Search: |  | Lycos |  | Angelfire |  | G'Night & G'Luck
|  | Share This Page |  | Report Abuse |  | Edit your Site |  | Browse Sites |
|  |  | « Previous | Top 100 | Next » |

# Sebastian's Technical Glossary:

building pathology & construction technology, architecture, civil, structural, forensic, mechanical, pavement and materials engineering

with elements of testing and quality science

## on-line mostly American English/French/Romanian

### By A. Sebastian

###### © 1995 - 1998 A. Sebastian. All rights reserved.

Hosted by A. Sebastian Engineering & Investigation Services

Back to: Building Pathology Home Page

ASEIS also offers a Construction durability glossary
and a General Construction Glossary

First and foremost, this is a construction dictionary with English explanations. Given the difficulty that faces the Romance language speaker to relate to technical English (and the other way around), whenever possible, the corresponding equivalents are given (where genus choices are possible, only the masculine is shown). Some reference standards are also indicated. If you have a better translation, please e-mail it to us for consideration / inclusion / credit.

Items currently in the works may show in italics.

## CONTACTING US:

E-mail: Construction-Consultant@usa.net or

E-mail: RoofDoc@usa.net

...or go the old fashioned way:

A. Sebastian, POB 17901, Seattle, WA 98107

our url: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/BuildingPathology/BldngPathGlsry.html

## ABBREVIATIONS:
C concrete/mortar/grout
Ch chemistry
P paints/coatings
M masonry
R roofing
T testing
Th technology
Tr transportation/pavement engineering
W wood, timber [v] verb
[n] noun

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q RS T U V W X Y Z

## A

AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Abnormal Failure Artificially induced malfunction/failure of a component

Abrasion (F abrasion, R abraziune, frecare)Wear or removal of the surface of a solid material as a result of relative movement of other solid bodies in contact with it (BS CP3)

Abrasion resistance (R rezistenta de frecare) Ability of a construction element to resist mechanical abrasion such as foot traffic and wind blown particles which tend to progressively remove materials from exposed surfaces such as roofing the membranes

Absolute Pressure Transducer A transducer that has an internal reference chamber sealed at or close to 0 psia (full vacuum) and normally provides increasing output voltage for increases in pressure

Absolute Pressure Gage pressure plus atmospheric pressure

Absorbtion (F absorption, R absorbtie) entry and/or retention (of a fluid) into the bulk of a solid material by virtue of the porosity / capilarity (BS 892)

Acceleration (R acceleratie) The first derivative of velocity with respect to time. Units expressed in "g"

Accelerometer A transducer which converts mechanical motion into an electrical signal that is proportional to the acceleration value of the motion; it measures acceleration or gravitational force capable of imparting acceleration

Accuracy (R exactitate)The combined error of nonlinearity, repeatability, and hysteresis expressed as a percent of full scale output

Accuracy vs. Precision (R exactitate si precizie)If the actual value is 5.321 and you say that it is 5.30, then you are precise to 3 places but inaccurate by .021. If a value is represented as a bullseye on a target, a group of guesses or measurements represented by closely grouped points have a high degree of precision. If that group is near the center, it is highly accurate as well. On a bullseye, think of accuracy as how close to the center your arrow hits, and your measurement of precision as how closely you can group your shots

Acrylic resin One of a group of thermoplastic resins formed by polymerization of esters or amides of acrylic acid; used in concrete or masonry construction as a bonding agent or surface sealer.

A/D Converter (also mentioned as 'A/D' or 'ADC') analog-to-digital converter. An instrument which converts real-world analog signals into a digital format that can be processed by a computer

Adhesion (F adésion, R adeziune, aderenta, lipire)The force that resists the separation of two bodies in contact (BS 5168)

Admixture (F adjuvant, R adaos) C A material, other than aggregate, cementitious material or water, added in small quantities to the mix in order to produce some (desired) modifications, either to the properties of the mix or of the hardened product (BS 4049)

Adsorbtion (F adsorption, R adsorptie)Attachment of a substance to the surface of a solid by virtue of forces arising from molecular attraction (BS 892). Retention (of water vapor) as a surface layer on a material

AEC (US) Atomic Energy Commission, 1947-1974. Broken up in 1974 into the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Later ERDA became the Department of Energy

