Von Löwen Designs

A jointing: See Joining.

AA: Aluminum Association.

AAA: American Arbitration Association.

AAC: Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.

AAN: American Association of Nurserymen.

AASHTO: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Abacus: The flat slab on top of a column capital, supporting the architrave.

Abandonment: The failure of both parties to a contract to abide by its terms.

Aberration: A distortion of an image produced by a faulty lens or mirror.

Above ground tank: A large above ground vessel used for the storage of liquids.

Abrade: Scrape or wear away by friction.

Abrams Law: A rule stating that with given concrete materials and conditions of test, the ratio of the amount of water to the amount of the cement in the mixture determines the strength of the concrete, provided the mixture is of a workable consistency.

Abrasion resistance: Ability of a surface to resist being worn away by rubbing and friction.

Abrasion: Wearing away by friction.

Abrasive coatings: In closed coating of paper no adhesive is exposed, as surface of paper is completely covered with abrasive; in open coating, surface of backing paper is covered with regulated amount of abrasive, exposing the adhesive; space between the abrasive grains rces loading and filling when sanding gummy or soft materials.

Abrasive paper: Paper with an abrasive surface; sandpaper, emery paper; garnet paper.

Abrasive surface tile: Floor tile that has been roughened to be slip-resistant.

Abrasive surface: A surface that has been roughened for safety or for warning.

Abrasive: A substance used for wearing, grinding, cleaning, or polishing by rubbing or grinding.

ABS pipe: A plastic pipe sold in 10 and 20 foot lengths in various diameters for plumbing stacks and drains; used primarily for drain lines.

ABS: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene; a plastic used for piping; has high resistance to impact, heat, and chemicals.

Absolute humidity: The density of water vapor per unit volume of air.

Absolute pressure: The pressure measured by a gauge plus a correction for the effect of air pressure on the gauge (l4.7 psi at sea level).

Absolute temperature: Temperature measured from absolute zero.

Absolute viscosity: A method of measuring viscosity using the poise as the basic measurement unit; this method utilizes a partial vacuum to induce flow in the viscometer.

Absolute volume: The volume of an ingredient in its solid state, without voids between individual pieces or particles; in the case of fluids, the cubic content occupied; in concrete, it is the actual volume occupied by the different ingredients determined by dividing the weight of each ingredient in pounds by its specific gravity times the weight of one cubic foot of water in pounds; example. the absolute volume of one sack of cement equals 94 divided by 3.15 times 62.4 equals 0.478 cubic feet.

Absolute zero: A theoretical lowest possible temperature, at which all molecular motion ceases, calculated to be exactly minus 273.15°Centigrade or minus 459.67° Fahrenheit.

Absorb: To swallow up or suck in, like wood absorbing a finishing material.

Absorbed moisture: Moisture that has entered a solid material by absorption and has physical properties not substantially different from ordinary water at the same temperature and pressure; in aggregates, that water which is not available to become part of the mixing water.

Absorbent: Having the ability to suck up liquid, gas, or heat.

Absorber: The blackened surface in a solar collector that absorbs the solar radiation and converts it to heat energy.

Absorptance: The ratio of light absorbed by a material to incident light falling on it.

Absorption chiller: A system similar to a vapor compression chiller with the exception that it does not use a compressor, but uses thermal energy (low pressure steam, hot water, or other hot liquids) to produce the cooling effect.

Absorption coefficient: The absorption coefficient of a material or sound-absorbing device is the ratio of the sound absorbed to the sound incident on the material or device; the sound absorbed by a material or device is usually taken as the sound energy incident on the surface minus the sound energy reflected.

Absorption rate: 1. The speed at which the real estate market can absorb new offerings of land or buildings during a specified period of time. 2. The amount of water absorbed when a brick is partially immersed for one minute; usually expressed in either grams or ounces per minute per 30 sq. in; also called suction or initial rate of absorption.

Absorption refrigerator: Refrigerator, which creates low temperatures by using the cooling effect formed when a refrigerant is absorbed by chemical substance.

Absorption, Total: The amount of water a masonry unit will absorb when immersed in water.Absorption.The relationship of the weight of the water absorbed by a material specimen subjected to prescribed immersion procre, to the weight of the dry specimen, expressed in percent.

Abstract of Title: A written summary of all transactions that could affect the ownership of a piece of real property, including deeds, leases, liens, and wills.

Abutment Piece or Member: The bearing plate or piece of a wall system to which the loads are transferred.

Abutment: The lateral supporting structure of an arch, bridge or similar pressure; that part of a pier or wall from which an arch springs, specifically the support at either end of an arch, beam or bridge; that part of a structure which takes the thrust of a beam, arch, vault, truss or girder; the part of a bridge that supports the end of the span and prevents the bank from sliding under it; a foundation that carries gravity and also thrust loads.

AC Relay: An electromagnetic or electromechanical valve or switch using small currents and voltages to control the making or breaking of electrical contacts on a circuit.

AC: 1. Air Conditioning. 2. Asphaltic Concrete. 3. Alternating Current.

Accelerate: To quicken or hasten the natural progress of certain actions or events.

Accelerated Depreciation: The declining balance and sum of the years digits method which give greater depreciation to the early years of the life of the assets.

Accelerating Admixture: Substance that increases the rate of hydration, shortens setting time, or increases strength development in concrete, mortar, grout, or plaster.

Acceleration Clause: A clause in a mortgage or trust deed that would allow the lender to call the whole loan due at any time that certain specified events occur, such as a default in payments or sale of the property.

Acceleration: 1. Requiring change order work to be done without extension of the contract time. 2. An increase in the rate of speed.

Accelerator: A substance which, when added to concrete, mortar, grout, or plaster, increases the rate of hydration of the hydraulic cement, shortens the time of setting, or increases the rate of hardening of strength development, or both; materials used to speed up the setting of mortar or concrete.

Accelerogram: The record from an accelerograph showing acceleration as a function of time.
Acceptance: 1. Manifestation that a party assents or agrees to a contract. 2. Approval of the work of a construction contract.

Access Control: A computerized security system designed to protect against unauthorized entry into buildings or building areas.

Access Door: A door or panel creating a means of access for the inspection or repair of concealed equipment.

Access Floor: A raised floor platform with removable panels to provide access to the area below.

Access Panel: Removable or swinging panel, usually flush with adjoining surface to provide access to concealed equipment or system components for inspection and maintenance purposes.

Access Stair: A stair system to provide specific access to roofs, mechanical equipment rooms, or as a means of emergency exit.

Access/Secure Control Unit: The controlling device of a computerized security system designed to protect against unauthorized entry into buildings or building areas.

Accessible Heremetic: Assembly of motor and compressor inside a single bolted housing unit.

Accessible Location: A location, which can be reached by standing on the floor, platform, runway, or other permanent working area.

Accessible: 1. As applied to equipment, admitting close approach because not guarded by locked doors (unless keys are readily available to those requiring access), elevation or other effective means. 2. As applied to wiring methods, not permanently closed in by the structure or finish of the building; capable of being removed without disturbing the building structure, finish, or fixed appurtenance thereto.

Accessories: 1. Tile accessories, ceramic or non-ceramic articles, affixed to orINSERTed in tile work, as exemplified by towel bars, paper, soap and tumbler holders, grab bars and the like. 2. Concrete accessories, implements or devices used in the formwork, pouring, spreading, and finishing, of concrete surfaces.

Accessory, Reinforcing: Items used to facilitate the installation of masonry or concrete reinforcing.

Accessory: An object or device aiding or contributing in a secondary way.

Accord and Satisfaction: Conduct of a debtor that indicates agreement to an amount of money owed by the debtor to a creditor.

Accordion Folding Door: A folding, hinged, or creased door with rollers, which run along a track.

Accordion Partition: A folded, creased, or hinged interior-dividing wall.

Account balance: The difference between the sum of the debits and credits.

Account: A statement of transactions during a fiscal period and the resulting balance in each category of income and expense.

Accounting Period: The time that elapses between the preparation of financial statements.

Accounting: The recording and auditing of financial accounts.

Accounts Payable: Money owed by the firm to vendors for services or materials.

Accounts Receivable: Money owed to the firm for services rendered or for reimbursements.

Accretion: An increase of land area by the gradual or imperceptible action of natural forces.

Accrual Accounting: A method of keeping accounting records in which income is recorded when services are rendered and expenses are recorded when incurred, rather than when cash is received or paid out.

Accruals: The recognition of income and expenses as they occur even though they are not received or paid for until a later period.

Accrued Expenses: The entry into the liability accounts of expenses, incurred but not paid, at a given date.

Accrued Income: The entry into the asset accounts of income earned, but not received, at a given date.

Accrued Interest: Interest that has been earned but not yet paid.

Accrued Liabilities: Amounts representing liabilities incurred, but not paid, by a given date.

Accumulator: Storage tank, which receives liquid refrigerant from evaporator and prevents it from flowing into suction line before vaporizing.

Acetic Acid: A compound, which in the pure state is a colorless, pungent, biting liquid; vinegar contains 4 to 12 percent of acetic acid.

Acetone: A water-white volatile, highly flammable solvent with ether-like odor; made by destructive distillation of hardwood, fermentation of butyl alcohol, and from petroleum sources; used extensively in making paint removers; dimethyl ketone; see Ketones.

Acetylene: A colourless hydrocarbon gas, burning with a bright flame, used as a fuel in welding and soldering.

ACGIH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Inc.

Achromatic: 1. Having no colour, being black, gray, or white. 2. Being neutral in colour. 3. Difficult to colour. 4. Lenses practically free from light of unwanted colour.

ACI: American Concrete Institute.

Acid Condition In System: Condition in which refrigerant or oil in system is mixed with fluids that are acid in nature.

Acid Demand: Amount of acid required to lower pH and total alkalinity of pool water to correct level.

Acid Etch: 1. The use of acid to cut lines into metal or glass. 2. The use of acid to remove the surface of concrete.

Acid Number: A designation of the amount of free acid in oils, flats, waxes and resins, expressed as the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to neutralize one gram of the material being tested.

Acid Rain: Sulfur dioxide emissions combining with water in the atmosphere and falling to the earth.

Acid Resisting Brick: Brick suitable for use in contact with chemicals, usually in conjunction with acid-resistant mortars.

Acid: A sour substance, one which liberates hydrogen ions in water and is sour and corrosive; will turn litmus red and has a pH of less than 7; acids are generally divided into two classes. (1) strong mineral or inorganic acids such as sulfamic, sulfuric, phosphoric, hydrochloric, or nitric, (2) weak organic or natural acids such as acetic (vinegar), citric (citrus fruit juices), oxalic, and fatty acids (oleic) such as palmitic and stearic.

Acidity: A general term applying to substances on the acid side of neutral.

Acid-Proof Counter: A horizontal work surface resistant to acid spills.

Acid-Resistant Grout: A grout that resists the effect of prolonged contact with acids.

Acid-Test Radio: A calculation of a firm’s liquidity position; that is the ratio of its quick assets (readily convertible to cash) to current liabilities.

ACM: Asbestos-Containing Material.

ACORD 25-S: A form of insurance certificate issued by Agency Company Organization for Research and Development, which has replaced the AIA standard form.

Acoustic Paint: Paint which absorbs or deadens sound.

Acoustic: 1. Relating to sound or the sense of hearing. 2. The properties of a room or auditorium in transmitting sound.

Acoustical and Insulating Materials Association: 205 W. Touhy Avenue, Park Ridge, Illinois 60068, (312) 692-5178.

Acoustical Block: A masonry block used for its sound-absorbing qualities.

Acoustical Materials: Those capable of absorbing sound waves.

Acoustical Panel: Ceiling and wall mounted modular units composed of sound absorbing materials.

Accoustical Plaster and Plastic: Sound absorbing finishing materials mill-formulated for application in areas where a rction in sound reverberation or noise intensity is desired; these materials usually are applied to a minimum thickness of 1/2 inch and generally provide a noise rction coefficient of at least .45 decibels.

Acoustical Tile: Ceiling panels in board form used for its sound absorbing properties, sometimes used on walls.

Acoustical Treatment: The act or process of applying acoustical materials to walls and ceilings.

Acoustical: Relating to sound or to the sense of hearing.

Acoustics: The science of sound including its production, transmission, and effects.

ACR Tubing: Tubing used in air conditioning and refrigeration; ends are sealed to keep tubing clean and dry.

Acre: 1. A piece of land measuring 43,560 square feet. 2. Unit for measuring land, equal to 43,560 square feet or 4840 square yards or 160 square rods.

Acre-Foot: A volume unit for measuring large quantities of water as in reservoirs and lakes; the amount of water that would cover one acre one foot deep, equal to 43,560 cubic feet.

Acre-Inch: One twelfth of an acre-foot.

ACRI: Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute.

Across: The application of gypsum board where the long dimension is applied at right angles to the framing.

Acrylic Carpet: A carpet made from acrylic fiber composed of synthetic polymers.

Acrylic Plastics: Plastics based on resins made by the polymerization of acrylic monomers, such as ethyl acrylate and methecrylate.

Acrylic Resins: Family of synthetic resins made by polymerizing esters of acrylic acid; synthetic resins of excellent color and clarity used in both emulsion and solvent-based paints.

Acrylic: 1. A general class of resinous polymers derived from esters, amides or other acrylic aid derivatives. 2. A transparent plastic material used in sheet form for window glass and skylights.

Acrylics: In carpeting, generic term including acrylic and modified acrylic (modacrylic) fibers; acrylic is a polymer composed of at least 85% by weight of acrylonitrile; modacrylic is a polymer composed of less than 85% but at least 35% by weight of acrylonitrile.
Acrylonitrile Butadiene-Styrene: Plastic material used in manufacturing drainage pipe and fittings.

Act of God: An unexpected event, not within the control of either party, that makes the performance of a contract impossible, unreasonable, or illegal.

Activated Carbon: Specially processed carbon used as a filter-drier; commonly used to clean air; pulverized carbon treated to be especially adsorbent.

Activated Charcoal: See Activated Carbon.

Activator: A catalyst, curing agent, or coreactant, as for an epoxy resin.

Active Door: In a pair of doors, the leaf that opens first and the one to which the lock is applied.

Active Pressure: The pressure exerted by retained earth; such as the earth retained by a retaining wall.

Active System: A solar heating or cooling system that requires outside mechanical power to move the collected heat.

Actual Dimension: The true size of a piece of lumber after it has been milled and dried; see Nominal Dimension.

Actual Notice: The giving of notice by mailing it or handing it to the recipient.

Actuator: That portion of a regulating valve which converts mechanical fluid, thermal energy, or electrical energy into mechanical motion to open or close the valve seats.

Acute Angle: An angle of less than 90 degrees.

AD Plywood: A designation or gradation of plywood. The A and the D designate quality of surface layers.

Ad Valorem: A tax imposed at a percentage rate of the value of the property, such as property tax.

ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act.

Adapter Terminal: Electrical fitting attached to the end of a conductor or to a piece of equipment, for taking power from an outlet in a way for which it was not designed.

Adapter, Cubicle: See Cubical Adapter.

Adapter: A mechanical device for connecting two different parts.

Adaptive reuse: Adapting an old or historical building for a new purpose.

Addenda: A revision in the contract document made prior to the execution of the owner-contractor contract.

Additive Alternate: An alternate bid that, if accepted, adds to the contract price.

Additive: A substance added to another to impart different or special qualities; an admixture.

Adhered Veneer: A veneer secured and supported through adhesion to an approved bonding material applied over an approved backing.

Adhered: Attached by adhesion, rather than mechanical anchorage, as adhered veneer.

Adherence: The properties of bodies for sticking together.

Adherend Failure: Failure of an adhesive joint when the separation is within the adherend.

Adherend: A body that is held to another body by an adhesive.

Adhesion Type Ceramic Veneer: Thinner sections of ceramic veneer, held in place by adhesion of mortar to unit and to backing; no metal anchors are required.

Adhesion, Mechanical: Adhesion between surfaces in which the adhesive holds the parts together by interlocking action.

Adhesion: 1. The state in which two surfaces are held together by interfacial forces which may consist of valence forces or interlocking action, or both; bonding strength; the attraction of a coating to the substrate, or of one coat of paint to another. 2. The soil quality of sticking to buckets, blades, and other parts of excavators.

Adhesive Application: A means of applying gypsum board utilizing adhesives and supplemental mechanical fasteners.

Adhesive Bond: A relationship between two materials in contact with each other causing them to stick or adhere together by means other than cohesion.

Adhesive Failure: Failure of an adhesive joint when the plane of separation is at the adhesive-adherend interface.

Adhesive Spreader: A notched trowel used in the application of laminating adhesives.

Adhesive Wall Cups: Special clips or nails with large perforated bases for mastic application to most firm surfaces.

Adhesive, Ceramic: Used for bonding tile to a surface; rubber solvents; rubber- and resin-based emulsions used as adhesives.

Adhesive, Pressure-Sensitive: An adhesive that will adhere to a surface at room temperature by briefly applied pressure alone.

Adhesive, Roof: A bonding agent used to cement roof materials.

Adhesive, Solvent: An adhesive having a volatile organic liquid as a vehicle, not including water-based adhesives.

Adhesive, Tile: Organic adhesive used for bonding tile to a surface; rubber solvents and resin-based and rubber emulsions can be used as adhesives.

Adhesive: 1. A material capable of holding other materials together by surface attachment; glues, cements, pastes, epoxy, and mucilage are some of the common adhesives. 2. A compound, glue, or mastic used in the application of gypsum board products to framing or for laminating one or more layers of gypsum boards.

Adiabatic Compression: Compressing refrigerant gas without removing or adding heat.

Adiabatic Curing: The maintenance of ambient conditions during the setting and hardening of concrete so that heat is neither lost nor gained.

Adiabatic: 1.Impassable to heat. 2. Occurring without gain or loss of heat.

Adjacent: Nearby or adjoining.

Adjustable Bar Hanger: A metal hanger that can be made to fit the varying distances between floor and ceiling joists or rafters to securely hold electrical outlet boxes and devices.

Adjustable Shelf Standard: Metal items to support shelves usually in the form of strips attached to vertical surfaces.

Adjustable Shelf: A shelf that can be adjusted to different heights.

Adjustable Speed Motor: One in which the speed can be varied gradually over a considerable range, but when once adjusted remains practically unaffected by the load, such as shunt motors designed for a variation of field strength.

Adjustable Triangle: A transparent plastic drafting tool that can be adjusted and set for any angle.

Adjustable Wrench: An open faced wrench which can be adjusted to different sizes.

Admixture: 1. A material other than water, aggregates, and hydraulic cement used as an ingredient of concrete or mortar, and added immediately before or during its mixing. 2. A chemical additive used to alter the normal properties of concrete. 3. Any substance added to a plaster component or to plaster mortar for the purpose of altering its properties.

Adobe Masonry: Construction that utilizes unburned (unfired) clay masonry units.

Adobe: Unburned or unfired brick, dried in the sun.

ADR: Alternative Dispute Resolution; includes mainly negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

Adsorbed Water: Water held on surfaces in a material by either physical and/or chemical forces.

Adsorbent: Usually of a solid, having the ability to attract molecules of liquids, solutions, or gasses that adhere to its surface.

Adsorption: The process of attraction to a surface; the attachment of foreign molecules on the surface of a substance.

Adulteration: The addition of unwanted materials.

Advancing Colours: Colours that give an illusion of being closer to the observer; warm colours in which red-orange predominates.

Adverse Possession: The overt occupation of real property under some claim of right that is opposed to the claim of some other claimant.

Advertisement for Bids: Published notice for receiving of bids for a construction project.

Advisor CM: A construction manager who is an advisor to the owner and who does not guarantee the construction cost.

Adze: A tool for cutting away the surface of wood, like an axe with an arched blade at right angles to the handle.

Aerate: To introduce air into a substance, such as into water at the kitchen sink.

Aeration: Act of combining substance with air.

Aerator: Device which adds air to water; fills flowing water with bubbles.

Aerembolism: Caisson Desease.

Aerial: 1. Relating to the air or atmosphere. 2. An antenna.

Aerobic: Activities or processes that can take place only in the presence of air or oxygen.

Aerosol: 1. A colloidal suspension of fine solid or liquid particles in gas, like smoke, fog, and mist. 2. A substance dispensed from a pressurized can in aerosol form.

Aesthetic Effect: Relating to the beautiful rather than to the merely pleasing, useful, or utilitarian; artistic and in accordance with the principles of good taste.

Aesthetics: Concerned with beauty, refinement, and good taste.

AEV: Automatic Expansion Valve.

Affidavit: A written statement that is made under oath.

AFPA (Formerly NFoPA): American Forest & Paper Association.

A-Frame: A building structure where the main structural members forming the roof and floors are in an A-shape.

Aftershock: An earthquake occurring subsequent to a large earthquake, the main shock; the magnitude of an aftershock is usually smaller than the main shock.

AGA: American Gas Association.

AGC: Associated General Contractors of America.

Agent: One who acts with delegated authority for a principal.

Agglomeration: Formation of masses or aggregates of pigments; not dispersed.

Aggregate Coated Panel: Sheet material, usually plywood, with decorative face of aggregate bonded with epoxy applied to one face.

Aggregate Storage Bins: In a concrete batching plant, the bins that store the necessary aggregate sizes and feed them to the dryer in substantially the same proportions as are required in the finished mix.

Aggregate, Coarse: One of the four ingredients of concrete, usually gravel, which is retained on a #4 sieve.

Aggregate, Fine: One of the four ingredients of concrete, usually sand, which will pass the #4 sieve and will be retained on the #200 sieve.

Aggregate, Heavyweight: Aggregate of high specific gravity such as barite, magnetite, limonite, limenite, iron, or steel used to produce heavy concrete.

Aggregate, Lightweight: Aggregate of low specific gravity, such as expanded or sintered clay, shale, slate, diatomaceous shale, perlite, vermiculite, or slag; natural pumice, scoria, volcanic cinders, tuff, and diatomite, sintered fly ash, or industrial cinders; used to produce lightweight concrete; aggregate with a dry, loose weight of 70 pounds per cubic foot or less.

Aggregate: 1. Inert particles such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, or expanded materials, in a concrete, plaster, or terrazzo mixture. 2. Granular material, such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, and iron blast-furnace slag, used with a cementing medium to form a hydraulic-cement, concrete or mortar. 3. Crushed stone, crushed slag, or water-worn gravel used for surfacing a built-up roof. 4. Any granular mineral material.

Agitator: Device used to cause motion in confined fluid.

Agreement: A mutual understanding; a meeting of the minds; a contract duly executed and legally binding.

Agricultural Varnishes: Varnishes designed to protect and beautify farm implements and machinery.

AHA: 1. American Hardware Association. 2. American Hardboard Association.

AHC: Architectural Hardware Consultant, a member of the Door and Hardware Institute.

AHDGA: American Hot Dipped Galvanizers Association.

AHMA: American Hardware Manufacturers Association.

AHU: Air Handling Unit.

AI: Asphalt Institute.

AIA: American Institute of Architects.

AIMA: Acoustical and Insulating Materials Association.

AinA: American Insurance Association.

Air Adjusting Valve: Spray gun valve controlling input air.

Air Break: In a plumbing system, a physical separation between a drain outlet from a fixture and an indirect waste receptor from the fixture.

Air Bubble: Bubble in paint film caused by entrapped air.

Air Cap: Perforated housing for atomizing air at head of spray gun; also called air nozzle.

Air Carbon-Arc Cutting: An arc-cutting process in which the severing of metals is effected by melting with the heat of an arc between an electrode and the base metal and an air stream is used to facilitate cutting.

Air Chamber: A short piece of pipe about 10 long, installed above the hot and cold valves of fixtures such as sinks, lavatories, and clothes washers which traps a column of air intended to cushion the rush of water as the valve is closed and prevents water hammer.

Air Change Method: A method of calculating the quantity of infiltration air into a building.

Air Changes per Hour: The number of times the air volume of a room or building can be replaced in an hour by an air-handling, circulating, or exhaust system.

Air Cleaner: Device used for removal of airborne impurities.

Air Cleaning: A control strategy to remove various airborne particulates and/or gases from the air; the three types of air cleaning most commonly used are particulate filtration, electrostatic precipitation, and gas absorption.

