Building materials in the hot climate zones

Б1.Б.3. ИНОСТРАННЫЙ ЯЗЫК (АНГЛИЙСКИЙ)

Сборник текстов для бакалавров заочного обучения

По направлению 08.03.01 Строительство

Уфа 2016

ДК811.111

ББК 812 Ангя7

С-23

Рекомендовано к изданию методической комиссией кафедры иностранных языков Башкирского государственного аграрного университета, протокол №6 от 15 марта 2016г.

Составитель к.ф.н., доцент кафедры иностранных языков З.Н. Изимариева

Рецензент: к.с.н., доцент кафедры иностранных языков Р.М. Нутфулина

Ответственный за выпуск: зав. кафедрой английского языка к.ф.н., доцент О.Н.Новикова

Данное сборник текстов и заданий предназначен для аудиторной и самостоятельной работы бакалавров заочного обучения по направлению 08.03.01 Строительство и имеющих начальную языковую подготовку. Он способствует развитию навыков чтения и перевода.

Содержание

1. What is engineering?

2. From the history of human dwellings

3. Why do we build?

4. Excavation

5. Foun­dation

6. Construction materials

7. Building materials in the hot climate zones

8. Wood

9. Metals

10. Bricks

11.Concrete

12. Building parts

A. Roof

B. Wall

C. Window

13. Climatic and weather conditions

14. Heating

1. What is engineering?

In general, engineering is a science that deals with de­sign, construction and operation of structures, machines, engines and other devices. Engineer is a person who has received technical education and has a basic knowledge of other engineering fields. The term engineering is difficult to translate into Russian because it has a lot of meanings. Most often it is translated as: инженерное дело, техника, машиностроение, строительство. There exist the following main branches of engineering:Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Safety Engineering and others.

Civil engineering deals with the design of large build­ings, roads, bridges, dams, canals, railway lines, airports, tunnels and other constructions. A civil engineer must have a thorough knowledge of the properties and mechanics of construction materials, the mechanics of structures and soils, and of hydraulics and fluid mechanics. Among the main subdivisions in this field are construction engineering, transports engineer and hydraulic engineering. (1000 signs)

2. From the history of human dwellings

Most of the time of a modern man is spent within the walls of some building. Houses are built for dwelling. Large buildings are constructed for industrial purposes. Theatres, museums, public and scientific institutions are built for cultural activities of the people. The purposes of modern buildings differ widely, but all of them originate from the efforts of primitive men to protect primitive men from stormy weather, wild animals and human enemies.

When the Ice Age had passed, Europe remained very cold, at least in winter, and so the people of the Old Stone Age had to find some warm and dry place to shelter from bad weather. They chose caves, dwelling places that storm and cold could not destroy. On the walls of their caves ancient people painted pictures. Such caves are found in Europe, Asia and Africa. When man began to build a home for himself, caves were imitated in stone structures.

In the days of early civilization, once men had learnt how to build simple houses for their families. At first the difference was mainly in size - the chief or leader had a larger hut or tent than the rest of the people. Much later, when men began to build towns, there grew up a difference between town houses and country houses. The streets in towns were very narrow and there was not much place for building within the town walls, and therefore houses were higher than they were in the country.

In the country ordinary people lived in simple one-storey cottages which did not differ much from the mud and stone huts of an earlier age.

The rich people in the country built huge castles with thick walls and narrow windows. These castles were built not only as dwellings, but also to stand up to enemy attack and to be strong bases in time of war.

(1700 signs)

Building materials in the hot climate zones

Cane and leaves are available in the warm-humid zones and grass in the intermediate and subtropical zones. Vine, bamboo and palm - fronds are used for buildings in the warm-humid zones. Because these materials are light, do not store heat, and allow the free passage of air. However, they have a relatively short life span because they deteriorate rapid­ly due to termite attack. They are also highly combustible.

Both hardwoods and softwoods are found in most tropical and subtropical areas with the exception of the hot dry zones. On exter­nal woodwork preservative stains should be used rather than paints which tend to deteriorate fairly rapidly in the hot zones. Extremes of climatic conditions cause dimensional changes producing cracks, splits and warping. Wind-blown sand and grit gradually erode ex­posed timber. In warm-humid zones timber is liable to wet and dry rot and to attack by termites and beetles.

Earth is one of the most widely used traditional building materials in hot-dry lands. Earth is used not only for walls but also for roofs; mud brick vaults and domes are common in countries like Iran and Egypt. Because mud has less strength than most other construction materials, mud walls are built thicker. Such rooms are much cooler in hot climates than those of any other material.

