Glossary - S

Tuesday, 31 December 2013 Written by Administrator

» Sun Shading Solutions - are specialist in providing outdoor sun shades and all other shading needs.

» Skirting for Drywalls - is used for covering the corniest part of the wall, to hide and cover the joint between the wall surface and the floor. Skirting for Drywalls which are
   chemical resistant, water proof, good in looks and easy to install.

» Safety glazing Glass or plastic glazing material that, when broken, does not create hazardous shards, permitted for use in locations in buildings at risk of oc- cupant impact;
   typically tempered glass, laminated glass, or plastic.

» Safing Fire-resistant material inserted into a space between a curtain wall and a spandrel beam or column to retard the passage of fire through the space.

» Sand cushion terrazzo Terrazzo with an underbed that is separated from the structural floor deck by a layer of sand.

» Sand-mold brick, sand-struck brick A brick made in a mold that was wetted and then dusted with sand before the clay was placed in it.

» Sandstone A sedimentar y rock formed from sand; classified by ASTM C119 in the Quartz-Based Dimension Stone group.

» Sandwich panel A panel consisting of two outer faces of wood, metal, gypsum, or concrete bonded to a core of insulat- ing foam.

» Sapwood The living wood in the outer region of a tree trunk or branch.

» Sash A frame that holds glass.

» SBS See Styrene-butadiene-styrene.

» SBX See Sodium borate.

» Scab A piece of framing lumber nailed to the face of another piece of lumber. Scarf joint A glued end connection between two pieces of wood, using a sloping cut to create a
   large surface for the glue bond, to allow it to develop the full tensile strength of the wood that it connects.

» SCC See Self-consolidating concrete. SCOF See Static Coefficient of Friction. Scratch coat The first of two base-coat plaster applications in a three-coat plaster.

» Screed A strip of wood, metal, or plaster that establishes the level to which con- crete or plaster will be placed.

» Screw portA three-quarter circular pro- file in an aluminum extrusion, made to accept a screw driven parallel to the long axis of the extrusion.

» Screw slotA serrated slot profile in an aluminum extrusion, made to accept screws driven at right angles to the long axis of the extrusion.

» Scupper An opening through a parapet through which water can drain over the edge of a flat roof.

» Sealant A rubberlike, adhesive material, usually applied in liquid or tape form, used to seal a joint, gap, or crack against the passage of air and moisture.

» Sealant gun A tool for injecting sealant into a joint.

» Sealer A coating used to close the pores in a surface, usually in preparation for the application of a finish coating.

» Seasoning The dr ying of wood, to bring its moisture content into equilibrium with ambient conditions.

» Seated connection A connection in which a steel beam rests on top of a steel angle or tee that is fastened to a column or girder.

» Section An architectural drawing rep- resenting a vertically cut plane through a whole building, part of a building, or detail.

» Security glass A glazing sheet with mul- tiple laminations of glass and plastic, de- signed to stop bullets.

» Sedimentary rock Rock formed from materials deposited as sediments, such as sand or sea shells, which form sandstone and limestone, respectively.

» Segregation Separation of the constitu- ents of wet concrete caused by excessive handling or vibration.

» Seismic Relating to earthquakes. Seismic load A force on a struc- ture caused by movement of the earth relative to the structure during an earth- quake.

» Seismic separation joint A building sep- aration joint that allows adjacent building masses to oscillate independently during an earthquake.

» Self-adhered flashing A flexible, self- sticking flashing material, usually made of polymer-modified asphalt laminated to a plastic backing, with preapplied adhesive
   on one side.

» Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) Con- crete formulated so that it is highly flowable and fills formwork completely without needing consolidation.

» Self-consolidating grout Grout formu- lated so that it is highly flowable.

   Self-drilling Drills its own hole.

» Self-furring metal lath Metal lath with dimples that space the lath away from the sheathing behind to allow plaster to pen- etrate the lath and key to it.

» Self-tapping Creates its own screw threads on the inside of the hole.

» Self-weight The weight of a beam or slab.

» Semirigid connection A partially re- strained moment connection.

» Sequential construction A method of providing design and construction ser- vices in which each major phase of design and construction is completed before the next phase
   is begun.

   Set To cure; to install; to recess the heads of nails; a punch for recessing the heads of nails.