Aluminum ("aluminium' in Canada and most Europe) (R Aluminiu) symbol Al, most abundant metallic element in the earth's crust. The atomic number of aluminum is 13; the atomic weight is 26.9815. Aluminum is a lightweight, silvery metal. In contact with air, aluminum rapidly becomes covered with a tough, transparent layer of aluminum oxide that resists corrosion. Aluminum is never found as alone but commonly occurs as aluminum silicate or as a silicate of aluminum mixed with other metals. Expensive to refine, these silicates are not useful ores. Bauxite, an impure hydrated aluminum oxide, is the commercial source of aluminum and its compounds. A low-cost technique dating from the 1880s is still the major method of production. Aluminum weighs less than one-third as much as steel. Its high strength-to-weight ratio makes aluminum useful in many applications

Ambient (F ambiant, R ambiant, inconjurator)Surrounding. Usually used in the context of environmental conditions, eg. temperature or noise (BS 4275)

Ambient Compensation The design of an instrument such that changes in ambient temperature do not affect the readings of the instrument

Ambient Conditions (R conditii inconjuratoare) Conditions around a transducer (pressure, temperature, etc.)

- ~ Pressure Pressure of the air surrounding a transducer
- ~ Temperature The average or mean temperature of the surrounding air which comes in contact with the equipment and instruments under test

  Anchor (F ancrage, R ancora) Device providing a fixing to a solid surface

  Anemometer (R anemometru) Instrument for measuring and/or indicating the velocity of air flow

  Anion (R anion) Negatively charged ion (Cl-, NO3-, S2-, etc.)

  ANSI American National Standards Institute: this organization represents the United States in the ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

  Application Program Computer program that accomplishes specific tasks, such as word processing

  ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers

  Asphalt (R Asfalt) Black petroleum residue, which can be anywhere from solid to semisolid at room temperature. When heated to the temperature of boiling water, it becomes pourable. It is used in roofing materials, surfacing roads, in lining the walls of water-retaining structures such as reservoirs and swimming pools, and in manufacturing floor tiles. Asphalt should not be confused with tar, a similar looking substance made from coal or wood and incompatible with petroleum derivates

  ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials

  Atomic Number (symbolized Z) (R Numar Atomic)The number of protons in a nucleus. It determines the chemical properties of an element

  Atomic Weight (R greutate atomica) The nominal atomic weight of an isotope is given by the sum of the number of neutrons and protons in each nucleus. The exact atomic weight differs fractionally from that whole number because neutrons are slightly heavier than protons and the mass of the nucleus is also affected by the binding energy

  Auto-Zero Automatic internal correction for offsets and/or drift at zero voltage input

  AWG American Wire Gage

  AWS Automated Weather Station measures environmental factors such as air temperature, relative humidity, rain, wind, ground temperature, solar radiation and air pressure

  Axial Load (R incarcare axiala) Load applied along or parallel to and concentric with the primary axis

  ## B

  Background Noise -T The total noise floor from all sources of interference in a measurement system, independent of the presence of a data signal

  Bearing (F porteur, R reazem, suport, baza) The linear or areal dimension over which a higher component transmits load to a lower component

  Bedding (F scellement, R baza, pat) A layer, usually of concrete or mortar, for providing continuous support to such items as bricks, slabs, pipes (BS 892, 5385). VAR. to embed (F sceller)

  Blackbody A theoretical object that radiates the maximum amount of energy at a given temperature, and absorbs all the energy incident upon it. A blackbody is not necessarily black. (The name blackbody was chosen because the color black is defined as the total absorption of light energy)

  Bleeding (F ressuage) C: The separation of water from an unhardened mix (BS 4049). P: The process of diffusion of a soluble colored substance from, into, and through a paint or varnish coating from beneath, thus producing an undesirable staining or discoloration (BS 2015). Used similarly to refer to the transfer of soluble material from bitumen impregnated roofing materials, in lime-rich water, causing staining of soffits of concrete slab roofs

  Blister (F poches d'air, R basica, umflatura) A local separation of a surface layer causing a raised area on the surface with a cavity below, usually happening in flat roofs

  Bond (F adhérence, R aderenta) Adherence between materials such as bricks/mortar, or plies of felt, or between felts and other elements of roof systems, which use bitumen or other materials as the cementing agent

  Bridge (R Punte) Wheatstone bridge configuration utilizing four active strain gages

  BTU (btu) British thermal units; the quantity of thermal energy required to raise one pound of water at its maximum density, 1 degree F. One BTU is equivalent to .293 watt hours, or 252 calories. One kilowatt hour is equivalent to 3412 BTU

  Building Envelope cladding + roof system

  ## C

  Capillarity (F capillarity, R capilaritate) Absorbtion of a liquid due to surface tension _ "rising damp" (R Igrasie) in walls is caused by capillary rise of the water in small pores of the walling materials

  Carbonation (F carbonatation, R carbonare, carbonatie) C: The transformation of the free alkali and alkali-earth hydroxides existent in the cement matrix into carbonates, due to a reaction with carbon dioxide available in the atmosphere.

