire-resistive enclosures.
Strip Footing
Continuous spread footing of foundation walls.
Valves
Control of a water system. Functions include start and shut down of a system, pressure regulation, backflow check, and control of the direction of water.
Escape Provisions
Cover a range of passive or active systems which permit the occupants to move or be moved to a place of safety within or to the outside of a building.
Fire Control
Covers those devices and systems which aid firefighters in actively extinguishing the fire and bringing it to an end earlier than a free-burning fire.
Riser Diagram
Is a vertical line diagram of the major electrical components of the buildings electrical system presented showing the spatial relations between components.
Plasticity Index (PI)
Defined as the Liquid Limit minus the Plastic Limit : LL - PL = PI , that is the range of water content over which sediment behaves.
Intensity
Defined as the amount of sound power falling on (or passing through, or crossing) a unit area. Since the unit of power is watt (W), its is watt per square meter (W/m2).
American Wire Gauge (AWG)
Designation of all conductor sizes from No. 16 to No. 0000 (also designated 4/0).
Class D Extinguishers
Designed for use on flammable metals and are often specific for the type of metal in question. There is no picture designator for this class. These extinguishers generally have no rating nor are they given a multi-purpose rating for use on other types of fires.
Submersible Pump
Designed to be fully immersible within a tank or other media storage receptacle.
Safety Switch
Designed to stop an elevator car automatically before car speed becomes excessive. On overspeed, the speed governor will cut off power to the motor and set the brake.
Individual Branch Circuit
Designed to supply a single specific item, such as a motor load or a unit air-conditioner.
Self-Tapping (Drywall) Screw
Designed to tap corresponding female threads as they are driven.
Decay
Deterioration of lumber caused by fungi.
ICI Polyethyline (PE)
Developed by Imperial Chemical Industries of Britain is a high-pressure, low-density PE that is flexible, tough and slightly resilient thermoplastic used in construction as pond or lagoon lining, and watervapor barriers and dampproofing.
Water Meter
Device used to measure in liters or gallons the amount of water that passes through the water service.
Over-Current Circuit Protective Devices
Devices whose sole purpose is to protect insulation, wiring, switches and other apparatus from overheating or burning, due to overloads, to faults or to short circuits, by automatically cutting off the circuit.
Overhead Tanks
Does not have any pressure concerns but relies on gravity to supply water to fixtures below; usually made of galvanized steel, stainless steel, or reinforced concrete, it can come in various shapes and sizes.
Echo
Distinct reflection of original sound which results when the path of reflected sound is 20 m (65 ft) or more than the path of direct sound.
Steel
Does not burn, may buckle in fire, high conductivity spreads heat, and loses half its strength in 550°C.
V-Full Extension
Drawer runner which incorporates a pull-out distance as great as, or greater than the installation length.
Fibercement Board
Fiber-reinforced cement board comprising of 72% Portland Cement, 20% mineralized cellulose fibers derived from recycled materials, and 8% calcium carbonate.
Master Plumber John F. Haas
First Chief of the Division of Plumbing Construction and Inspection.
Scratch Coat
First binding coat in a three-coat job plastering.
Cement
First developed by the Romans by mixing slaked lime with pozzolana which hardened under water.
Wired Glass
Flat or patterned glass having a square or diamond wire mesh embedded within it to prevent shattering in the event of breakage or excessive heat. considered a safety glazing material and may be used to glaze fire doors and windows.
Rotary Converter
For changing alternating
Standby Generator
For providing emergency power during a power outage.
National Master Plumbers Association of the Philippines (NAMPAP)
Formally organized in 1935.
Friction Head Loss
Friction occurs when liquid flowing through the pipe makes contact with the pipe enclosures, thus reducing the speed of water flow
Standard Brass Butt
Furniture butt hinge for general usage.
Strap Hinge
Furniture butt hinge for narrow sections.
Piano Hinge
Furniture butt hinge having the same length as the moving part to which it is applied.
Stopped Hinge
Furniture butt hinge that opens through 90 degrees only for box lids.
Loose Pin Hinge
Furniture butt hinge where it is necessary to throw door clear of carcass frame with the whole or the hinge knuckle protruding.
Core Board
Gypsum board used as a base in a multi-ply construction of self-supporting (studless) gypsum walls. It comes in 1" (25mm) thickness or 2- factory-laminated, ½ " thick layers of backing board.
Backing Board
Gypsum board used as base layer in multi-ply construction, where several layers of gypsum boards are desired for high fire resistance, sound control and strength in walls.
Tapered Edge (TE) Gypsum Board
Gypsum board used for smooth seamless jointing; jointless wall and ceiling panelling.
Wall Board
Gypsum board used for surface layer on interior walls and ceilings. Comes with grey liner paper backing and special paper finish on the facing and edges suitable for decoration.
Lightweight Gypsum Plaster
Gypsum plaster mixed on the job with water, perlite, vermiculite or other suitable mineral aggregate. Used when weight is important, and for fire-proofing other materials such as steel.
Prepared Gypsum Plaster
Gypsum plaster mixed with fine white sand. Used for two and three-coat finish surfaces for interior walls and ceilings.
Finish Hardware
Hardware, such as hinges, locks, catches, etc., that has a finished appearance as well as a function esp. that used with doors, window, and cabinets; may be considered part of the decorative treatment of a room or building.
Tinted or Heat-Absorbing Glass
Has a chemical admixture to absorb a portion of the radiant heat and visible light that strike it.
Nonvitreous Tile
Have a degree of density that permits moisture absorption of more than 7% of the weight of the tile but does not prevent the tile from having a high degree of strength.
Vitreous Tile
Have a moisture absorption of less than 3% and a body density which prevents any penetration of dirt that cannot be easily removed.
Load-Indicating Washer
Have small projections that are progressively flattened as a bolt is tightened, the gap between the head or nut and the washer indicating the tension in the bolt.
Channel
Having a rectangular C-shape with sloped inner flange surfaces.
Stainless Steel
Highly alloyed steel that contain more than 10% chromium. It is used where corrosion resistance, durability, and minimum of maintenance is necessary principally for exterior and interior wall finishes, doors, windows, trims, railings, signs and letters, appliances, etc.
Sgraffito
Highly decorative type of plaster work developed in Italy during the Renaissance. This type of technique consists of applying two or three thin coats of plaster different colors and then cutting away certain areas of one or two coats to produce a three-dimensional colored design.
Latchset
Holds the door in place with no provision for locking. It has a beveled latch extending from the face of the door edge and automatically engages the strike mounted in the frame when the door is closed.
Structural Clay Tile
Hollow masonry units, open at two ends with interior webs or partitions 19mm (¾") to 25mm (1") dividing the block into longitudinal cells.
Structural System and Height
Implies the response of the building under lateral load.
Configuration
Implies the type of plan and vertical irregularity.
Aggregate
Inert mineral fillers used with cement and water in making concrete, should be particles that are durable strong, clean, hard and uncoated, and which are free from injurious amount of dusts, lumps, soft and flaky particles, shale, alkali, organic matter loam or other deleterious substances.
Wiring Switch
Include all the relatively small switches that are employed in interior wiring installations for the control of branch circuits, individual lamps or appliances.
Special Aggregate
Include cinders, blast furnace slag, expanded shale or clay, perlite, vermiculite, and sawdust. May produce lightweight, nailable concrete and thermal insulating concrete.
Surveillance and Signal Equipment
Include fire, smoke and intruder detection and alarm systems.
Scullery Fixtures
Include kitchen sinks, laundry tubs, and bar sinks.