» Setting block A small block of synthetic rubber or lead used to support the weight of a sheet of glass at its lower edge.

» Settlement joint A building separation joint that allows the foundations of adja- cent building masses to settle at different rates.

» SFRM See Spray-applied fire-resistive material.

» SGPL See Structural-grade plastic lum- ber.

» Shading coefficient The ratio of total solar heat passing through a given sheet of glass to that passing through a sheet of clear double-strength glass; mostly replaced in
   contemporar y energy calcula- tions by solar heat gain coefficient.

» Shaft An unbroken vertical passage through a multistor y building, used for elevators, wiring, plumbing, ductwork, and so on. » Shaft wall A wall surrounding a shaft. Shake A
   shingle split from a block of wood.

» Shake-on hardener A dr y powder that is dusted onto the surface of a concrete slab before troweling to react with the con- crete and produce a hard wearing surface for
   industrial use.

» Shale A rock formed from the consoli- dation of clay or silt.

» Shallow foundation A building foun- dation located at the base of a wall or acolumn, bearing on soil relatively close to the ground surface.

» Shear A deformation in which planes of material slide with respect to one an- other.

» Shear connection A connection designed to resist only the tendency of one member to slide past the other, and not, as in a moment connection, to resist any tendency of the
   members to rotate with respect to one another; in steel frame construction, a simple connection.

» Shear panel A wall, floor, or roof surface that acts as a deep beam to help stabi- lize a building against deformation by lateral forces.

» Shear stud A piece of steel welded to the top of a steel beam or girder so as to become embedded in the concrete fill over the beam and cause the beam and the concrete to
   act as a single struc- tural unit. » Shear wall A stiff wall that imparts lat- eral force resistance to a building frame. Sheathing The rough covering applied to the outside of the
   roof, wall, or floor framing of a structure.

» Shed A building or dormer with a sin- gle-pitched roof.

» Sheeting A stiff material used to retain the soil around an excavation; a material such as polyethylene in the form of ver y thin, flexible sheets.

» Sheet metal Flat rolled metal generally less than 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) thick.

» Shelf angle A horizontal steel angle at- tached to the wall or spandrel of a build- ing to support a masonr y facing.

» SHGC See Solar heat gain coefficient. Shim A thin piece of material placed between two components of a building to adjust their relative positions as they are assembled; to
   insert shims.

» Shingle A small unit of water-resistant material nailed in overlapping fash- ion with many other such units to ren- der a wall or sloping roof watertight; to apply shingles.

» Shiplap A board with edges rabbeted so as to overlap flush from one board to the next.

» Shop drawings Detailed drawings pre- pared by a fabricator to guide the shop production of such building compo- nents as cut stonework, steel or precast concrete framing,
   curtain wall panels, and cabinetwork. Shoring Temporar y vertical or sloping supports of steel or timber.

» Shotcrete A low-slump concrete mixture that is deposited by being blown from a nozzle at high speed with a stream of com- pressed air; pneumatically placed concrete.

» Shrinkage-compensating cement Spe- cially formulated cement, used to coun- teract the dr ying shrinkage that normally occurs during curing.

» Shrinkage-reducing admixture A con- crete additive that reduces dr ying shrink- age and the cracking that results.

» Shrinkage–temperature steel Reinforc- ing bars laid at right angles to the princi- pal bars in a one-way slab for the purpose of preventing excessive cracking caused by
   dr ying shrinkage or temperature stresses in the concrete. » Side-hinged inswinging window A win- dow that opens by pivoting inward on hinges at or near a vertical edge of
   the sash.

» Side jamb See Jamb.

» Sidelight A tall, narrow window along- side a door.

» Siding The exterior wall finish material applied to a light frame structure.

» Siding nail A nail with a small head, used to fasten siding to a building.

» Silica fume Ver y finely divided silicon dioxide, a pozzolan, used as an admix- ture in the formulation of high-strength, low-permeability concrete; also called microsilica.

» Silicone A polymer used for high-range sealants, roof membranes, and masonr y water repellents.

» Sill The horizontal bottom portion of a window or door; the exterior surface, usually sloped to shed water, below the bottom of a window or door.

» Sill plate The strip of wood that lies immediately on top of a concrete or masonr y foundation in wood frame con- struction.

» Sill sealer A compressible material placed between a foundation and a sill to reduce air infiltration between the out- doors and indoors.