Concrete and reinforced concrete are widely used throughout the non-temperate zones. Cement is manufactured locally in many places. Sand is found almost everywhere but it may be contaminated with soluble salts. Suitable aggregate may be difficult to find. Con­crete is most frequently used for the structure, foundations and floor slabs of buildings. (1700 signs)

4. Why do we build?

We build because we need shelter. We need shelter from sun, rain, wind, and snow. Our activities mostly take place indoors. For these activities we may need air that is warmer or cooler than the air outdoors. We may also need less light by day and more light by night.

It is a well-known fact that modern people in many countries also need services. Modern services must provide energy, water, communica­tions, and dispose of waste. Sanitary accommodation is also necessary and very important. For sanitary accommodation people must have ventila­tion. All services and accommodations are pre­planned and located on a site plan. A site plan must be prepared and pro­vided for every building and every construction.

Modern civil construction has many branches. The main branches are housing construction, construction of industrial enterprises, construction of railroads, highways, subways, construction of bridges, dams, ports, canals, construction of different sporting facilities. Among them there are stadiums, aquaparks, swimming pools, sporting complexes, and others. (1000 signs)

5. Excavation

Construction of any building usually starts with excavation. Excavation is a process necessary for the construction of every modern building.

It is a well-known fact that there exist different kinds of soil. It is also a well-known fact that the structure of the upper stratum of the soil is of great importance for excavation. The foundation of a building should nev­er be placed on organic soils because soils of this kind are easily decom­posed. They are decomposed because water and wind change their struc­ture. So, if the upper stratum of soil is organic, it must be removed from the construction area in order to guard the foundation of the building against water and wind erosion. Further excavation may take place only after the upper organic stratum has been removed. In colder climates the foundations of buildings should be placed below the level to which the ground freezes in winter.

What are the major parts of a building? Modern buildings have three major parts. These are the superstructure, the substructure, and the foun­dation. The superstructure is the above-ground part of a building; the sub­structure – its below-ground part. Function of the foundation is to transfer the loads of a build­ing into the soil. (1200 signs)

6. Foun­dation

It is a well-known fact that every building needs permanent stability. In order to have stability, buildings should have foundations. We know that the function of a foundation is to transfer the loads of a building into the soil. Foundations keep the walls and the floors of buildings from direct contact with the soil. They guard the walls and the floors against the ac­tion of the weather - rain, snow, and wind. They also guard buildings against sinking that may cause cracks in the walls. Foundation design is very spe­cial. It may be both rather complex and very simple. For very small buildings foundation design is usually much simpler than for large buildings. Why is it so? Firstly, because foundation loads of small buildings are usually low.

What kinds of loads are supported by foundations? A foundation may support different kinds of loads. Among them there are dead loads and live loads. The dead load of a building includes the weights of the ceilings, the frame, the floor, roofs and the walls. Besides, every modern building is known to have water, electricity, heating, ventilation and dispose of waste systems and, accordingly, their equipment. The dead load also includes the weights of this electrical and mechanical equipment and the weight of the foundation itself. As to the live load, it includes the sum of the weights of the people and other living beings, the furnishings, and equipment they use. The live load also includes snow, ice, and water of the roof. (1400 signs)

Construction materials

Construction materials possess different proper­ties. They differ in durability, strength, weight, fire- and decay-resistance and, naturally, cost. Wood, timber, brick, stone, concrete, metals, and plastics belong to the most popular building materials. They all have their advantag­es and disadvantages that are taken into account when specialists design a structure.

Wood belongs to naturally growing materials. It is the oldest construction material and is still widely used for different purposes. Wood is popular because it has low weight and is easy to work. Besides, it grows naturally and is cheap. But its usage is limited because of its disad­vantages: it easily burns and decays. Stone also belongs to the old­est building materials. Its advantages are strength, high heat insulation and fire-resistance.

Brick belongs to artificial construction materials. It is used in many countries and in different climates. Bricks vary wide­ly with the method of production and temperature of burning.

Concrete is one of the most popular building materials. It is produced by mixing cement, gravel, water, and sand in the proper amounts. (1100 signs)

Wood

Wood has been a highly used building material since prehistoric times. Among other highly used construction materials there are concrete, steel, brick, stone, and plastics. They all differ in their properties and in the methods of usage.

Wood is the oldest building material; it is also the only naturally growing organic material. Is wood strong? Hardly so, because wood always contains some water which decreases its strength. But after the wood is cut, the water content starts to evaporate and as the water content decreases the strength of the cut wood and its hardness start to increase. It is a well-known fact that the drier is the cut wood the greater is its strength and hardness.