  Cell Test cells of 500 feet length are constructed for various combinations of bituminous, concrete and aggregate. They represent a wide range of pavement types with varying combinations of surface, base, subbase, drainage and compaction

  Cladding (F bardage, R vener, although the cladding/air barrier concept is not normally used in Romanian construction) The external covering to the frame or structural walls of a building or structure (BS 5168). The veneer is non- loadbearing, and as such it is designed to carry only its own weight (dry and/or wet), and a limited number of loads such as wind and seism. In relationship with the structure it encloses, it can be either fully bonded or sepparated by an air barrier

  Condensation (F condensation, R condensatie) Precipitation of liquid from its vapor resulting from lowering of the temperature under constant pressure, especially the deposition of water from warm moist air on to a relatively cold surface (BS 5643)

  Corrosion (F corrosion, R coroziune) Deterioration of a metal by chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment (BS 3660). Occasionally used, incorrectly, to apply to non-metallic materials, eg. concrete

  Crack (F fissure, R crapatura) Linear discontinuity produced by fracture (BS 499). Elongated narrow opening. Synonyms can include: break, split, fracture, fissure, separation, cleavage, in various applications

  Crazing (R paienjenis de crapaturi) Network of surface cracks (BS 3446). Used generally to describe surface cracking of concrete surfaces and paint film. Also used specifically to describe the fine network cracking of ceramic glazes by, for example, differential thermal expansion between glaze and tile body, or moisture expansion of the body

  Creep (F fluage, R curgere lenta) Slow deformation of a stressed material at temperatures which may be within or above the normal working range of the material (BS 1755)

  CRREL USACE/Cold Regions Research Engineering Laboratory (great institutution, although strangely enough it is located in Western NH)

  ## D

  Dampness (F humidité superficielle, R umiditate, umezeala, igrasie) Condition of being slightly wet: usually not so wet that liquid water is evident, eg. wetness caused by condensation on a porous substrate or water transmitted up a porous wall by capillarity

  DCP (Dynamic Cone Penetrometer) Instrument used to measure the strength of soil and granular materials used in roadway construction

  Decomposition (F décomposition, R descompunere) The separation of a material into elements or parts

  Defect (F défaut, R defect) The non-conformity of the result of a test with the specification for a characteristic (ISO 2071). In Building Pathology, used sometimes almost as a synonym of 'fault' or 'failure', but preferred meaning is to indicate only a deviation from some (perceived) standard which may, but will not necessarily result in a failure

  Delamination (R destratificare) The breakdown of a material by separation of the layers of which it is composed

  Deterioration (F détérioration, R deteriorare, stricare) A reduction in ability to perform up to the anticipated standard

  Deviation (F ecart) Divergence of the value of a quantity from a standard or reference value (BS 5233). Used generally to indicate a divergence from what was originally intended.

  Dipstick The dipstick is an instrument used to calculate the elevation profile of the road.

  Durability (F durability, R longevitate) The quality of maintaining satisfactory aesthetic, economic, and functional performance for the useful life of the structure

  Dynamic Sensors traffic triggered sensors

  ## E

  Efflorescence (F efflorescence). White salts brought to the surface of porous building materials by water movement (BS 4049)

  Embedded Strain Gauge A sensor that measures static and horizontal strains in concrete and asphalt layers by means of five different models placed in various locations and orientations.