Air Coil: Coil on some types of heat pumps used either as an evaporator or a condenser.

Air Compressor: A mechanism which forces air at a high pressure into a storage tank where it is released through a regulator and a hose to power small tools.

Air Conditioner: Device used to control temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and movement of air in conditioned space.

Air Content: The amount of entrained or entrapped air in concrete or mortar, exclusive of pore space in aggregate particles, usually expressed as a percentage of total volume of concrete or mortar.

Air Cooled Compressor: The condenser component of a refrigeration system placed out of the refrigerant area in a series of copper tubes; a fan blows outdoor air across the tubes which contain the refrigerant.

Air Cooler: Mechanism designed to lower temperature of air passing through it.

Air Core Solenoid: Solenoid, which has a hollow core instead of a solid core.

Air Core: Coil of wire not having a metal core.

Air Diffuser: Air distribution outlet or grille designed to direct airflow into desired patterns.

Air Distribution: To force air to desired locations in a building or facility.

Air Drying: Drying by oxidation or evaporating by simple exposure to air; used for drying block, brick, wood, or paint without any special equipment, simply by exposure to ambient air.

Air Eliminator: A mechanical device that expels excess air.

Air Embolism: Caisson Disease.

Air Entraining Agent: A substance added to concrete, mortar or cement that produces air bubbles during mixing, making it easier to work with and increasing its resistance to frost and freezing.

Air Entraining Cement: A portland cement with an admixture that causes a controlled quantity of stable, microscopic air bubbles to form in the concrete during mixing.

Air Entrainment: Introduction of air into a process such as in concrete mixing or in a whirlpool bath.

Air Entrapment: Inclusion of air bubbles in paint film.

Air Exchange Rate: 1. The number of times that the outdoor air replaces the volume of air in a building per unit time, typically expressed as air changes per hour. 2. The number of times that the ventilation system replaces the air within a room or area within the building.

Air Gap: 1. In a water supply system, the vertical distance from the top of the flood rim to the faucet or spout, which supplies fresh water to the fixture; designed to prevent backsiphonage. 2. The space between magnetic poles or between rotating and stationary assemblies in a motor or generator.

Alcohol: A colourless volatile inflammable liquid, miscible with water, used as a solvent; in full, ethyl alcohol; the alcohols commonly used in painting are ethyl alcohol as a shellac solvent and methyl alcohol or wood alcohol in paint removers.

Alcove: A small recessed section of a room or outdoor area.

Alfresco: In the open air.

Algae: (plural). A non-flowering stemless water-plant; seaweed, pond scums, and phytoplankton; growing in water in the presence of sunlight and carbon dioxide.

Algaecide: Chemical that kills algae.

Algebra: The use of letters and other symbols to represent quantities in mathematical calculations.

Algistat: Chemical that inhibits algae growth.

Alienation: A conveyance of property to another.

Align: To be or come into precise adjustment or correct relative position.

Aliphatic: Describes a major class of organic compounds, many of which are useful as solvents.

Alizarin Lake: A bright red pigment with blue undertone made from the organic coal tar dyestuff, alizarin; some purple pigments are also marketed under this name.

Alkali: A chemical substance which effectively neutralizes acid material so as to form neutral salts; a base, the opposite of acid; examples are ammonia and caustic soda; highly destructive to oil paint films.

Alkali-Aggregate Reaction: The chemical reaction in concrete or mortar between alkalis (sodium and potassium oxides) from portland cement or other sources and certain constituents of some aggregates, primarily certain phases of silica, which causes deterioration in the form of strength loss, excessive expansion, and cracks in the concrete or mortar.

Alkaline: Having the properties of an alkali; having a pH of more than 7.

Alkalinity: Amount of bicarbonate, carbonate, or hydroxide compounds in water.

Alkali-Resistant Grout: A grout that resists the effect of prolonged contact with alkalis.

Alkyd: A synthetic resin, made usually with phthalic anhydride, glycerol and fatty acids from vegetable oils.

All Risk Policy: A property insurance policy that insures against all risks of loss that are not specifically excluded.

All Stretcher Bond: A brick bond showing only stretchers on the face of the wall with each stretcher divided evenly over the stretchers under it; staggered vertical joints.

Allen Key: An Allen Wrench.

Allen Wrench: An L-shaped hexagonal rod designed to fit into a hexagonal hole in a bolt head; also called an Allen Key.

Allen Type Screw: Screw with recessed hex-shaped head.

Alley: 1. A narrow street or passageway behind buildings. 2. A building for bowling.

Alligatoring: 1. The cracking and crazing that occurs in asphalt roofing due to age and the effect of solar radiation and oxidation. 2. Coarse checking pattern characterized by a slipping of the new paint coating over the old coating to the extent that the old coating can be seen through the fissures, caused by improper build-up of paint. 3. In asphalt paving, Interconnected cracks forming a series of small blocks resembling an alligators skin or chicken wire, caused by excessive deflection of the surface over unstable subgrade or lower courses of the pavement.

All-Inclusive Deed of Trust or Mortgage: A trust deed or mortgage that includes underlying financing; one payment is made to the all-inclusive mortgagee or beneficiary who then makes the payments on the underlying loans; also called a Wraparound Deed of Trust or Mortgage.

Allowable Bearing Capacity: The amount of pressure, expressed in pounds per square foot, that any particular soil will support, in the opinion of a soil mechanics engineer, taking into account acceptable settling and a safety factor.

Allowance: In the contract documents, a sum noted by the architect to be included in the contract sum, for a specific item; for example, a stipulated sum for carpeting or hardware which will be selected at a later date.

Allowances: The amount of tightness or looseness of male and female parts.

Alloy: 1. A substance composed of two or more metals. 2. Or of a metal and a nonmetallic constituent.

All-Purpose Compound: In gypsum wallboard installation, a joint treatment material that can be used as a bedding compound for tape, a finishing compound, and as a laminating adhesive or texturing product.

Alluvium: Any geologically recent deposit of fine soil, silt, sand, and gravel from an ancient river.

Alpha Gypsum: A class of specially processed calcined gypsum having properties of low consistency and high strength.

Alternate: A stipulated construction item and its cost, in addition to the original base bid, for a specific item to be included or excluded from the project; a mutually agreed upon item that is used in place of the originally specified item.

Alternating Current (AC): Electric current in which direction of flow alternates or reverses in 60-cycle (Hertz) current, direction of flow reverses every 1/120th of a second.

Alternating Current Automatic Low Voltage Seconda: See Secondary Network.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Resolution of a dispute without litigation, includes negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

Alternator: An electric generator for producing alternating current.

Alumina Cement: Used in high early strength concrete.

Alumina Porcelain: A vitreous ceramic whiteware for technical application in which Alumina (A12O3) is the essential crystalline phase.

Alumina: A mineral usually found in the clay used for brickmaking.

Aluminous Cement: A hydraulic cement in which the principal constituents are calcium illuminates, instead of calcium silicates which comprise the major ingredients of portland cement. (See calcium aluminate cement)

Aluminum Association (AA): 900 19th Street, NW, #300, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 862-5100.
Aluminum Extrusion: Aluminum sections formed by extrusion.

Aluminum Grid Walkway: Walkway fabricated of aluminum grid placed over roof surface to protect roofing surface from damage from traffic.

Aluminum Jacket: A watertight outer housing, fashioned from aluminum, placed around a pipe or vessel.

Aluminum Leaf: Aluminum hammered into very thin sheets.

Aluminum Oxide: 1. Corrosion on surface of an aluminum member caused by oxidation. 2. Hard and sharp abrasive made by fusing mineral Bauxite at high temperature.

Aluminum Paint: Mixture of finely divided aluminum particles in flake form combined with vehicle.

Aluminum Plate: Flat aluminum sheet material.

Aluminum Sheet Plate: Flat rolled aluminum plate.

Aluminum Silicate: White extender pigment made from China clay or feldspar, which provides very little color or opacity.

Aluminum Storefront: A facade of a building or structure, which is constructed of a system of aluminum tubing and glass.

Aluminum Wire: Electrical conductors and cable manufactured from aluminum.

Aluminum, Zinc Coated: Aluminum, zinc plated for corrosion protection by hot dipping into molten zinc or by electrolysis.

Aluminum: A bluish silver-white malleable metallic element with good electrical and thermal conductivity, high reflectivity and resistance to oxidation.

Amalgamation: A merger or consolidation of two or more businesses.

Ambience: The feeling of the surroundings or atmosphere of a place.

Ambient Background Samples: Prevalent Level Samples.

Ambient Sound: The quiet-state noise level in a room or space, which is a composite of sounds from many external sources, both near and far, over which one individual has no control.

Ambient Temperature: Room temperature or the temperature of the surroundings; temperature of fluid (usually air) which surrounds object on all sides.

Ambient: Surrounding on all sides; encompassing, as the ambient temperature.

Ambiguous: Having more than one meaning, as in a contract.

Ambo: Pulpit in a church.

Ambulatory: A sheltered place for walking, as in an aisle or cloister in a church or monastery.

Amenity: Pleasant or useful features in real estate that contribute satisfaction and pleasure rather than direct financial benefit.

American Arbitration Association (AAA): 140 West 51st Street, New York, NY 10020- 1203, (212) 484-4000, Fax (212) 765-1203.

American Architectural Aluminum Manufacturers Association: 1540 Dundee Road #310, Palatine, Illinois 60067, (708) 202-1350.

American Association of Nurserymen (AAN): 1250 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 789-2900.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation: 444 North Capitol Street, NW, #225, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 624-5800 – David Hensing.

American Bond: In masonry, a form of bond in which every sixth course is a header course and the intervening courses are stretcher courses.

American Concrete Institute (ACI): PO Box 19150, Detroit, Michigan 48219, (313) 532-2600.

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hyg: 1330 Kemper Meadow Drive, #600, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240, (513) 742-3355

American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA): 111 19th St., NW, #800, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 463-2700.

American Gallon: A measure of liquid volume, 231 cubic inches.

American Gas Association (AGA): 1515 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia 22209, (703) 841-8400.

American Hardboard Association (AHA): 1210 West Northwest Highway, Palatine, Illinois 60067, (708) 934-8800.

American Hardware Association (AHA): 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606.

American Hardware Manufacturers Association (AHMA): 801 N Plaza Drive, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173, (708) 605-1025.

American Hot Dipped Galvanizers Association (AHDGA): 1000 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 628-4634.

American Institute of Architects (AIA): 1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 626-7300

American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. (AISC): One East Wacker Drive, #3100, Chicago, Illinois 60601-2001, (312) 670-2400.

American Institute of Timber Construction (AITC): 7012 South Revere Parkway, #140, Englewood, Colorado 80112, (303) 792-9559.

American Insurance Association (AInA): 1130 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 828-7100.

American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI): 1101 17th Street, NW #1300, Washington, DC 20036-4700, (202) 452-7100.

American Library Association (ALA): 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611, (312) 944-6780.

American Lumber Standards: Rules for softwood lumber, dealing with recognized classifications, nomenclature, sizes, descriptions, amounts, shipping provisions, basic grades, grade marking, and inspection.

American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI): 11 West 42nd Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10036, (212) 642-4900.

American Petroleum Institute (API): 1220 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20035, (202) 682-8000.

American Plywood Association (APA): 7011 South 19th Street, Tacoma, Washington 98411, (206) 272-2283.

American Process Zinc Oxide: Zinc oxide pigment made directly from zinc ores; also called Direct Process.

American Public Works Association (APWA): 1313 E. 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, (312) 667-2200, Fax. (312) 667-2304.

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM): 1916 Race Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, (215) 299-5420.

American Society of Architectural Hardware Consult: 1815 N. Ft. Myer Drive, Suite 412, Arlington, Virginia 22209, (703) 527-2060.

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): 345 East 47th St., New York, New York 10017, (212) 705-7551.

American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air: 1791 Tullie Circle, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, (404) 636-8400.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): United Engineering Center, 345 East 47th St., New York, New York 10017-2392, (212) 705-8500.

American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE): 3617 Thousand Oaks Boulevard., #210, Westlake, California 91362 – (805) 495-7120.

American Society of Sanitary Engineers (ASSE): P.O. Box 40362, Bay Village, Ohio 44140, (216) 835-3040.

American Standard Pipe Thread: Type of screw thread commonly used on pipe and fittings to assure a tight seal.

American Standards Association: Now known as American National Standards Institute.

American Vermillon: Chrome orange pigment.

American Water Works Association (AWWA): 6666 West Quincy Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80235, (303) 794-7711.

American Welding Society (AWS): 550 NW LeJeune Road, P.O. Box 351040, Miami, North Carolina 33135, (305) 443-9353.

American Wire Gauge: A standard system for designating the diameter of wire.

American Wood Preservers Association (AWPA): P.O. Box 286, Woodstock, Maryland 21163-0286, (410) 465-3169.

American Wood Preservers Institute (AWPI): 1945 Old Gallows Road #150, Vienna, Virginia 22182, (703) 893-4005.

Americans with Disabilities Act: National legislation prohibiting discrimination against disabled individuals; the act includes detailed requirements for the planning and design of buildings.

Ames Taping Tools: Specially designed tools to mechanically apply taping compound and tape.

Amides: Curing agent combined with epoxy resins.

Amine Adduct: Amine curing agent combined with a portion of the resin.

Amines: Organic substituted ammonia; curing agent combined with epoxy resins.

Ammeter: An instrument for measuring electric current in amperes.

Ammonia: 1. Chemical combination of nitrogen and hydrogen, NH32. Popular refrigerant for industrial refrigerating systems; also a popular absorption system refrigerant; ammonia refrigerant is identified as R-117. 3. Ammonia combines with free chlorine in pool water to form chloramine which causes burning eyes, skin irritation and chlorine odor.

Amortization Schle: A chart showing the monthly, quarterly, or annual payments necessary to pay off a loan including interest over a particular period of time.

Amortization: The gradual paying off of indebtedness by regular equal payments including interest and principal over a specified period of time.

Amp: Ampere.

Ampacity: Current-carrying capacity expressed in amperes.

Amperage: The strength of a current of electricity expressed in amperes; electron or current flow of one coulomb per second past given point in circuit.

Ampere Turns: A measure of magnetic force; represents product of amperes times number of turns in coil of electromagnet.

Ampere: Unit of electric current equivalent to flow of one coulomb per second.

Amplification: An increase in earthquake motion as a result of resonance of the natural period of vibration with that of the forcing vibration.

Amplifier: An electrical device to obtain amplification of voltage, current or power.

Amplitude: Maximum deviation from mean or center line of a wave.

Amyl Acetate: Banana oil; solvent for nitrocellulose, formed by esterification of acetic acid with amyl alcohol.

Anaerobic: An organism that can live without oxygen, such as the bacteria in a septic tank.

Anaglyph: A sculptured, chased, or embossed ornament worked in low relief.

Analog: A way of expressing one quantity in terms of another quantity; an analogous or parallel thing; for example, voltage, weight, or length to represent numbers, as watch hands represent time; compare with Digital.

Analogous Harmony: Colours, which are related by containing one color in common; colour harmony.

Analogy: Inference from a similar case.

Analysis: 1. Separation into constituent parts. 2. In engineering, the investigative determination of the detailed aspects of a particular phenomenon; may be qualitative, meaning a general evaluation of the nature of the phenomenon, or quantitative, meaning the numerical determination of the magnitude of the phenomenon.

Anchor Bolt: A bolt embedded in concrete for the purpose of fastening a building frame to a concrete or masonry foundation.

Anchor Pattern: Profile surface roughness usually attained by blasting.

Anchor Slot: A groove in an object into which a fastener or connector isINSERTed to attach objects together.

Anchor Tenant: The main tenant in a shopping center development; a large stable tenant or tenants that are expected to attract other tenants and customers to the development.

Anchor Ties: Any type of fastener used to secure wood framing, steel, or masonry to some stable object, such as a foundation or another wall; usually for tension value.

Anchor, Brick: Fasteners that are designed to attach and secure a veneer to a concrete or brick wall.

Anchor, Dovetail: A fastener with an interlocking joint that is wider at its end than at its base.

Anchor, Rafter: A bolt or fastening device, which attaches the rafters to the walls or rafter plate.

Anchor, Wood: A bolt or fastening device, which attaches wood to wood or wood to other materials.

Anchor: Irons or metals of special form and shapes used to fasten together and secure timbers or masonry.

Anchorage: 1. An attachment for resistance to movement; the movement can be a result of overturning, sliding or uplift; the most common anchorage for these movements are tie-downs (hold-downs) for overturning and uplift, and anchor bolts for sliding. 2. In posttensioning, a device used to anchor tendons to concrete member; in pretensioning, a device used to anchor tendons during hardening of concrete. 3. The securing of reinforcing bars in cast-in-place concrete either by hooks, bends, or embedment length.

Anchored Type Ceramic Veneer: Thicker sections of ceramic veneer held in place by grout and wire anchors connected to backing wall.

Anchoring Cement: Grout used in sleeves to anchor tubing in place.

Andalusite: A polymorph, along with sellimanite and kyanite, of composition Al2O3SiO2; in firing, it dissociates to yield principally mullite.

Andiron: A metal stand, usually a pair, for supporting wood fuel in a fireplace.

Anechoic Chamber: A room or building that is free from echoes and reverberations.

Anemometer: Instrument for measuring the rate of air flow or motion.
Aneroid Barometer: An instrument for measuring atmospheric air pressure by its action on the elastic lid of an evacuated box. This is the basis of a surveyors aneroid barometer which is used to measure altitude; an altimeter.

Anesthetizing Location: Areas in hospitals in which flammable anesthetics are or may be administered to patients; such locations include operating rooms, delivery rooms, and anesthesia rooms, and will also include any corridors, utility rooms or other areas which are or may be used for administering flammable anesthetics to patients.

Angle Bar: A steel structural member in the shape of an L; classified by the thickness of the stock and the length of the legs.

Angle Blasting: Blast cleaning at angles less than 90 degrees.

Angle Block: A square of tile specially made for changing direction of the trim.

Angle Brick: Any brick shaped to an oblique angle to fit a salient corner.

Angle Divider: A tool used by tile setters to determine the degree of an angle to cut; used for fitting trim, moldings, and floors into corners; a corner angle is measured by adjusting the divider to fit the corner.

Angle Float: A concrete or plastering finishing tool having a surface bent to form a right angle; used to finish re-entrant angles.

Angle Iron: A rolled steel structural member with an L-shaped section; used to support brickwork over doors and windows and is sometimes used as main runners in lieu of channels to support plaster.

Angle of Degree: On an airless spray cap, the orifice angle; controls width of spray and pattern angle.

Angle of Incidence.: The angle that a line or light ray striking a surface makes with the perpendicular at that point, the point of incidence.

Angle of Reflection: The angle that a reflected ray makes with the perpendicular to a surface at the point of incidence.

Angle of Repose: 1. The natural angle that a pile of a material, such as earth, sand, or gravel will assume. 2. The angle at which a body will slide down an inclined plane impelled only by gravity.

Angle Steel: An L-shaped steel member.

Angle Stop: A water valve that occurs where there is a 90-degree change in direction of the piping, as under a lavatory or sink.

Angle, Shelf: A structural angle, which is fastened to the structure of a building to support a wall or other component.

Angle: 1. The difference in direction of two lines, which meet or tend to meet, usually measured in degrees. 2. An inside corner. 3. A structural section of steel, which resembles an L in cross section. 4. In masonry, a portion of a whole brick, which is used to close the bond or brickwork at, corners.

Anhydrite: The mineral consisting primarily of anhydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO4

Anhydrous Calcined Gypsum: Keenes Cement.

Anhydrous Calcium Sulphate: A stable form of gypsum from which practically all of the water of crystallization has been removed; also called dead-burned gypsum; dry chemical made of calcium, sulphur and oxygen, CaSO4.

Anhydrous: Dry; free from moisture or water in any form.

Aniline Colours: Coal-tar derivatives precipitated on a colourless base.

Anisotropic: Exhibiting different properties when measured along different axes; in general, fibrous materials such as wood are anisotropic; not isotropic.

Annealed Glass: Glass whose surface has been heated to melting and then cooled to provide a toughened surface; also called heat strengthened glass.

Annealed: Cooled under controlled conditions to minimize internal stresses.

Annealing: Process of heat-treating metal to get desired properties of softness and ductility.

Annex: A wing or an addition to a building.

Annual Growth Ring: The layer of wood growth put on a tree during a single growing season, comprised of springwood and summerwood.

Annuity: An investment of money entitling the investor to receive a series of equal monthly or yearly payments.

Annular Ring Nail: A nail that has grooves around the shank, which prevent easy withdrawal; also called a ring shank nail.

Annunciator Panel: A panel mounted on a surface, which indicates, by lights which circuits have been activated.

Annunciator: A electromagnetic device used to show which of several circuits are activated.

Anode: 1. The positive electrode in an electrolytic cell. 2. The negative terminal of a primary cell such as a battery.

Anodize: Coat a metal, such as aluminum, with a protective oxide layer by electrolysis.

Anodized Door: A door, which has been given an aluminum oxide coating by electrolytic action.

Anodized Tile: Tile, which has been given an aluminum oxide coating by electrolytic action.

Anodized: A metal that has been subjected to electrolytic action in order to coat with a protective or decorative film.

Anodizing: An electrolytic process that forms a permanent, protective coating on aluminum.

Anomaly: An irregularity, abnormality, peculiarity, or deviation from the norm.

ANSI: American National Standards Institute, Inc.

Antenna: A metallic device used for radiating or receiving radio waves.

Anterior: Situated before or toward the front.

Anteroom: A small room leading to a main room; a waiting room.

Anticipatory Breach: A positive statement by a party to a contract that the party will not perform the terms of the contract.

Anticlastic: Saddle-shaped, or having curvature in two opposing directions.

Anti-Corrosive Paint: Metal paint designed to inhibit corrosion; applied directly to the metal.

Anti-Flooding Agent: A synthetic organic product used to rce floating and flooding of iron blues, carbon blacks, and chrome greens.

Anti-Fouling Paint: A special coating for ship bottoms, containing poison like copper or mercury, formulated to effect the release of the poison at a controlled rate, to prevent attachment and growth of marine organisms such as barnacles and algae.

Anti-Friction Bearing: Any bearing having the capacity of effectively rcing friction.

Anti-Friction Latch Bolt: A latch bolt designed to reduce friction when the bolt starts to engage the lock strike.

Antihammer Device: An air chamber such as a closed length of pipe or a coil which is designed to absorb the shock caused by closing a valve rapidly.

Antimicrobial: Agent that kills microbial growth.

Antimony Oxide: Pure white pigment which provides about same hiding power as lithopone.

Antioxidant: Protective compound used on ends of aluminum wiring at connections to prevent corrosion that would interfere with a solid safe connection.

Antiquing: Furniture finishing technique intended to give appearance of age or wear.

Anti-Siphon Trap: A trap which is designed to prevent the siphonage of its water seal by increasing the diameter of the outlet leg of the trap so that it contains a sufficient volume of water to prevent a siphoning action.

Anti-Skinning Agent: A synthetic organic product, used to prevent forming of surface skin in packaged varnishes and paints.

APA: American Plywood Association.

Apartment Hotel: A hotel containing apartments as well as transient rooms.

Apartment House: A building containing three or more separate residential apartments; also called an Apartment Building.

Apartment: A suite of rooms, usually let as a dwelling; a dwelling unit.

Aperture: 1. Any opening. 2. An opening that varies the amount of light entering a camera.

Apex: The highest point; vertex.

API: American Petroleum Institute.

Apices: Plural of apex.

Appliance, Fixed: An appliance, which is fastened or otherwise secured at a specific location.

Appliance, Portable: An appliance, which is movable or can easily be moved from one place to another in normal use.

Appliance, Stationary: An appliance, which is not easily moved from one place to another in normal use.

Appliance: An appliance is current-consuming utilization equipment, generally other than industrial, normally built in standardized sizes or types, which is installed or connected as a unit to perform one or more functions such as clothes washing, air conditioning, food mixing, or deep frying.

Application for Payment: A written document forwarded by the contractor requesting payment for work completed.