Trees grow naturally, so wood is a constantly renewable natural resource. Among other advantages of wood there are its low cost, low weight, and high workability. But, as any other construction material, wood has its disadvantages. The main ones are the following - it is not fire-resistant, it easily burns. Besides, it easily decays. (1000 signs)

Metals

Metals are widely used in modern construction. All metals, with the exception of mercury, are hard- and fire-resistance. The common properties of metals are hardness and high fire-resistant. They can be pulled, forged and melted. They are also good conductors of electricity.

Metals are divided into two main groups: ferrous and non- ferrous.

Ferrous metals are metals or alloy, the main component of which is iron. Iron, steel and their various alloys belong to the group of ferrous metals.

Non-ferrous metals are metals and alloys, the main component of which is not iron, but another element. It may be copper, aluminum, and zinc.

(600 signs)

Bricks

Brick, stone, and timber are the oldest building materials. But bricks belong to artificial (man-made) materials. Their production started in prehistoric times. Since then they have been produced and tested in all types of climate and in many countries. Thousands of years ago the builders in Egypt already knew the advantages of bricks and used them for construction. In those days the production of bricks was quite different from the modem one: bricks were produced not by burning but by drying in the sun, because there was much sunshine in Egypt all the year round. Brick work was also popular in Rome as there were not many forests and as a result little timber there.

In modem times bricks can be made of concrete, mortar, of burnt clay and of a combination of some other substances. For example, different types of clay and shale can be used as raw materials. Accordingly, bricks produced nowadays have different sizes, shapes, colours, and textures. Bricks also vary with the method of fabrication and temperatures of burning. Some types of brick, such as, for example, salmon bricks are underburnt and highly porous. Naturally, their strength is extremely poor. But there exist many other types of brick that are extremely strong and almost glass hard. Between these extremes there lie some other types of brick with different properties. (1300 signs)

Concrete

Concrete is a universal material for construction. Dif­ferent kinds of concrete can be used practically for every building purpose. The raw materials for producing concrete can be found in every part of the world. The main property that makes concrete so popular is that it can be formed into strong monolithic slabs. Another good quality is its relatively low cost. Besides, concrete is fire- and decay-resistant.

Concrete is produced by combining coarse and fine aggregates, Port- land cement, and water. Coarse aggregate is generally gravel or crushed stone, and fine aggregate is sand. Cement, sand, gravel, and water are taken in proportional amounts and mixed. The quality of concrete depends mostly on the quality of the cement used. The process of production consists in pouring the mixed components into forms and holding them there until they harden. The process of hardening generally lasts for about 28 days.

There exist different ways of producing concrete. It can be product by mixing the ingredients and pouring the mixture into position on the site of building. Concrete can also be produced in a factory, and used as material for manufacturing prefabricated blocks.

Concrete, as any other building material, has not only advantages but also disadvantages. Its main disadvantage is that it has no form of its own. Also, it does not possess useful tensile strength. Because of these qualities in modern times construction concrete is very frequently combined with different metals. Most common of them are iron and steel. (1500 signs)

Building parts

Building is a structure such as a house, church, factory, which has such main parts as a roof, walls, windows, a floor.

A. Roof

B.The roof is a necessary component of practically every building. It serves to protect the interior of the building from rain, snow, wind and cold. There exist many types of roofs. The most popular roofs are sloping (pitched) and flat ones. Every roof should have a covering. The type of covering of a roof mainly depends on the form of the roof and some other factors. The pitched roof is known to dry itself quickly of water. Therefore it can be covered with roofing materials consisting of small individual units. They are, for example, slate, shingles of wood, tiles of fired clay or concrete.

Pitched roofs look beautiful and attractive. But, of course, they have disadvantages. Roofs of this kind should not be installed on broad and large buildings.

Flat roofs can cover very broad buildings. Another advantage of these roofs is that they can serve as balconies and decks. Its disadvantage is that water evaporates too slowly from their surfaces.

(900signs)

B.Wall

Classification and design of walls are divided into two categories: external and internal construction. They possess different functions. The function of external walls is to support the upper floors and roof. The units employed for construction roof walls are brick, timber, or stone masonry. The main function of interior walls is dividing the space of the construction. They divide the gross floor area of a building into smaller units – rooms. The construction form for internal walls may be concrete block, timber frame, or stud. (500 signs)

C. Window

The main functions of windows are light and ventilation. Windows also serve for ornamentation of a building since ancient times. Nowadays windows are mostly produced in factories. The necessary components of a window are glass, frames, and sashes.

The traditional frame material for windows is wood. But in the last decades aluminum, steel, plastic and combination of these materials are used.

There exist single-hung and double hung windows. They have one or two moving sashes, which are the frames where the glass is mounted.

Windows may also be placed in roofs. Roof windows may be fixed or openable. Fixed windows are skylights while openable are roof windows. (700 signs)