What are the various types of floors?

A floor can be defined as the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Flooring is the general term used to define a permanent covering of a floor, or even for the process of installing a floor covering.

There are a variety in flooring that exists, different types of flooring exist as it the first thing one notices when they enter a house as it covers both the length and breadth of the house. The floor is also the surface which receives damage due to wear and tear caused by usage. Therefore, choosing the right kind of material is extremely important.

Types of Floors

The major types of Floors are as follows:

Mud Floor

Earthen flooring commonly also knows as Adobe flooring is made of dirt, raw earth along with other unworked ground materials. In current times it is constructed using mixture of sand, clay and finely chopped straw. In villages mud flooring is commonly constructed as by using stabilizers the soil properties can be enhanced with manipulation of its composition. The tensile and shear strength of the soil can be increased and the shrinkage is reduced.

Suitability- Mud floors are used in residential buildings particularly in rural areas where the easiest and cheapest option is preferred. Mud floors are not used in commercial or professional buildings. Mud floors are easy to maintain, it remains warm in winter and cold in summer and is therefore suitable for places where temperatures reach an extreme during these seasons.

Published By
Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

What are the Requirements for the Construction of a Good Staircase?

A series of steps and affords that is ascent and descent make the stair. Staircase is the enclosed room in which stair is located. Stairway is the opening space occupied by the stair.

Stair is made of a number of connected elements such as treads, risers, stringers and balusters. Stairs can be made of concrete, steel, bricks, stone, timber or reinforced cement concrete. Given below are the list of requirements needed for stair:

Location: Your staircase must be centrally located to be accessible from any part of the building.

Width of stairs: 1.8m or 90 cm is the average width of a stair for residential buildings or for the use of public.

Length of flight: A maximum of 12 and a minimum of 3 flights of steps must be made mandatory.

Pitch of the stair: The slope of stair must not be more than 40◦ and less than 25◦.

Headroom: A minimum of 2.14m of headroom above the flight must be built.

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

A Guide for Greener Construction

Building emissions are huge. Listed below are two reasons for building emissions:

1. Energy Emissions: Energy emissions account for 25% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which includes CO2 that is emitted by burning fuel in buildings, it is also emitted when fossil fuels are burnt for generating electricity at power plants. GHG emissions are more explosive than CO2 emissions, even though percentage of GHG emission is low but its effect is more than that of CO2 emissions.

75% of GHG emissions is represented by CO2. Other GHGs include methane, fluorinated gases (from air conditioner leak out) and NOx compounds. The sources of energy emissions include electricity for running appliances (8% of global GHG emissions), electricity needed for cooling space (2% of global GHG emissions), electricity and fuel required for heating water (4% of global GHG emissions), electricity and fuel for heating space (8% global GHG emissions) and electricity required for lighting (3% of global emissions).

2. Embodied Emissions: It accounts for another 15% of global GHG emissions and is caused by materials used to make buildings. The major components include: the production of cement for buildings (5.5% of global GHG emissions), the production of steel and various other metals such as aluminum for buildings (3% and 1% of global GHG emissions respectively), it is also caused by the chemicals used for insulation, fireproofing, waterproofing and other building items (1% of global GHG emissions), and the remain building materials production (4.5% of global GHG emissions).

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

Which Are The Most Important Building Materials Used In Construction?

The materials used for the construction of building can be termed as the building material. Human beings have been experimenting with building materials to find the optimum combination which will be both cost-effective and useful in solving construction issues. Building materials can be categorized as natural and man-made materials. Natural materials are all the elements which can be procured from nature itself whereas man-made materials are those which are synthetically made to achieve the desired property.

NATURAL BUILDING MATERIALS

• MUD AND CLAY

The effectiveness of mud and clay depends on its quality. The use of mud and clay have reformed history. The cob/adobe style signifies high presence of clay, whereas a sod building represents low presence of it. The usage of sand and straw mixture to mould as rammed earth can be spotted in historic structures.

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

Advantages of Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Concrete is used to build roads, ground floors of your personal home or even a power plant. Concrete has become an integral part of any construction project. The reason why concrete is used so widely is because of its durability, although it can succumb to fractures. The fractures are caused by subsoil frosts and thaws or even when tree roots create an upward pressure on the concrete. The fractures lead to extra expense spent in repair and could result in an unfavorable way. The solution to the fracture is the introduction of reinforced concrete.

What does that mean?

Concrete is reinforced when there is a presence of suitable fibers in the mix which increases its toughness and ductility. The fibers present in the reinforced concrete prevents all kinds of fractures as the fiber hold the concrete together.

In case you are looking for a solution to what kind of concrete you must use then it is advisable that you conduct a thorough study of both non-reinforced concrete and reinforced concrete. Also, try to learn about the fibers used in the concrete.

What are the advantages of using fiber reinforced concrete?

• It has more tensile strength in comparison to non-reinforced concrete.
• It makes the concrete durable
• The strength of the concrete increases with the reduction of crack growth.
• Fiber-reinforced concrete provides resistance against freezing and thawing
• Reinforced concrete increases fatigue strength.

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

A Discussion on the Importance Bearing Capacity of Soil

Soil plays an important role when pouring footing. Footing helps in spreading the weight of the house and allows the soil to carry the load. At a 45-degree angle the load spreads out within the footing. It then spreads out at a steeper angle in the soil, around 60-degrees from the horizontal.