Application Rate: The quantity (mass, volume or thickness) of material applied per unit area.

Applicator: 1. One who applies. 2. Tool for applying.

Applied Preservative Treated: Applied treatment of wood or plywood to make it resistant to deterioration from moisture and insects.

Appraisal: A valuation of property by a qualified person, usually in the form of a written report.

Appraise: To give an expert judgment of the value or merit of.

Appreciation: The increase in value of a property from any cause.

Apprentice: A person who is learning a trade, art or calling by being employed in it for an agreed period for low wages.

Approved: Acceptable to that enforcing agency having the responsibility and authority to grant the approval for the specified condition or application.

APR: Annual Percentage Rate.

Apron Wall: That part of a panel wall between the window sill and the support of the panel wall.

Apron: 1. The lower trim member under the sill of the interior casing of a window. 2. An upward or downward vertical extension of a sink or lavatory. 3. A paved area immediately adjacent to a building, structure or facility.

Apse: A projecting part of a building, such as in a church, usually semicircular and vaulted.

APWA: American Public Works Association.

Aquct: 1. An artificial channel or conduit for conveying large quantities of water, usually supported by a bridge-like structure. 2. A structure for conveying a canal over a river or a valley.

Aqueous: Containing water.

Aquifer: A strata of porous permeable rock or soil that is capable of holding a large quantity of water.

AR: Acid Resisting.

Arabesque: An ornament, style or design of intertwined leaves, flowers, or fruit to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines.

Arabic Numeral: One of the number symbols, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Arbitration Award: The arbitrator’s judgment or decision in an arbitration.

Arbitration Demand: A written notice by one party to a contract served on the other to avail of the arbitration provisions of the contract.

Arbitration: 1. A proceeding for resolution of disputes in which a neutral person or panel, after hearing evidence presented by both sides, makes a final and binding decision that resolves the dispute. 2. A hearing used to resolve disputes.

Arbor: 1. A light openwork structure of wood or metal, covered or intended to be covered with vines, as in a park or garden. 2. An Axle or spindle on which something revolves. 3. A device holding a tool in a lathe.

Arc Blow: The deflection of an electric arc from its normal path because of magnetic forces.

Arc Voltage: The voltage (electrical potential) across the welding arc.

Arc Welding: A process of joining two pieces of metal by melting them together at their interface with a continuous electric spark and adding a controlled additional amount of molten metal from a metallic electrode.

Arc: 1. Arched or curved. 2. A portion of an ellipse or circle.

Arcade: 1. An arched covered passageway. 2. An amusement center with coin-operated games.

Arch Brick: Wedge-shaped brick for special use in an arch.

Arch Corner Bead: A job-shaped length of corner bead used to define the curved portion of arched openings.

Arch Culvert: A curved shaped drain under a roadway, canal or embankment.

Arch: A curved structural member used to span an opening or recess; also built flat. Structurally, an arch is a piece or assemblage of pieces so arranged over an opening that the supported load is resolved into pressures on the side supports, and practically normal to their faces.

Archeology: The study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of human remains.

Archetype: An original model; a Prototype.

Archimedes Principle: A law of physics that states that a floating body displaces a weight of liquid equal to its own weight.

Archimedes Screw: A primitive device for raising water, consisting of a pipe spirally wound around an axis.

Archipelago: A group of islands in the sea.

Architect: One who designs buildings and advises on their construction.

Architectonic: 1. Architectural. 2. Having an organized and unified structure or concept that suggests an architectural design.

Architectonics: The science of architecture.

Architects Project Representative: A more or less continuous architects representative on the jobsite; reports to the architect; formerly called Clerk of the Works.

Architectural Equipment: The implements, apparatus, or equipment used in the construction and initial outfitting of a building.

Architectural Fee: The amount of money charged by an architect for professional services such as programming, design, preparation of contract documents, and administration of the construction of a building or facility.

Architectural Terra Cota: Hard-burned, glazed or unglazed clay building units, plain or ornamental, machine-extruded or hand-molded, and generally larger in size than brick or facing tile; also see Ceramic Veneer.

Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI): 13924 Braddlock Road #100, Centerville, Virginia 22020, (703) 222-1100.

Architectural Woodwork: Finish work using wood or composites for ornamental designs or casework.

Architectural: 1. Of or relating to or conforming to the rules of architecture. 2. Having a single, unified overall design, form, or structure.

Architrave: 1. The lowest division of an entablature. 2. The molding around a rectangular opening, such as a door or window.

Are: A metric unit of measure equal to 100 square meters. 100 ares equal 1 hectare.

Area Divider: In roof construction, a raised double wood member attached to a properly flashed wood base plate that is anchored to the roof deck; used to relieve the stresses of thermal expansion and contraction in a roof system where no expansion joints have been provided.

Area Drain: Any drain installed for the purpose of collecting rainwater from an open area and channeling it to the storm drain.

Area Wall: 1. The masonry surrounding or partly surrounding an area. 2. The retaining wall around basement windows below grade.

Area: 1. The extent or measure of a surface, expressed in square units. 2. The space allocated to a particular function.

Areaway: A sunken space providing access, air, and light to a subterranean building area.

Ark: A repository in a synagogue for the scrolls of the Torah.

Armature: Part of an electric motor, generator, or other device moved by magnetism.

Armor Plate: A kick plate made of metal installed on the bottom of a door to protect it from denting and scratching.

Armored Cable: Metal sheathed flexible electrical cable; BX cable.

Armored Faceplate: A metal plate which is fastened into the strike at the door jamb to provide a protection for the lock and keeper mechanisms.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Strong solvents such as benzene, toluene, xylene.

Aromatic: Derived from or belonging to a major class of organic compounds, many of which are useful as solvents.

Arrester, Lightning: A device connected to an electrical system to protect from lightning and/or voltage surges.

Arris: The sharp edge or salient angle formed by the meeting of two surfaces, as in a molding.

Art: Work exhibiting human creative skill or its application; creative activity; human skill or workmanship; an occupation requiring knowledge or skill.

Arterial Streets: Primary surface roads connecting to expressways with on and off ramps, also connecting sectors of cities, with surface crossings (controlled by traffic lights), normally over continuous long stretches of the cityscape, restricted for parking and to direct access often to adjacent commercial developments; pedestrian crossing controlled.

Artesian Well: 1. A bored well from which water flows from internal pressure. 2. A deep- bored well.

Artificer: 1. A skilled or artistic craft worker. 2. An inventor.

Artificial Intelligence: The ability of a computer to think and work like a human being; at present no computer has full artificial intelligence.

Artificial or Accelerated Drying: The process of drying block or brick with relatively warm, dry air, or other means.

Artificial Pozzolan: Fly ash and other similar substances such as rice hull ash and microsilica.

Artisan: A skilled worker in a trade such as carpentry, plumbing, or painting.

ASAHC: American Society of Architectural Hardware Consultants.

Asbestine: Natural fibrous magnesium silica, which is pure white in colour; used as an extender pigment in paints.

Asbestos Abatement: Procres to control fiber release from asbestos-containing materials in a building or to remove it entirely; may involve removal, encapsulation, repair, enclosure, encasement, and operations and maintenance programs.

Asbestos Cement: Cement asbestos.

Asbestos Program Manager: A building owner or designated representative who supervises all aspects of the facility asbestos management and control program.

Asbestos Removal: A special trade or occupation for the removal and disposal of hazardous asbestos.

Asbestos Vacuum: A filtered device using air suction to collect wetted down asbestos for easy removal into specially made bags.

Asbestos: A group of natural, fibrous, impure silicate materials, formerly used for its noncombustible, non-conducting, or chemically resistant properties; no longer used as it causes Asbestosis.

Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM): Any material containing more than one percent asbestos.

Asbestos-Free Compound: Joint treatment products that have no asbestos fiber.

Asbestosis: A lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos particles.

As-Built Drawings: See Record Drawings.

As-Builts: See Record Drawings.

ASCE: American Society of Civil Engineers.

Aseismic Region: A region that is relatively free of earthquakes.

Ash Dump: A metal access door in the floor of a fireplace firebox to dump the ashes into the ash pit below.

Ash Pit: The compartment below a fireplace in which ashes may be dumped from the firebox and stored for later removal.

Ashlar Veneer: An ornamental or protective facing of masonry composed of squared stones.

Ashlar: A pattern of masonry consisting of squared stones.

ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.

Askarael: A synthetic nonflammable insulating liquid which, when decomposed by the electric arc, evolves only nonflammable gaseous mixtures.

ASLA: American Society of Landscape Architects.

ASME: American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

ASME Boiler Code: Standard specifications issued by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for the construction of boilers.

ASPE: American Society of Plumbing Engineers.

Aspect Ratio: Ratio of length to width of a rectangular air grille or duct.

Asphalt Cement: A fluxed or unfluxed asphalt specially prepared as to quality and consistency for direct use in the manufacture of asphalt pavements.

Asphalt Curb: An extruded berm made from asphaltic concrete.

Asphalt Cut Back: Asphalt plus thinner; asphalt solution; asphalt coating formed by dissolving asphalt.

Asphalt Dampproofing: The application of asphalt to act as a water-resisting treatment to the surface of a concrete or masonry wall.

Asphalt Demolition: The destruction of roadways constructed of asphalt using large wheeled machinery that tears up the old asphalt into manageable pieces for easy removal.

Asphalt Emulsion: Asphalt dispersion; not a solution; a water emulsion of asphalt.

Asphalt Expansion Joint: Felt or fiberboard premolded and impregnated with asphalt and used as an expansion joint for cast-in-place concrete.

Asphalt Institute (AI): 6917 Arlington Road #210, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, (301) 656-5824.

Asphalt Leveling Course: A course asphalt aggregate mixture of variable thickness used to eliminate irregularities in the contour of an existing surface prior to a superimposed treatment or construction.

Asphalt Mastic: A mixture of asphaltic material, mineral aggregates, and fine mineral aggregates that can be poured when heated but needs mechanical manipulation to apply when cool.

Asphalt Membrane: A layer of asphalt used on a flat roof.

Asphalt Felt: An asphalt-saturated felt or an asphalt-coated felt.

Asphalt Prime Coat: A low viscosity liquid asphalt applied to prepare an untreated surface to penetrate into the voids, harden the top and help bind it to the overlying asphalt surface.

Asphalt Repair: The act or process of patching worn road surfaces or leaking roofs.

Asphalt Rock: Porous rock such as sandstone or limestone that has become impregnated with natural asphalt through geologic process; also called Rock Asphalt.

Asphalt Roof: A roof system, which uses asphalt materials as a covering.

Asphalt Saturated Felt: A building and roofing felt sheet impregnated with a bituminous waterproofing material.

Asphalt Shingle: Saturated roofing felt either in large rolls or cut into composition shingles, impregnated with aggregate particles applied to a roof surfaces.

Asphalt Subgrade, Improved: Subgrade, improved as a working platform (1) by the incorporation of granular materials or stabilizers such as asphalt, lime, or portland cement, prepared to support a structure or a pavement system, or (2) any course or courses of select or improved material placed on the subgrade soil below the pavement structure; subgrade improvement does not affect the design thickness of the pavement structure.

Asphalt Surface: A flat layer of asphalt.

Asphalt: A brown to black bituminous pitch occurring naturally or made from a residue of petroleum refining; also called asphaltum; used for pavements, roofing, and as a waterproofing cement; asphalt comes in a wide range of viscosities and softening points, from about l35° F (used on dead level roofs) to 210° F. or more (to be used on special steep roofs); asphalt is a constituent in varying proportions of most crude petroleums; see Bitumen.

Asphaltenes: The high molecular weight hydrocarbon fraction precipitated from asphalt by a designated paraffinic naphtha solvent at a specified solvent-asphalt ratio.

Asphlatic Concrete: High quality, thoroughly controlled hot mixture of asphalt cement and well-graded, high quality aggregate, thoroughly compacted into a uniform dense mass.

Asphaltic Paint: 1. A liquid form of asphalt, which can contain other materials such as aluminum flakes and mineral pigments, generally used for creating a water-resistant coating. 2. A liquid product used for weatherproofing.

Asphalt-Saturated Felt: A moisture-resistant sheet material, available in several different thicknesses, usually consisting of a heavy paper that has been impregnated with asphalt.

Aspirating Psychrometer: A device, which draws sample of air through it to measure humidity.

ASSE: American Society of Sanitary Engineers.

Assemblage: 1. Something put together from parts. 2. A random, unordered assemblage is called a gathering. 3. An ordered assemblage is a system.

Assembly Area: An outdoor place for the gathering of a group of people exiting from a building or for an cational, sporting, or entertainment event.

Assembly Room: A room for the gathering of a group of people, such as an auditorium, gymnasium, restaurant, or meeting room.

Assessed Value: The value of a parcel of real property, usually a fraction of the market value, used for the purpose of determining the amount of property tax.

Asset: A possession or resource having value.

Assignment: Transfer of the rights and duties under a contract from one party to another.

Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): 1957 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 393-2040.

Association of Iron and Steel Engineers (AISE): Three Gateway Center, #2350, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222, (412) 281-6323.

ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials.

ASTM Standards: Materials specifications issued by the American Society of Testing Materials.

Astragal Weatherstripping: Fabric, rubber or plastic strips attached to the molding that is attached to one of a pair of doors or casement windows to cover the joint between the two stiles.

Astragal: An interior molding attached to one of a pair of doors or window sash in order to prevent swinging through; also used with sliding doors to insure tighter fitting where doors meet.

Asymmetrical: Not symmetrical; asymmetry.

Athletic Equipment: Various devices used for exercising or the playing of sporting events.

Atmospheric Corrosion: Galvanic corrosion that occurs between two adjoining dissimilar metals in a humid atmospheric condition.

Atmospheric Pressure: The pressure that atmospheric gases in air exert upon the earth; measured in pounds per square inch or grams per square centimeter; one standard atmosphere equals 14.69 psi of pressure and measures 760 mm (29.92 inches) in a barometer of mercury.

Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker: A simple mechanical device consisting essentially of a check valve in the supply line and a valve member (on the discharge side of the check valve) opening to the atmosphere when the pressure in the line drops to atmospheric; also called a siphon breaker.

Atom: The smallest particle of a chemical element; considered as a source of vast potential energy.

Atomic-Hydrogen Welding: An arc-welding process wherein coalescence is produced by heating with an electric arc maintained between two metal electrodes in an atmosphere of hydrogen; shielding is obtained from the hydrogen; pressure may or may not be used and filler metal may or may not be applied.

Atomize: Process of changing a liquid to minute particles or a fine spray; break steam into small particles.

Atomizer: Device by which air is introduced into material at the nozzle to regulate the texture of machine-applied plaster.

Atrium: A central courtyard with surrounding rooms opening off it.

Attachment Bug: A device, which, by insertion in a receptacle, establishes connection between the conductors of the attached flexible cord and the conductors, connected permanently to the receptacle.

Attenuation Blanket: Material utilized to help in the rction of the energy or intensity of sound.

Attenuation: The reaction of the energy or intensity of sound.

Attic Draft Stop: A partition in an attic, from roof to ceiling level, dividing the attic into discrete areas to prevent the spread of smoke and drafts.

Attic Insulation: Treated shreds of cellulose material that are blown into attic spaces or fiberglass rolls that are rolled out between ceiling joists to aid in weatherproofing a building or facility.

Attic Ventilators: 1. Openings in the roof or in gables for the purpose of allowing air to circulate. 2. Mechanical devices with power-driven fans to force the circulation of air.

Attic: A room or space immediately below the roof of a building.

Attorney: A qualified lawyer licensed to practice.

Attorney-in-Fact: A person acting for another under the authority of a power of attorney.

Audio Cable: A cable over which the transmission, reception, or reproduction of sound is carried.

Audio Sensor: A device that responds to the physical stimulus of sound and transmits a resulting impulse.

Audio Visual: Involving both sight and sound.

Audio: Acoustical, mechanical or electrical frequencies used in the transmission, reception or reproduction of sound.

Audit: A formal examination and report of a persons or entitys financial condition, usually by a qualified certified public accountant.

Auditorium: A building or room where an audience sits.

Auger, Fence: A rotating drill with a screw thread used to drill deep, straight, and narrow holes for the installation of fence posts.

Auger: An instrument or device used for boring or forcing through materials or soil.

Authorized Person: One who is properly authorized to perform specific duties under the conditions existing, usually in relation to a contract.

Auto Lift: 1. An apparatus for lifting automobiles in order to have access to the carriage underneath. 2. An apparatus used to move automobiles up and down in a parking structure.

Auto Transfer Switch: An electrical transfer switch that operates automatically.

Autoclave Curing: Steam curing of concrete products, sand-lime brick, asbestos-cement products, hydrous calcium silicate insulation products, or cement in an autoclave at maximum ambient temperatures generally between 340 and 420° F (170-215° C); also called High Pressure Steam Curing.

Autoclave: A pressure vessel in which an environment of superheated steam at high pressure may be produced; used for sterilizing, assisting a chemical reaction, in the curing of concrete products, and in the testing of hydraulic cement.

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete: A factory-produced building stone; precast, lightweight concrete, in the form of large building blocks, panels, or planks; made of closed cell concrete steam cured in a pressurized autoclave.

Automatic Control: Valve action reached through self-operated or self-actuated means, not requiring manual adjustment.

Automatic Cyclic Control: A control system in which the opening and closing of the weigh hopper discharge gate, the bituminous discharge valve, and the pugmill discharge gate are actuated by means of self-acting mechanical or electrical machinery without any intermediate manual control. The system includes preset timing devices to control the desired periods of dry and wet mixing cycles.

Automatic Defrost: System of removing ice and frost from evaporators automatically.

Automatic Door: A door equipped with a power-operated mechanism and controls that open and close the door automatically upon receipt of a momentary actuating signal; the switch that begins the automatic cycle may be a photoelectric device, floor mat, or manual switch.

Automatic Dryer Control: In a concrete batching plant, a system that automatically maintains the temperature of aggregates discharged from the dryer within a preset range.

Automatic Expansion Valve (AEV): Pressure-controlled valve which increases high-pressure liquid refrigerant to low-pressure liquid refrigerant.

Automatic Frost Control: Control, which automatically cycles refrigerating system to remove frost formation on evaporator.

Automatic Ice Cube Maker: Refrigerating mechanism designed to automatically produce ice cubes in quantity.

Automatic Proportioning Control: In an asphaltic concrete plant, a system in which proportions of the aggregate and asphalt fractions are controlled by means of gates or valves which are opened and closed by means of self- acting mechanical or electronic machinery without any intermediate manual control.

Automatic Skimmer: See Surface Skimmer.

Automatic: 1. A device that works by itself without human intervention, usually actuated by some impersonal influence, as for example, a change in current strength, pressure, temperature, or mechanical configuration. 2. Done spontaneously without conscious intention, see Non-Automatic.

Automation: The use of automatic equipment to save mental and manual labor.

Automaton: A piece of mechanism with concealed motive power; a Robot.

Automotive Equipment: Implements or apparatus that pertain to the repair and care of the automobile.

Automotive Hoist: 1. An apparatus for hoisting automobiles in order to have access to the carriage underneath. 2. An elevator used to move automobiles up and down in a parking structure.

Autopsy Table: Surface upon which a body is placed for examination after death; a specified item installed in hospitals, laboratories, and police crime labs.

Autotransformer: Transformer in which both primary and secondary coils have turns in common; step-up or step-down of voltage is accomplished by taps on common winding.

Auxiliary Heat: The extra heat provided by a conventional heating system for periods of cloudiness or intense cold, when a solar heating system is insufficient.

Auxiliary Members: In a concrete shell structure, ribs or edge beams which serve to strengthen, stiffen or support the shell; usually, auxiliary members act jointly with the shell.

Auxiliary Switch: A standby device for switching.

Available Chlorine: Free or combined chlorine used to disinfect pool water.

Avenue: An access road or street.

Average: 1. An arithmetic mean. 2. An amount obtained by adding the elements of a set and dividing by the number in the set. 3. The ordinary standard.

Aviary: An enclosure or building for keeping birds confined.

Avoirdupois Weight: The weight system based on the pound of 16 ounces and the ounce of 16 drams.

Avoirdupois: 1. Weight. 2. Avoirdupois Weight.

Award: 1. Arbitration award. 2. Contract award.

Awarding Authority: The owner or the agent of the owner who awards an original building or construction contract, also known as the prime contract; this term is generally used with public works.

AWG: American Wire Gauge.

AWI: Architectural Woodwork Institute.

Awl: A small sharp pointed hand tool for marking lines or piercing small holes.

Awning Window: A window hinged at the top.

Awning: A sheet of canvas, plastic, or metal stretched on a frame to give shelter over a window, doorway, or other area.

AWPA: American Wood Preservers Association.

AWPI: American Wood Preservers Institute.

AWS: American Welding Society.

AWWA: American Water Works Association.

Axial Load: Force directly coincident with the primary axis of a structural member such as a beam.

Axial Stresses: Compressive or tensile stresses that are coincidental with the central axis of a structural member.

Axial: In a direction parallel to the long axis of a structural member; in line with the axis; an axial force causes tension or compression stress over the cross section of a member.

Axis of a Weld: An imaginary line through the length of a weld perpendicular to the cross section at its center of gravity.

Axis of Symmetry: A line dividing an area into two similar but opposite handed figures.

Axis, Neutral: Centroidal axis, transverse to longitudinal axis of a structural member, which is neither stretched nor shortened by bending of the member.

Axis: A straight line of reference; in three dimensions, the three axes are referred to as x, y, and z.

Axle: A fixed or rotating rod or spindle on which a wheel or group of wheels rotate.

Axminster carpet: One of the four basic weaves used in making carpets; woven on an Axminster loom, the pile tufts in this weave are mechanically inserted and bound to the back in a manner similar to the hand knotting of Oriental rugs, making possible almost unlimited combinations of colors and patterns; see Woven Carpet.

Axonometric projection: A drafting projection in which objects on the drawing appear inclined with three sides showing and with horizontal and vertical distances drawn to scale but diagonal and curved lines distorted.

Azeotrope: Having constant maximum and minimum boiling points.

Azimuth: The horizontal angle or direction of a compass bearing.

Back Bar: A counter, shelf, or shelving for bottles and glasses extending along the wall of a barroom behind the bar.

Back Blocking: A short piece of gypsum wallboard adhesively laminated behind the joints between each framing member to reinforce the joint.

Back Clip: Specially designed clips attached to the back of gypsum board that fit into slots or other formations in the framing to hold the gypsum board in place; often used in demountable partition designs.

Back Filling: 1. Rough masonry built behind a facing or between two faces. 2. Filling over the extrados of an arch. 3. Masonry in spaces between structural timbers, sometimes called Nogging. 4. The filling with earth of the excavations after the concrete and masonry work below finish grade is completed.

Back Gouging: The forming of a bevel or groove on the other side of a partially welded joint to assure complete penetration upon subsequent welding from that side.

Back Mounted Tile: Mounted tile with perforated paper, fiber mesh, or other suitable bonding material applied to the backs or edges of the tile so that a relatively large portion of the tile area is exposed to the setting bed.

Back Nailing: In roofing, the nailing of felts under the overlap to prevent slippage of the felts.

Back Pressure: 1. In plumbing, a higher air pressure at the sewer side of the trap than on the fixture side of the trap; water can, under certain conditions, be forced out of the trap in the wrong direction towards the fixture. 2. In a refrigerating system, the pressure on the low side of the system, also called suction pressure or low-side pressure.

Back Priming: A coat of paint applied to the back of woodwork and exterior siding to prevent moisture from entering the wood and causing the grain to swell.

Back Saw: Small toothed, joint-cutting saw with a metal back strip to keep the saw rigidly in line.

Back Seam: While all carpet seams are located on the back or underside of the carpet, those made when the carpet is turned over or face-down are called back seams, while those made with the carpet face-up are called face seams.

Back Siphonage: The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures, or substances into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water from any sources other than its intended course, due to a negative pressure in such pipe.

Back Splash: A protective panel installed on the wall behind a counter, sink or lavatory.

Back Vent: A branch vent installed for the purpose of protecting fixture traps from siphoning; back vents include most of the vents not installed specially to permit circulation between vent stacks and soil or waste stacks.