» Simple caulk and seal A method similar to the airtight dr ywall approach for con- structing a light frame building enclosure that is resistant to the free flow of air, but requiring
   less coordination between framing and sealing operations than the airtight dr ywall approach.

» Simple connection A steel frame shear connection with no useable resistance to ro- tation; previously referred to as an “AISC Type 2” connection.

» Single-hung window A window with two overlapping sashes, the lower of which can slide vertically in tracks and the upper of which is fixed.

» Single-ply roof membrane A sheet of plastic or synthetic rubber used as a mem- brane for a low-slope roof.

» Single-strength glass Glass approximate- ly 3/32 inch (2.5 mm) thick.

» Single tee A precast slab element whose profile resembles the letter T.

» SIP See Structural insulated panel. Sitecast Concrete that is poured and cured in its final position in a building; cast in place.

» Skip-joist system See Wide-module con- crete joist system.

» Skylight A glazed unit installed in a roof; also referred to as a unit skylight.

» Slab band A ver y broad, shallow beam used with a one-way solid slab.

» Slab on grade A concrete surface ly- ing upon, and supported directly by, the ground beneath.

» Slag The mineral waste that rises to the top of molten iron or steel or to the top of a weld.

» Slag cement See Blast furnace slag. Slaked lime See Hydrated lime.

» Slate A metamorphic form of clay, easily split into thin sheets.

» Sliding window A window with one fixed sash and another that moves horizontally in tracks.

» Slip-critical connection A structural steel connection in which the members are clamped together by high-strength bolts with sufficient force that the loads on the members
   are transmitted between them by friction along their mating (fay- ing) surfaces; also called a friction connec- tion.

» Slip forming Building multistor y site- cast concrete walls with forms that rise up the wall as construction progresses.

» Slip sheet A thin sheet of paper, plas- tic, or felt, placed between two materials to eliminate friction or bonding of the materials.

» Slurry A water y mixture of insoluble materials with a high concentration of suspended solids.Sloped glazing A system of metal and glass components used to make an in-
   clined, transparent roof; in the Interna- tional Building Code, glass sloped more than 15 degrees from vertical.

» Slump test A test in which wet concrete or plaster is placed in a cone-shaped metal mold of specified dimensions and allowed to sag under its own weight after the cone is
   removed. The vertical distance between the height of the mold and the height of the slumped mixture is an index of its working consistency.

» Slurry A water y mixture of insoluble materials with a high concentration of suspended solids.

   Smoke-developed rating An index of the toxic fumes generated by a material as it burns, as determined by ASTM stan- dard E84.

» Smoke shelf The horizontal area behind the damper of a fireplace.

   Slow-burn construction See Mill construction.

» Sodium borate (SBX) A chemical used to preser ve wood against attack by decay and insects.

» Soffit The undersurface of a horizontal element of a building, especially the un- derside of a stair or a roof overhang.

» Soffit vent An opening under the eave of a roof used to allow air to flow into the attic or the space below the roof sheath- ing.

» Soft mud process Making bricks by pressing wet clay into molds.

» Softwood Wood from coniferous (ever- green) trees.

» Soil Any particulate earth material, ex- cluding rock.

» Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) The ratio of solar heat admitted through a particular glass to the total heat energy striking the glass.

» Solar reflectance A unitless index, rang- ing from 0 to 1, expressing a material’s tendency to absorb or reflect solar radia- tion; also called albedo.

» Soldering A low-temperature form of brazing.

» Soldier A brick laid on its end, with its narrow face toward the outside of the wall.

» Sole plate The horizontal piece of di- mension lumber at the bottom of the studs in a wall in a light frame building; also called a bottom plate.

» Solid-core door A flush door with no in- ternal cavities.

   Solid masonry Masonr y walls without cavities; historically, thick, monolithic masonr y walls that rely primarily on their mass for their strength, durability, and tempering of the
   flow of heat and mois- ture from inside to outside.

» Solid slab A concrete slab, without ribs or voids, that spans between beams or bearing walls.

» Solid tape sealant See Preformed solid tape sealant.

» Solvent A liquid that dissolves another material.

» Sound Transmission Class (STC) An in- dex of the resistance of a wall or partition to the passage of sound.

Space truss, space frame A truss that spans with two-way action.