When the load under the footing gradually spreads out, the pressure on the soil decreases. It is important to compact the soil as it takes the maximum load under the footing. Due to the spreading of the load, the pressure on the soil beneath the footing is the greatest.

If we go down the width equal to the footing width the unit of pressure on the soil drops by around half. If you go down further the same distance the pressure on the soil drops again by two-thirds. Therefore, the soil under the footing is the most crucial as it is the portion receiving the maximum load.

During excavation of footings, the teeth of the bucket stir up the soil and add air into it thereby reducing its density. Along with it, there is also the risk of soil falling from the embankment into the trench. Loose soil has much less bearing capacity than original soil.

Which is why compacting the trench bottom is extremely important. For sand and gravel soil use a vibrating plate compactor, for silt and clay use a jumping jack compactor. Lack of compacting of soil could lead to ½ inch of settlement in just 6 inches of soil.

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

How to prepare for your Engineering Course?

Through this article we will discuss about the various tips and tricks which if followed can be of help to engineering students.

1. CLASS NOTES ARE IMPORTANT

Take extensive amount of class notes and do not forget to highlight the text from your textbook which is of importance. Before your exams these notes and text highlights will be helpful as your important texts will ready for revision.

2. KNOW YOUR PROFESSORS WELL

It is always advisable to keep a good relation with a few of your professors. Approach them for academic help as well as for an insight into the industry. Ask them about internships and job or program references as well.

3. ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE DOUBT

Always try to clear your doubts in the class. Do not ask questions which are not relevant to what is taught in the class. Asking question not just solves your doubts but also helps your peers who might not feel comfortable to pose a question. Your class interest creates a good impression on your teacher as well.

4. MAKE AN EFFORT TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS

Remember that your homework is your alone so do not approach someone else to solve it for you. Try to work on your problems all by yourself if you are unable to ultimately solve it only then approach another person for help and discuss your approach to the problem with them.

5. STUDY GROUPS ARE HELPFUL

Group study helps in bringing together different viewpoints to the table. It also helps in creating lasting friendship and a feeling of camaraderie among the participants.

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to the Home Building Process

To build a new home it is important to understand the whole process. Here is a step-by-step guide with details regarding the building process.

Building a home is an extremely exciting process. The following list states the steps your builder will follow while building your house. A walk through these steps will help you understand the process better. Before getting into the details of the steps it is advisable to ask your builder his policies and methods as it differs from builders to builders.

1. Preparing the Construction Site and Laying Down a Foundation

• Apply for and acquire permits
• Construction crew levels site
• Putting up wooden forms for temporary foundation
• Footings are installed

Before the builder starts working on the project they need to acquire permit not just for design, zoning and grading but also for septic systems, home construction, and electrical work along with plumbing as well. The permits must be acquired from the local government. After receiving the permit the builder can start the physical construction.

Mostly site preparation and foundation work are conducted by the same crew though it is not the case for wooded lot. By making use of backhoe and bulldozer the crew tries to clearly the area of debris, rock and trees and even the septic system if required. After which the site is leveled by the crew and they then put wooden frames to act like templates for the foundation followed by which they dig holes and trenches. Footing, which are structures where the house interfaces with the earth supporting it, are installed. If you intend to have a well in the house then this is the time for it to be done.

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

A Detailed Description of West Point Bridge Designer

The bridge design contest is conducted in the United States keeping in mind the middle and high school students. The contest focuses on promoting math, science and technology education through this internet based nationwide contest.

The West Point Bridge Designer software helps in building the bridge in the contest. The software helps in introducing a realistic approach to engineering through the task of building a steel bridge with realistic specifications and criteria.

The West Point Bridge Design software is the official software used to enter the contest. The objective of the contest is to create a design with appropriate specifications which can pass simulated load test and must also be cost effective.

Even though using the software is easy yet it manages to provide a similar experience to that of practicing civil engineers who design real highway bridges. The look and feel of the software is, therefore, not compromised. A list of ways through which the software guides the users:

• The software provides indication by color coding the area of tension (blue) and compression (red) along with a 3D animation of the test.
• Graphical modification is allowed by the software to correct any inadequately designed area.

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Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co

How to Become a Successful Engineer: A Guide

This article is to guide engineers on how to be become successful in their career.

1. DEFINE YOUR GOALS

To become a successful engineer it is important to set goals. Even though goals might change with time and circumstance it is important to have some particular idea about where you want to reach.

Therefore, defining goals both long and short term is important in an engineers’ life.

2. CHOOSE YOUR PROBLEMS WISELY

It is important to choose problems you are passionate to solve.

Problem-solving skill is an important skill that an engineer must possess. Choosing and solving the problem is hence extremely important for an engineer.

3. STRIVE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

One must strive for professional development throughout their career. With the world constantly at change it is also important to find opportunities for professional development at all times.

4. SOFT SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT

Many a time’s engineers do not focus on the development of soft skills and instead only focus on the betterment of technical skills. It is important to remember that soft skills are equally important in the field of engineering. Team work, presentation skill and organizing ability all contribute to the becoming of a successful engineer. Out of the many soft skills, communication skill is one of the most important one.

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Published By
Arka Roy
www.constructioncost.co