Back Wall: The wall facing an observer who is standing at the entrance to a room, shower, or tub shower.

Back: 1. The part or surface behind the front; the rear. 2. See Steel Square. 3. The back surface of gypsum board; the opposite side from the face; usually the side that would be concealed or the side in contact with the framing; also referred to as the Code Side.

Backband: A simple molding sometimes used around the outer edge of plain rectangular casing as a decorative feature.

Backboard: A vertical structure used as a guard against losing thrown objects, usually specified in the design of athletic playing fields and surfaces.

Backcharge: An offsetting charge against a bill, often asserted by an owner against a prime contractor or a by prime contractor against a subcontractor based on supposedly defective construction work.

Backcheck: A valve that allows flow of a liquid in only one direction; a backflow preventer; a backcheck valve.

Backer Board: See Backing Board.

Backfill, Hand: The act or process of placing excavated earth in a trench or back against the foundation of a structure, by a man and a hand shovel.

Backfill: Earth or earthen material used to fill the excavation around a foundation; the act of filling around a foundation.

Backfire: In welding, a short pop of the flame from the torch tip followed by immediate reappearance or complete extinguishment of the flame.

Backflow Connection: Any arrangement of pipe or fixtures, which can cause backflow to occur.

Backflow Preventer: Backcheck valve; a device, which prevents sewage from flowing backward into a buildings plumbing system.

Backflow: The unintentional flow of water into the supply pipes of a plumbing system from a non-supply source; back-siphonage is one type of backflow, generally due to a temporary occurrence of negative pressure (suction) in the pipes.

Backfurrow: The first cut of a plow from which the slice is laid on undisturbed soil.

Background Noise: The sound level present in a room or space at any given time above which speech, music, desired signal, or sound must be raised in order to be heard or made intelligible.

Backhand Welding: A gas-welding technique wherein the flame is directed opposite to the progress of welding.

Backhoe: An excavating machine with a bucket rigidly attached to a hinged stick on a boom that is drawn toward the machine in operation.

Backhoe/Loader: An excavation machine combining a bucket on a hinged stick on a boom on one end, and a bucket or scoop at the other.

Backing Board: A gypsum board product designed for use as the first or base layer in a multilayer system; also called Backer Board.

Backing Filler Material: Filler metal in the form of a ring, strip or consumable insert, fused in a single-welded joint.

Backing Off: See Featheredging tile.

Backing Ring: Backing in the form of a ring, generally used in the welding of piping.

Backing Rod: A foam plastic rod inserted in a joint to be sealed, to regulate the depth of sealant.

Backing Up: Constructing the inside section of a brick wall after the facing brick of the same wall has been laid header high.

Backing: 1. Something forming a back. 2. The wood blocking behind plastering for supporting the load of lighting fixtures, cabinets, and hardware attached to a wall or ceiling. 3. Any material used as a base over which a finished material is to be installed. 4. See Plaster Base. 5. Material (metal, weld metal, asbestos, carbon, granular flux, etc.) backing up the joint during welding to facilitate obtaining a sound weld at the root. 6. The carpet foundation of jute, kraftcord, cotton, rayon, or polypropylene yarn that secures the pile yarns and provides stiffness, strength and dimensional stability. 7. The part of the wall behind the face brick.

Backlog: Reserve of uncompleted work.

Back-Mopping: Mopping the back or underside of roofing.

Backnailing: In roofing, the practice of blind nailing (in addition to hot- mopping) all the plies to a substrate to prevent slippage on slopes of 1-1/2 inch or more for steep asphalt, 1/2 inch or more for coal-tar pitch and dead-level asphalt.

Back-Plastering: Plaster applied to one face of a lath system following application and subsequent hardening of plaster applied to the opposite face; used primarily in construction of solid plaster partitions and certain exterior wall systems.

Backset of a Hinge: The distance from the edge of the door to the hinge.

Backset of a Lock: The distance from the centerline of a tubular door lock or cylinder to the edge of the door, measured on the high side of a beveled door.

Backstep Sequence: A longitudinal sequence wherein the weld bead increments are deposited in the direction opposite to the progress of welding the joint.

Backstop: To support or bolster.

Backup Bar: A small rectangular strip of steel applied beneath a joint to provide a solid base for beginning a weld between two steel structural members.

Backup Block: Concrete block that is used as a non-exposed structural wall and backs a finished surface to provide a complete wall system.

Backup: That part of a masonry wall behind the exterior facing.

Backwash Pipe: See Filter Waste Discharge Piping.

Backwash: The process of cleaning the swimming pool filter by reversing the water flow.

Bacteria: Microorganisms present in all water supplies including swimming pools; chlorine and other chemicals are used to keep these microorganisms under control.

Bacteriacide: Any of a number of chemicals used to kill bacteria.

Bad Debt: An noncollectable debt.

Baffle: Plate or vane used to direct or control movement of fluid or air within a confined area.

Bain-Marie: A kitchen utensil that has a hot water compartment under an upper compartment that keeps food warm; also called steam table.

Bake Oven: A cooking device containing a chamber wherein food is baked by dry heat; a commercial or institutional oven.

Bakelite: Trademark; any of various thermosetting resins or plastics made from formaldehyde and phenol.

Baking Finishes: Baking at elevated temperatures improves certain types of coatings used on metal articles, such as automobiles and refrigerators; baking may be done in an oven, under infrared lamps or by induction heating according to the demands of shape, space and other requirements; the article that is coated must, of course, be able to withstand the temperature required for the proper baking of the finish.

Baking Japan: An enamel to which the artificial heat of an oven is usually applied in order to attain the maximum hardness or toughness of film.

Balance Box: A loaded box at the far side of a crane from the jib and the load, to counterbalance them.

Balance Sheet: A statement of financial condition of a specific date.

Balance: An instrument that measures mass, consisting of a central pivot, a horizontal beam, and two scales.

Balanced Construction: A method of constructing manufactured wood products so that moisture content changes will be uniformly distributed and therefore will not cause warping. An example would be symmetrical construction of plywood in which the grain direction of each ply is perpendicular to that of adjacent plies.

Balanced Cuts: 1. Cuts of tile at the perimeter of an area that will not take full tiles; the cuts on opposite sides of such an area shall be the same size. 2. The same sized cuts on each side of a miter.

Balanced Door: A door swung on an arm and pivot arrangement that is spaced out from the jamb so that some of the wind impinging on the door will assist in opening the door.

Balancing Valve: A pipe valve that is used to control the flow of a liquid rather than to shut it off.

Balcony: A platform that projects from the wall of a building.

Baldachin: An ornamental canopy over an altar; also called baldachino.

Ball Bearing Hinge: A hinge having ball bearings positioned between the protruding, cylindrical parts of the hinge, to prevent friction.

Ball Bearing: A bearing in which the two halves are separated by a ring of small metal balls which reduce friction.

Ball Check Valve: Valve assembly (ball) that permits flow of fluid in one direction only.

Ball Clay: A secondary clay, commonly characterized by the presence of organic matter, high plasticity, high dry strength, long verification range, and a light color when fired.

Ball Cock: An automatic valve whose opening and closing are controlled by a spherical float at the end of a lever, such as on a flush toilet.

Ball Milling: A method of grinding and mixing material, with or without liquid, in a rotating cylinder or conical mill partially filled with grinding media such as balls or pebbles.

Ball Peen Hammer: A hammer that has a rounded head at its opposite end, used extensively in machine shops.

Ball Valve: A valve in which a ball regulates the opening by its rise and fall due to fluid pressure, a spring, or its own weight.

Ball, Tree: See Root Ball.

Ball: An ornament of rounded form, common as the termination of a cupola or lantern.

Ballast Replacement: 1. The replacement of broken stone, slag, and sand in railroads and highways to keep railroad ties in place and to provide drainage. 2. The replacement of the device that regulates current in a fluorescent lamp fixture.

Ballast: 1. A device used with a fluorescent and high intensity lamp, to provide the necessary circuit condition for starting and operation. 2. Any material used as non-structural fill or dead weight. 3. Heavy material, such as water, sand, or iron which has no function in a machine except increase of weight. 4. Crushed rock or gravel which is spread on a roof surface to form its final surface.
Balloon Frame: A wooden building frame composed of closely spaced members (studs) which are continuous from the sill to the top plate of the roof line; also called Eastern Frame; compare Platform Frame.

Balloon Payment: A large lump sum final payment to pay off an installment note, where the previous payments were much smaller.

Ballrace: Round or straight retainer to keep ball bearings in their proper operating position.

Ballroom: A large room or hall designed for dancing, balls, and similar festivities.

Baluster: Each of a series of often-ornamental short posts or pillars supporting a rail or coping; also called banisters.

Balustrade: A row of balusters topped by a railing on a stair, porch, or balcony.

Banc: The bench on which court judges sit.

Band Joist: A wooden joist perpendicular to the direction of the joists in a floor framing system, closing off the floor platform at the outside face of the building.

Band Stage: A raised platform where musicians perform.

Band: 1. A low, flat molding. 2. A group of bars distributed in a slab or wall or footing.

Band-Aid Approach: See Quick Fix.

Banding: Metal or plastic strapping to secure bundles of building products, such as gypsum wallboard, together in a shipping unit.

Bandsaw: A machine saw with a narrow endless blade that runs over pulleys.

Banister: A light baluster supporting a stair handrail.

Banjo Taper: A mechanical device, which dispenses tape and taping compound simultaneously.

Bank Gravel: Gravel found in natural deposits, usually more or less intermixed with fine material, such as sand or clay, or combination’s thereof; gravelly clay, gravelly sand, clayey gravel, and sand gravel indicate the varying proportions of the materials in the mixture.

Bank Measure: The volume of earth in its natural site.

Bank Run Gravel: Excavated material that is generally 1/4 inch minimum to 6 inches maximum.

Bank, Duct: See Duct Bank.

Bank: A building accommodating a financial establishment that receives and pays out money and deals generally in money and finance.

Bankruptcy: A legal proceeding by which a debtor may avoid legal and financial obligations.

Baptistry: A part of a church or formerly a separate building for baptism; also spelled baptistery.

Bar Chart: A simple construction schling technique that graphically shows the starting and finishing times for the various tasks which make up a job.

Bar Hanger: A metal bar, either straight or offset, to allow for the mounting of a ceiling outlet box between ceiling joists, or an outlet box, or switch box between wall studs; an adjustable hanger is one that can be made to fit the varying distances between floor and ceiling joists or rafters to securely hold electrical outlet boxes and devices.

Bar Hook: A semi-circular (180 degree) or a 90 degree turn at the free end of a steel reinforcing bar to provide anchorage in concrete.

Bar Joist: A truss-like floor joist or rafter fabricated from steel bars.

Bar Lap: The amount steel reinforcing bars must lap in order to develop sufficient bond to transfer their full load capacity.

Bar Number: A number designating the size of a steel reinforcing bar, approximately the bar diameter in eighths of inches; for example, a #5 bar is approximately 5/8 inch in diameter; a #9 bar is approximately 1-1/8 inch in diameter (9/8); bar numbers are rolled onto the bar for easy identification.

Bar Spacing: Distance between parallel reinforcing bars measured from center to center of the bars perpendicular to their longitudinal axis.

Bar Support: A rigid device used to support or hold reinforcing bars in proper position to prevent displacement before or during concrete placement.

Bar Supports: Devices of formed wire, plastic or concrete, to support, hold and space reinforcing bars.

Bar, Parallel: A pair of bars on a support, adjustable in height and spacing, that are parallel to each other, and are used for gymnastic exercises.

Bar, Reinforcing: See Reinforcing Bar.

Bar: 1. A straight wood or metal piece used as a lever, support, barrier, or fastening. 2. A barrier of any shape. 3. A submerged or partly submerged sand bank along a shore or in a river often obstructing navigation. 4. The railing in a courtroom separating the judge, jury, lawyers, and witnesses from the spectators. 5. A particular system of courts. 6. The whole body of lawyers qualified to practice in a jurisdiction. 7. A building, room, or counter at which food or beverages are served. 8. A small shop or stall serving refreshments, such as a snack bar. 9. A specialized department in a large store, as a watch repair bar. 10. A steel member used to reinforce concrete. 11. Unit of pressure; one bar equals 0.9869 atmospheres (one million dynes per square centimeter).

Barbed Nail: A nail with a barbed shank to resist withdrawal.

Barbed Wire: Wire that is twisted with barbs or sharp points.

Barbican: The outer defense of a city or castle, often a part of a system of barrier walls and consisting of a double tower above a gate or drawbridge.

Bare Electrode: A filler-metal electrode used in arc welding consisting of a metal wire with no coating other than that incidental to the drawing of the wire.

Bare Solid Wire: Uninsulated single wire used as an electric conductor.

Bare Stranded Wire: Uninsulated group of fine wires used as a single electric conductor.

Barge: A floating platform or vessel from which construction activities may be performed; often used in rivers to install bridge piers and also used extensively in waterfront construction.

Bargeboard: A board, sometimes ornamental, fixed to the end of a gable, running from ridge to eave, to hide the ends of the roof timbers.

Barium Sulfate: Heavy, white, extender pigment made from the mineral, barite; unaffected by acids, alkalis.

Bark pocket: An opening between a trees annual growth rings that contains bark.

Bark: The tough outer layer of a tree.

Barn: 1. A large farm building for storing hay and grain and housing farm animals and equipment. 2. An unusually large and bare building, pejoratively. 3. A large building for storing a fleet of trucks or trolleys.

Barometer: An instrument for measuring atmospheric air pressure, it may be calibrated in pounds per square inch, or in inches or millimeters of mercury in a column.

Baroque: Highly ornate, grotesque, flamboyant, and extravagant in style, especially of the architecture, art, and music of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Barracks: 1. A building or building complex used to house soldiers. 2. A large plain building.

Barratry: The persistent incitement of litigation.

Barrel Ceiling: A rounded or semi-circular ceiling.

Barrel Shell: A scalloped roof structure of reinforced concrete that spans in one direction as a barrel vault and in the other as a folded plate.

Barrel Tile: A type of ceramic or cast roofing tile.

Barrel Vault: A segment of a cylinder that spans as an arch; used as a structural technique to support a ceiling or roof by having all of the components act in compression as an arched ceiling; used extensively in ancient buildings and into the 19thcentury, because no structural steel or timber is needed.

Barrel: A unit of weight for cement. 376 lbs. net, equivalent to 4 U. S. bags of portland cement.

Barricade: A barrier; an obstruction to prevent passage or to prevent access.

Barrier Coating: 1. Shielding or blocking coating or film. 2. See Transition Coating.

Barrier, Vapor: A type of plastic sheeting that both eliminates drafts and keeps moisture from damaging a building or structure.

Barrier: A fence or other obstacle that bars advance or access.

Barroom: A room or establishment in which the principal feature is a bar for the serving of liquor.

Basalt Ware: A black unglazed vitreous ceramic ware having the appearance of basalt rock.

Basalt: A dark basic volcanic rock whose strata sometimes form columns.

Base Bead: See Base Screed.

Base Bid: A stipulated construction sum based on the contract documents.

Base Board: See Base.

Base Cabinet: 1. Case, box, or piece of furniture which rests on the floor with sets of drawers or shelves with doors, primarily used for storage. 2. Floor-mounted cabinets, usually with a counter, sink or appliance installed.

Base Cap: A finish fitting for tile.

Base Coat Floating: The finishing act of spreading, compacting, and smoothing of the base coat plaster to a reasonably true plane.

Base Course: 1. The lowest row of masonry in a wall, pier, foundation, or footing. 2. In asphaltic concrete paving, the layer of material immediately beneath the surface or intermediate course; it may be composed of crushed stone, crushed slag, crushed or uncrushed gravel and sand, or combinations of these materials and may also may be bound with asphalt.

Base Flashing: 1. A waterproof membrane that is attached to a roof and bent up the side of a chimney. 2. A waterproof membrane that is attached at a joint between any vertical member and a roof.

Base Grouting: The injection of grout to fill voids in subfloor slabs, foundations or concrete slabs.

Base Layer: The first or interior layer of gypsum board applied in a multilayer system.

Base Line: The main traverse or surveyed line running through the site of proposed construction, from which property lines, street lines, and buildings are located and plotted on the plan.

Base Lines: Part of a governmental land surveying grid system covering the country, with base lines running east and west and meridians running north and south; townships are located with reference to a specific base line and meridian; for example, T3N R12W, MDBM is read Township 3 North, Range 12 West, Mount Diablo Base Line and Meridian.

Base Metal: The metal to be welded, cut or brazed.

Base Molding: A strip of wood used to trim the upper edge of a baseboard.

Base of Structure: The level at which earthquake motions are assumed to be imparted to a building; this level does not necessarily coincide with the ground level.

Base Ply: The first layer in a built-up roof.

Base Screed: A preformed metal screed with perforated or expanded flanges; provides a ground for plaster and separates areas of dissimilar materials.

Base Shear: Total shear force acting at the base of a structure.

Base Sheet: This is the first ply in some multi-ply built-up roofing membranes; it is usually a saturated felt or a coated felt.

Base Shoe Molding: See Base Shoe.

Base Shoe: Wood strip, with a curved or projecting surface, used to finish intersection of base and floor; also called Base Shoe Molding, Shoe Mold, or Carpet Strip.

Base, Column: The plate beneath a column that distributes the load.

Base, Manhole: The cast iron frame into which a manhole cover fits.

Base, Mogul: A screw-in style base for an incandescent lamp of generally 300 watts or more.

Base, Stone: The beginning or starter stone of a fieldstone wall.

Base, Terrazzo: A subfloor slab or foundation using a flooring material made from marble or other stone chips set in portland cement and polished when dry.

Base: 1. A molding or board placed along the bottom of a wall next to the floor; also called Baseboard. 2. A vinyl, wood or metal trim applied at the floor line to protect the vertical wall from damage. 3. The bottom of a column. 4. One or more rows of tile installed above the floor. 5. See Plaster Base. 6. The lowest part, or the lowest main division, of a building, column, pier, or wall. 7. The lowest point of any vertical pipe.

Baseball Backstop: A construction, often of wood or chain-link fencing, that encloses the home plate area on three sides and from the top to prevent balls from leaving the field and hitting spectators.

Baseboard Heater: Heating strips that are installed at the juncture of the wall and floor and may be either recessed or surface-mounted; generally along the outside walls of rooms.

Baseboard Radiator: A heating unit installed along a baseboard in a building or structure, is usually hydronic (hot water or steam).

Baseboard: See Base.

Basecoat: Any plaster coat or coats applied prior to application of the finish coat.

Basement Soil: See Subgrade.

Basement: The part of a building that is wholly or partially below ground level; cellar.

Baseplate: A steel plate inserted between a column and the foundation, used to level the column and to spread the load of the column to a larger area of the foundation.

Basic Lead Carbonate: A type of white lead pigment.

Basic Lead Sulphate: A type of white lead.

Basilica: 1. An ancient Roman public hall with an apse and colonnades, used as a law court and place of assembly. 2. A similar building used as a Christian church.

Basin Wrench: A plumber’s tool used for installing hard-to-get-at fittings.

Basin: 1.A wide shallow open container. 2. A lavatory. 3. A hollow rounded depression. 4. Any sheltered area of water where boats can moor safely. 5. A round valley. 6. An area drained by rivers and tributaries.

Basis for Acceptance: The method of determining whether a lot of material is acceptable under given or accepted specifications.

Basket: Wire assembly to support and space dowel bars and expansion joints in concrete slabs on the ground.

Basketweave Bound: Module groups of brick laid at right angles to those adjacent.

Bas-Relief: Sculpture or carving in which the figures project only slightly from the background surface with no undercutting.

Bastard File: A course file for rough shaping of metal or wood.

Bastard Granite: A quarriers term for nearly any stone that may not be considered a true granite, particularly applied to gneiss.

Bastard Sawn: Lumber, primarily hardwoods, in which the annual rings make angles of 30 to 60 degrees with the surface of the piece.

Bat: A broken brick; an end portion of a brick; approximately a half.

Batavia: Batavia dammar; see Dammar.

Batch Disposal: The orderly placement or distribution of freshly mixed concrete or masonry.

Batch Mixer: A machine that mixes batches of concrete or mortar in contrast to a continuous mixer.

Batch Plant: 1. A manufacturing facility for producing asphalt-paving mixtures that proportions the aggregate constituents into the mix by weighed batches and adds asphalt material by either weight or volume. 2.An operating installation of equipment including batchers and mixers as required for batching or for batching and mixing concrete materials; also called mixing plant when equipment is included.

Bath Accessory: Bathroom equipment such as towel bars, grab bars, grab rails, soap dishes, toilet paper holders, and medicine cabinets.

Bath Chair: A wheelchair.

Bath Faucet: A valve used to draw hot or cold water into a bathtub.

Bathtub Door: A folding or sliding door mounted on a bathtub rim to keep water spray within the tub area when there is a shower over the tub.

Bathtub: The tub in a bathroom.

Bath Vanity: A bathroom cabinet with a lavatory mounted in the countertop.

Bath: 1. A tub used for bathing. 2. The room that contains the tub. 3. Liquid solution used for cleaning, plating, or maintaining a specified temperature.

Bathhouse: A building with baths and dressing rooms for public use.

Bathroom Lock: A non-keyed privacy lock that can be locked from the inside by push-button and opened from the outside by a small tool; a privacy lock.

Bathroom: 1. A room containing a bathtub or shower and usually a toilet and lavatory. 2. A polite term for any toilet room.

Batt Insulation: Fiber or wool insulation in sheet form, usually with a paper lining; a preformed section of inorganic insulation sized to fit snugly in a framed cavity.

Batten Seam: A seam in a sheet metal roof.

Batten Siding: Vertical siding, which has narrow, strips of metal or wood covering the joints.

Batten: 1. A thin narrow strip of wood or metal to cover or reinforce a joint; a predecorated strip or joint covering designed to conceal the junction between adjacent boards; frequently used in demountable systems. 2. A cleat; a narrow strip of board used to fasten several pieces together.

Batter Board: A temporary framework used to assist in locating the corners when laying a foundation; also used to maintain proper elevations of structures, excavations and trenches in any kind of below ground construction.

Batter Pile: Pile driven at an angle to brace a structure against lateral or horizontal thrust.

Batter: 1. A slight receding upward slope to the outward face of a building wall or a retaining wall. 2. Stepping or sloping masonry back in successive courses; the opposite of corbel.

Battery of Fixtures: Any group of two or more similar adjacent plumbing fixtures which discharge into a common horizontal waste or soil branch.

Battery: One or more cells connected together to furnish electric current by interaction of metals and chemicals.

Battlement: A parapet with recesses along the top of a wall, originally as a fortification, now as ornamentation.

Baudelot Cooler: Heat exchanger in which water flows by gravity over the outside of the tubes or plates.

Bauhaus: An architectural school in Germany, founded by Walter Gropius in 1923, emphasizing technology, craftsmanship, and design aesthetics.

Bauxite: A claylike mineral containing varying proportions of alumina, the principal source of aluminum.

Bay Window: A rectangular, curved, or polygonal window projecting out from the face of a wall.

Bay: One of the intervals or spaces into which a building plan is divided by columns, piers, or division walls.

Bazaar: 1. A market in an oriental country consisting of rows of shops or stalls offering miscellaneous goods. 2. A large shop selling fancy goods. 3. A department store.

Bead Weld: A type of weld composed of one or more string or weave beads deposited on an unbroken surface; the metal added in welding.

Bead, Molding: 1. A half-round narrow molding attached or milled on a larger piece. 2. A square or rectangular trim less than 1 inch in width.

Bead, Parting: A narrow strip between the upper and lower sashes in a double-hung window frame.

Bead, Plaster: Built-in edging usually metal, to strengthen a plaster angle.

Bead, Sash: A strip with one edge molded, against which a sash slides.

Bead: 1. A narrow line of weld metal or sealant. 2. A strip of metal or wood used to hold a sheet of glass in place. 3. A narrow, convex molding profile. 4. A metal edge or corner accessory for plaster or gypsum board.

Beaded Molding: A cast plaster string of beads planted in a molding or cornice.

Beading: A ridge or raised linear deformation that may appear at finished gypsum board joints.