Bathing Fixtures
Include lavatories, bathtubs, shower baths, bidets, foot/sitz tub, shower receptors, and shower compartments.
Audio and Visual Communication Equipment
Include telephone, intercom, public TV and closed circuit television (CCTV).
Heating and Humidifying Equipment
Include tempering coils and water heaters.
Soil Fixtures
Include water closets, urinals, and slop sinks.
Cooling and De-humidifying Equipment
Include water sprays and cooling coils.
Service Equipment
Includes a main disconnect switch and secondary switches, fuses and circuit breakers for controlling and protecting the electric power supply to a building. It is located in a switchgear room near the entrance of the service conductors.
Clay, Shale Aggregate
Includes airox, rocklite, diatomite, and haydite.
Finish Paint
Includes lead sulfate and zinc dust in rust-inhibiting paints.
Crack Filler
Includes plastic wood putty, and stick shellac. Used for filling nails holes, cracks and dents.
Priming Paint
Includes red lead, litharge, lead chromate in rust-inhibiting paints.
Mechanical Works Plant
Includes steam plants, internal combustion engine plants, hydraulic power plants, pumping plants, refrigerating plants, air conditioning plants, mill shops, factories, foundries, shipyards, etc. containing any mechanical equipment, machinery or process, driven by steam, internal or external combustion fuel, electricity, gas, air, water, heat, chemicals or other prime movers.
Liquid Drier
Inorganic compounds of lead, manganese and cobalt, which are dissolved in turpentine or benzene and which mix readily with the oil at ordinary temperatures.
Underfloor Ducts (UF)
Installed beneath or flush with the floor; usually requires a triple duct system for power, telephone and signal cabling.
Pressure Regulators
Instruments that are sensitive to changes in pressure. They may control a single pressure or a differential between two pressures.
Activated Sludge Process
Involves a series of stations where the raw sewage must pass through three phases and produces water with 99-99.5% purity.
Third Level Personnel Entry Control
Involves an attendant who compares card data through a computer screen with the person's appearance providing a further check.
Rubber Flooring
It is the quietest floor possible with the exception of thick cork tile but is not as resistant to soap, oil and many household solvents.
Miter Joint
Joint between two pieces which come together at a corner. It is made by cutting the two ends at angles complementary to each other, usually 45 degrees and then butting them together.
Bus Bar
Large conductors which are not circular in cross section and usually found only to supply the main switch boards.
Mortise Lock or Latch
Latch and lock type installed in a rectangular area cut out of the door.
IP Telephony
Latest technology in phone systems, where the server runs through a computer network.
Expansion Shield
Lead or plastic sleeves inserted into a predrilled hole and expanded by driving a bolt or screw into it.
Finger Joint
Lengthening joint formed by interlocking finger-like projections on the end of the joined members.
Perlite
Lightweight aggregate composed of stable silicates, and is inert and thus durable for use as a lightweight aggregate or for insulation. Its disadvantages are its friability, small particle size, and extreme lightness.
Pumice
Lightweight aggregate weighing from 25 to 60 lbs.per cu. ft. with an undesirable feature of water absorption.
Durisol Block
Lightweight block made from fiber and cement.
Staplers
Like nailers but are loaded with u-shaped staples instead of nails for fastening.
Shrinkage Crack
Likely occurs at joints where fresh concrete is joined to concrete which has already set, and hence in placing the concrete, construction joints should be made on horizontal and vertical lines.
Lime Plaster
Lime putty (hydrated lime and water), mixed on the job with sand and gypsum plaster, used for two and three-coat finish surfaces for interior walls and ceilings.
Sub-Feeder Circuit
Line extensions of a feeder, fed through a panel board or cut-out, or from one distributing center to another and having no other circuit connected to it between the two distributing centers.
Mechanical Fire Detection
Makes use of manual and automatic (electric/electronic) methods of informing the occupants in charge that a fire has occurred in a given location.
Zone Coded Systems
Manual stations are grouped by circuit into zones which transmits to the panel and ring the zone's code on the single stroke gong or chimes, thus immediately identifying the station.
Integral Waterproofing Compounds
Manufactured and sold under various trade names including Sahara, Pozolith, Aquella, Zilicon, and Anti-Hydro.
Annealed Glass
Manufactured by cooling slowly to relieve internal stresses.
Float Glass
Manufactured by pouring molten glass onto a surface of molten tin and allowing it to cool slowly. The resulting flat, parallel surfaces minimize distortion and eliminate the need for grinding and polishing.
Cement Tile
Manufactured by pressing in moulds a plastic mixture of cement and sand. Surface color is achieved by the addition of mineral oxide colors. Thickness is 25mm (1") and common sizes are squares 200mm x 200mm (8"x8"), 300mm x 300mm (12"x12"), and 400mm x 400mm (16"x16").
Expanded Mesh
Manufactured from solid steel sheets. To form this, the sheet is first cut or pierced in staggered slots or patterns; then the sheet is held by the two sides parallel to the slots and stretched by pressure until the desired openings or forms are obtained.
Rubber Sheet Flooring
Manufactured in rolls 3' wide, in thicknesses of 3/32", 1/8" and 3/16", with 3/32" most commonly used in home installations, and applied according to the general rules given for linoleum.
Scabbled Rubble
Masonry of rough, undressed stones where only the roughest irregularities are knocked off.
Range Rubble
Masonry of rough, undressed stones where the stones in each course are rudely dressed to a nearly uniform height.
Rubble Work
Masonry of rough, undressed stones.
Random Work
Masonry of stones fitted together at random without any attempt to lay them in course.
Random Course
Masonry of stones in rectangular shape and laid on horizontal beds but no effort is made to continue the horizontal beds through in an uninterrupted manner. Large stones combine with small ones in a convenient and, if possible, an interesting manner.
Concrete
Material characterized by high fire resistance and disintegrates at 400-500°C.
Masonry
Material characterized by high fire resistance, cracks at 575°C and are subjected to high temperatures during manufacture.
Glass
Material does not provide any fire resistance, however, monolithic fire-rated glass is available.
Calcium Sulfate
Material having excellent thermal shock resistance of up to 1000°C and is suitable for cladding structural members.
Serviceability Limit State
Material remains in the elastic range and no damage is expected as categorized by the performance criteria of RC members resisting earthquake. Minor - Magnitude 1 - 4 < 10 yrs.
Crane
Means a machine for lifting or lowering a load and moving it horizontally, the hoisting mechanism being an integral part of the machine.
Enclosed
Means that the moving parts of a machine are so guarded that physical contact by any part of the human body is precluded or prevented. This does not however prohibit the use of hinged, sliding or otherwise removable doors or sections to permit inspection, lubrication or proper maintenance.
Watt-Hour Meter
Measures and records the quantity of electric power consumed with respect to time. Supplied by the public utility, it is always placed ahead of the main disconnect switch so that it cannot be disconnected.
KWH Meters
Measures energy by introducing factor of time with power. AC electric meters are small motors, whose speed is proportional to the power being used. The number of rotations is counted on the dials which are calibrated directly in kilowatt-hours.
Smoke Control
Measures which can assist to some extent occupants in the fire zone but are particularly needed for others in adjacent areas or compartments.
Screws
Metal fasteners having tapered, helically threaded shanks and slotted heads, designed to be driven into wood or the like by turning, as with a screwdriver.
Hardware
Metal products used in construction, such as, bolts, nails, screws and fittings, such as, catches, hinges, locks, and tools.