» Spalling The cracking or flaking of the surface of concrete or masonr y units, caused, for example, by freeze- thaw action, corroding reinforcing, or pointing mortars that are
   harder and stronger than the mortar deeper in the masonr y joint.

» Span The distance between supports for a beam, girder, truss, vault, arch, or other horizontal structural device; to carr y a load between supports.

» Spandrel The wall area between the head of a window on one stor y and the sill of a window on the floor above; the area of a wall between adjacent arches.

» Spandrel beam A beam that runs along the outside edge of a floor or roof. Spandrel glass Opaque glass manu- factured especially for use in spandrel panels.

» Spandrel panel A curtain wall panel used in a spandrel.

» Span rating The number stamped on a sheet of plywood or other wood building panel to indicate how far in inches it may span between supports.

» Specifications The written instructions from an architect or engineer concern- ing the quality of materials and execution required for a building.

» Spirit level A tool in which a bubble in an upwardly cur ving cylindrical glass vial indicates whether a building element is level or not level, plumb or not plumb.

» Splash block A small precast block of concrete or plastic used to divert water at the bottom of a downspout.

» Spline A thin strip inserted into grooves in two mating pieces of material to hold them in alignment; a ridge or strip of material intended to lock to a mating groove. In glazing,
   the edge spacer in an in- sulating glass unit. » Split jamb A door frame fabricated in two interlocking halves, to be installed from the opposite sides of an opening.

» Spray-applied fire-resistive material (SFRM) Fibrous or cementitious insu- lation applied to steel or concrete with a sprayer to provide protection against the heat of fire.

» Springwood In wood, the portion of the growth ring comprised of rela- tively larger, less dense cells; also called earlywood.

» SSP See Stressed-skin panel.

» Staggered truss system A steel framing system in which stor y-high trusses, stag- gered one-half bay from one stor y to the next, support floor decks on both their top and
   bottom chords.

» Stain A coating intended primarily to change the color of wood or concrete without forming an imper vious film.

» Stainless steel A steel alloy, silver y in col- or, with superior corrosion resistance due principally to high chromium and nickel content.

» Standing and running trim Door and window casings and baseboards.

» Standing seam A sheet metal roofing seam that projects at right angles to the plane of the roof.

» Static Coefficient of Friction (SCOF) A measure of the slip resistance of a floor- ing material.

» Stay A sloping cable used to stabilize a structure.

» STC See Sound Transmission Class. Steam curing Aiding and accelerating the setting reaction of concrete by the application of steam.

» Steel Iron with a controlled amount of carbon, generally less than 2 percent. Steel reinforcing bars Hot-rolled, deformed steel bars used to impart tensile strength and ductility
   to concrete structures; rebar.

» Steel trowel h sufficient slope to be made waterproof with shingles. In theInternational Building Code, a roof with a slope of 2:12 (17 percent) or greater. Sticking The
  cementing together of defects in marble slabs.

» Stick system A metal curtain wall system that is largely assembled in place. Stiffener plate A steel plate attached to a structural member to support it against heavy localized
   loading or stresses.

» Stiff mud process A method of molding bricks in which a column of damp clay is extruded from a rectangular die and cut into bricks by fine wires » Stile A vertical framing member in a panel door.

» Stirrup A vertical loop of steel bar used to reinforce a concrete beam against di- agonal tension forces.

» Stirrup-tie A stirrup that forms a com- plete loop, as differentiated from a U- stirrup, which has an open top.

» Stool The interior horizontal plane at the sill of a window.

» Storm window A sash added to the out- side of a window in winter to increase its thermal resistance and decrease air infil- tration.

» Story pole A strip of wood marked with the exact course heights of masonr y for a particular building, used to make sure that all the leads are identical in height and coursing.

» Straightedge To strike off the surface of a concrete slab using screeds and a straight piece of lumber or metal; as a noun, a long, straight item, used to per- form
   straightedging, test the flatness of a surface, or trace a straight line.

» Strain Deformation under stress; ex- pressed as a ratio of the change in length over the original length.

Stress Force per unit area.

» Stressed-skin panel (SSP) A panel con- sisting of two face sheets of wood, metal, or concrete bonded to perpendicular spacer ribs or framing members such that the panel
   can act as a composite struc- tural panel.