Beam Bolster: A fabricated wire device used to temporarily support reinforcing steel in structural form work such as beams and slabs.

Beam Chair: A wire seat or support for reinforcing bars designed to maintain their location while concrete for a beam is poured around them.

Beam Clamp: A device that holds a horizontal structural member to a vertical member.

Beam Compass: A drafting tool consisting of a wood or metal bar fitted with a point and a movable pen or pencil holder to use in drawing large radius arcs and circles; a Trammel.

Beam Fireproofing: Fire-resistant materials that cover a horizontal structural member, to insure structural integrity in the event of a fire.

Beam Formwork: The system of support for freshly placed concrete for a horizontal structural member.

Beam Furring: Strips of wood or metal fastened to a horizontal structural member to form airspace, to give the appearance of greater thickness, or for the application of an interior finish such as plaster.

Beam Hanger: 1. A strap wire or other device used to hang beam forms from another structural member. 2. A steel strap used for securing the end of a beam.

Beam Plaster: A combination of cementitious material and aggregate mixed with water and applied to a horizontal structural member, preserving in a rigid state the form or texture imposed during the period of elasticity.

Beam Rail: A solid wood band attached to a horizontal structural member.

Beam, Bond: A reinforced horizontal concrete masonry or concrete beam installed in place to strengthen a masonry wall and tie a masonry wall together.

Beam, Concrete: A horizontal structural member which transversely supports a load and transfers the load to vertical members, made of a composite material consisting of sand, coarse aggregate, cement and water.

Beam, Grade: An end-supported horizontal load-bearing foundation member that supports an exterior wall or other building load.

Beam, Precast: A concrete horizontal structural member that is cast and cured in other than its final position, on- or off-site.

Beam, Reinforcing: A horizontal member installed to strengthen and support the load of a structure.

Beam, Sheetrock: A horizontal member constructed of plasterboard.

Beam: A straight structural member that acts primarily to resist transverse loads; a structural element which sustains transverse loading and develops internal forces of bending and shear in resisting the loads; an inclusive term for joists, girders, rafters, and purlins.

Bearding: In carpeting, long fiber fuzz occurring on some loop pile fabrics, caused by fibers snagging and loosening due to inadequate anchorage.

Bearing Block: A piece of wood fastened to a column to provide support for a beam or girder.

Bearing Capacity: Allowable bearing capacity; the maximum allowable load on a structural element.

Bearing Pad: A block of metal, plastic, or synthetic material used to cushion the point at which one structural element rests upon another.

Bearing Partition: A partition that supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight.

Bearing Plate: A plate placed under a truss, beam, girder, or column to distribute the load.

Bearing Wall: A wall that supports any vertical loads in addition to its own weight.

Bearing: 1. Part of a machine that supports and aligns a rotating or other moving part. 2. That part of a lintel, beam, girder or truss, which rests upon a column, pier or wall.

Beating Block: A wooden block used to embed tiles in a flat plane; the method used is called beating in.

Becquerel: A unit for measuring radiation from radium and radon.

Bed Coat: See Bedding Coat.

Bed Joint: The horizontal layer of mortar in which a masonry unit is set.

Bed Mold: A flat area in a cornice, designed to have enrichment planted later; also called Bed.

Bed Molding: A molding in an angle, as between the overhanging cornice or eaves of a building and the sidewalls.

Bed: 1. The horizontal surface on which the bricks of a wall lie in courses, also the mortar on which the brick rests. 2. See Bed Mold.

Bedding Plane: A separation or weakness between two layers of rock, caused by changes during the building up of the rock- forming material.

Bedding: 1. A filling of mortar, putty, or other substance in order to secure a firm bearing. 2. Ground or supports in which pipe is laid.

Bedding Coat: 1. In gypsum board, the first coat of joint compound over tape, bead, and fastener heads; also called Bed Coat. 2. That coat of plaster to receive aggregate or other decorative material of any size, impinged or embedded into its surface before it sets.

Bedrock: A solid layer or stratum of rock beneath ground level; solid rock as distinguished from boulders.

Bedroom: A room for sleeping.

Beeswax: Wax produced by honeybee.

Behavioral Aspects of Management: These include human relations, cooperation, responsibility, communication and executive ability.

Belfry: A bell tower.

Bell and Spigot Joint: A type of joint used in cast iron pipe where a male pipe end (the spigot) slips into a female end (the bell) and is then caulked with oakum and sealed with lead.

Bell End: See Bell.

Bell Trap: A floor drain trap consisting of an inverted bell with a water seal.

Bell: That portion of a pipe which, for a short distance, is sufficiently enlarged to receive the end of another pipe of the same diameter for the purpose of making a joint; also called Bell End or Hub.

Belleek China: A highly translucent whiteware composed of a body containing a significant amount of grit and normally having a luster glaze.

Bellows Copper: A flexible joint in copper piping that can expand or contract to allow for thermal fluctuations.

Bellows Seal: Method of sealing the valve stem; the ends of the sealing material are fastened to the bonnet and to the stem; the seal expands and contracts with the stem level.

Bellows: An instrument or machine that draws in air through a valve or orifice by expansion and contraction and expels it through a tube.

Belly-Up: The condition of a contracting firm when it becomes insolvent and goes bankrupt.

Belt Course: 1. A course of bricks or other material projecting slightly from the face of the wall. 2. A horizontal board across or around a building, usually made of a flat member and a molding. 3. A horizontal course on the face of a building; when continuous with a row of windowsills or lintels is referred to as a Sill Course or a Lintel course; also called a String Course.

Belt Marks: A surface defect in gypsum board made by the machines forming belt during manufacture.

Belt sander: An electric sanding tool where the sand paper abrasive is a continuous belt.

Bema: The part of an eastern church containing the altar.

Bench Mark: A point of known or assumed elevation used as a reference in determining and recording other elevations.

Bench Saw: A power saw held securely on a stationary bench.

Bench: 1. A long seat for seating several people. 2. A judges seat in a lawcourt. 3. A working table or counter for a carpenter, artisan, or scientist. 4. A low scaffold board that allows the gypsum board hanging crew to easily reach the ceiling area; also called Hangers Bench.

Bend, Soil: A piece of short, curved pipe, like an elbow, used to connect two straight links of pipe in a sewage system.

Bending Moment: The sum of moments for all forces that occur above the neutral axis; the moment that causes a beam or other structural member to bend; see Moment.

Bending Spring: Coil spring which is placed on inside or outside of tubing to keep it from collapsing while bending it.

Bending Stress: A compressive or tensile stress resulting from the application of a nonaxial force to a structural member.

Bending: The result of a force which tends to cause curvature in a linear element; internal stresses of tension and compression are a result of this action.

Bends, The: Caisson disease

Beneficial Occupancy: The use of a premises or a portion for the uses intended, although the work of the project may not be completed.

Beneficiary: 1. The person designated to receive the proceeds of an insurance policy. 2. In a trust deed, the lender.

Benny: Slang for benzine.

Bent Bar: A steel reinforcing bar bent to a prescribed shape such as a truss bar, straight bar with hook, stirrup, or column tie.

Bent: A plane of framing consisting of beams and columns joined together, often with rigid joints; a single vertical framework consisting of horizontal and vertical members supporting the deck of a bridge or pier.

Bentonite Membrane: A thin, pliable sheet or layer manufactured from bentonite; used for waterproofing retaining walls.

Bentonite: A clay composed principally of minerals of the montmorillonoid group, characterized by high absorption and very large volume change with wetting or drying, commonly swelling to several times its dry volume when saturated with liquid.

Benzene: A material derived from coal tar and widely used a solvent; also used for cleaning after painting and other finishing operations; a very powerful aromatic solvent for many materials, its use is restricted because of its toxicity and because it is a fire hazard; often confused with Benzine due to similarity in pronunciation; also called Benzol.

Benzine: A highly flammable petroleum product used by painters as thinning solvent and diluent; also used in dyeing and as a cleansing agent; also called Varnish Makers and Painters Naphtha (VM&P).

Benzol: See Benzene.

Berm: A small artificial ridge of soil at the top of an earth bank to prevent water drainage onto the bank.

Bernoulli’s Theorem: In a stream of liquid the sum of elevation head, pressure head, and velocity remains constant along any line of flow provided no work is done by or upon the liquid in the course of its flow and decreases in proportion to energy lost in flow.

Beryllium Oxide: An inorganic material of exceptionally high thermal conductivity which is toxic in the powder form; BeO; also called Berylla).

Bespoke: Custom-made.

Bevel Board: A board used in framing roof or stairway to lie out bevels; also called Pitch Board.

Bevel Gears: Meshing gears on intersecting axes.

Bevel of a Door: The angle of the lock edge in relation to the face of the lock stile; standard bevel is 1/8 inch in 2 inches (3.2 mm in 50.8 mm).

Bevel Siding: A type of finish siding used on the exterior of a house; usually manufactured by resawing a dry, squared, surfaced board diagonally to produce two wedge- shaped pieces; also called Lap Siding.

Bevel: 1. A slanted surface; an end or edge cut at an angle other than a right angle. 2. A type of edge preparation on metal where welding is to take place.

Beveled Concrete: An angle in concrete or inclination of any line in concrete or concrete surface that joins another.

Beveled Edge: The factory edge of gypsum board that has been angled to form a ‘v’-grooved joint when two pieces are placed together.

Beveling: A type of chamfering.

Bezel: 1. A sloping surface on a cutting tool, as on a chisel. 2. A frame around something like a glazed opening or a built-in appliance.

BHMA Hinge: A hinge that has the seal of approval of the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association.

BHMA: Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association.

BIA: Brick Institute of America.

BIA: Brick Institute of America; formerly Structural Clay Products Institute.

Bib: See Hose Bibb.

Bibb, Hose: See Hose Bibb.

Bicycle, Exercise: A stationary bicycle used for health and fitness purposes in gyms or health clubs.

Bid Bond: A bond, secured by a bidder, which guarantees that the bidder selected by the owner will accept the project, or the owner will have the project for the bid price as noted in the accepted bid.

Bid Date: See Bid Time.

Bid Package: The group of documents issued to general contractors who are bidding a construction project, consisting of the bidding requirements and the contract documents; also called the Bidding Documents.

Bid Rigging: Collusion; a fraudulent practice involving secret agreements between or among competing contractors or owners agents to control the outcome of a bidding procedure.

Bid Shopping: A procedure wherein a general contractor contacts subcontractors in an attempt to receive lower subcontractor prices after having been awarded the contract for the project; considered unethical by the building industry.

Bid Time: The date and time designated by the architect and owner for the receiving of bid proposals; also called Bid Date.

Bid: An offer to perform; an offer to enter into a contract usually for a stipulated sum of money; a tender; a proposal.

Bidder: A prime contractor who submits a bid directly to an owner.

Bidding Documents: The bidding requirements and the proposed contract documents, including any addenda issued prior to receipt of bids.

Bidding or Negotiation Phase: One of the standard phases of architectural service (Schematic Design Phase, Design Development Phase, Construction Documents Phase, Bidding or Negotiation Phase, and Construction Phase-Administration of the Construction Contract).

Bidding Period: The time period during which contractors can prepare their bid proposals.

Bidding Requirements: The group of documents issued to general contractors who are bidding a construction project, other than the contract documents; bidding requirements include the Advertisement or Invitation to Bid, Instructions to Bidders, Supplementary Instructions to Bidders, the bid form, and other sample bidding and contract forms.

Bidet: A plumbing fixture about the size and shape of a toilet, equipped with cold and hot running water, used for personal hygiene.

Bi-Fold Door: A door with two leaves, hinged together to close on itself; one edge of each leaf is hinged at the jamb and the other edge is connected and guided by an overhead track.

Bifunctional: Having two functions.

Bike Rack: A framework installed on a site to store bicycles for the buildings inhabitants, commonly specified in vocational complexes.

Billhook: A tool with a hooked blade used for cutting and pruning.

Bimetallic Strip: A strip made of two metals that bends as the temperature changes; a bimetallic strip of iron and brass, when heated, will bend, as brass expands more than iron, thus bending the strip, and unbending upon cooling; this action can be used to open or close a switch.

Bin Method: A method of computing cooling energy use requirements for commercial and industrial building with unusual operating needs and for residences utilizing passive heating/cooling design with high mass thermal storage.

Bin, Ice Storage: A box, frame or enclosed place used for the storage of ice and the maintaining of its solid properties.

Bin: A box, container, or enclosed place for storage.

Binder: 1. A substance that acts cohesively, see Cementitious Material. 2. Fines which hold gravel together when it is dry. 3. The nonvolatile portion of a paint which serves to bind or cement the pigment particles together; oils, varnishes and proteins are examples of binders; see vehicle. 4. A chemical additive to gypsum board core formulation, frequently starch, to improve the bond between the surfacing papers and the core.

Bindery: A building, workshop or factory where books are bound.

Binding: A strip sewed over a carpet edge for protection against unraveling.

Biodegradability: The ability of a material to rot away after use, by the action of microorganisms.

Biological Contaminants: Agents derived from or that are living organisms, for example, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and mammal and bird antigens, that can be inhaled and can cause many types of health effects including allergic reactions, respiratory disorders, hypersensitivity diseases, and infectious diseases; also referred to as microbiologicals or microbials.

BIPV: Building Integrated Photovoltaic Cell.

Birch Door: A door constructed or faced with a strong fine-grained birch hardwood.

Birch Paneling: Rectangular sheets of paneling that have been constructed of a strong fine-grained birch hardwood.

Birch Veneer: Thin sheets of strong fine-grained hardwood used in furniture, flooring, and building paneling.

Birch: Hardwood, species Betula.

Bird peck: A small hole or patch of distorted grain in wood resulting from birds pecking through the growing cells in the tree.

Birdbath: A hollow rounded depression in asphaltic concrete paving or in portland cement concrete flatwork; see Ponding, 1.

Birdcage: Colloquial name for the end of a stair rail where the banisters are curved in a spiral to form a newel post.

Birdscreen: Wire screening attached to louvers, ventilators and openings in a building or structure to prevent birds and small animals from entering.

Birds-Eye: Small, localized area in wood where the fibers are indented and otherwise contorted to form small circular or elliptical figures which look somewhat like birds eyes; common in sugar maple and used for decorative purposes; rare in other hardwood species.

Birds-Mouth: A notch cut on the underside of a rafter to fit it to the top plate; not a full notch if there is no rafter overhang.

Biscuit Chips: Glazed-over chips on the edge or corner of the body of a tile.

Biscuit Cracks: Any fractures in the body of a tile visible both on face and back.

Bisect: 1. To divide into two parts. 2. To divide into two equal parts.

Bisque Fire: The process of kiln-firing ceramic ware prior to glazing.

Bit: 1. A unit of computer information expressed as a choice between two possibilities. a 0 or 1 in binary notation; short for binary digit. 2. Of a key, the projecting blade, cut in a manner that actuates the lock tumblers. 3. The removable cutting edge of a tool, as a drill bit. 4. Of a screw gun, the replaceable tip or portion that seats in the slotted screw head.

Bite: The amount of the edge of a pane of glass that is covered by the stop.

Biting: Solvent in topcoat of a lacquer surface dissolves or bites into coat below; if lacquer solvent is too biting, the dried lacquer surface may be rough or produce an orange peel effect.

Bitting: The configuration of notches and hollows on the blade of a door lock key.

Bitumen: A class of black or dark-colored solid, semisolid, or viscous cementitious substances, natural or manufactured, composed principally of high molecular weight hydrocarbons, of which asphalts, tars, pitches and asphaltites are typical; a generic term for an amorphous, semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum or coal; in the roofing industry there are two basic bitumens. coal-tar pitch and asphalt; before use, the bitumens are heated to a liquid state, dissolved with a solvent, or emulsified.

Bituminous Dampproofing: Impregnated mixtures of hydrocarbons, like tar or asphalt, together with their nonmetallic derivatives used on a surface to prevent moisture from passing through; dampproofing will not ordinarily resist water under hydrostatic pressure; see Dampproofing.

Bituminous Emulsion: 1. A suspension of minute globules of bituminous material in water or in an aqueous solution. 2. Invert emulsion; a suspension of minute globules of water or an aqueous solution in a liquid bituminous material.

Bituminous Grout: A mixture of bituminous material and fine sand that will flow into place without mechanical manipulation when heated.

Bituminous Membrane: A thin layer or sheet of an impregnated mixture of hydrocarbons together with their nonmetallic derivatives; used as dampproofing.

Bituminous Sidewalk: A walkway constructed with an impregnated mixture of hydrocarbons together with aggregate such as sand or stone; commonly called blacktop.

Bituminous: Resembling, containing, or impregnated with various mixtures of hydrocarbons, like tar or asphalt, together with their nonmetallic derivatives.

Black Iron Cap: A steel fitting, with female threads, which seals the end of a pipe.

Blackboard: A panel or board with a smooth, usually dark, surface for writing on with chalk.

Blacktop: A term used in the trade for asphaltic concrete paving.

Blade Grader: A grader.

Blade: 1. The flattened part of a paddle or oar. 2. The projecting parts of a fan, turbine, or propeller. 3. The sharp cutting part of a knife or saw. 4. The flat or concave part of a bulldozer. 5. See Steel Square.

Blaine Fineness: The fineness of powdered materials such as cement and pozzolans, expressed as surface area usually in square centimeters per gram, determined by the Blaine air-permeability apparatus and procre.

Blanc Fixe: Artificially prepared barium sulphate; an extender pigment.

Blanket Insulation: Thermal insulating material made of fibrous glass or mineral wool, sometimes with paper or foil surfacing, formed in batts or rolls.

Blanket Mortgage: A single trust deed or mortgage that covers two or more parcels of real property.

Blanket: Soil or broken rock left or placed over a blast to confine or direct throw of fragments.

Blast Angle: Angle of sandblasting nozzle with reference to surface.

Blast Cleaning: Cleaning with propelled abrasives.

Blast Freezer: Low-temperature evaporator that uses a fan to force air rapidly over the evaporator surface.

Blast Furnace Slag: A non-metallic waste product developed in the manufacture of pig iron, consisting basically of a mixture of lime, silica and alumina, the same oxides that make up portland cement, but not in the same proportions or forms; it is used both in the manufacture of portland blast furnace slag cement and as an aggregate for lightweight concrete.

Blast Furnace: A smelting furnace into which compressed hot air is driven.

Bleach: To remove colour or stains from.

Bleacher, Gym: An uncovered series of tiered planks used to seat spectators in a school or public gymnasium.

Bleacher: An outdoor-tiered stand of benches to provide seating at a sports ground.

Bleaching: Restoring discoloured or stained wood to its normal colour or making it lighter by using bleaching agents.

Bleb: A small blister or bubble.

Bleeder Gun: A spray gun with no air valve; trigger controls fluid flow only.

Bleeding Stain: Stain, which works up, or bleeds through succeeding coats of finishing materials.

Bleeding: 1. The upward movement of asphalt in an asphalt pavement resulting in the formation of a film of asphalt on the surface; usually caused by too much asphalt in one or more of the pavement courses, resulting from too rich a plant mix, an improperly constructed seal coat, too heavy a prime or tack coat, or solvent carrying asphalt to the surface; usually occurs in hot weather; also called Flushing. 2. The autogenous flow of mixing water within, or its emergence from newly placed concrete or mortar; caused by the settlement of the solid materials within the mass; also called Water Gain. 3. In gypsum board, a discolouration, usually at a joint, which may occur on a finished wall or ceiling. 4. Penetration of colour from the underlying surface; seeping of a stain or lower coat through the top coat, spoiling the appearance of the top coat. 5. When colouring material from the wood or undercoat works into succeeding coats and imparts to them a certain amount of colour; see Extractive Bleeding. 6. Slowly rcing the pressure of liquid or gas from a system or cylinder by slightly opening a valve. 7. The draining or loosening of saturants from the roofing material.

Bleed-Valve: Valve with a small opening inside which permits a minimum fluid flow when valve is closed.

Blemish: A physical imperfection that affects appearance.

Blend: 1. To mix or make homogeneous. 2. A mixture, as of two pigments, to obtain a desired colour.

Blending: Mixing one colour with another so the colours mix or merge gradually.

Blind Header: A concealed header in the interior of a wall, not showing on the faces.

Blind Nailing: 1. Attaching boards to framing or sheathing with nails driven through the edge of each piece so as to be concealed by the succeeding board. 2. In installing tongue-and-groove flooring, the nails are placed at the root of the tongue where they will be hidden by the groove of the next piece; the nails pierce the subfloor at a 45-degree angle. 3. The practice of nailing the back portion of a roofing ply so that the nails will be concealed by the next ply of roofing.

Blind Stop: A rectangular wood molding, usually 3/4 by 1-38 inches, in a window assembly that receives the window screen frame.

Blind Story: A building story that has no windows.

Blind Vent: An ineffective, sometimes illegal, vent, which stops in a wall thus giving the appearance of a vent but not actually functioning as a vent.

Blind: 1. A panel, shade, or screen used on a window to block out light, give protection, add insulation, or as decoration. 2. A shutter.

Blinding: Compacting soil immediately over a tile drain to rce its tendency to move into the tile.

Blister: 1. A raised spot in a built-up roof caused by expansion of entrapped moisture, water vapor, or other gases, between any of the layers of roofing or mopping. 2. A loose raised spot on the gypsum board face usually due to an air space or void in the core.

Blistering: 1. In ceramic tile, the development, during firing, of enclosed or broken macroscopic vesicles or bubbles in a body or in a glaze or other coating. 2. A bulging of the finish plaster coat as it separates and draws away from the basecoat; the resulting protuberances are often termed turtle backs. 3. Formation of bubbles on surface of paint or varnish film, generally caused by moisture behind the film or excessive heat.

Blisters: 1. Cloudy or milky-looking raised spots on finished surfaces. 2. Protuberances on the finish coat of plaster caused by application over a too damp base coat or troweling too soon.

Block Coating: See Transition Primer.

Block Dampproofing: The act or process of applying a water-resistant material to the surface of a concrete or masonry block to prevent passage or absorption of water or moisture; see Dampproofing.

Block Demolition: The act or process of tearing down an old block wall structure.

Block Grout: Mortar mixes used in block walls to fill voids and joints.

Block Plane: Woodworking hand tool, for final smoothing.

Block Sequence: A combined longitudinal and buildup sequence for a continuous multiple-pass weld wherein separated lengths are completely or partially built up in cross-section before intervening lengths are deposited; see Backstep Sequence.

Block Vent: An opening serving as an outlet or inlet for air in a block structure.

Block, Angle: A square of tile specially made for changing direction of the trim.

Block, Concrete: A hollow concrete masonry unit constructed of a composite material consisting of sand, coarse aggregate, cement, and water.

Block, Glass: A hollow masonry unit made of glass.

Block, Granite: A masonry unit consisting of a very hard natural igneous rock used for its firmness and endurance.

Block, Splash: A small masonry block placed in the ground beneath a downspout to receive roof drainage and prevent standing water or soil erosion.

Block, Terminal: A decorative element forming the end of a block structure.

Block: 1. A compact, solid piece of substantial material that is worked or altered from its natural state to serve a particular purpose. 2. A wooden or metal case enclosing pulleys and having a hook, eye, or strap by which it may be attached. 3. A building divided into separate functional parts. 4. A part of a building or structure distinctive in some respect.

Blocked Diaphragm: A diaphragm in which all sheathing edges not occurring on framing members are supported on and connected to wood blocking.

Blocking, Wood: Wood blocks used as filler pieces or stabilization between framing members.

Blocking: 1. Pieces of wood inserted tightly between joists, studs, or rafters in a building frame to stabilize the structure, inhibit the passage of fire, provide a nailing surface for finish materials, or retain insulation. 2. A system of tying together two brick walls that were not built at the same time; the two adjoining or intersecting walls are tied together by offset and overhanging blocks of courses of bricks.

Blocks: The usually rectangular areas of land between the streets in a town or city.

Blood Analyzer: A mechanical apparatus that examines blood for medical or scientific purposes.

Blood Refrigerator: A mechanical cooling device or room used to keep stored blood at the proper temperature.