Waterproofing Coatings and Washes
Method of concrete-waterproofing pertaining to applying waterproof coatings or washes to the concrete after it is in place.
Integral Waterproofing Compounds
Method of concrete-waterproofing pertaining to mixing foreign substances with the concrete.
Impermeability through a Dense Concrete
Method of concrete-waterproofing pertaining to the accurate grading and proportioning of the concrete materials in order to secure a concrete so dense as to be waterproof.
Proportioning by Water-Ratio and Slump Test
Method of proportioning concrete by selecting the amount of water to be added to the cement to give the desired strength and adding just enough mixed aggregate to the water and cement to give a concrete mix the desired consistency.
Proportioning by Water-Ratio, Slump Test and Fineness Modulus
Method of proportioning concrete by selecting the amount of water to be added to the cement to give the desired strength, adding proportions of fine and coarse aggregate determined by the fineness modulus method.
Proportioning by Arbitrary Proportions
Method of proportioning concrete where aggregates are measured by loose volume, that is, its volume as it is thrown into a measuring box.
Plastic Process
Method of tile production where tiles are shaped from clay rendered plastic by mixing with sufficient water. They are made either by hand molding or by extrusion from an auger-machine.
Dust-press Process
Method of tile production where tiles are shaped in steel dies by applying heavy pressure to the damp ceramic mix while it is in finely pulverized form. This method of production gives greater mechanical precision and a more regular appearance to the tiles than other methods.
Plainsawing
Method of wood sawing referring to a lumber cut tangent to the annual rings or growth or, in commercial practice, cut with annual rings at an angle 0 degrees to 45 degrees. Preferred when a pleasing pattern is required, as in wall paneling.
Quartersawing
Method of wood sawing referring to a wood cut radially to the annual rings of growth parallel to the rays or, in commercial practice, cut with the annual growth rings at an angle 45 degrees to 90 degrees. Preferred where joints must be kept tight.
2-20 Amperes
Minimum amperage required by the Code to appliance branch circuits for feeding all small appliance outlets in the kitchen, pantry, dining and family room.
Plaster
Mortar applied to wall surfaces as a preparation or a hard finish coat.
Double Head
Nail head used for easy removal in temporary construction and concrete formwork.
Flat Head
Nail head providing the largest amount of contact area and are used when exposure of the heads is acceptable.
Coarse Sand
No.10 to No.40 sieve soil classification.
Fine Sand
No.40 to No.200 sieve soil classification.
Impact Noise
Noise caused by the collision of two objects.
Glazed Interior Tile
Non-vitreous tile made by the dustpress-process.
Portland Cement
Obtained by finely pulverizing clinker produced by calcining a proportioned mixture of argillaceous (silica, alumina) and calcareous (lime) materials with iron oxide and small amounts of other ingredients.
Natural Surface Water
Obtained from ponds, lakes and rivers.
Ground Water
Obtained from underground by means of mechanical & manual equipment; From springs and wells and is the principal source of water for domestic use in most rural areas.
Long Column
Occur when the unsupported height is more than 12 times the shortest lateral dimension of the cross section.
Short Column
Occur when the unsupported height is not greater than 12 times the shortest lateral dimension of the cross section.
Synthetic Latex Paint
Opaque finish made from synthetic latex which acts as the pigment binder and the film-forming material for the paint. Have little tendency to turn yellow because they absorb very little oxygen from the air.
Oil-Resin Emulsion Paint
Opaque finish where oil and resin emulsified in water makes a heterogeneous finishing material by an emulsifying agent such as casein. A great advantage is its viscosity can be easily reduced by the addition of water.
Compression Cock
Operates by the compression of a soft packing upon a metal sheet.
Angle Valve
Operates in the same manner as globe valve (disc & seat design); Used to make a 90° turn in a line and reduces number of joints.
Key Cock
Operates with a round tapering plug ground to fit a metal sheet.
Class A Fire
Ordinary combustible materials such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber and plastics, etc.
Republic Act No. 6541
Otherwise known as the "Building Code of the Philippines".
Lighting Outlet
Outlet intended for direct connection to a lamp holder, lighting fixture, or pendant cord terminating in a lamp holder.
Mildew Stain
Paint defect caused by air-borne fungi that feed on oil and multiply rapidly. For prevention, the paint can be treated with about 1/4 oz. of mercuric chloride per gallon.
Metal Stain
Paint defect caused by water dripping from exposed metal.
Spot Fading
Paint defect characterized by color changes and flatting of gloss in irregular patches on the film. Cause is from uneven oil absorption, usually a result of insufficient coats or a priming coat improperly formulated to penetrate and adequately seal surface pores. Cure of condition is repainting.
Cracking and Scaling
Paint defect characterized by irregular cracks that subsequently curl at the edge, flake and finally scale off.
Checking
Paint defect characterized by minute cracks on the surface of elastic paint films and caused by improper application or improper formulation of undercoats. Prevention involves allowance of sufficient drying time between coats and formulation of the body coat with a minimum amount of oil in order to develop a hard foundation for finish.
Washing
Paint defect characterized by streaking on the surface, fading color, the final exposure of the original surface and accumulation of pigment particles below the painted area.
Blistering and Peeling
Paint defect characterized by swelling of the entire film which is usually followed by a break in the film and subsequent peeling. Cause is water pressure from behind the film due to faulty construction that allows moisture seepage or abnormal condensation.
Excessive/Premature Chalking
Paint defect evidenced by surface dusting and rapid thinning of the film, sometimes to bare wood and caused by improper formulation or paint application.
Wrinkling
Paint defect marked by a tough, leather-like texturing. Cause is usually when paint is put on too thickly and not well brushed out and may be contributed to by formulation if too high a proportion of oil is used in finish coats.
Sagging and Running
Paint defect marked by irregular wavy lines that texture an otherwise smooth finish film and caused by paint formulation with too low a pigment volume, or too heavy and careless an application of a thin-consistency paint.
Alligatoring
Paint defect pertaining to an advance state of checking, varying in degree to a coarse texturing of the finish film. Cause involves application of a harder drying finish over soft or slow-drying under-coats.
Stains
Paint defect pertaining to surface discolorations which often disappear gradually as the paint film wears. Sometimes, however, they go through the film necessitating its removal and subsequent repainting.
Scaling
Paint defect that comes from the water pressure when moisture seeps through the crack to the original surface. The condition is common to any surface coated with paint improperly formulated to withstand local conditions.
Storm Spotting
Paint defect usually occurring after continuous rains and electric storms, and characterized by unsightly and irregular color changes.
Enamel Paint
Paint which uses varnish as a vehicle. They have the ability of levelling brush marks, are more resistant to washing and rough usage, and have a harder and tougher film. They can have either a glossy, semi glossy or matt finish.
Main Switchboard
Panel on which are mounted switches, overcurrent devices, metering instruments and busbars for controlling, distributing and protecting a number of electric circuits.
House/Building Drain
Part of the lowest horizontal piping of a plumbing system which receives the discharges from the soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside of a building and conveys it to the house sewer outside of the building.
Pole
Part of the switch which is used for making or breaking of a connection and which is electrically insulated from other contact making or breaking parts.
Keene's Cement
Plaster of Paris mixed with alum or borax or other materials and burned (calcined) at 932 Deg F. Mixed on the job with water, lime putty and fine white sand as hard finish for two and three-coat gypsum plaster.
In-Plane Drainage
Particular thick-needled nonwoven geotextiles having sufficient in-plane flow capacity for use as flow conduits in drainage applications.
