Ex. 5 Are these statements true or false?

1. The exterior walls must be part of the primary structure.

2. The environmental-control systems include only the heating? Ventilating and air-conditioning.

3. The basic elements of any ordinary structure are only the floors and the roof.

4. The variety of possible shapes for low buildings is the same as for taller buildings.

5. Cathedral-like forms are also used in very tall buildings.

6. The use of interior columns between masonry load-bearing walls is still the most common construction method.

7. If the roof span is short, abutting planking can be used to form the roof structure.

8. The greater the roof span, the simpler the structure supporting the roof becomes.

9. The roof may have only one-way framing beams.

10. Trusses are formed by assembling only tension members.

11. The structure of a simple one-story building may also consist of the wall and roof framing combined by being either fastened together or shaped in one piece.

12. The skeleton frame is the most common form of building structure.

13. Load-bearing walls are used in tall buildings.

14. The basic ele­ments of the steel skeleton frame are vertical columns, horizontal girders spanning the longer distance between columns, and beams spanning shorter distances.

15. The frame isn’t reinforced in multistory buildings.

16. Lateral stability is provided by connecting only in the beams.

17. For the insertion technique, a stable skeleton frame may be constructed with a utility core.

18. Newer techniques of constructing moderately high buildings include inserting prefabricated units within the skeleton frame and cable hanging.

19. In hanging a vertical utility core is built, and strong horizontal roof framing is anchored to the top of the core.

20. For buildings over 40 stories, typically concrete had been considered the most appropriate material.

21. Concrete isn’t competitive with steel.

22. One of the most popular structural systems is the interior structural tube.

23. Closely spaced columns provide stiffness to maximize lateral deflections.

24. The struc­tural tube has now been used with concrete and with composite construction con­sisting of structural steel members encased in concrete.

25. The strength-to weight ratio of steel isn’t enough for the horizontal spanning members.

26. High-strength concretes can provide the tension resistance needed for vertical members.

27. The mass and internal damping properties of the concrete don’t assist minimizing vibration effects, which are potential problems in very tall buildings.

Ex. 6 Answer the questions.

1. What are the major elements of a building?

2. What two kinds of wall are there?

3. What do the environmental control systems include?

4. What do the vertical transportation systems include?

5. What do the communications include?

6. What do the telephone-wiring systems include?

7. Where may cathedral-like forms, vaults, or domes be used?

8. What might a simple single-story consist of?

9. What is the most common construction method?

10. What are columns supported by?

11. What materials can the roof be made of?

12. When can trusses be used?

13. What are the possible structural shapes?

14. What are the basic elements of the steel skeleton frame?

15. Why is the frame reinforced?

16. What is the lateral stability provided by?

17. What do newer techniques of constructing high buildings include?

18. What does the utility core include?

19. How are the floors supported by in hanging?

20. What is stacking?

21. What material has been considered the most appropriate one?

22. What does the construction of tall buildings require?

23. Why is the mixing of steel and concrete becoming more popular?

TEXT 6

Ex.1 Read the text and translate it into Russian.

HEATING

Heating and ventilation are two branches of engineering which are very closely connected and concerned with providing a required atmospheric environment within a definite space. Air-conditioning is closely related to heating as well as ventilation.

The most widely used system of heating is the central heating, where the fuel is burned in one particular place – the basement or a specially designed room for the purpose from which steam, hot water or warm air is transmitted to all the necessary places to be heated.

The hot water system and the steam system are at present the two most common system of heating. A hot water system consists of a boiler and a whole system of pipes connected to all the radiators suitably located in the building.

The pipes are usually made of steel. But they can be made of copper and plastics too. In fact, copper pipes serve the purpose very well. The pipes feed hot water to radiators or convectors. The cooled water is returned to the boiler where it is reheated.

As for steam systems steam is generated in the boiler and then it is conveyed to the radiators through pipes. The steam gives up its heat to the radiators and the radiators to the room and the cooling of the steam condenses it to water. The condensate is returned to the boiler either by gravity or by a pump. The air valve on each radiator is necessary for air to escape. Otherwise it would prevent steam from entering the radiator.

Recent efforts to completely conceal heating equipment have resulted in an arrangement whereby the fluid, whether it be hot water, steam, air, or electricity, is circulated through distribution units embedded in the building construction. Panel heating is a method of introducing heat to rooms in which the emitting surfaces are usually completely concealed in the floor, walls or ceiling. As for fuels used for heating buildings they include coal, oil, manufactured and natural gases and wood. There are two other sources: electricity and steam. Nowadays gas fuel is being used on an ever increasing level.

The advantages of central heating are:

1) fuel and ashes are kept outside the occupied spaces;

2) individual fuels are not required;

3) cleanliness;

4) equable temperature maintained in all parts, easily controlled automatically.