Bloom: 1. A visible exudation or efflorescence on the surface. 2. Whitening; blushing; clouded appearance on varnished surface. 3. Condition of clouding or fogging of paint film, usually caused by reactive materials in paint film coming into contact with dust, oil, deposits from gases in the air or soluble matter in rain.

Blots: Marks or stains on the face of a tile.

Blow Back: Rebound of atomized sprayed material.

Blow: In gypsum board, a large area of paper separated from the core during the manufacturing process; it may appear as a large puffy blister or a full loose sheet of paper.

Blown Oil: vegetable or fish oil that has been thickened by air blown through it.

Blown-In Insulation: Loose cellulose insulation that is blown into an attic, crawl space, or walls by a blowing machine.

Blowout: A concrete form giving way.

Blowtorch: A gasoline torch used in burning off paint film; should be used only by experienced painters; it is a dangerous fire hazard when used by amateurs.

Blue Lead: A basic sulphate of lead containing small amounts of lead sulphide and carbon that impart a bluish-gray colour; used primarily for its rust-preventive value.

Blue Stain: A bluish or grayish discolouration of the sapwood caused by the growth of certain dark-coloured fungi on the surface and in the interior of wood.

Blueprint: 1. An obsolete method of copying construction drawings and maps; a wet process that produces a print with white lines on a blue background; a cyanotype or sun print. 2. Loosely, any construction drawing.

Bluestone: Sandstone of a dark-greenish to bluish-gray colour that splits into thin slabs, commonly used to pave surfaces for pedestrian traffic.

Blue-Tops: Surveyors stakes, marked with a blue lumber-marking crayon that should not be disturbed.

Blunder: A mistake or error made through clumsiness, stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness.

Blunging: The wet process of blending or suspending ceramic material in liquid by agitation.

Blushing: 1. A finish is said to blush when it takes on white or grayish cast during drying period; usually caused by the precipitation or separating of a portion of the solid content of the material, causing an opaque appearance. 2. Applied to lacquers when they become flat or opaque and white on drying; usually occurs when applied in a humid atmosphere.

BM: Bench mark.

Board and Batten: Linear vertical wood boards with wood strips covering vertical joints used as an exterior cladding for a framed wall.

Board Cement: An adhesive used to bond pieces of wood together.

Board Foot: A unit of lumber volume, a rectangular solid nominally 12″ x 12″ x 1″.

Board Insulation: Rigid form of plastic foam used as a rigid application-insulating surface, commonly of polyurethane.

Board Knife: A hand tool holding a replaceable blade to sharply score or trim gypsumboard products; a popular brand is a Stanley knife.

Board Measure: The standard system for the measurement of lumber; see Board Foot.

Board Rafter: The wooden structural member that makes up the sloping parallel beams used to support a roof.

Board Saw: A short hand saw with very coarse teeth for cutting gypsumboard for door and window frame openings.

Board Siding: A type of lumber installed on the exterior walls of a building or structure to act as the finish sheathing.

Board Sub-Flooring: A wooden member that is installed on floor joists to which the finished floor is fastened.

Board, Composite: A board that is made of several compressed materials; used for sheathing, wallboard, or as an insulation or acoustical barrier.

Board, Concrete Finish: Wooden boards placed in the concrete formwork as for liners to provide a wood-pattern finish to the completed reinforced concrete.

Board, Diving: A narrow platform, often equipped with a spring and raised off the ground by a ladder, attached to the edge of a swimming pool and extending over the water, used to give divers altitude and lift.

Board, Dock: Heavy timber used in the construction of the raised platform used for the loading and unloading of trucks.

Board, Ridge: The board against which the tips of rafters are fastened; the top line of a roof; the ridge.

Board: 1. A flat thin piece of sawn lumber, usually long and narrow; lumber less than 2 inches thick. 2. A group of persons having supervisory, investigatory, or advisory powers. 3. A sheet of insulating material carrying circuit elements and terminals so that it can be inserted in an electronic apparatus. 4. A flat panel of compressed fibers. 5. A flat panel used for posting bulletins or as a chalkboard.

Boarding In: The process of nailing boards on the outside studding of a house.

Boatswains Chair: A trapeze-like seat that is slung from rigging to support a worker; a Bosuns Chair.

BOCA: Building Officials and Code Administrators International, an organization that publishes model building codes.

Bodega: 1. A wine vault or cellar; a wine shop where wine is drawn from barrels. 2. A storeroom or warehouse.

Bodied Linseed Oil: Linseed oil that has been thickened by suitable processing with heat or chemicals; bodied oils vary greatly in viscosity; some are little thicker than raw linseed oil; others are almost jelly like.

Body Coat: Intermediate coat of paint between priming and finishing.

Body Feed: The continuous addition of small amounts of filter aid during the operation of a diatomaceous earth filter.

Body: 1. The structural portion of ceramic articles; also refers to the material or mixture from which the article is made. 2. The structural portion of an article covered with ceramic tile. 3. Thickness, consistency, or viscosity of a fluid. 4. See Steel Square.

Boiled Linseed Oil: Linseed oil to which enough lead, manganese, or cobalt salts have been added to make the oil harden more rapidly when spread in thin coatings; drying properties accentuated by heating oil to 130 to 200° C.

Boiled Oil: Drying oil treated with driers to shorten the drying time.

Boiler Bow Off: An outlet on a boiler to permit emptying or discharging of water or sediment in the boiler.

Boiler Horsepower: Term now seldom used, meaning equivalent to a heating capacity of 33,475 Btu/hr. (983 watts).

Boiler Plate: Standardized, formulaic, or hackneyed language in a contract.

Boiler Room: The space provided for a hot water or steam boiler, circulating pumps, and other mechanical and electrical equipment; engine room.

Boiler, High-Pressure: Boiler furnishing steam at pressures of 15 pounds per square inch gauge or higher (1.05 kg/cm2).

Boiler, Hot-Water and Low-Pressure Steam: A boiler furnishing hot water at pressures not more than 30 pounds per square inch gauge (2.12 kg/cm2) or steam at pressures not more than 15 pounds per square inch gauge (1.06 kg/cm2).

Boiler: 1. A fuel-burning apparatus for producing hot water or steam. 2. A heating system in which water is used as the distribution medium.

Boiling Point: The temperature at which a liquid boils; the point at which a liquid starts to change to gas; boiling temperature of a liquid under a pressure of 14.7 psia (760 mm); water boils at 100° C or 212° F.

Boiling Temperature: Boiling point; temperature at which a fluid changes from a liquid to a gas.

Boiling: Heated to the boiling point; the change of a liquid to a gas.

Bole: 1. The main stem of a tree of substantial diameter; roughly, capable of yielding saw timber, veneer logs, or large pole; seedlings, saplings, and small diameter trees have stems, not boles. 2. A fine soft clay, yellow or dark, colored by iron oxide, formerly used as a pigment.

Bollard Pipe: Short pipe length, placed vertically in the ground and filled with concrete to prevent vehicular access or to protect property from damage by vehicular encroachment.

Bollard: 1. Short steel post, usually filled with concrete, set to prevent vehicular access to or to protect property from damage by vehicular encroachment. 2. Steel or cast iron post to which ships are tied.

Bolster, Slab: Continuous, individual support used to hold steel reinforcing bars in the proper position.

Bolster: 1. A short piece of timber set horizontally across the top of a post, either to afford a greater bearing surface for a girder or girders, or to allow a post above to set between the ends of the girders, or to shorten the span of girders. 2. A long wire type chair used to support steel reinforcing bars in a concrete slab while the concrete is being placed.

Bolt Cutter: A hand tool, utilizing effective leverage that can shear bolts and steel reinforcing rods.

Bolt, Anchor: Steel bolt used to secure wood construction to concrete or masonry construction.

Bolt, Carriage: A threaded bolt with a round smooth head and a square neck directly under the head to prevent rotation.

Bolt, Dead: A lock bolt having no spring action or bevel, and which is operated by a key or a turn piece.

Bolt, Door: The tongue of a lock installed to prevent a door opening.

Bolt, Wood: Bolts specifically used in wood applications, that have an unslotted oval head and square shoulders that sink into the wood to prevent turning.

Bolt: 1. A threaded metal rod or pin for joining parts, having a head and usually used with a threaded nut. 2. a sliding bar for locking a door or gate. 3. A bar in a lock, moved by a key.

Bolted Steel: Steel structural system where the members are assembled and connected with bolts, as opposed to welding.

Bolted Truss: Beams, frames, trusses, or other supports connected to support a roof, bridge, or floor system, that are fastened together with bolts.

Bolting Pattern: The arrangement, spacings, and dimensions of bolts used to attach two or more structural members together.

Bond Beam Block: A concrete masonry unit with the upper part of the ends and webs removed to make room for horizontal reinforcing bars and grout; . U-blocks are sometimes used to form bond beams, especially as over openings.

Bond Beam: A horizontal grouted element within a masonry wall in which steel reinforcement is embedded; a horizontal reinforced masonry beam, serving as an integral part of the wall.

Bond Breaker: A material used to prevent adhesion of newly placed concrete to other surfaces.

Bond Coat: A material used between the back of the tile and the prepared surface; suitable bond coats include pure portland cement. dry-set portland cement mortar, latex-type portland cement mortar, organic adhesive, and the like.

Bond Course: The course consisting of units that overlap more than one wythe of masonry.

Bond Plaster: A specially formulated gypsum plaster designed as a first coat application over monolithic concrete.

Bond: 1. The solid connection of one material to another; a substance which causes such a joining to take place. 2. The adhesion between masonry units and mortar or grout. 3. The patterns and methods in which brick and block are installed, for example, American bond, basket weave, Dutch cross bond, Flemish bond, running bond, and stack bond. 4. The adhesion between the surface of a reinforcing bar and the adjacent concrete, mortar, or grout. 5. The adhesion of cement paste to aggregate. 6. The degree of firmness with which the paper adheres to the gypsum board core. 7. The junction of the weld metal and the base metal. 8. The adherence of the bitumens between two layers of roofing felts. 9. See Chemical Bond. 10. See Mechanical Bond. 11. See Surety Bond. 12. See Completion Bond. 13. See Performance Bond. 14. See Payment Bond. 15. See Roof Bond. 16. See Bid Bond.

Bondability: 1. Indicating ease or difficulty in bonding a material with adhesive. 2. Ease or difficulty of a contractor in obtaining a surety bond.

Bonded Rubber Cushioning: Rubber or latex cushioning adhered to the carpet at the mill.

Bonded Stop Notice: A stop notice that is accompanied by a surety bond which guarantees any costs assessed against the claimant should the claimant lose its lawsuit; see Stop Notice.

Bonded Tendon: A prestressed tendon that is bonded to concrete either directly or through grouting.

Bonded Wall: A masonry wall in which two or more wythes are bonded to act as a structural unit; see Bonder.

Bonder: A bonding unit; see Header, 7.

Bonderized Flagpole: A metal flagpole that has been coated with a patented phosphate solution for protection against the elements.

Bonderizing: A five-step proprietary custom process for phosphatizing.

Bonding Agent: A substance applied to a suitable substrate to create a bond between it and a succeeding layer as between a subsurface and a terrazzo topping or a succeeding plaster application.

Bonding Jumper: 1. A reliable conductor to assure the required electrical conductivity between metal parts required to be electrically connected. 2. At the main service, the connection between the grounded circuit conductor and the equipment grounding conductor. 3. At equipment, the connection between two or more portions of the equipment-grounding conductor. 4. In a circuit, the connection between portions of a conductor in a circuit to maintain required ampacity of the circuit.

Bonding: Adhesion.

Bone Ash: Calcined bone consisting essentially of calcium phosphate.

Bone Black: Pigment made from calcined animal bones; dark in color, but does not have a strong tinting strength like lampblack.

Bone China: A translucent china made from a ceramic whiteware body composition containing a minimum of 25 percent bone ash.

Bonnet: The upper portion of the gate valve body into which the disc of a gate valve rises when it is opened.

Bonus: An extra payment to a contractor for achieving some specified goal, such as early completion.

Book Matched: Wood veneer where adjoining sheets are sliced from the same log so that the grain matches like an open book.

Bookkeeper: A person who records the accounts or transactions of a business.

Boom: 1. A long beam extending out from an upright to lift or carry something and guide it as needed; a derrick boom. 2. A barrier across a river or around an area of water to prevent floating logs from dispersing or to contain an oil spill. 3. To undergo swift, vigorous growth or development; flourish. 4. A period of business prosperity, or industrial expansion. 5. A sudden favorable turn in business prospects.

Booster: Common term applied to the use of a compressor when used as the first stage in the cascade refrigerating system.

Booth, Spray: An area in a building or structure used for spray painting; blocked off by walls to prevent dust and dirt from work surface.

Booth: 1.A small temporary roofed or unroofed structure used as a market stall. 2. A small enclosure used for various purposes, as for telephoning or voting. 3. A set of a table and benches in a restaurant or bar.

Border: The edge or boundary of anything; verge.

Bore: 1. To drill a hole. 2. The diameter of a tube. 3. Inside diameter of a motor cylinder. 4. A high tidal wave rushing up a narrow estuary.

Bored Lock: A door lock manufactured for installation in a circular hole.

Boring: 1. Making holes in wood or metal to aid in the insertion of bolts, nails or other fasteners. 2. Drilling into the ground to bring up samples of earth for testing. 3. Rotary drilling.

Borrow Pit: An area designated as the source of earth removal to be used elsewhere for fill.

Borrow: Excavated material that has been taken from one area to be used as fill at another location.

Borrowed Light Opening: A glazed window unit in an interior partition.

Boss: 1. A round knob, stud, or other protuberance on the center of a shield or in ornamental work. 2. A piece of ornamental carving covering the point where the ribs in a vault or ceiling cross. 3. The employer or contractor on a construction job.

Boston Ridge: Applying asphalt or wood shingles at the ridge or at the hips of a roof as a finish.

Bosuns Chair: See Boatswains Chair.

Bottle Cooler: A container used for cooling or maintaining the coolness of bottled liquids.

Bottom Bars: The reinforcing bars that lie close to the bottom of a reinforced concrete beam or slab.

Bottom Beam: The lowest horizontal member supporting a building or structure.

Bottom Chord: The bottom member in a truss.

Bottom Dip: The lowest water or waste point in a trap.

Bottom Line: 1. The last line on a financial report which shows the profit or loss. 2. The most important factor or statement.

Bottom Pivot Hinge: A flexible pair of plates joined by a pin to allow swinging of a door or gate installed at the bottom.

Bottom Plate: In wood stud framing construction, the bottom continuous horizontal member that supports the studs.

Boulder: A large stone worn smooth by erosion; a rock which is too heavy to be lifted readily by hand.

Bounce-Back: Spray rebound similar to blowback.

Boundaries: A separating line that indicates or fixes a limit or extent.

Boundary Elements: Portions along wall and diaphragm edges strengthened by longitudinal and transverse reinforcement; boundary elements do not necessarily require an increase in the thickness of the wall or diaphragm.

Boundary Survey: A survey of the property lines of a piece of land.

Bourdon Tube: Thin-walled tube of elastic metal flattened and bent into circular shape which tends to straighten as pressure inside is increased; used in pressure gauges.

Boutique: A small fashionable store or a small specialty shop within a larger store.

Bow Trowel: A finishing trowel with a slight curve for crowning the final application of gypsum board joint treatment.

Bow Window: A bay window with a curved front.

Bow: The distortion of lumber in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular to the flat face, from a straight line from end-to-end of the piece.

Bowl, Toilet: The oval part of a toilet that receives the waste and fills with water after flushing the toilet tank.

Box Beam: A beam of metal, concrete, or plywood, which, in cross section, resembles a closed rectangular box.

Box Culvert Formwork: The temporary wooden structure which holds wet concrete in place for the final curing of a rectangular-shaped, reinforced concrete drainage system.

Box Culvert Reinforcing: Iron or steel rods that are embedded in the wet concrete of a rectangular-shaped drainage system to give additional strength.

Box Culvert: A concrete drainage structure rectangular shaped, reinforced and cast in place or made of precast sections.

Box Cutter: A specially designed hand tool for shear-cutting electrical outlet holes in gypsum board.

Box System: A framing system that is made up of bearing walls with lateral forces being resisted by shear walls and diaphragms.

Box Wrench: A type of end wrench in which the gripping end surrounds the nut or bolt head.

Box, Distribution: A box which contains the circuit breakers, connects to the service wires, and delivers current to the various outlets throughout a building or structure.

Box, Floor: A metal electrical rough-in box fed by conduits in or under the floor to provide for a floor outlet.

Box, Gang: Electrical rough-in box constructed of metal or hard plastic, to provide for two or more outlets or switches.

Box, Junction: A metal or hard plastic electrical rough-in box usually square or octagonal housing only wire or cable connections.

Box, Plastic: An electrical box for the joining of electrical wires, constructed of hard plastic and nailed in place.

Box, Pull: An electrical rough-in box placed in a length of conduit, through which cables can be pulled.

Box, Screw Cover: A removable ornamental or protective plate that is mounted to an electrical rough-in box.

Box, Tap: The electrical box where the public service electrical supply line is connected with a branch to serve a particular building or structure.

Box, Terminal: A metal electrical box, usually with a removable cover, that contains leads from electrical equipment ready for connection to a power source.

Box, Weatherproof: An electrical box, designed for exterior installation, which is impervious to the outside elements, such as water.

Boxing: Mixing by pouring back and forth from one container to another.

Boyles Law: A physical law governing the behavior of gases, stating that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature and inversely proportional to its pressure.

Brace: 1.A cranked hand tool to hold a bit for drilling holes. 2. A diagonal member, either in tension or compression, to strengthen a structure.

Braced Frame: A truss system or its equivalent that resists lateral forces.

Braced Frame: One, which is dependent upon diagonal braces for stability and capability to resist lateral forces.

Braced Wall Line: A series of braced wall panels in a single story.

Braces: Pieces fitted and firmly fastened to two others at any angle in order to strengthen the structure.

Bracing: 1, Diagonal members, either temporary or permanent, installed to stabilize a structure against lateral loads. 2. Structural member used to prevent buckling or rotation of wood studs.

Bracket Hanger: Hanger supporting a wall-hung sink.

Bracket, Wall: 1. A wall-mounted support for shelving or other object. 2. A wall-mounted lighting fixture.

Bracket: 1. A projecting support for a shelf or other structure. 2. In furring and lathing, a superficial structure usually in angles forming a frame to support lath; used to save material and weight in ornaments or cornices.

Brad: A small slender wire nail with a thickened top for a head.

Brake Metal: Sheet metal that has been bent into a specified configuration, such as gravel stop, flashing, L-shapes, and Z-shapes; formed on a sheet metal brake.

Brake: A machine for flanging, bending, or folding sheet metal.

Branch Breaker: A switch which stops the flow of current by opening the circuit automatically when more electricity flows through the circuit than the circuit is capable of carrying; resetting may be either automatic or manual.

Branch Circuit Appliance: Circuits supplying energy either to permanently wired appliances or to attachment plug receptacle, that is appliance or convenience outlets, or to a combination of permanently wired appliances and additional attachment plug outlets on the same circuit; such circuits to have no permanently connected lighting fixtures not a part of an appliance.

Branch Circuit (General Purpose): A branch circuit that supplies a number of outlets for both lighting and appliances.

Branch Circuit (LIGHTING): Circuits supplying energy to lighting outlets only.

Branch Circuit (MOTOR): Circuits from the motor branch circuit protective device to the motor, including the controller and overload protective device.

Branch Circuit (MULTIWIRE): A multiwire branch circuit is a circuit consisting of two or more ungrounded conductors having a potential difference between them, and an identified grounded conductor having equal potential difference between it and each ungrounded conductor of the circuit and which is connected to the neutral conductor of the system.

Branch Circuit: A circuit supplying several localized electrical outlets from a single breaker.

Branch Circuit: That portion of a wiring system extending beyond the final automatic over current protective device, excluding any thermal cutout or motor running overload protective device that is not approved for short circuit protection.

Branch Interval: This is the vertical distance, generally a floor or story in height, but never less than 8 feet, within which the horizontal branches from one floor of the building are connected to the main DWV stack.

Branch Vent: A vent pipe that connects a branch of the drainage system to the main stack.

Branch: A member or part of a system or structure which diverges from the main portion, as in heating, ventilation, or electrical installations; a smaller or subordinate duct, pipe, or circuit extending from the main line.

Brass Fitting: Threaded pipe connector made of brass, used to join two pieces of pipe together.

Brass: A metal alloy consisting essentially of copper and zinc in variable proportions.

Braze Welding: Sometimes known as Bronze Welding. Often carried out as in fusion welding except that the base metal is not melted. The base metal is simply brought up to what is known as a tinning temperature (dull red color) and a bead deposited over the seam with a bronze filler rod.

Braze: Solder with an alloy of brass and zinc at a high temperature.

Brazed Connection: Parts that are hardened and connected by soldering with an alloy.

Brazing: A welding process wherein coalescence is produced by heating to suitable temperatures above 800° F. and by using a nonferrous filler metal having a melting point below that of the base metals; the filler metal is distributed between the closely fitting surfaces of the joint by capillary attraction.

Breach of Contract: A material failure to perform an act required by contract.

Breadboard: A draw board in a kitchen cabinet used for kneading and slicing bread.

Break Joints: To arrange joints so that they do not come directly under or over the joints of adjoining pieces, as in shingling, siding, and brick laying.

Break: 1.To damage by separating into pieces under a blow or strain; shatter. 2. An interruption as in a circuit. 3. An interruption in the continuity of an element, such as a plastered wall or cornice.

Breakdown: An itemized list of building costs.

Breaker Strip: Strip of wood or plastic used to cover joint between outside case and inside liner of refrigerator.

Breaker, Circuit: A switch which stops the flow of current by opening the circuit automatically when more electricity flows through the circuit than the circuit is capable of carrying; resetting may be either automatic or manual.

Breaker, Main: A switch in a main electrical service panel where the service wires attach.

Breaker, Vacuum: An electrical breaker with a space that contains rced air pressure.

Break-Even Point: The financial position wherein total revenue received equals the sum of the costs and expenses for a particular project showing neither profit nor loss.

Breaking Joints: The laying of bricks so that no two vertical joints come directly over one another; this is done for strength.

Breakpoint: The point at which a rising concentration of chlorine in swimming pools kills germs and bacteria by oxidizing organic matter; once all matter is oxidized, the amount of chlorine remaining is free or uncombined.

Breast Drill: A portable drill equipped with a plate that the operator leans against to provide pressure.

Breast: 1.The front part of a fireplace above and around the firebox opening. 2. The projecting portion of a chimney, especially when projecting into a room.

Breastplate: The pressure plate of a breast drill.

Breastsummer: A beam to carry the load above a fireplace opening, also called bressumer.

Breathing Zone: Area of a room in which occupants breathe as they stand, sit, or lie down.

Breeching: Space in hot water or steam boilers between the end of the tubing and the jacket.

Bressumer: See Breastsummer.

BRI: Building-Related Illness.

Brick Anchor: Fasteners that are designed to attach and secure a brick veneer to a concrete or brick wall.

Brick and Brick: The laying of bricks by which the bricks are touching each other and the mortar used is just enough to fill the irregularities of the bricks.

Brick Bat: Part of a brick, usually half a brick or less.

Brick Bond: The pattern or arrangement of bricks in a wall.

Brick Firewall: A masonry wall constructed to prevent or retard the spread of fire.

Brick Institute of America (BIA): 11490 Commerce Park Drive #300, Reston, Virginia 22901, (703) 620-0010.

Brick Manhole: A vertical access shaft from the surface to an underground area, constructed of bricks.

Brick Mason: A mason who builds in brick; also called a brick layer; see Mason.

Brick Molding: Milled trim piece designed to fill the gap between finished milled parts like door and window frames and irregular surfaces like masonry.

Brick Removal: The act or process of the demolition of a brick structure.

Brick Tongs: An iron grasping device consisting of two bars pivoted in the middle like a scissors and allowing two workers to lift and move a small pile of bricks.

Brick Trowel: The brick trowel is larger than the buttering trowel; the primary tool of masons; used when any preparatory brick work has to be done; its greater surface and weight are advantageous in the buttering and tapping in of block, brick, or larger tiles.