Asphaltic Macadam
Paving for roads and other surfaces formed by grading and compacting layers of crushed stone or gravel, then the top layer is bound by asphalt to stabilize the stone, provide a smoother surface, and seal against water penetration.
Splicing Cabinets (Splicing Closets)
Permit the riser cables in the riser shaft or conduit to be spliced or interconnected to the cables or telephone wires to the various floors.
Low-Voltage
Pertaining to a circuit in which alternating current below 50 volts is supplied by a step-down transformer form the normal line voltage used in residential systems to control doorbells, intercoms, heating and cooling systems and remote lighting fixtures. Low-voltage circuits do not require a protective raceway.
Wavelength
Physical quantity of sound related to its frequency and speed by c = fλ. Represented by the Greek letter lambda.
Microphone
Picks up the sound and converts it to an alternative electric current.
Service Pipe
Pipe from the street water main or other source of water supply to the building served.
Reciprocating Pump
Piston pumps that operate with controlled speed. The discharge from this pump is pulsating and changes only when the speed of the pump is changed. Sometimes an air chamber is introduced to regulate the pulsation.
Oil or Spring Buffers
Placed at the bottom of the elevator pit, not to stop a falling car, but to bring it to a partially cushion stop if the car should overshoot the lower terminal.
House Trap
Placed in the house drain immediately inside the foundation wall of the building.
Torsional Irregularity
Plan structural irregularity considered to exist when the maximum story drift, computed including accidental torsion, at one end of the structure transverse to an axis is more than 1.2 times the average of the story drifts of the two ends of the structure.
Diaphragm Discontinuity
Plan structural irregularity pertaining to diaphragm with abrupt discontinuities or variations in stiffness, including those having cutout or open areas greater than 50 percent of the gross enclosed area of the diaphragm, or changes in effective diaphragm stiffness or more than 50 percent from one story to the next.
Nonparallel System
Plan structural irregularity where the vertical lateral-load-resisting elements are not parallel to or symmetric about the major orthogonal axes of the lateral-force systems.
Gypsum Plaster
Plaster of Paris mixed with clay, lime and other materials in combinations covered by trademarks or patents. Mixed on the job with water, sand, lime putty, hair or fiber for two or three-coat finish surfaces for interior walls and ceilings; or used dry as ingredient for hard or sand float finish with lime plaster.
Acoustics plaster
Plaster used for acoustic treatment of interior walls and ceilings. Applied on gypsum plaster base coats.
Corrugated (Ribbed) Roofing
Plastic roofing ideally used in sites of high salinity levels.
Sheet Roofing
Plastic roofing manufactured from polycarbonate sheets. Ideally used in greenhouses, patios, outdoor sheds, and skylights.
Panelboard
Popularly known as "panel" or "electrical panel", it is simply the box wherein the protective devises are housed from which the circuits and bus bars terminate.
Ventilation
Portion of the drainage pipe installation intended to maintain a balanced atmospheric pressure inside the system.
Power Drill
Power tool used to drill holes in wood, metal and concrete.
Power Screwdriver
Power tool used to install and remove screws.
December 21, 1999
President Joseph Estrada approved the Revised Plumbing Code of 1999 pursuant to Section 4 of R.A. 1378 known as the Plumbing Law.
Permanized Lumber and Plywood
Pressure treating lumber and plywood using B-S-25.
Tanalized Lumber and Plywood
Pressure treating lumber and plywood using Tanalith G Wood Preservative salts.
Wolmanized Lumber and Plywood
Pressure treating lumber and plywood using Wolman salts.
Cellulosics
Primarily cellulose acetate or butyrate, used principally for paints and lacquers, and transparent sheeting.
Prolonged Reverberation
Principal acoustical defect of a room due to large amounts of highly reflective surfaces and/or to large volume of space which takes considerable time for reflected sound to die out.
Oil Paint
Principal paint for exterior wood surfaces is oil paint, which contains white lead as the white paint pigment, color pigments and extenders in a vehicle consisting of a drying oil, usually linseed oil, dryers, and turpentine as the solvent or thinner.
Ventilation
Process of supplying or removing air by natural or mechanical means to or from any space.
Leveling and Grading
Processes that change land elevation and slope by filling in low spots and shaving off high spots.
Absorption of a Mortar
Property of drawing in or engrossing water into its pores or voids by capillary action or otherwise.
Hardness
Property of wood measured by the compression which a piece of timber undergoes when a weight is applied to it.
Caulking Anchors
Provide a fastener that is permanently attached to the concrete or masonry; it is internally threaded to accept machine screws and bolts.
Pivot
Provide an alternative way to hang doors where the visual appearance of hinges is objectionable or where a frameless door design may make it impossible to use hinges. May be center hung or offset and are mounted in the floor and head of the door.
Sprocket Assemblies, Chains, and Drive Machine
Provide the motive power for the unit. An emergency brake located on the top sprocket will stop a loaded escalator safely in the event of a break in the chain.
Firefighting Shaft
Provides access to a building, especially in high rise buildings, for fire brigades. Is fully-equipped with firefighting equipment, service elevator, stair and lobby. Provides a sufficiently secure operating base and a rest area in between firefighting operations.
Class A Extinguishers
Puts out fires in ordinary combustibles, such as wood and paper. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher refers to the amount of water the fire extinguisher holds and the amount of fire it will extinguish.
Dry Chemical Extinguishers
Rated for multiple purpose use. They contain an extinguishing agent and use a compressed, non-flammable gas as a propellant
Fiber-Saturation Point
Reached when all free water is removed but all absorbed water remains. Approximately 30% moisture content (M.C.) for all species.
Nylon
Refers to a family of polymers called linear polyamides. It is desired for the following properties: exceptionally strong, elastic, abrasion resistant, easy to wash, resistant to damage from oil and many chemicals, can be precolored or dyed in wide range of colors, and resilient.
Equipment
Refers to large, complex tools and machines that is designed to do a particular job.
Aluminum Foil
Rolled to a thickness of 0.005" (above 0.005" it is technically considered to be sheet), used mainly for thermal insulation and vapor barriers.
Linoleum
Resilient, waterproof floor covering that consists of a backing covered with a relatively thick layer of wearing surface. It is divided into five classifications: plain, marbled, spatter, straight-line inlaid, and molded inlaid, and available in three gauges: service (1/16"), standard (3/32"), and heavy (1/8"). Recommended in areas where a resilient, durable, colorful, greaseproof, waterproof type of flooring is needed.
Oil Varnish
Resolution of resin in drying oil.
Corrugated Aluminum
Rigidized sheet fabricated of special aluminum alloys specifically developed for this purpose. It usually consists of an aluminum alloy core of one type clad with another, highly corrosion-resistant aluminum roofing and siding.
Kiln-Drying
Seasoning of lumber in which warm moist air or superheated steam is used to heat the wood and drive out moisture.
Air-Drying
Seasoning of lumber where lumber is exposed to the air.
Brown Coat
Second straightening coat in a three-coat job plastering.
Clinching
Securing a nail, staple, screw or bolt, by hammering the protruding point so that it is bent over.
Borrow Fill
Selected laboratory-approved pit-run gravel, disintegrated granite, sand, shale, cinders or other similar materials with not more than 35% fraction passing the No.200 sieve.
Wires
Single insulated conductors No. 8 AWG (American Wire Gauge or smaller; for the English System, it is the B & S Gauge or Browne and Sharpe Gauge. The smallest size of wire permitted is No. 14.
Cables
Serve as the means for lifting or lowering the car in an electric elevator, usually 3 to 8 cables placed in parallel fastened to top of car by cable sockets passing over a motor driven cylindrical sheave to the counterweights.
