Power System Apparatus
Most buildings, commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential, receive their power from a public utility. Usually, the customer is given a choice […]
Building Design and Construction
Sociological changes, new technology in industry and commerce, new building codes, other new laws and regulations, inflationary economies of nations, and advances in building technology place an ever-increasing burden on building designers
and constructors. They need more and more knowledge and skill to cope with the demands placed on them.
The public continually demands more complex buildings than in the past. They must serve more purposes, last longer, and require less maintenance and repair. As in the past, they must look attractive. Yet, both building construction and operating
costs must be kept within acceptable limits or new construction will cease.
To meet this challenge successfully, continual improvements in building design and construction must be made. Building designers and constructors should be alert to these advances and learn how to apply them skillfully.
One advance of note to building design is the adaptation of operations research, or systems design, developed around the middle of the twentieth century and originally
applied with noteworthy results to design of machines and electronic equipment.
In the past, design of a new building was mainly an imitation of the design of an existing building. Innovations were often developed fortuitously and by intuition and were rare occurrences. In contrast, systems design encourages innovation.
It is a precise procedure that guides creativity toward the best decisions. As a result, it can play a significant role in meeting the challenges posed by increasing building complexity and costs. The basic principles of systems design are presented
in this section.
Porcelain Enamel on Metal
Low-temperature softening glasses must be employed, especially with sheet metal, to avoid the warping and distortion that would occur at high
Porcelain Bibliography
F. H. Norton, Elements of Ceramics, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Cambridge, Mass. W. D. Kingery, H. K. Bowen, and D. R. Uhlmann,
Portland Cements
Portland cement, the most common of the modern cements, is made by carefully blending selected raw materials to produce a finished
Portland-Cement Concrete
Portland-cement concrete is a mixture of portland cement, water, coarse and fine aggregates, and admixtures proportioned to form a plastic mass capable
Plate Girders
Plate girders may have either a box or an I shape. Main components are plates or plates and angles, arranged so
Plumbing and Fire Prevention Codes
Plumbing codes were created to prevent illness and death from unsanitary or unsafe conditions in supply of water and gases in
Polymer Concretes
Plastics with long-chain molecules, called polymers, are used in several ways to enhance concrete properties: replacement of portland cement, incorporation in
Plywood Finishes
Available with a large variety of surface veneers, including plastics, plywood is nailed directly to framing members or furring. Small finish