  Exfiltration (R prelingere) Leakage out of a material or structure

  ## F

  Failure (F défaillance, R distrugere, dezastru, pierderea functionalitatii) The termination of the ability of an item to perform a required function. See defect & fault

  Fatigue (R oboseala) The weakening of a material caused by repeated or alternating loads; may be used in conjunction with either static or dynamic loading (BS 2787)

  Fault (F 1.imperfection, vice, R 1.defect, 2.falie) 1) Any defect which impairs normal operation (BS CP1013); 2) geologic discontinuity where seismic events start. See failure & defect

  Faultmeter A Georgia Digital instrument that measures vertical displacement between joints with a digital readout. Measurements are positive or negative and be recorded for a number of joints

  FHWA (US) Federal Highway Administration

  Fissure (F fissure, R fisura, crapatura) crack or split

  Fracture (F fracturer, R fractura, rupere, ruptura)[n or v] To make or become discontinuous otherwise than by cutting. Usually of relatively brittle materials

  Fungus (F moisi, R fungi, ciuperca, mucegai) A plant growth obtaining its nutrition by breakdown of organic matter, usually associated with the presence of dampness, eg. in timber. The plants are characterized by the absence of chlorophyll (BS 4261)

  Fungal growth (F moisissure). mold. Upward movement of soil (ground) or of a structure which it supports

  FWD (Falling Weight Deflectometer) Instrument that determines the structual condition of each pavement layer.

  ## G

  Grout extremely fluid mixture of sand and gravel; ASTM C476, ACI530.1/ASCE6/TMS602

  ## H

  Honeycombing (F caverneux) usually used to refer to a defective condition in concrete. The concrete contains interconnecting large voids due to loss or lack of mortar

  Horizontal Clip Gauge Tr: sensor that measures the width of concrete joint openings.

  ## I

  Infiltration (F infiltration, R infiltratie) leakage into a material or structure; water ingress

  Integrity (F bon état, R intregime) in Building Pathology: soundness, with no part or element deficient in performance

  Inquiry (R ancheta, cercetare) Official, or semi-official, examination of a case, with the aim of establishing cause, blame, etc.

  Interstitial occurring within the thickness of some material element. usually used in the context of 'interstitial condensation' which means condensation which occurs within the thickness of a building element or within its component materials

  ## J

  Joint (F joint) (construction -, expansion -, control -) Position where two or more building materials, components or assemblies are put together, fixed or united, with or without the use of extra jointing products (BS DD22)

  ## L

  Limit state (F etat limit, R stare limita) State at which performance criteria are just met

  Loss Consequences of a defect or failure, expressed in terms of costs, injuries, loss of life, etc.

  LTPP Long Term Pavement Performance

  LVDT Linear Variable Differential Transformer. A sensor consisting of two components anchored at different levels to measure the relative vertical deflection of pavement layers

  LVR (Low Volume Road) 2.5 mile loop where controlled truck weight and traffic volume simulate conditions on rural roads

  ## M

  Maintenance (F maintenance, R intretinere) combination of any actions carried out to retain an item in, or restore it to, an acceptable condition (BS 5405)

  Masonry (R zidarie) the science, art, craft and trade of building in natural or artificial stone. The term is often extended to work in brick and tile. Ancient examples of immense irregular blocks of stone, laid together without mortar, have been found throughout Europe, Americas, Africa, and Asia. The ancient Greeks and Romans developed masonry techniques that are still used today. Rubble masonry uses irregular and coarsely jointed quarried or field stone. Ashlar masonry contains carefully worked stones set with fine, close joints. Either kind of masonry may be laid with or without mortar

  Mildew (F mildiou, R mucegai)mold whenever it occurs on fabrics, leather, etc.

  Mold, Can/Brit: mould (F moisissure, feutrage de champignons de petite taille, R mucegai). Woolly or powdery fungal growth that forms on the surface of materials in damp, stagnant atmospheres

  Mortar (R mortar) mixture of lime and/or cement with sand and water, used either as a binding material for bricks and stone or as a plaster

  ## N

  Neutron Probe Sensors that measure the total, frozen and unfrozen, moisture content in the pavement structure

  ## O

  Open Standpipe Pipe that has been placed vertically into the ground to measure the water table level.

  ## P

  Pave Tech Van Vehicle with three cameras that record video images of the pavement surface, pavement profile, rutting and faulting. Performance (Fr.: Performance). A quantitative expression of behaviour related to use (BS 4949)

  Piezo Accelerometer Sensor that measures the vertical acceleration of concrete slabs under dynamic loadings. The resulting data, when integrated twice, yields deflections

  Pore Water Pressure Gauge Sensors that measure static and and dynamic soil pore water pressures using two different models

  Preservation (F préservation, R refacere) The technology of protecting wood from deterioration by living organisms by application of chemical wood preservatives (BS 4261)

  ## R

  Regulations (F réglementation, R ordin, detalii de aplicare a legii) Requirements laid down by law (eg. Government enacted Building Regulations) or which satisfy the law in some respect