» Stretcher A brick or masonr y unit laid in its most usual position, with the broad- est surface of the unit horizontal and the length of the unit parallel to the surface of the wall.

» Striated Textured with parallel scratch- es or grooves.

» Stringer The sloping wood or steel mem- ber that supports the treads of a stair. Strip flooring Solid wood finish flooring members less than 3 inches (75 mm) in width, usually in the form of tongue-and- groove boards

» Stripping Removing formwork from concrete; sealing around a roof flashing with layers of felt and bitumen.

» Structural bond The interlocking pat- tern of masonr y units used to tie two or more wythes together in a wall.

» Structural composite lumber Substitutes for solid lumber made from wood veneers or wood fiber strands and glue; also called engineered lumber.

» Structural glazed facing tile A hollow clay masonr y unit with glazed faces. Structural-grade plastic lumber (SGPL) Lumberlike plastic members, reinforced with glass fibers,
   and formulated to be roughly as strong as conventional solid wood.

» Structural insulated panel (SIP) A panel consisting of two face sheets of wood pan- el bonded together by plastic foam core.

» Structural lightweight aggregate Light- weight aggregate with sufficient density and strength for use in structural con- crete.

» Structural mill The portion of a steel mill that rolls structural shapes.

» Structural silicone flush glazing Glass secured to the face of a building with strong, highly adhesive silicone sealant to eliminate the need for any metal to appear on the
   exterior of the building.

» Structural standing-seam metal roof- ing Sheets of folded metal that ser ve both as decking and as the waterproof layer of a roof.

» Structural terra cotta Molded compo- nents, often highly ornamental, made of fired clay, designed to be used in the fa- cades of buildings.

» Structural tubing See Hollow structural section.

» Structure/enclosure joint A connection designed to allow the structure of a build- ing and its cladding or partitions to move independently.

» Stucco Plaster made from a mixture of portland cement, lime, sand, and water; commonly used as an exterior finish material.

» Stud One of an array of small, closely spaced, parallel wall framing members; a heavy steel pin.

» Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) A co- polymer of butadiene and styrene used as a modifier in polymer-modified bitumen roofing.

» Subcontractor A contractor who spe- cializes in one area of construction ac- tivity and who works under a general contractor.

» Subfloor The loadbearing surface beneath a finish floor.

» Subpurlin A ver y small roof framing member that spans between joists or purlins.

» Substrate The base to which a coating, veneer, or finish material is applied. Substructure The occupied below- ground portion of a building.

» Summerwood In wood, the portion of the growth ring comprised of relatively smaller, denser cells; also called late- wood.

» Sump A pit designed to collect water for removal from an excavation or base- ment.

» Superflat floor A concrete slab finished to a high degree of flatness and levelness according to a recognized system of mea- surement.

» Superplasticizer An admixture that makes wet concrete or grout extremely fluid without additional water.

» Superstructure The above-ground por- tion of a building.

» Supplementary cementitious material Hydraulic cementitious material or poz- zolan mixed with portland cement to modify the cement product’s properties or lower the energy
   required to manufac- ture the cement.

» Supply pipe A pipe that brings clean water to a plumbing fixture.

» Supporting stud A wall framing mem- ber that extends from the sole plate to the underside of a header and supports the header.

» Surface-bonded masonry Concrete block laid without mortar and then plas- tered on both sides with a fiber-reinforced cement plaster so as to make a structurally sound
  masonr y wall.

Surfacing Smoothing the surface of a material, usually by planing.

» Surface divider joint
A line along which a surface may expand and/or contract without damage.

» Surface number In glazing assemblies, the distinct faces of glazing, countingfrom the outermost to the innermost of a glazing unit, including each face of each glazing
   material.

» Suspended ceiling A finish ceiling that is hung on wires from the structure above. Suspended glazing Large sheets of glass hung from clamps at their top edges to eliminate
   the need for metal mullions. Sustainability Providing for the needs of the current generation without compro- mising the ability of future generations to provide for their needs.
   Providing healthy, resource- conser ving, energy-ef- ficient buildings. “Green” building.

» Swedge bolt See lockpin and collar fastener.

» Synthetic gypsum Chemically manufac- tured gypsum made from the byproducts of various industrial processes, such as the desulfurization of power plant flue gasses.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 January 2014 07:26