Structures and Materials | Assignment

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STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS
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Question 1: Design philosophy of Life Cycle Towers
The design philosophy behind the design and construction of was form follows functions. The
form of this eight-story wood office was guided by the functions which were to be carried out in
the spaces. This building was designed and constructed with the main aim was to develop a
system and a product which would be used on any given urban infill project, with wood having
to replace concrete as much as possible. The main goal was to introduce an industrial process for
buildings which will act similar to the process computer and computer designs. The Life Cycle
Building is a Highrise block building made of timber cladding and glass. The figure below
shows the facades of the LCT .
Fig 1: LCT Building facades.
Question 2: loads (Annotated picture)

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Question 3:

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Question 4: Vr for the structure
Question 5: Reasons for choosing structural timber for construction.
Durability and strength
Structural timbers are durable and long lasting to an extent where they can resist chemical agent
actions, physical agents and biological agent actions. They are also strong and can resist against
failure, i.e. structural timbers do not easily fail as they are able to take loads acting on them.
Therefore, timber is considered as a vital structural property in building and construction.
(Lacasse & Vanier, 2016)

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Precise gravity
Wood being of a light material, its gravity is less than one. Interestingly, the tissue of a wood is
compressed in a way that not even a few pores are left in it, making it become heavier than
water. Gravity changes from one timber to another, depending on the structure and existence of
pores in them. (Dost & Botsai, 2018)
Heat and electrical resistance
Wood has got a natural heat and electrical resistance when it is dry to a level of standard
moisture content. The Moisture Content levels are normally between 7%-12% for many woods.
Its dimensions and strengths also are not affected so much by heat, hence ensuring stability to the
finished structural building and also safety effects in case of fire situations. (Allen & Iano, 2019)
Strategies of managing timber construction materials on durability and against fire.
This are ways and systems that are put in place to ensure the sustainability and durability of the
timber construction materials are enhanced as well as ensuring the integrated systems protects
the building constructed from fire.
Protection of building timber against fire is a process of safeguarding the timber built building
from fire to enhance and improve the life cycle of the building and enhancing the operational and
maintenances cost effectiveness (Building Materials and Structures Report, 2014).
Durability of a construction material- capacity and capability of a building to be able to do the
needed functions on environment over a period of time.
Evaluation and monitoring of the possible durability of timber is aided through connection of the
performance of timber needed with past test data. This valuation depend on the information and

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resources of the architect to precisely examine the detailed submissions. The key aspects in ways
of improving the durability of a building timber includes:
 When building, a suitable, feasible and potential timber or wood should be selected. This
is a vital factor when constructing a wooden building. The timber selected should be able
to suppress the natural features availed in the prevailing climate.
 The type and quality of the wood to be used is essential. The quality of any building
material is a factor to be considered. The timber ought to be strong and of good grain
capacity.
 The timber construction materials should always be kept dry to avoid possible moisture
buildup which may result into decay of the building.
 The construction materials should be kept from decay and other wood insects such as
termite-This invaders may influence decay and rotting of the building or the timber (Kim
& Wu, 2014).
 Enhancing treatment of the surface of the building should be officiated. This treatment
may include Painting, waxing and lacquering. This treatment ensures durability of the
building is upheld.
Question 6: Concrete and steel
Concrete and steel have been widely used in the building in the construction of slabs, columns,
beams and other structural elements which will need steel as a reinforcement and concrete to be
used as a structural material. Other areas where concrete and steel have been used include lintels
and roof structure.
Question 7: Concrete design

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Concrete mix design needs full knowledge on the different properties of these materials included,
thus making the mixing design task much complicated and challenging. Concrete mix design
needs understanding of material features and features of concrete in the condition of a plastic. It
equally requires broader experience and concreting knowledge.
Though, the proportional concrete of the material established at the laboratory requires
adjustment and re-corrections in order to fit the field conditions (Kim & Wu, 2014). With
knowledge about these properties, the concrete is becoming a better material than the past.
The designer of the structure identifies specific lowest strength; and the concrete technologist
designs the concrete that is mixed with the materials understanding, exposure of conditions of
the site, and supervision of standards accessible at the worksite to attain the minimum durability
and strength.
In addition, the engineer of the site is needed in making the concrete at the site, following
carefully considering the limits proposed by the concrete mix designer to attain those required
strength the engineer identified.
Site engineer may be needed in some cases to some extent adjust the concrete mix amounts
provided by the concrete mix designer (Lacasse & Vanier, 2016). He also makes cylinders or
cubes enough in large numbers and do tests on them for confirming the accomplishments with
reference to the minimum strength stated.
Earlier, concrete mix designer might have done some trial cubes with descriptive resources to
reach the standard deviation value or variation coefficient to be used in the design of concrete
mix. American Concrete Institute Method of Mix Design 11.3 (ACI Concrete Mix Design) The