Brick Veneer: A one brick thick outside facing of brickwork used to cover a wall of some other material.

Brick, Chimney: Brick, chosen for the specific use in the construction of chimneys, because of its ability to withstand high temperatures without cracking.

Brick, Fire: Brick that has been tested for fire-resistance and then graded for specific construction uses; brick whose composition and characteristics make it suitable to use for masonry fireplace fire-boxes and fire chambers.

Brick, Masonry: Bricks that are shaped and molded in different sizes and shapes.

Brick, Paver: Brick units that are used in foot traffic areas; usually four inches wide, eight inches long, and 1-5/8 to 2-1/4 inches thick.

Brick: A solid masonry unit having the shape of a rectangular prism; usually made from clay, shale, fire clay, or a mixture of these.

Bricklayer: A brick mason.

Brickwork: Masonry of bricks and mortar.

Bridge Crane: A hoisting device spanning two overhead rails; the hoisting device moves laterally along the bridge with the bridge moving longitudinally along the rails.

Bridge Deck: The slab or other structure forming the travel surface of a bridge.

Bridge Glaze: Colourless or coloured ceramic glaze having high gloss.

Bridge: A straightedge used as a starting line for the laying of tile; it can be blocked up to support tile over an opening.

Bridging Architect: An owners architect who designs the project and then is replaced by the design/build entity’s architect who prepares the construction documents.

Bridging: 1. Diagonal or longitudinal members used to keep horizontal members properly spaced, in lateral position, vertically plumb, and to distribute load; pieces fitted in pairs from the bottom of one floor joist to the top of adjacent joists, and crossed to distribute the floor load; sometimes pieces of width equal to the joists and fitted neatly between them. 2. In painting, forming a skin over a depression.

Briding: A section sized to fit inside the flanges of studs and channels to stiffen construction.

Bright Blast: White blast.

Bright Glaze: A high-gloss coating with or without colour.

Brilliant Colour: Very bright

Brine: Water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt.

Brinell Hardness Test: A laboratory test for measuring the hardness of a material by hydraulically pressing a steel ball into the surface.

British Thermal Unit (BTU): Quantity of heat required to raise temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

Brittle Failure: Failure in material, which generally has a very limited plastic range; material subject to sudden failure without warning.

Brittle: Easily broken; not tough.

Broach: 1. Any of various pointed or tapered tools, implements, or parts. 2. A drill bit. 3. A pointed tool for roughly dressing stone.

Broad Knife: A wide flexible finishing knife for applying joint finishing compound.

Broadcast: To sprinkle solid particles on a surface.

Broad-Leaved Trees: See Hardwoods.

Broadloom: Carpet woven on a broad loom in widths of 6 feet or more. usually 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18-ft. widths, and up to 30 ft. in Chenille; broadloom is not a type of weave of carpet, nor a pattern or colour; it is simply a designation of width.

Broiler, Kitchen: A cooking device in a kitchen that cooks food by direct exposure to radiant heat.

Broker: An agent who, for a fee or commission, brings parties together for the leasing or sale of real property.

Bromide: A chemical compound containing bromine, a halogen; sodium or potassium bromide in solution will produce free bromine if chlorine is added to the pool.

Bronze Tools: Non-sparking tools; used when fire hazards are particularly acute.

Bronze Welding: See Braze Welding.

Bronze: An alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements.

Bronzing Liquid: A vehicle especially formulated for use as a binder for aluminum, gold, or bronze powder.

Bronzing: Formation of metallic sheen on a paint film.

Broom Finish: A finish applied to an uncured concrete surface, to provide skid or slip resistance, made by dragging a broom across the freshly placed concrete surface.

Broom: 1. A long handled brush of bristles for sweeping and brushing; also used for concrete finishing. 2. To spread out in a broom shape through separation of the fibers, as when a pile is partly crushed at its head under the blows of the pile driver.

Brooming: In roofing, embedding a ply by using a broom to smooth out the ply and ensure contact with the adhesive under the ply.

Brown Coat: The coat of plaster directly beneath the finish coat; in two-coat work, brown coat refers to the basecoat plaster applied over the lath; in three coat work, the brown coat refers to the second coat applied over a scratch coat; brown coats are applied with a fairly rough surface to receive the finish coat.

Brown Out: To complete application of basecoat plastering.

Brown Stain: Brown discolouration of the sapwood of some pines caused by a fungus.

Brownfield Site: A building site that has been previously built upon and is possibly polluted with toxic chemicals; compare with Greenfield Site.

Brownstone: 1. A building sandstone of prevailing brown colour. 2. A dwelling faced with brownstone.

Brush Cutting: The act of removing unwanted plants to clear an area.

Brush Hand: A painter whose ability lies in his skill in applying material.

Brush Hook: A long handled tool for clearing brush.

Brush: 1. A painter’s implement composed of bristles set into a handle, used for applying paint and other coatings to a surface. 2. An electrical conductor that makes contact with a moving part.

Brushability: 1. Adaptability of paint to application with a brush. 2. The ability or ease with which a paint can be brushed.

Brushcoating: The application of paint, stucco color, or other materials with a broad brush.

Brushed Surface: A sandy texture obtained by brushing the surface of freshly placed or slightly hardened concrete with a stiff brush for architectural effect or, in pavements, to increase skid resistance.

Brush-Off Blast: Lowest blast cleaning standard.

Brussels: A term formerly, but now rarely, used to describe a loop pile or round-wire carpet woven on the Wilton loom.

Brutalism: A heavy plain style of architecture.

BSSC: Building Seismic Safety Council.

BTU: British thermal unit; measurement of the heat energy required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

Bubble: A large void in the core of gypsum board caused by the entrapment of air while the core is in a fluid state during the manufacturing process.

Bubbling: Describes the appearance of bubbles on the surface while a coating is being applied.

Buck: Assembly of the framing that constitutes a rough door or window opening.

Bucket Trap: A mechanical steam trap operating on buoyancy that prevents the passage of steam through the mechanical system it protects.

Bucket: Large metal container into which concrete is discharged; the bucket is raised by crane to the placement area.

Buckle: To bend under compression; with very thin members, the bucking may be elastic, and the member will spring back if the load is removed; if the load is continued or if the buckling occurs with the stresses above the yield point, the member will fail by collapsing completely.

Buckles: In old plastering, raised or ruptured spots which eventually crack, exposing the lath beneath; most common cause for buckling is application of plaster over dry, broken or incorrectly applied wood lath.

Buckling: 1. Collapse, in the form of a sudden sideways deflection, of a slender element subjected to compression; structural failure by gross lateral deflection of a slender element under compressive stress, such as the sideward buckling of a long, slender column or the upper edge of a long, thin floor joist. 2. Wrinkling or ridging of the carpet after installation, caused by insufficient stretching, dimensional instability, or manufacturing defects.

Budget: A managerial plan of proposed operations to accomplish a financial objective.

Buffer: A pile of blasted rock left against or near a face to improve fragmentation and rce scattering from the next blast.

Buffing Compound: Soft abrasive in stick form, bonded with wax.

Buffing: A router trimming of the shear cut end of gypsum board to smooth cut and adjust for length tolerances prior to the bundling tapes being applied.

Buglehead Screw: A special design screw that will seat beneath the plane of the gypsumboard surface without tearing the paper.

Build: Construct by putting materials or parts together.

Builder: One who constructs; a building contractor.

Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA): 355 Lexington Ave., 17th Floor, New York, New York 10017, (212) 661-4261.

Builders Hardware: Hardware used in construction, such as bolts, nuts, screws, nails, and other fastenings, metal and plastic parts, hinges, butts, catches, and similar parts.

Builders Level: A simple form of transit-level for measuring and setting levels on a construction site; also called a contractors level.

Building Brick: Brick for building purposes not especially treated for texture or colour; also called Common Brick.

Building Code: A set of rules governing the quality of construction in a community; the purpose of these rules is to protect the public health and safety.

Building Coverage: The percentage of a specific parcel of land covered by buildings.

Building Demolition: The destruction, by means of explosives or otherwise, of a standing construction.

Building Drain: The lowest part of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer beginning 3 feet outside the building wall.

Building Drainage System: Complete system of piping used for carrying away waste water and sewage; also called House Drainage System.

Building Envelope: The outer limits of a building as encompassed by the exterior walls, roof, and foundation.

Building Excavation: The act or process of removing an area of earth and rock to make room for a foundation.

Building Inspector: A public official that examines the work in the field to determine compliance with the applicable building laws.

Building Integrated Photovoltaic Cell: Photovoltaic cells that substitute for building elements or materials, such as spandrel panels or roofing panels.

Building Lime: A lime whose chemical and physical characteristics and method of processing make it suitable for ordinary or special construction uses; also called construction lime.

Building Main: Water supply pipe that carries the water from the source of supply to the first branch of the water distributing system in the building.

Building Official: The official charged with administration and enforcement of the applicable building code, or his duly authorized representative.

Building Paper: Any of various usually water repellent sheet materials such as kraft paper assemblies and asphalt saturated felt, used for moisture proofing, draft stopping, and exterior plaster backing; a general term for papers, felts, and similar sheet materials used in buildings, without reference to their properties or uses.

Building Related Illness: Diagnosable illness whose symptoms can be identified and whose cause can be directly attributed to airborne building pollutants, for example, Legionnaires disease, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Building Residual: A real estate appraisal technique where a reasonable return on the land is first dcted from the income, the balance being attributable to the improvements.

Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC): 1015 15th Street, NW #700, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 289-7800.

Building Sewer: The piping that takes the soil and wastewater from the building drain and conveys it to the public sewer or private sewage disposal system; also called House Sewer.

Building Sub-Drain: That part of the drainage system of a house that receives the discharge from the fixtures and cannot drain into the building sewer because it is located below the building sewer or building drain; this piping usually drains into a sump and is pumped up into the house sewer or building drain.

Building Trap: A trap placed in the building drain to prevent entry of sewer gases from the sewer main.

Building, Metal: A building or structure constructed of a structural steel frame covered by metal roof and wall panels; commonly prefabricated in a factory and assembled at the site.

Building: A fixed structure forming an enclosure and providing shelter.

Build-Up Sequence: The order in which the weld beads of a multiple-pass weld are deposited with respect to the cross- section of the joint.

Built-In Oven: An oven installed directly into a wall or cabinet.

Built-In Shelving: Shelving that is permanently installed in a cabinet frame.

Built-Up Member: A single structural component made from several pieces fastened together.

Built-Up Plaque: Layers of a localized abnormal patch on a surface.

Built-Up Roof Removal: The act or process of removing many layers of old roofing material.

Built-Up Roof: A roof covering made of continuous rolls or sheets of saturated or coated felt, cemented together with bitumen, and may have a final coating of gravel or slag.

Built-Up Roofing Membrane (BUR): Roofing material applied in sealed waterproof layers or plies, or saturated or coated felts alternated with layers of bitumen, surfaced with mineral aggregate or asphaltic materials.

Built-Up Steel Lintel: Lintel fabricated of two or more pieces of structural steel secured together to act as one member.

Built-Up Timber: A timber made of several pieces fastened together and forming one of larger dimension.

Bulb Tee: Rolled steel in the form of a T with a formed bulb on the edge of the web.

Bulb, Sensitive: Part of sealed fluid device which reacts to temperature; used to measure temperature or to control a mechanism.

Bulge: An irregular swelling; a lump.

Bulk Density: The weight of a material per unit of volume.

Bulk Excavation: The digging out of large amounts of dirt and debris.

Bulk Mail Slot: An opening in a wall or door big enough to receive large pieces of mail.

Bulk: 1. Size; magnitude; large mass or quantity. 2. Large quantities as in bulk cement. 3. To cause to swell or bulge. 4. A small structure projecting from a building, as a booth or stall.

Bulked Continuous Filament (BCF): Continuous strands of synthetic fiber made into yarn without spinning; often extruded in modified cross section such as multi-lobal, mushroom or bean shape and/or textured to increase bulk and covering power.

Bulkhead Formwork: The temporary formwork that blocks fresh concrete from a section of forms or closes the end of a form at a construction joint.

Bulkhead: 1.A vertical partition separating compartments, as on a ship or aircraft. 2. A structure or partition to resist pressure or shut off water, fire, or gas. 3. A retaining wall along a waterfront. 4. A projecting structure with a sloping door giving access to a cellar stairway or shaft.

Bulking Curve: Graph of change in volume of a quantity of sand due to change in moisture content.

Bulking Factor: Ratio of the volume of moist sand to the volume of the sand when dry.

Bulking Value: Of a pigment, its ability to add volume to a paint.

Bulking: Increase in the bulk volume of a quantity of sand in a moist condition over the volume of the same quantity dry.

Bull Float: A tool comprising a large, flat, rectangular piece of wood, aluminum, or magnesium usually 8 in. (20 cm) wide and 42 to 60 in. (100 to 150 cm) long, and a handle 4 to 16 ft. (1 to 5 m) in length used to smooth unformed surfaces of freshly placed concrete.

Bull Nose Brick: 1. A brick having one rounded corner. 2. Bricks that have their ends or corners rounded off.

Bull Nose: 1. In plastering, an external angle that is rounded in order to eliminate a sharp corner; can be made by running with plaster or using a bull nose corner bead with the proper radius. 2. Any material with a rounded edge such as a concrete block, ceramic tile, or brick. 3. See Step Return.

Bulldozer: A tractor driven machine with a horizontal blade for clearing land, road building, or similar work.

Bulletin Board: A wall hanging unit upon which information or messages are attached; a thin board, often of cork, hung on a wall for the attachment of public announcements.

Bulletproof Glass: A protective laminated glass sheet, heat and pressure-bonded with resin sheets to resist the passage of bullets.

Bulletproof Partition: A dividing wall which has been rendered bulletproof by using specific materials in its construction.

Bulletproof: Manufactured to prevent breakage or penetration from a strong external force.

Bullnose Block: A concrete masonry unit which has one or more rounded external corners.

Bullnose, Corner: A type of ceramic tile bullnose trim with a convex radius on two adjacent edges.

Bullnose, Glazed: A ceramic trim tile with a convex radius on one edge that has been given a glassy or glossy surface.

Bulls Eye: 1. A small circular window or opening; a bulls eye window. 2. A small thick disc of glass inserted, as in a deck, to let in light.

Bumper, Dock: Thick rubber units placed under loading dock openings to absorb the shock and prevent damage when trucks back in for loading or unloading.

Bumper, Door: Rubber tip devices mounted on walls or baseboards that prevent door knobs from marring walls.

Bund Wall: A wall built around a tank to contain its contents should the tank or its piping spring a leak.

Bundle: Two pieces of gypsumboard packaged face to face.

Bundled Bars: A group of not more than four parallel steel reinforcing bars in contact with each other, usually tied together.

Bundling Tape: End tape to secure two pieces of gypsum board into a bundle.

Bunker: Space where ice or cooling element is placed in commercial installations.

Buoyant Uplift: The force of water or liquefied soil that tends to raise a building foundation out of the ground.

BUR: Built-Up Roofing.

Burden: The amount of money that has to be added to cover overhead.

Burglar Alarm: A security system that signals when any of the contacts have been interrupted.

Burglar Bars: A grille of steel bars to protect a window or skylight opening from intrusion.

Burl: A hard woody outgrowth on a tree, good for highly figured veneers.

Burlap Rub: A finish obtained by rubbing burlap to remove surface irregularities from concrete.

Burlap, Concrete: A curing concrete surface that has had a coarse fabric of jute, hemp, or less commonly, flax applied, for use as a water-retaining covering.

Burlap: A coarse fabric of jute, hemp, or less commonly, flax, for use as a water-retaining covering in curing concrete surfaces; also called Hessian.

Burling: In carpet manufacturing, a hand-tailoring operation after weaving, to remove any knots and loose ends, to insert missing tufts of surface yarn and otherwise check the condition of the fabric; also, a repair operation on worn or damaged carpet.

Burn: To cut metal with a gas flame.

Burned Finish: Wood finish in which hard portion of grain stands out in relief; produced by using blowtorch and stiff bristled brush.

Burned: Over-dried, partially calcined gypsum board.

Burner: Device in which burning of fuel takes place.

Burning In: Repairing a finish by melting stick shellac into the damaged places by using a heated knife blade or iron.

Burnish: Polish by rubbing.

Burnoff Rate: See Melting Rate.

Burnt Sienna: An earthy substance containing oxides of iron and usually of manganese; orange red or reddish brown pigment, used in paint; sienna that has been roasted.

Burnt Umber: A brown earthy substance containing oxides of iron and manganese; a pigment, darker than ochre and sienna, used in paint; umber that has been roasted.

Burn-Thru: A term erroneously used to denote excessive Melt-Thru or a hole.

Burr: A sharp, roughened, in-turned edge on a piece of pipe which has been cut but not reamed.

Burst Strength: The internal pressure required to break a pipe or fitting; this pressure will vary with the rate of build-up of the pressure and the time during which the pressure is held.

Bus Bar: 1. A large, flat conductor, usually solid copper, used for carrying very high electrical currents. 2. An uninsulated bar or tube used as an electrical conductor at a circuit junction.

Bus Duct Connection: A metal bar serving as a common connection for two or more circuits in a prefabricated unit.

Bus Duct: A prefabricated unit containing one or more electric conductors, often a metal bar, that serves as a common connection for two or more circuits.

Bus Ground: In the main electrical service panel, where the neutral service wire, generally white, attaches and is linked to the earth by the ground wire.

Bush Hammer: In stone dressing, a steel hammer used in finishing the harder stones; it has a square-ended prismatic head divided into a number of pyramidal points.

Bushed Nipple: A pipe threaded at both ends to connect two pipes of different dimensions.

Bushing, Conduit: A threaded metal or plastic pipe connector used to connect conduit to a box or other housing where the hole is not threaded.

Bushing: 1. A removable cylindrical lining for an opening used to limit the size of an opening, resist abrasion, or serve as a guide. 2. An electrically insulating lining for a hole to protect a through conductor. 3. A pipe fitting with both male and female threads used in a fitting to reduce the size; used to connect pipes of different sizes.

Business Entity Concept: The assumption that a business is separate and distinct from its owners financial operations and holdings.

Busway: A rigid assembly consisting of one or more busbars.

Butane: A gaseous hydrocarbon (C4H10) of the alkane series used in liquefied form as fuel; also used as a low temperature application refrigerant.

Butlers Pantry: A service room between kitchen and dining room

Butt Hinge: A type of hinge designed for mortising into the edge of the door and into the rabbet of a door frame, consisting of two plates with a removable connecting pin; also called a Butt.

Butt Joint: 1. A plain square joint between two members. 2. In wallpaper, a joint made by trimming both selvedges and butting the edges together; this is used in highest type of work. 3. The cut ends of gypsum board placed adjacent to one another. 4. The joint between two bricks placed end to end in the same course; also called Cross Joint, Head Joint, or Vertical Joint.

Butt Weld: A weld in a butt joint between two members lying approximately in the same plane.

Butt Welded Pipe: Pipe that is joined by welding.

Butt, Pile: See Pile Butt.

Butt: 1. The larger of the two ends of a log. 2. See Butt Hinge. 3. Pile Butt.

Butterflies: Colour imperfections on a lime putty finish wall which smear out under pressure of the trowel; caused by lime lumps not put through a screen and insufficient mixing of the gauging.

Butterfly Reinforcement: Strips of metal reinforcement placed diagonally over the plaster base at the corners of openings before plastering.

Butterfly Roof: A roof shape that is like an inverted gable, the rain gutter being in the middle instead of the ridge.

Butterfly Tie: See Ties.

Butterfly Valve: A valve constructed with a disc that rotates 90 degrees within the valve body.

Buttering Trowel: The blade of the buttering trowel is approximately 4-1/2″ wide and 7″ long; used in buttering rich mortar to masonry, a method commonly used in the eastern states.

Buttering: 1. Spreading mortar on a masonry unit before it is laid. 2. The spreading of a bond coat to the backs of ceramic tile just before the tile is placed. 3. See Surfacing.

Buttonback Tile: Tile that have round or square projections on the bondable side.

Buttress: 1. A projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building wall and to react against horizontal outward forces. 2. The broadened base of a tree trunk or a thickened vertical part of it.

Butt-Welded Space: A reinforcing bar splice made by welding the butted ends.

Butyl Acetate: A lacquer solvent made from butyl alcohol by reaction with acetic acid.

Butyl Alcohol: An alcohol of higher boiling range than wood alcohol or grain alcohol; obtained from corn by fermentation.

Butyl Caulk: Caulking that is made from various synthetic rubbers derived from butanes.

Butyl Membrane: Pliable thin sheets or layers made from synthetic rubber.

Butylene Plastics: Plastics based on resins made by the polymerization of butene or copolymerization of butene with one or more unsaturated compounds, the butene being in greatest amount by weight.

Buzzer: An electric signaling device that produces a buzzing sound.

BX Cable: A type of indoor wiring consisting of two or more insulated wires protected by a wound, galvanized steel strip cover, the metal winding forming a flexible tube offering protection similar to rigid conduit.

BX Clamp: A clamping device to hold BX cable firmly in place against a wooden or metal member.

Bypass: 1. Passage at one side of, or around, a regular passage. 2. A secondary pipe or bridging of any plumbing fixture allowing this fixture to be disconnected and circulation maintained.

By-Product: A substance obtained during the manufacture of another substance; a secondary result, sometimes unexpected or unintended, of some process.

C Channel: A C shaped steel or aluminum section shaped like a rectangular box with one side removed.

C Stud: A roll-formed metal channel stud.

C-to-C: Center to center.

C: 1. Celsius.2. Centigrade. 3. In heat transfer, conduction of a material to the passage of heat; the reciprocal of resistance (C=1/R). 4. In seismic design, the numerical coefficient used which represents building acceleration. 5. Capacitance.

C. Switch (Isolating): A switch intended for isolating an electric circuit from the source of power. It has no interrupting rating and is intended to be operated only after the circuit has been opened by some other means.

C/B Ratio: The ratio of the weight of water absorbed by a masonry unit during immersion in cold water for 24 hours to weight absorbed during immersion in boiling water for 5 hours; an indication of the probable resistance of brick to freezing and thawing; also called saturation coefficient.

Cab, Elevator: The enclosure in an elevator, which carries passengers and freight up, or down.

Cabana: A shelter near a swimming pool or beach.

Cabin: 1. A small one story dwelling of simple construction. 2. A compartment on a ship or aircraft.

Cabinet Drawer Guide: A wood strip or mechanical mechanism used to guide the drawer as it slides in and out of its opening.

Cabinet Drawer Kicker: Wood cabinet member placed immediately above and generally at the center of a drawer to prevent tilting down when pulled out.

Cabinet Finish: Protective coatings to provide protection and decorative appearance for exposed portions of wood cabinets.

Cabinet Hardware: Metal and plastic fasteners and connectors used to facilitate the operation and movement of doors, drawers, and shelves in cabinets.

Cabinet Heater: A heating element enclosed in a metal housing, with openings for airflow, usually with a fan for controlling airflow.

Cabinet Knob: A handle, pull, or rounded protuberance for opening a cabinet door or drawer.

Cabinet Wall: The wall to which cabinets are attached or mounted.

Cabinet, Base: Floor-mounted cabinet, usually with a counter, sink or appliance installed.

Cabinet, Extinguisher: A case or cupboard having doors, which contains a fire-extinguishing device.

Cabinet, Kitchen: A case, box, or piece of furniture with sets of drawers or shelves, with doors, primarily used for storage, mounted on walls or floors in a kitchen area.

Cabinet, Laboratory: A case, box, or piece of furniture with sets of drawers or shelves, with doors, primarily used for storage, used in a place or area for scientific studies or commercial and institutional laboratories and testing facilities.

Cabinet, Monitor: A cabinet whose doors have louvered panels to allow for ventilation, light or finish design.

Cabinet, Transparent Finish: Protective clear or tinted coating to provide protection and decorative appearance for exposed portions of wood cabinets which allows grain of wood to be seen through coating.

Cabinet: 1. Case, box, or piece of furniture with sets of drawers or shelves, with doors, primarily used for storage. 2. An electrical switch enclosure designed either for surface or flush mounting, and provided with a frame, mat or trim in which swinging doors are hung; see Panelboard or Switchboard.