Sub-Feeder
Serves to distribute power from the main feeders to smaller local panel boards, called sub-panel boards.
Underground Service Entrance
Service entrance with concealed underground wires in conduits. The service conduit is usually of rigid iron same for electrical works. Minimum size of service conduit is ½" round. There should be a clearance of not less than 6" between telephone service conduit and the electric conduit.
Overhead Service Entrance
Service entrance with overhead exposed wires.
Sanitary Sewer
Sewer classification that carries regular sanitary wastes only, terminates in a modern sewage disposal plant for treatment, and built at a depth of 3 meters.
Tie Diameter for Columns
Shall be 10mm for longitudinal bar 32mm and smaller, and 12mm for longitudinal bar larger than 32mm.
Asbestos, Cement Sewer, Pipe Joints
Shall be a sleeve coupling of the same composition as the pipe or of other approved materials, and sealed with neoprene rubber rings or joined by an approved type compression coupling.
Shear Strength Reinforcement
Shall be determined from consideration of the static forces on the portion of the member between faces of the joint for flexural members.
Overhead Transmission/Distribution Lines/Systems
Shall be located and installed following the latest standards of design, construction and maintenance but so as not to cause visual pollution and in the interest of public safety, convenience, good viewing and aesthetics, these may be located along alleys or back streets.
Convenience Receptacle
Shall be wired to at least two different circuits so that in case of failure in any one of the circuits, the entire area will not be deprived of power.
Minimum Flexural Strength
Shall satisfy that the sum of column moments at the center of the joint is greater than or equal to 1.2 times the sum of girder moments at the center of the joint for beam-columns.
Cement
Should be protected at the building site from injury through contact with dampness and should be stored in shed with a wood floor raised about 300mm (12") from the ground.
Box Nail
Similar to a common nail but thinner; has a long shank which may be smooth or barbed.
Bored Well
Similar to dug well, but constructed using an auger driven in by hand or with power tools.
Intrusion (Burglar) Alarm System
Similar to the fire detection system, except that instead of thermal detection, devices such as metallic tape and micro- and magnetic- switches are used to detect door and window motion and glass breakage. An eye or a laser light beam may also be used to detect movement once blocked.
Single Automatic Push Button Control
Simplest passenger operated automatic control system. It handles only one call at a time providing an uninterrupted trip for each call.
Cables
Single insulated conductors No. 6 AWG or larger; or they may be several conductors of any size assembled into a single unit.
Test Borings
Site investigation method for excavations that are carried no deeper than the proposed level.
Branch Circuit
Small capacity conductors which deliver energy to lamps, motors and other loads within the circuit.
Door Stops and Bumpers
Small metal fabrications with rubber bumpers attached and are used to keep a door from damaging adjacent construction.
Boulders
Soil classification pertaining particle sizes above 75mm.
Gravel
Soil classification pertaining to particle sizes 75mm to no.10 sieve.
Granular Fill or Filters
Soil materials with sand equivalent of not less than 50%; used to prevent the movement of fine particles out of soils and other natural materials through which seepage occurs; conforming to ASTM C 33, size 67.
Fill materials
Soil, crushed stone, and sand used to raise an existing grade, or as a man-made-deposit; generally used under footings, pavers, or concrete slabs on grade.
Solder & Sweat Joints
Solders and fluxes with lead content which exceeds 0.002 are prohibited in piping systems used to convey potable water.
Control Limit
Some yielding may occur and may have minor structural damage as categorized by the performance criteria of RC members resisting earthquake. Moderate - Mag. 4 - 6 -10-20 years.
Thermosetting Plastic
Sometimes called thermocuring plastics, set into shape permanently when heat and pressure are applied during the forming stage. They have a molecular structure in a 3-dimensional arrangement.
Octaves
Sound frequency bands considered in room acoustics.
Structure-Borne Sound
Sound propagated through a solid structure.
Alternating Current Generator
Source of bulk electrical energy utilized today, including energy for power and
Lock Washer
Specially constructed to prevent a nut from shaking loose.
Drier
Speeds up the formulation of the film of the paint vehicle.
Shellac Varnish
Spirit varnish made by dissolving white or orange shellac in grain alcohol.
Aeration
Spraying the water into the atmosphere through jets or passing it over rough surfaces to remove entrained noxious gases such as carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide
Individual Footing
Spread footing supporting free-standing columns and piers.
Pendent Sprinkler Head
Sprinkler head that projects through a finished ceiling when piping is exposed.
Upright Sprinkler Head
Sprinkler head used above piping when piping is exposed.
Ashlar
Squared stones in regular courses, in contradistinction to rubble work.
Flashover Phase
Stage of fire growth involving rapid change from a local fire to one involving all combustible materials in a room.
Decay (Cooling Period)
Stage of fire growth pertaining to gradual consumption of fuel in the compartment.
Pre-Flashover or Growth Phase
Stage of fire growth that involves flaming combustion of an item and may lead to a spread of fire; or a smoldering, poorly-ventilated fire with substantial smoke.
Fully Developed Fire (Stable phase)
Stage of fire growth where all materials in compartment are alight; maximum rate of heat release is dependent on either available ventilation or quantity of fuel.
Paver
Standard size unglazed tile resembling ceramic mosaic tile in composition and physical characteristics but usually having facial area of 6 sq. in. or more. Because of their greater size, which usually ranges from 3"x3" to 6"x6", these tiles are generally not pasted onto paper but are laid out individually.
Principle of Transmissibility
States that the external effect of a force on a body acted upon is independent of the point of application of the force but the same for all points along its line of action.
Non-Coded Manual Station
Station locations in a manual fire alarm system that are not identifiable at the control panel when it is manually triggered.
Tracks
Steel angles attached to the truss on which the step rollers are guided thus controlling the motion of the steps.
Termite Mesh
Steel mesh product that is fine enough to keep even tiny termites from passing through it. Termite Mesh is used in slab construction (concrete slabs are poured over or with the mesh). It is also used to wrap pipes and other access areas.
Elevator Wire Ropes
Steel wire ropes attached to the car frame or passing around sheaves attached to the car frame from which elevator/dumbwaiter cars and their counterweights are suspended.
Alloy Steel
Steels to which manganese, silicon, aluminum, titanium, and molybdenum have been added in sufficient quantity to produce properties unobtainable in carbon steels in cast, rolled or heat-treated form.
Appliance Branch Circuit
Supplies outlets intended for feeding appliances. Fixed lighting is not supplied.
Dimension Stone
Stone cut into specific size, squared to dimensions, and to a specific thickness.
Rubble Stone
Stone delivered from the quarries characterized by rough and irregular shape.
Bond Stones
Stones running through the thickness of the wall at right angles to its face, in order to bind it together.
Nails
Straight, slender pieces of metal having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened for hammering into wood or other building materials as a fastener.
Stepped Footing
String footing that changes levels to accommodate a sloping grade and maintain the required depth at all points around a building.
Resorcin Resin
Strong, waterproof and durable adhesive for outdoor use, but are flammable and their dark color may show through paint.
Load Bearing Capacity
Structural ability to carry load without collapsing.
Drainage Tile
Sub-surface drainage system component pertaining to a hollow tile, usually laid end to end as piping in soil in order to drain water saturated soil, or used to permit fluid in the hollow-tile pipe to disperse into the ground.
Catch Basins
Sub-surface drainage system component pertaining to receptacles for the runoff of surface water. They have a basin or sump that retains heavy sediment before it can pass into an underground drainpipe.