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proportioning procedure was first published by ACI committee 613 in 1944. The procedure was
revised in 1970 to consist other alterations like application of entrained air.
The procedure of ACI mix design, in 1970 took the ACI committee 211 responsibility. The ACI
committee 211 has simplicity advantages, in that it ;
 Equally applies well
 With much or less same method to curved or angular aggregate
 To regular or light do aggregate weight
 To air concrete that is entrained
Concrete production needs cautious caution at each step. The constituents of decent or poor
concrete are similar but if proper rules are not dared o it might be difficult to manufacture.
Concrete stages include:
 Batching
 Mixing
 Transporting
 Placing
 Compacting
 Curing
 Finishing Batching (Millais, 2017)
Dimension of ingredients used to make concrete is referred to as batching. Methods of batching
include:
 Volume batching
 Weigh batching

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Question 8: Ways of protecting a building material of timber from fire.
 The timber structures or buildings tend to have a big dimension that aid in preserving and
retaining the load bearing capacity when there is fir breakout. They are often arranged
and positioned in a way that incase of fire, they do not have effect of each other.
 The timber buildings are often in sprinkler system in that the system shields the building
outside and inside. It also have a greater monitoring capacity.
 Most timber constructed buildings have fire strips to help in the protection and shielding
of the steel sheet used in the construction (Kim & Wu, 2014).
 Timber based constructed buildings often possess fire cells which is used to restrict and
confine fire in a specific place, this help in preventing the spread of fire.
 The outer walls of the buildings constructed with timber possess façade which is a fire-
retardant material.
Question 9: Structural material performance
A high -strength engineered wood that is used mainly for the structural purposes is called
Laminated veneer Lumber. Its strength is similar to solid timber, steel and concrete. Laminated
Veneer Lumber is normally contrived by attaching together different rotary or the thin sliced
wood veneers under pressure and heat. LVL was established in the 1970s and is today applied
for long-lasting structural applications comprising lintels, beams, purlins, chords, truss and
formwork. LVL can be applied wherever sawn timber is used. However one of the main
advantages is that it can be contrived to almost any distance, restricted only by transportation to
site.

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Question 10: Load paths

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Question 11: Load paths

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Question 12: vertical system
Vertical or Framing Systems
The vertical framing system is a system process which is accountable and liable for the resilience
of the gravity force, the horizontal and parallel loads which are from the floor system. This is
then moved to the foundation of the construction (Dost & Botsai, 2018). The vertical framing
system is a dimensional planning which consists of beams and columns.
The system is into two phase divisions namely:
 Plane frames along the transverse
 The longitudinal direction. For a cast

System often consists of the following :

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1. Columns
2. Walls (Building Materials and Structures Report, 2014)
3. Transfer Girders
4. Suspenders
Question 13: Lateral System
1) The structure of the function and models telling about structure bracing.
2) the significance of consequences, execution requirements for execution or execution class,
exposure class associated to conditions of the environment describing the environmental stress,
and, where appropriate, the patience class.
3) Loading and combining loads;
4) Variability of forces
5) Requirements for construction product properties.
6) Eventual limit state and serviceability limit state tests, and the proper tests for accident and
fire design.
Question 14: Tributary areas

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Question 15: Earthquake
Floating Foundation:
The floating and variable foundation divides the sub construction of a building from the main
construction itself.
For instance, a way of doing this is through floating. A construction which is beyond its
foundation on bearings off a rubber which includes a lead core which is in solid state and is
covered in a constant and alternating rubber coatings and steel. The bearings are attached to the
building and its foundation with the help of steel plates. Hence the occurrence of earthquake
causes the movement and destruction of floating foundation (Ambrose & Tripeny, 2012). The