Cable Bus: An assembly of insulated cables.

Cable Camera: A camera that is controlled and activated with coaxial cable.

Cable Connector: A device used to connect lengths of cable together into one longer length.

Cable Coupler: A device for connecting two lengths of cable into one longer length.

Cable Fitting: Couplings, elbows, tees or unions used to form a junction or connect cable lines together.

Cable Lug: A connector for fastening the ends of cable to a terminal.

Cable Manhole: A vertical access shaft from the surface to the underground, leading to an area for the repair or installation of cable wires.

Cable Receptacle: An interrupting outlet box device installed in an electric supply circuit for the connection of electric cables.

Cable Roof: A circular structure in which the internal stresses of the members are subjected primarily to tensile stresses.

Cable Support: A structure, which holds cable lines in place or at a safe overhead height.

Cable Tap Box: A box where public cable service supply lines are connected with a branch to serve a building or structure.

Cable Tray: Open track for support of insulated cables.

Cable TV: A system of distributing television signals to individual subscribers by use of subterranean cables or overhead wires, rather than by aerials.

Cable, Audio: A cable that carries and transmits audio signals.

Cable, BX: A type of indoor wiring consisting of two or more insulated wires protected by a wound, galvanized steel strip cover; the metal winding forms a flexible tube, offering protection similar to rigid conduit.

Cable, Coaxial: A cable consisting of two concentric conductors separated by an insulator; usedto transmit telephone, television and computer signals.

Cable, Communication: A cable for transmission of telephone, television, and computer signals.

Cable, Computer: Coaxial cable that transmits computer signals.

Cable, Copper: Insulated, sheathed copper wires conducting power from a source to an electric appliance.

Cable, Fire Alarm: A specific electrical system cable which carries electric current to a warning horn or bell for use in the event of a fire or other catastrophe.

Cable, Guy: A wire used to secure a tall exterior mast, antenna, or other structure in place.

Cable, Thermostat: A specific electrical system cable, which operates an automatic device for regulating the temperature in a room, space, or area.

Cable: 1. A thin, flexible line that carries only tensile forces. 2. A bundle of two or more electrical conductors.

CABO: Council of American Building Officials.

Cabriole Leg: A curved furniture leg rounded and swollen at the top and tapered down ending in an ornamental foot.

CAD: Computer Aided Design.

CADD: Computer Aided Design and Drafting.

Cadmium Lithopone: A series of yellows and reds that are permanent to light and resistant to alkalis.

Cadmium Red: Non-fading red pigment made from cadmium and selenium metals; heat and alkali resistant.

Cadmium Yellow: Pigment prepared by precipitation from acid solution of soluble cadmium salt with hydrogen sulfide gas; fast to alkalis but not to acids.

Cadmium: A bluish white malleable ductile toxic metallic element used in protective platings and in bearing metals.

Café: A small coffee shop or simple restaurant.

Cafeteria: A restaurant where the diners collect their food on a tray and usually pay before eating.

Cage Ladder: A usually wall-mounted, ladder that has, for safety, a surrounding structure to prevent the climber from falling off.

Caging: Metal furring used to enclose pipes, columns, beams or other configurations to be concealed by gypsum board.

Caisson Disease: A sometimes fatal disorder that afflicts workers in a compressed air atmosphere who return to normal air pressure too quickly; decompression sickness; also called The Bends, Air Embolism, or Aerembolism.

Caisson: 1. A type of drilled or augured piling. 2. A cylindrical, sitecast concrete foundation that penetrates through unsatisfactory soil to rest upon an underlying stratum of rock or satisfactory soil. 3. A foundation pier, either circular or rectilinear in plan, usually sunk to rock either by means of gravity, compressed air or by the open-well method. 4. A panel sunk below the normal surface in flat or vaulted ceilings

Caking: Hard settling of pigment from paint.

Cal/OSHA: California Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Calcareous: Containing calcium or calcium carbonate; chalky.

Calcification: Buildup of calcium carbonate on swimming pool walls and equipment; caused by precipitation of calcium from hard water.

Calcimine: A white or tinted wash consisting of glue, whiting or zinc white, and water, used primarily on plastered surfaces; a type of tempera; sometimes written Kalsomine.

Calcine: 1. To alter composition or physical state by heating. 2. To drive off or lose chemically combined water by action of heat thereby altering the chemical and physical characteristics of a material. 3. To release part or all of the water of crystallization from gypsum by the application of heat. 4. A ceramic mineral or mixture fired to less than fusion for use as a constituent in a ceramic composition.

Calcined Board: Gypsum board that has been subjected to excessive heat.

Calcined Gypsum: Gypsum that has been partially dehydrated by heat.

Calcined: Heated to high temperature in absence of air.

Calcium Aluminate Cement: The product obtained by pulverizing clinker consisting essentially of hydraulic calcium aluminates resulting from fusing or sintering a suitably proportioned mixture of aluminous and calcareous materials.

Calcium Carbonate: Earth product obtained from deposits of chalk or dolomite; also called Whiting; used as extender pigment.

Calcium Driers: Used widely in combination with other metal driers to convert paint to hard films.

Calcium Gypsum: A dry powder, primarily calcium sulfate hemihydrate, resulting from calcination of gypsum; cementitious base for production of most gypsum plasters; also called Plaster of Paris; sometimes called Stucco.

Calcium Hypchlorite: A chemical compound of chlorine and calcium used as a bacteriacide in swimming pools; available in white granular or tablet form and releases 70 percent of its weight as available chlorine.

Calcium Insulation: A type of insulation, made of hydrated calcium silicate, that can withstand 1200° Fahrenheit and is not affected by moisture.

Calcium Silicate: A sand and lime solution.

Calcium Sulfate: 1. The chemical compound CaSO4. 2. White inert pigment, which provides very little colour or opacity. 3. A drying agent or desiccant in liquid line driers.

Calculus: A method of computation or calculation in a special notation; the use of algebra to calculate changing quantities.

Calendar Day: Each and every day on the calendar without dction for weekends or holidays.

Calendered Papers: Wallpapers with hard finish.

Caliber: 1.The internal diameter of a tube. 2. The character and capacity of a firm.

Calibrate: To verify the graduations of an instrument and adjust them if necessary.

Calidarium: The room containing the warm bath in Roman baths, also called Thermae.

California Redwood Association (CRA): 405 Enfrente Drive #200, Novato, California 94949, (415) 382-0662, FAX (415) 382-8531.

Caliper: 1. A measuring instrument with two legs resembling a divider, for measuring thicknesses, diameters, and distances between surfaces; with in-turned points to measure convex surfaces and out-turned points for measuring internal dimensions. 2. The precise measured thickness of gypsumboard. 3. The diameter of a tree trunk.

Call System: A communicating device to connect one place with another.

Calorie: 1. Small calorie or gram calorie, used by medical science; the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius. 2. Large calorie or great calorie; used by engineering science; the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius; a kilocalorie equals 1,000 calories.

Calorimeter: Device used to measure quantities of heat or determine specific heats.

Cam: A projection on a rotating part in machinery, shaped to impart reciprocal or variable motion to the part in contact with it.

Camber Rod: A tension rod installed under a trussed beam.

Camber: 1.A deflection that is intentionally built into a structural element or form, usually a beam, to improve appearance or to nullify and offset the deflection of the beam under the effects of loads, shrinkage, and creep. 2. A slight rise at the center of a flat arch.

Cambium: A thin layer of tissue in a tree between the bark and wood that repeatedly subdivides to form new wood and bark cells.

Came: Slender grooved lead rod used in stained glass windows.

Camera Cable: A device for the transmission or recording of visual images.

Campanile: A freestanding bell tower.

Campus: The grounds and buildings of a university, college, or school.

Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB): 222 Queen Street, 14th Floor, Ottawa, Canada K1A 1G6, (613) 941-8648.

Canadian Standards Association (CSA): 178 Rexdale Boulevard, Rexdale, Toronto, Canada, M9W 1R3, (416) 747-4000.

Candela: An international unit of luminous intensity; also called a Candle.

Candelabrum: (Pl. candelabra) A branched candlestick or lamp with several lights.

Candelilla Wax: Wax obtained from small shrub grown in Texas and Mexico; softer than Carnuba wax.

Candle: See Candela.

Candlepower: The unit of luminous intensity of a light source, expressed in Candelas.

Cane Bolt: An L-shaped rod, mounted on a swinging or sliding door or gate that drops into a pipe sleeve below the floor surface to secure the door or gate.

Cannibalization: The process of operating an income property by borrowing parts, fixtures, and equipment from vacant spaces.

Cannular: Tubular.

Canopy: An overhanging shelter; a marquee.

Cant Strip: 1. A strip of material, usually treated wood or fiber, with a sloping face used to ease the transition from a horizontal to a vertical surface at the edge of a flat roof; prevents the roofing material from abruptly stopping at the parapet wall and also helps prevent leakage at that juncture. 2. A triangular shaped strip of wood used under shingles at gable ends or under the edges of roofing on flat decks.

Cantilever Wall: A retaining wall in which the wall and footing resists earth pressure by cantilever effect.

Cantilever: A structural shape, beam, truss, or slab, that extends beyond its last point of support.

Cantilevered Beam: A beam that is supported at one end only.

Cap Base: Wood strip applied to the base of a wall to protect wall surface and finish the intersection of wall and baseboard.

Cap Block: A solid flat slab usually 2-1/4 inches thick used as capping units for parapet and garden walls; also used as a Paving Unit.

Cap Flashing: See Counterflashing.

Cap Rate: See Capitalization Rate.

Cap Sheet: The top sheet of roofing in a built up roof, usually made of organic or inorganic fibers, saturated and coated on both sides with a bituminous compound and factory-coated with mineral granules, mica, talc, iliminite, asbestos, or other inorganic fibers, or similar material.

Cap, Black Iron: A steel fitting, with female threads, which seals the end of a pipe.

Cap, Pile: A structural member usually fastened to, and placed on the top of a slender timber, concrete, steel pile; used to transmit loads into the pile or group of piles and to interconnect them.

Cap, Post: A fitting which joins the end of a wooden post to a joist or girder connected to the post.

Cap, Welded: A fitting that is fastened by welding to seal the end of a pipe.

Cap: 1.A caplike part or thing; cover, or top. 2. An upper limit set on a budget or cost; a ceiling. 3. A trim tile with a convex radius on one edge; used for finishing the top of a wainscot or for turning an outside corner, a bullnose. 4. The upper member of a column, pilaster, door, cornice molding, and the like. 5. A female pipe fitting, solid at one end; used to close off the end of a piece of pipe. 6. Masonry units laid on top of finished masonry wall or pier. 7. Flashing for tops of parapet walls.

Capacitance Sensor: A sensor, which shows a devices ability or hold or store electrical energy.

Capacitance: Property of a nonconductor, condenser or capacitor, that permits storage of electrical energy in an electrostatic field; a measure of this is the farad. 2. Property of an electric circuit that tends to oppose a change in voltage.

Carrier Channel: The main supporting metal members used in the construction of suspended ceilings.

Carrier, Fixture: A mounting frame built into a wall to support a plumbing fixture.

Carrying Channels: See Channels, Carrying.

Cart, Laundry: A push or pull institutional vehicle with wheels, for the transport of clean or soiled laundry.

Cartouche: An ornamental frame.

Cartridge Filter: A swimming pool filter which operates through a disposable cartridge; these are of two general types. the surface or area type where the suspended matter is removed at the surface and the depth type in which the interstices vary from large to small in depth.

Cartridge, Extinguisher: The cylindrical container of a fire prevention apparatus that contains the chemicals used in the suppression of fire.

Cartridge: 1. Any of various small containers, holding a supply of material for a larger device into which it is inserted. 2. Disposable element containing filtering media and used in some pool filters.

Carved Carpet: See Sculptured Carpet

Carved Door: A door that has been finished with either factory or hand cutting onto its surface to improve its appearance.

Cascade Sequence: In welding, a combined longitudinal and buildup sequence wherein weld beads are deposited in overlapping layers; in manual shielded metal arc welding a backstep sequence is normally used. See Block Sequence and Buildup Sequence.

Cascade System: Arrangement in which two or more refrigerating systems are used in series; uses the evaporator of one machine to cool the condenser of another machine; produces ultra-low temperatures.

Case Joint: A type of joint used in cabinetmaking in which the two pieces are butted together at an angle and fastened by dowels.

Case Mold: Plaster shell used to hold various parts of a plaster mold in correct position; also used with gelatin and wax molds to prevent distortions during pouring operation.

Case, Refrigerated: A storage case kept cold by a mechanical device. For use to store perishable items.

Casein Glue: An adhesive substance composed of casein (the curd of milk), lime, and sodium salt; it comes as dry powder to which water is added.

Casein Paints: Paint in which casein solution has replaced the binder.

Casein: Protein obtained from milk, soluble in alkaline water solution; casein is used extensively in the manufacture of water paints.

Casement: A window in which the sash opens with hinges and pivots on an axis along the vertical line of the frame; casement window.

Casework: Assembled cabinetry or millwork.

Cash Accounting: A method of keeping accounting records in which income is recorded when actually received and expenses are recorded when cash is paid out; also called Cash Basis.

Cash Basis: See Cash Accounting.

Cash Flow: The actual cash income after all cash outlays and reserves have been dcted from the gross income.

Casing Bead: Metal or wood molding used to separate different materials, used as an edge or used around openings to provide a stop.

Casing Trim: Metal or wood material that is attached around windows and doors to act as the decorative finish.

Casing, Ranch: An architectural style of exposed millwork enclosure of cased beams, posts, pipes, and the exposed molding or lining around doors and windows.

Casing: 1. The wood finish pieces surrounding the frame of a window or door, or the finished lumber around a post or beam. 2. A cylindrical steel tube used to line a drilled or driven hole such as a well or caisson.

Casino: 1. A building or room used for gambling or other amusements. 2. A small summerhouse.

CASSB: Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau.

Cassiterite: An inorganic mineral of the tetragonal form used as a source of tin and tin oxide; SnO2.

Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (CISPI): 5959 Shallowford Road, #419, Chattanooga, North Carolina 37421, (615) 892-0137.

Cast Iron Wheel Guard: Lineal component placed at intersection of wall and horizontal surface to restrain wheels of vehicles from coming close to wall surface, protecting it from vehicular damage.

Cast Iron: Iron with a high carbon content, which cannot, because of the percentage of carbon, be classified as steel.

Cast Stone: Concrete cast in molds for ornamental use in construction.

Cast: Inclination of one colour to look like another; for example, sulfur is yellow with a greenish cast.

Castellated Beam: A steel, wide-flange section whose web has been cut along a zigzag path and reassembled by welding in such a way as to create a deeper section.

Casting Bed: A form in which precast concrete units are constructed.

Casting Mold: Use of gelatin, wax, or plaster molds to make plaster ornamentation

Casting Plaster: A fast-setting gypsum plaster that is used to anchor marble to walls; see Gypsum Molding Plaster.

Casting, Solid: Forming castings by introducing a body slip into a porous mold which usually consists of two major sections, one section forming the contour of the inside of the ware and allowing a solid cast to form between the two mold faces.

Casting: Something cast in a mold, like cast iron or cast aluminum.

Cast-In-Place Concrete: Concrete that is poured in its intended location at a site.

Cast-In-Place: Mortar or concrete which is deposited in the place where it is required to harden as part of the structure, as opposed to precast concrete.

Castor Oil: Nondrying oil obtained from the castor bean; may be converted to a drying oil by chemical treatment.

Casts: Finished plaster products from a mold, sometimes referred to as staff; used generally as enrichments and stuck in place.

Catalyst: A substance that initiates a chemical reaction and enables it to proceed under different conditions (as at a lower temperature) than otherwise possible.

Catch Basin: A receptacle for catching water runoff from a designated area; usually a shallow concrete box with a grating and a discharge pipe leading to a plumbing or storm water system.

Catch: A piece of hardware for fastening a door, window, or cabinet door.

Catenary: The curve assumed by a completely flexible string or cable loaded only by its own weight.

Catface: Blemish or rough depression in the finish coat of plaster caused by variations in base coat thickness.

Cathedral: A church that is the official seat of a diocesan bishop.

Cathode: 1. The negative electrode in an electrolytic cell. 2. The positive terminal of a primary cell such as a battery.

Cathode-Ray Tube: A high-vacuum tube in which cathode rays produce a luminous image on a fluorescent screen.

Catwalk: A narrow walkway, such as used in an attic for access.

Caulk, Masonry: A resilient material applied where masonry work butts against other materials to seal cracks or openings.

Caulk: 1. To seal and waterproof cracks and joints, especially around window and exterior door frames. 2. To seal small openings in wall or ceiling systems to prevent leakage of sound or to affect a finished appearance and seal between dissimilar materials.

Caulking Compound: A soft, plastic material used for sealing joints in buildings and other structures where normal structural movement may occur; retains its plasticity for an extended period after application; available in forms suitable for application by gun and knife and in extruded preformed shapes.

Caulking Gun: A device, usually hand-powered, which dispenses liquid caulking into joints and seams.

Caulking: 1. A composition of vehicle and pigment, used at ambient temperatures for filling joints; remains plastic for an extended time after application. 2. A method of making a bell and spigot pipe joint watertight by packing it with oakum and lead or other materials.

Caustic Lime: Lime.

Caveat Emptor: Let the buyer beware. A warning that the buyer purchases at its own risk

Caveat: A warning or proviso.

Cavetto: A quarter hollow molding, the converse of a quarter round

Cavitation: Localized gaseous condition or partial vacuum that is found within a liquid stream; caused by mechanical force, as in a pump impeller, or in fluids at high velocities.

Cavity Wall Anchor: A metal device mounted on a masonry wall used to secure other attachments or masonry to an existing or back-up wall.

Cavity Wall: A masonry wall that includes a continuous airspace between its outermost wythe and the remainder of the wall.

Cavity: A hollow or void space within a mass.

CBD: Commerce Business Daily; a daily newspaper that carries listings of governmental contracts available for bidding.

CC&Rs: Covenants, conditions, and restrictions.

C-Clamp: A clamp in the shape of a “C” with jaw capacities usually ranging from 1 to 8 inches used for the securing of wood or metal pieces in a fixed position and for temporary assemblies.

CCMCA: California Conference of Mason Contractor Associations, Inc.

CCTV Cable: Cable that is used for the transmission of closed-circuit television.

CCTV: Closed Circuit Television.

CDA: Copper Development Association.

CDX Plywood: Plywood used in exterior applications that is graded C and D, for sheathing.

CDX: A grading system mark for plywood, which means. grade C and D, exterior glue.

CE: Civil Engineer.

Cedar Closet: A closet that is lined with thin pieces of cedar wood; used for its fragrance and its ability to repel insects.

Cedar Deck: A flat-floored roofless area adjoining a structure constructed of cedar wood; a platform serving as a structural element constructed of cedar wood; planks for flooring, from cedar, usually 2″ nominal thickness.

Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CASSB): 515 116th Avenue, NE, #275, Bellevue, Washington 98004-5294, (206) 453-1323.

Cedar Shake: A shingle made by splitting a block of cedar along its grain and thereby creating a shingle which may be used for roofing or siding; also called Handsplit Shingles.

Cedar Shingle: A thin piece of cedar wood with one end thicker than the other for laying in overlapping rows as a covering for a roof or the sides of a building or structure.

Cedar Siding: Boards milled from cedar wood, used for the finish covering on the exterior walls of a building or structure; used for its appearance and resistance to moisture and aging.

Cedar: An aromatic durable softwood, genus Cedars, of the pine family.

Ceiling Access Door: A hinged door or loose fitting panel that allows for admittance to an attic.

Ceiling Blocking: Wood pieces installed between ceiling joists and rafters to provide nailing surfaces for finishing ceiling materials.

Ceiling Diffuser: A mechanical device through which warm or cold air is blown into an enclosure, for the purpose of to distributing conditioned air.

Ceiling Framing: Wood or metal pieces that form the rough framing of ceilings.

Ceiling Furring: Wood or metal strips applied to a ceiling or rafter to make the ceiling or rafter level, provide a nailing surface, or create an air space.

Ceiling Grille: A grating, screen, or louvered panel that allows air into a ventilating duct.

Ceiling Heater: An electric heater installed in a ceiling, often in a bathroom.

Ceiling Insulation: Loose, blown-in material or fiberglass rolls that are in installed at the ceiling plane.

Ceiling Joist: The horizontal members in a building or structure to which the ceiling material is fastened.

Ceiling Lath: Sheets of expanded metal, gypsum or in older structures, wood lath, which are attached to a ceiling to provide a plaster base.

Ceiling Molding: Molding that is used to form a projection at the top of a wall.

Ceiling Mortar: Extra-rich wall mortar.

Ceiling Painting: The actual physical process of applying paint, either by brush, roller, or spray gun to the ceiling section of a structure.

Ceiling Plenum: Space below the flooring and above the suspended ceiling that accommodates the mechanical and electrical equipment and that is used as part of the air distribution system.

Ceiling Price: The maximum price that an informed buyer would pay to purchase or lease property.

Ceiling Removal: The demolition and removal of ceiling materials in order to replace or remodel.

Ceiling Sound Transmission Class: A measure of rction in sound transmission via plenum path between two rooms.

Ceiling: 1. The overhead inside lining of a room; classified by structural type, contact, furred, or suspended.

Cell: 1. Any void space. 2. A single room in a prison or jail. 3.The anatomical units of plant tissue, including wood fibers, vessel members, and other elements of diverse structure and function. 4. One of the hollow openings in building tile or cement blocks. 5. In electrical raceways, a single, enclosed tubular space in a cellular metal floor member, the axis of the cell being parallel to the axis of the metal floor member.

Cellar: Basement

Cellular Concrete: A lightweight product consisting of portland cement, cement-pozzolan, cement-sand, lime-pozzolan or lime-sand pastes, or pastes containing blends of these ingredients and having a homogenous void or cell structure, attained with gas- forming chemicals or foaming agents; for cellular concretes containing binder ingredients other than or in addition to portland cement, autoclave curing is usually employed; also called Foam Concrete or Gas Concrete.

Cellular Decking: Metal floor or roof deck panels made of steel sheets corrugated and welded together in such a way that hollow longitudinal cells are created within the panels. Deck which during construction supports wet concrete and construction loads, but after concrete cures does not perform structural function in completed construction; deck also is fabricated of two sheets to form linear voids.

Cellular Raceway: The hollow spaces of cellular metal floors, together with suitable fittings, that are used as enclosures for electrical and telephone conductors.

Cellulose Acetate: A binder made by chemical reaction of acetic acid on cellulose (cotton linters).

Cellulose Nitrate: A binder made by chemical reaction of nitric acid on cellulose (cotton linters); also called Nitrocellulose or Pyroxylin.

Cellulose: 1. The carbohydrate that is the principal constituent of wood and forms the framework of the wood cells. 2. An organic substance obtained from the cotton plant and used as raw material in the manufacture of paints and other materials.

Celsius Temperature Scale: The temperature scale used in metric system in which the freezing point of water is 0° and the boiling point is 100°; see Celsius.

Celsius: International thermometric scale where 0.01 degrees represents the triple point of water and 100 degrees the boiling point; similar to Centigrade.

Cement Asbestos: A material composed of portland cement, fine aggregate, and asbestos fibers; it is formed into flat and corrugated building boards used for roofing and siding, pipes and fittings, and water tanks.

Cement Base Paint: A paint composed of portland cement, lime, pigment, and other modifying ingredients; sold as dry powder to be mixed with water for application.

Cement Body Tiles: Tiles with the body made from a mixture of sand and portland cement; the surface may be finished with portland cement, spheroids of marble, or other materials.

Cement Colour: Coloured powdered or liquid pigments added to a mix to integrally colour concrete.

Cement Content: The quantity of cement contained in a unit volume of concrete or mortar, ordinarily expressed as pounds, barrels, or bags per cubic yard.

Cement Factor: The number of bags or cubic feet of cement per cubic yard of concrete; see Cement Content.

Cement Fiber Board: A prefabricated concrete building sheet that is compressed and bonded.

Cement Fiber: A threadlike structure added to cement to stiffen and strengthen it.