Combined Footing
Support twoor more columns.
Single Wrap Traction Machine
Supporting cables pass over the sheave in grooves and connect to the counterweights. The lifting power is exerted by the sheave through the traction of the cables in the grooves.
Area Drain
Surface drainage system component pertaining to a receptacle designed to collect surface water or rainwater from an open area.
Swale
Surface drainage system component pertaining to a shallow depression formed by the intersection of two ground slopes, designed to direct or divert the runoff of surface water.
Absorption Field or Disposal Field
Surface drainage system component pertaining to a system of trenches containing coarse aggregate and distribution pipes through which septic-tank effluent may seep into the surrounding soil.
Absorption Trench
Surface drainage system component pertaining to a trench containing coarse aggregate and a distribution tile pipe through which septic-tank effluent may flow, covered with earth.
Dry Wells
Surface drainage system component pertaining to drainage pits lined with gravel or rubble to receive surface water and allow it to percolate away to absorbent earth underground.
S2S
Surfaced two sides.
Grass Swale
Swale that slope 1.5% to 2%.
Paved Swale
Swale that slope 4% to 6%.
Disconnecting or Isolating Power Switch
Switch intended for disconnecting or isolating circuits; used for circuits rated at more than 600 volts.
Heavy Duty (HD) Switch
Switch intended for frequent interrupting.
Normal Duty (ND) Switch
Switch intended for normal use in light and power circuits as in general-purpose switches.
General-Purpose Power Switch
Switch intended for use in general distribution and branch circuits.
Light Duty (LD) Switch
Switch intended to connect the loads occasionally, such as service switches.
Service Switch
Switch intended to disconnect all the electric service in the building except emergency equipment. This may comprise one to six properly rated switches that are assembled into a switchboard.
Thermoplastic
Synthetic resin plastic that softens when heated and hardens when cooled regardless of the number of times the process is repeated. They have a molecular structure which is essentially linear or threadlike in form.
Smoke Dispersal
Technique of clearing smoke locally by provision of natural cross-ventilation or mechanical venting.
Caller ID
Tells the user who is calling by showing what phone number or extension the call is coming from, on a digital display usually within the phone unit itself.
190-200 Deg F per 200 Sq Ft
Temperature detector unit ratings at kitchens, attics, and basements.
135 Deg F per 200 Sq Ft
Temperature detector unit ratings at ordinary rooms.
Temporary Permit
Temporary expedient pending the construction of a public sewer, so long as it is established that a public sewer will be available in less than 2 years and the soil and ground water conditions are favorable;
Scaffolds
Temporary platforms designed to support workers and materials on the face of a structure and to provide access to work areas above the ground.
Intercepting Sewers
Termination points of tributary sewers.
Heavy-Duty Non-Slip Topping
Terrazo topping where a proportion of three marble granules to one abrasive must show.
Light-Duty Non-Slip Topping
Terrazo topping where the abrasive is sprinkled on the finish and a proportion of four marble to one abrasive granule must show.
Bond
That connection between bricks, stones or other masonry units formed by lapping them one upon another carrying up the work, so as to form an inseparable mass of building, by preventing the vertical joints falling over each other (also called a breaking joint).
Elevator Landing
That portion of a floor, balcony or platform for loading or discharging passengers or freight to or from the elevator.
Manila City Ordinance 2411
The "Plumbing Code for the City of Manila" was enacted and placed under the Department of Public Services, Manila.
Main Soil and Waste Vent
The 'backbone' of the entire sanitary system connected to the Main Soil & Waste Stack.
Electric Load Control
The effective utilization of available energy by reducing peak loads and lowering demand charge.
Sound Insulation
The ability of a barrier to prevent sound from reaching a receiver.
Plumbing
The art and technique of installing pipes, fixtures, and other apparatuses in buildings for bringing in the supply of liquids, substances and/or ingredients and removing them.
Sound Intensity (SI)
The average rate of sound energy flow through a unit area in a given direction.
Rigid Metal Conduit Wiring
The best and most expensive among the usual type of wiring. Its advantages are:
Machine
The driven unit of an equipment.
Pig Iron
The commercial form in which iron is first prepared. This impure form which contains 3% to 4% carbon and varying amount of phosphorous, silicon, sulfur, and manganese, is the starting point from which all other kinds of iron and iron alloys (or steel) are produced.
Convenience Outlet (Attachment Cap)
The complete set-up which establishes connection between the conductor of the flexible cord and the conductors connected permanently to the receptacle
Equilibrium Moisture Content
The condition of dryness of the wood equivalent to 12 to 16 percent moisture content in the Philippines.
Reverberation
The continuation of sound in an enclosed space after the initial source has been terminated.
Quoins
The corner stones at the angles of buildings, usually rusticated so as to project from the normal surface of the wall.
Line Drop
The decrease in voltage between two points on a power line, usually caused by resistance or leakage along the line.
Disposal Phase
The final stage of the plumbing process; where used water and water-carried wastes are brought to various disposal outlets.
Back Flow
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures, or substances into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water to a tank, plumbing fixture, or other device and the flood level rim of the receptacle.
Back Siphonage
The flowing back of used, contaminated or polluted water from a plumbing fixture or vessel into a water supply pipe due to a negative pressure in such pipe.
Absorption Coefficient
The fraction of the incident sound energy absorbed by a surface.
Balustrades
The frames on either side of the moving steps of an escalator.
Pitch
The frequency of sound wave perceived by the human ear.
Substructure
The habitable portion of the building found below the ground.
Setting
The hardening of concrete.
Floor
The level, base surface of a room or hall upon which one stands or walks.
Car
The load carrying unit of an elevator including its platform, frame, enclosure and door or gate.
Service Switch
The main disconnect for the entire electrical system of a building except for any emergency power systems.
Compartment Size
The more combustible the contents of a building, the smaller the compartment should be. Joints must be filled with non-combustible materials to prevent the spread of smoke or flame.
Galvanized Iron (steel) Sheet and Strip
The most common galvanized material used in architecture.
Control Unit
The nerve center of a phone system within the office, where all of the individual lines connect and all calls get routed.
Colony Elimination (Bait) System
The objective of this method is to attract the termite workers to forage on a slow-acting insect growth regulator (IGR) called hexaflumuron that will work to eliminate the termite workers population and eventually result in the death of the queen and any subsequent future queens, and therefore the entire colony.
Heartwood
The older, harder central portion of a tree.
Lead Pipe
The oldest pipe used for plumbing systems. Poisonous and injurious, is therefore not recommended to convey water for human consumption.
Service Drop
The overhead portion of service conductors extending from the nearest utility pole to a building.
Lamination
The process applied to paper or fabric impregnated with thermosetting resins.
Service Entrance Conductor
The portion of a service conductor extending from a service drop or service lateral to the service equipment of a building.
Wet Vent
The portion of a vent pipe through which wastewater also flows through.
Branch Circuit
The portion of an electrical system extending from the final overcurrent device protecting a circuit to the outlets served by the circuit
Superstructure
The portion of the building above the ground.
Main Vent
The principal artery of the venting system to which vent branches are connected. Also called "Collecting Vent Line".
Rosin
The principal noncorrosive flux.
Horizontal Supply Main
The principal water distribution pipe running from the water meter from which the various branches and risers to the fixtures are taken.
Resonance
The reinforcement of certain sound frequencies due to sympathetic vibrations. This is especially the case in enclosed rooms with highly reflective surfaces. The effect would be to emphasize certain frequencies at the expense of others, which is undesirable for balance desired in rooms intended for music.
