Structural Frame

Essential Questions 6.1

1. What is structural engineering?

Structural Engineers work on creating the support system of a building. Including girders, beams, and columns.

2. How does the design of a structure impact how loads are dispersed?

The design of a building can affect load dispersion by placing columns and girders in different places around the building.

3. In what ways are wind, snow, and dead and live loads similar or different?

They all put pressure on the building, what is different is that some of the loads last longer. For instance a dead load will be there as long as the building but a wind load can come and go in a day.

4. How does the use of mathematics help in understanding about the forces and loads on a structure?

Mathmatics helps us to find out exactly how the forces are distributed around a building. Because of that we can design, safer and more sturdy buildings.

5. How do you determine what loads are applied to a structure?

You find out what the structure will be used for so you can assess the live loads, and where the structure will be built so you can assess snow, wind and earthquake loads.

6. Where would you locate a load table to assist your design process?

I would put it on the structural blue prints so that it would be right there as you were building your structure.

Essential Question Unit 5.3

1.How are the interior and exterior traffic flow patterns related? As a designer, why should you consider them when preparing a floor plan?
When designing a restaurant floor plan you have to keep flow patterns in mind because customers and waiters have to be able to move freely about the restaurant sometimes carrying large items.

2. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1997 provided clear guidelines for universal accessibility. What accessibility issues are important with a project?
You have to follow the ADA guidelines while designing restrooms and stairs.

3.What factors determine the functionality of a room and its size, shape, and location?
The flow of traffic through the room, how well the room does what it needs to, and where the room needs to be in relation to the other rooms that it interacts with.

4.In preparing a floor plan, what is the purpose and value of floor plan symbols?
Floor plan symbols are used to save space so that you don't have annotations that are crossing each other.

5.What is R-value and how is it determined?
The R value is determined by looking at the heat efficiency of the material in question.

6. Where would you find air leakage, and how could it be prevented?
Most air leakage happens around windows.

7. What is a vapor retarder? How is it used?
A machine that helps prevent water vapor leakage. They are used to keep humidity out of houses.

8. What is a BTU and how would you calculate the BTUs needed for your building?
A BTU is a measurement of how heat effecient your house is. You calulate BTUs by using the R-values and the area of the diifferent surfaces in your building.