  Rehabilitate Extensive maintenance intended to bring property or building up to current acceptable condition, often involving improvements (BS 3811)

  Renovate (F rénover, R (a) renova) Generally used to mean 'restore'

  Repair (R (a) repara, reparatie) to restore an item to an acceptable condition by the renewal, replacement or mending of decayed or damaged parts (BS 3811)

  Restore (F restaurer) to bring back an item to its original appearance or state (BS 3811)

  Restraint (R constringere, legatura) the partial or total restriction of movement. A device which produces this effect

  Resistivity Probe sensors that measure depths of freezing and thawing fronts in the pavement structure

  Rutting Dipstick a manually operated device used to record transverse profiles for the bituminous cells

  Resistivity Probe sensors that measure depths of freezing and thawing fronts in the pavement structure

  ## S

  Settlement (F tassement, affaisement, R tasare) Downward movement of the soil or of a structure which it supports (BS 892)

  Shrinkage (F contraction, R contractie) Decrease in length or volume

  Soil Pressure Gauge Sensors that measure static and dynamic stresses, both vertical and horizontal, in soils and other unbounded layers.

  Spall (F eclat, R spartura superficiala, tandara) A flaky fragment, usually produced by a blow, or by the action of weather or pressure

  Spalling (F eclatement, R spargere superficiala, fragmentare; spall=aschie, tandara) detachment of fragments, usually of flaky shape, from a larger mass by a blow, or by the action of weather or pressure; chipping of stone, masonry or concrete (BS 2787)

  Split (F delitement, clivage, R crapatura, clivaj) Break in a material, approximately parallel with the natural grain or cleavage of the material

  Stain (R pata) [v, n] To discolor. An uncontrolled discoloration, usually on concrete, masonry, and wood

  Static Sensors Those sensors that generate data at 15 minute intervals Examples are weather sensors, etc.

  Stitching [M restoration] insertion of new bricks to replace existing damaged bricks

  ## T

  Thermal shock (R Soc termic) force, arising out of thermal expansion or contraction, which causes disruption of a material on sudden heating or cooling

  Thermohygrograph (F Thermohygrographe) Device that measures and records simultaneously air temperature and relative humidity (BS 5643)

  ## U

  USACE US Army Corps of Engineers

  Upstand Portion of roof covering turned up against a vertical surface, yet not necessarily tucked into a groove (BS 2717)

  ## V

  Void (in the context of cellular materials, such as concrete) cavity formed either intentionally or unintentionally (ISO 1382)

  ## W

  Warp (F Voilement, R Deformare, Distorsiune) Change from a straight or true plane condition

  Water vapor (F Vapeur d'eau, R vapori de apa) creates a pressure just like any other gas. Cold air has a relatively low vapor pressure, while warm air (with larger amounts of water vapor) has a greater pressure. The difference in pressure cause the vapor to penetrate building materials in the direction from high to low vapor pressure

  Wrinkle (F Ride, R rid) slight ridge caused by folding, rumpling or creasing. In roofing may refer to the common wrinkled pattern that forms over the joints of insulation in insulated roof systems. Simil.to buckling

  Weather (R Vreme, Climat) To degrade under the action of the weather. Also used to describe the inclusion of a slight slope to throw off rainwater, eg. on a sill

  Weathering (R for 1: Imbatrinire) 1) Action of weathter in producing degradation; aging 2) Alternatively used as a noun to describe a slight construction slope designed to throw off rainwater

  ## Y

  Yield (F limite elastique, R limita elastica, It.: Snervamento) permanent deformation which a material undergoes when it is stressed beyond its elastic limit

  Credits:

  ACI, ANSI, APA, ASTM, BIA, BOCA, CIB, CSA, DEA, ISO, MinnDOT, NRCC, PCA, TMS, USACE

  A. Sebastian: "Essential Construction & Architectural Engineering Dictionary"

  Webster, formerly known as a "Dictionary of the American Language" (whatever that might mean)

  American Heritage Dictionary

  Encarta, a barely passable product from a much less than passable corporation

  Echo-Eurodicatum: although sliding down fast, it is still the power house to beat in web multilingual dictionaries (http://www2.echo.lu/edic/)

  TechDico, Logos (http://www.logos.it/query/query.html)

  Back to the top

  Back to: Building Pathology Home Page

  Site design by the author himself. Strange hobby, isn't it? E-mail: Cheap sites... cheap!