Resonance
The relatively large amplitude of vibration produced when the frequency of the source of sound is equal to the natural frequency of a room.
Service Entrance
The service connection from a pole or other outside terminal location to a point of entrance into the building.
Air-Conditioning
The simultaneous control of the temperature, humidity, motion and purity of the air in a confined space.
Nominal Size
The size of lumber when it is cut from the log.
Sapwood
The softer, younger outer portion of a tree that lies between the cambium (formative layer just under the bark) and the heartwood.
Threshold of Audibility
The sound intensity which is just audible determined to be 10^-12 W/m^2.
Direct Sound
The sound that arrives at a receiver along a direct line from the source without reflection from any surface.
Foundation
The structural portion of the building that transfer the buildings load into the soil.
Car Frame
The structural steel frame of an elevator car to which are attached the platform, guide shoes, elevator car safety, hoisting cables and control equipment.
Television Antenna System
The system functions by amplifying the signal received by the TV antenna and by means of a special cable, distribute these amplified signals into the various wall outlets.
Autotronic Elevatoring
The system of Otis Elevator Company.
Wall Plates (Faceplates)
These are coverings for switches and wall outlets usually made of metal or of phenollic compound (Bakelite).
Relays
These are devices that use electrical energy to amplify or convert the power of a thermostat or other controllers so that the resultant force will be sufficient and adaptable to operate a valve or damper.
Centrifugal Fans (Radial Fans)
These are intended for moving air at comparatively high pressures and are commonly used in duct systems.
Knots
These are irregular growths in the body of a tree which interrupt the smooth curve of the grain.
Control Valves
These are valves with variable orifices which are moved by motors to present smaller or larger openings as directed by a thermostat.
Centrifugal Compressor
These compressors are quieter, have fewer vibration problems, require less maintenance and have better operating control.
Dampers
These control the flow of air and are in the form of louvers.
Flame Detector
These detectors are of two types; the Infrared (IR) and Ultraviolet (UV) Detectors. Applications are generally industrial and are highly sensitive.
Ionization Detector
These detectors operate by detecting ionized particles in the air. They do not detect fires producing heavy smoke but few particles such as alcohol and plastic fires.
Photoelectric Detector
These detectors react to the obscuration of a light beam by smoke. They are best applied where fires produce considerable quantities of smoke and gas, such as those caused by slow burning plastics.
Intermediate Metal Conduits
Thickness of 0.071 mm
Two-to-One Double Wrap Traction Machine (for freight elevators)
This 2:1 roping, has a mechanical advantage of 2, which results in a high-speed, low-power and therefore, low-cost traction machine.
Remote Door Entry
This allows the phone user to allow access to the front door from the phone with the push of a button. This is best for companies that do not want open access to their business, or one where valuables need to be protected.
Ideal Curve Control
This controller operates by comparing the actual rate of energy usage to the ideal rate, and controls KW demand by controlling the total energy used within a metering interval.
Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS)
This device, an essential part of an emergency or standby service, is basically a double throw switch, generally 3-pole, so arranged that on failure of normal power, emergency service is automatically supplied.
Call Transfer
This feature allows calls to be sent directly to specific extensions. This way, only one phone number is needed for the company, and if there is no single person at the company to answer phones, anyone can answer the line and transfer the call to the appropriate person.
Speed Dialing
This feature allows the user to keep multiple phone numbers saved, allowing one-button dialing.
Vitreous Enamel
This finish forms a hard, resistant surface. It is available in a broad color range that creates a different feeling in that colors are glassy, whereas anodic color is metallic in nature.
Selective Coded Systems
This is a fully coded system in which all manual devices are coded and all automatic devices are arranged to trip code transmitters at the panel.
Gypsum Board
This is a non-combustible building board with a gypsumcore enclosed in tough, smooth paper. It is designed to be used without addition of plaster for walls, ceilings or partitions. It is extensively used in "dry-wall" construction, where plaster is eliminated.
Haydite
This is processed concrete added with lightweight aggregate.
Wane
This is the lack of wood on the edge or corner of a piece.
Acrylic
This material combines the transparency of glass (but not scratch-proof quality) with plastics' shatterproof quality. Used principally for skylights, skydomes, safety glass, paints, adhesives, finish hardware, & lighting fixtures. Popular brands include Lucite and Plexiglass.
Dual Coded Systems
This system is a combination of the non-coded and the zone coded systems. When an alarm device operates, it initiates two different functions - an identifying coded alarm located in the maintenance office and a continuous ringing evacuation alarm for the whole building.
Master Coded Systems
This system is also called the common coded or fixed coded system and generates 4 rounds of code. When the code is set to ring the bells at 108 strokes per minute, the alarm is known a "march time" because of the rhythmic cadence. This alarm best applies in the rapid evacuation of a building and is frequently used in schools.
Electronic Group Supervisory Dispatching and Control
This system is used to control not only single elevators but an entire group or bank of cars. During peak periods, all cars are in operation; automatically, the system shuts down successively cars as the number of passengers reduces and return them to service as the number of passengers again increases to a high peak.
Strip Flooring
This type of flooring consists of tongue-and-grooved (T&G) boards 6" or less in width. Nominal sizes of strips are 1" x 3", 1" x 4" and 1" x 6". Net (face) widths are 2-1/4", 3-1/4", and 5-1/4" respectively. Net thickness is 7/8".
Plank Flooring
This type of flooring is usually face-nailed and consists of square-edged boards 8" or more in width as are commonly found in old Spanish-period houses.
Panic Hardware
This type of operating hardware is used where required by the building code for safe egress during a panic situation.
Watchmen's Tour Equipment
This type of station allows a guard to call in through an intercom and permits a general alarm to ring through operation of a key.
Oblique Joint
Type of joint made when the two pieces do not meet at right angles. One piece is cut at an angle to fit the other and the two pieces are nailed securely together.
Break-In Noise
Transfer of noise from a space surrounding the duct into the duct through duct walls.
Break-Out Noise
Transfer of noise from the interior of a duct through duct walls into a space outside the duct.
Foundation System
Transfers the lateral loads on the superstructure to the ground.
Mortise and Tenon Joint
Type of joint made by cutting a hole or mortise in one piece and a tenon or tongue in the second piece to fit the hole in the other.
Dovetail Joint
Type of joint made by cutting a pin in the shape of a dovetail in one piece to fit a groove similarly shaped in the other piece.
Rabbet Joint
Type of joint made by cutting a shoulder or edge from one piece to receive the other piece. It is used in window or door frames, or in shelf and drawer construction.
Halved Joint
Type of joint made by cutting half the thickness of the wood from each piece at the ends to be joined so as to bring the sides flush.
Thermoplastic Insulator
Type Letter: THW/THWN
Moisture-Resistant Thermoplastic Insulator
Type Letter: TW
Cross-Linked Thermosetting Polyethelene
Type Letter: XHHW
Cold Chisel
Type o chisel used to trim metals.
Surfate-Resisting Cement
Type of Portland cement used for applications where alkaline water and soils occur.
White Cement
Type of Portland cement which is free from iron impurities.
Cellulose Fiber Tile
Type of acoustic tile made from compressed sugar cane or wood fibers with perforations on the surface of the tile.
Glass Fiber Tile
Type of acoustic tile made of glass fibers held together by binder. Thickness is 1-1/4". Sizes are 23-3/4" x 23-3/4" or 47-3/4".
Stringer
Type of beam similar to a joist, which carries the flooring of a bridge.