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base system of isolation effectively and efficiently works in a higher or greater degree. The
architect’s designs systems which ascends and floats thus helping in keeping the building on air
pillow.
This system and process has brought about development and growth of detective sensor of
seismic events. The sensors are designed to use air in the communication process hence creating
layers and sub layers of air between the building and the base. Of the building
Shock Absorption:
Buildings makes use of shock absorption technology. It’s usually a resilient technology which
aids buildings and constructions to reduce the degree and extent of vibratory motions of
earthquakes. In an ideal world, shockwave and shock absorbers need to be put at every level of
the building .a single end is tied to the beam and shift of light while the other is attached to the
end of the beam (Ambrose & Tripeny, 2012).
Each bean consists of a head of a piston which moves and changes in a cylinder which is full of
silicone oil. When there’s an earthquake occurrence, the parallel and flat motion of building
initiates and influences the movement and pushing of the piston against the silicone
Oil thus transmuting and transforming the mechanical energy coming from the earthquake.
Question 16: Flat Plate Floor System – Features and Advantages
This is a system which is armoured and reinforced with concrete frame system with a constant
and even thickness which is directly reinforced on the pillars or on the walls. (Ambrose, 2018)
Of the load bearing.

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This system is a commonly used in the construction of floor in a construction of the building.
The key and vital features of construction and the benefits of using a flat plate floor system
includes:
Features of Flat Plate Floor System
The beneficial features of the flat plate floor system are:
1. The thickness and breadth of the floor Is a key features in the flate late floor construction
system as it is built with even thickness and flat soffit.
2. The built soffit for a flat plate system needs and necessitates a humble and modest
formwork that aid and assist in making the makes the construction easier.
3. This is the greatest choice for allocation and aiding the purpose of a parallel level floor
over a ceiling that is suspended (Ambrose, 2015).
4. It’s built and constructed with a reasonable and cost effective life span which receipts up
the loads medium and evades the circumstances of lasting deflection.
Question 17: Deflection
CH, Horizontal Shear Factor- This relates to members either on individual or multiple levels
with respect to parallel, horizontal, to splitting grain (see Section 5.2.4.3 and NDS-S).
• CF, Size Factor- These relates to sizes or grades of a member in addition to "standard" test
specimens, although it cannot be used to Southern Yellow Pine (see Section 5.2.4.4 and NDS-S).

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• CP, Column Stability Factor- Relates adjacent support situation of compression members (see
Section 5.2.4.5 and NDS•3.7.1).
• CL, Beam Stability Factor- Relates to bending members not subjected to continuous adjacent
support on the solidity edge (see Section 5.2.4.6 and NDS•3.3.3). • CM, Wet Service Factor.
Mainly used where the content of moisture is estimated to surpass 19 percent for prolonged
periods (see NDS-S).
Question 18
The concrete slab to column connection is the same as the column to column connection only
that the bottom plate is attached to the concrete transfer slab.
Question 19: SOIL TESTS

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Soil testing soil for constructing buildings or any structure is the first method in planning and
construction. This is to appreciate the soil fitness for projected work of construction.
Soil that lets in the stresses coming from the construction should be well tested so that to
guarantee perfect presentation. If soil is not tested correctly, the whole building may collapse or
damage or lean like the leaning tower of pisa. Thus scrutiny or soil testing is the first step to
carry on with construction works.
Testing moisture content on soil
One of the most important building and construction parameters is soil moisture content. Several
methods are applied in determining moisture content and they include;
 Alcohol method (Allen & Iano, 2019)
 Sand bath method
 Radiation method
 Pycnometer method
 Calcium carbide method
 Torsion balance method
 Oven dying method
The oven and drying method is the best and most commonly used. The sample of soil is taken,
weighed, put into an oven and dried at 110 degrees +_ 5 degrees Celsius. After 24 hours are
over, difference between moisture content between the initial and final difference.

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Testing soil gravity
Specific soil gravity is the ratio of the unit weight of solids of soil to that of water. It is
determined by these methods;
 Density bottle
 Gas jar
 Pycnometer
 Measuring flask
 Shrinkage limit
The most simple and common methods are density bottle method and pycnometer. In
pycnometer method the pycnometer that is empty is balanced in 4 different cases.
Weight (M1), empty +dry soil (M2), empty + water + dry soil (M3) and pycnomete full of water
(M4) at room temperature. From these 4 multitudes, exact gravity is resulted by the formula;

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