Lintel
Type of beam which carries the masonry across the opening made by a door or window.
Purlin
Type of beam which carries the roof load between trusses or rafters.
Glazed Brick
Type of brick having a smooth outer surface with a dull satin or high gloss finish. They are load bearing, fire resisting, and impervious. They are usually formed with vertical hollow cores through the body with scoring on the back.
Fire (Refractory) Brick
Type of brick ordinarily made from a mixture of flint clay and plastic clay, and are used for the lining of furnaces, fireplaces, and chimneys.
Gearless Traction Machine
Type of elevator machine that consists of a DC motor, the shaft of which is directly connected to the brake wheel and to the driving sheave. The elevator cables are placed around this sheave. This type of machine is used for medium and high speed elevators for office and residential condominiums of 10 stories or more; where high speeds and smooth quality operation are desired.
Geared Traction Machine
Type of elevator machine that employs a worm and gear between the driving motor and the sheave. It is considered to be less superior to the gearless traction machine since it has more moving parts and requires more maintenance. Used for low and medium speed passenger and freight elevators.
Backhoe
Type of excavator used for general digging which is usually mounted on either a crawler or truck frame.
Conduit
Used to provide a system ground path.
Board Foot
Unit of measure used in computing the volume of lumber. Found by dividing the product of thickness, width and length by 12.
Film Sheet
Used as water barrier or dampproofing material, it is generally made of polyethylene and polyvinyl and come in thicknesses ranging from 1 to 10 mils (0.001 to 0.01 inch) and in rolls of 50' length and 3' to 40' width.
Water Heaters
Used for heating the water which will be used in the spray chamber to add heat and humidity to the air.
Chalk Line
Used for marking lines.
Slump Test
Used for measuring the consistency of a concrete mix.
Phenolics
Used for paints, baked enamels, adhesives, impregnating resins for paper and wood, and finish hardware.
Direct Burial Cable
Used for residential service connections.
Mercuric Chloride
Used for the treatment of paint to prevent mildew stains.
Gravity Supply Tank
Used in Overhead Feed System; Main components include supply pipe, inlet, overflow pipe, drip pan, and gate valves.
Sump Pump
Used in applications where excess water must be pumped away from a particular area.
Epoxy
Used in buildings for its remarkable adhesive qualities. It may also be used for special paints that are chemically resistant and for special caulking compounds.
Dry-Type Transformers
Used in small- and medium-sized buildings may be replaced together with a disconnect switch and switchgear in a unit substation.
Expansion Joints
Used in soil & waste stack joints shall be free & accessible.
Gate Valve
Used mainly to completely close or completely open the water line (does not control flow of water).
Drain Tiles
Used to prevent groundwater from seeping through the basement walls & foundation.
Conduit
Used to protect the enclosed conductors from mechanical injury and chemical damage
Conduit
Used to protect the surroundings against fire hazard as a result of overheating or short circuiting of the enclosed conductors and to support the conductors.
Welded Wire Fabric
Used to reinforce concrete slabs used in light construction, consists of series wires welded together to form a grid pattern.
Adhesive
Used to secure the surfaces of two materials together. May be supplied in the form of a solid, liquid, powder or film.
Escalator
Used where large numbers of people are scattered throughout a given area and on a large number of floors. These people being interested in moving about almost constantly to various locations for short periods of time.
Underslung System
Used where the elevator machine is located at the basement.
Carriage Bolt
Used where the head may be inaccessible to the placement of a nut or where an exceptionally long bolt would be needed to penetrate a joint fully.
Plastic Sheet
Usually made of acrylate, polyester, or polystyrene plastics, either plain or reinforced with glass-fiber, are available in flat or corrugated sheets and various deformed shapes.
Kilo
Vernacular term for truss.
Astragals
Vertical members used between double doors to seal the opening, act as a door stop, or provide extra security when the doors are closed.
Weight (Mass) Irregularity
Vertical structural irregularity considered to exist where the effective mass of any story is more than 150 percent of the effective mass of an adjacent story. A roof that is lighter than the floor below need not be considered.
Vertical Geometric Irregularity
Vertical structural irregularity considered to exist where the horizontal dimension of the lateral-force-resisting system in any story is more than 130 percent of that in an adjacent story. One-story penthouses need not be considered.
In-Plane Discontinuity in Vertical Lateral-Force-Resisting Element
Vertical structural irregularity where an in-plane offset of the lateral-load-resisting elements is greater than the length of those elements.
Stiffness Irregularity/Soft Story
Vertical structural irregularity where lateral stiffness is less than 70 percent of that in the story above or less than 80 percent of the average stiffness of the three stories above.
Discontinuity in Capacity/Weak Story
Vertical structural irregularity where the story strength is less than 80 percent of that in the story above.
Thinner
Volatile solvent of the paint vehicle. Facilitates application and contributes, through its evaporation, to the drying of the paint, but is not a permanent part of the film
Pozzolana
Volcanic ash.
Storm Water
Waste water coming from the rain.
Grey Water
Waste water with the exception of human wastes. Sources include laundries, wash basins, sinks, tubs, etc.
Melamine
Well known for its use in molded dishes.
Sprinkler Vent
Well way floor openings have a duct on each floor equipped with a number of smoke pick up relays. In case of fire, these relays automatically start the fans in the fresh air intake, located on the roof, driving air downward through the well ways. Dangerous gases and smoke are drawn in thru the ducts and exhausted at the roof. The usual spray nozzles on the ceiling around the stair well aid in quenching the fire.
Air Pressure (Pneumatic) System
When pressure supplied by city water supply is not strong enough, compressed air is used to raise and push water into the system.
Warehouse Set
When the cement is stored in high piles for long periods, there is a tendency for the lower layers to harden caused by the pressure above.
Integral Colored-Cement Finish
When the concrete is still green but surface water is gone, the surface is leveled with a straight wood screed. Then a finish coat of 1:3 plaster is applied. This finish coat is leveled with a wood screed, given a wood float finish and then steel-trowelled.
Geotextile Reinforcement
When the geotextile fabric lends its strength to low loadbearing soil to increase the overall design strength and decrease the amount of sub-base and base course material.
Geotextile Separation
When the geotextile is placed between dissimilar materials to prevent migration of one of the materials into the other.
Geotextile Filtration
When the geotextile is used to prevent the movement of fine particles from soil through which seepage occurs.
Composite Column
Where structural steel columns are embedded into the concrete core of a spiral column.
Evaporator
Where the pressure is relieved by the suction stroke of the compressor. The boiling point of the liquid refrigerant drops and evaporation into a vapor takes place.
Main Switchboard
Where the service entrance conductors in the form of bus bars terminates and connects to the distribution panel boards by means of feeder circuits protected by circuit breakers; serves for the control, protection and metering of the main feeders.
Gabion System
Wire-enclosed riprap, consists of mats or baskets fabricated from wire mesh, filled with small riprap, and anchored to a slope.
Covering the Wood with a Compound or Material
Wood treatment method where superficial coatings or layers protective materials retard the normal increases in temperature under fire conditions and thereby decrease the rate of flame spread.
Stakes
Wooden sticks used as posts sharpened at one end driven into the ground to serve as boundaries or supports of the batter boards.
Site Drainage
necessary to prevent erosion and collection of excess surface water or groundwater resulting from new construction.
Corrugated Steel
rigidized sheet fabricated from low-carbon cold or hot-rolled steel sheets which are either galvanized or covered with some type of bituminous coating.
Pressurization
technique whereby air is blown into spaces which are designed to be kept clear of smoke.