Resistance to being worn away by rubbing or friction.

The process by which a liquid or mixture of liquid and gases is drawn into the pores of a porous solid material.

The relative ability to absorb sound and light.

A surface divider joint designed to allow free movement between new and existing construction or between different materials.

A substance, such as calcium chloride, added to a concrete mix to speed up its setting and strength development.

A raised finish floor surface consisting entirely of small, individually removable panels beneath which wiring, ductwork, and other services may be installed.

Right of an owner to have ingress and egress to and from a property.

A building or structure on the same lot as the main or principal building.

A ceiling of fibrous tiles that are highly absorbent of sound energy.

A glazing unit used to reduce the transmission of sound through the glazed opening by bonding a soft interlayer between the layers of glass.

Calcined gypsum mixed with lightweight aggregates.

Science dealing with the production, control, transmission, reception and effects of sound, and the process of hearing.

A transparent thermoplastic made from esters of acrylic acid.

The pressure exerted by retained earth against a retaining wall.

Materials mixed with a basic plastic resin to alter its properties.

The ability of a coating to stick to another surface.

A substance used to hold materials together by surface attachment.

A prepared substance added to concrete to alter or achieve certain characteristics.

A material that has the ability to cause molecules of gases, liquids, or solids to adhere to its surfaces without changing the adsorbent physically or chemically.

The sudy or theory of beauty.

A process that bonds ground iron-ore particles into pellets to facilitate handling.

Sand, gravel, crushed stone or other material that is a main constituent of Portland Cement, concrete and aggregated gypsum plaster. Also, polystyrene, perlite and vermiculite particles used in texture finishes.

Inert granules such as crushed stone, gravel, and expanded minerals mixed with Portland cement and sand to form concrete.

(1) The American Institute of Architects. Founded in 1857 and headquartered in Washington DC, the AIA offers resources for architects and is an advocate for the value of architecture.

Architects also use the AIA designation to indicate that they are both members of The American Institute of Architects and licensed to practice the profession.

(2) American Insurance Assn., successor to the National Board of Fire Underwriters and a nonprofit organization of insurance companies.

The incorporation of tiny air bubbles into concrete or mortar to improve its workability and resistance to freezing.

In plumbing, an unobstructed vertical distance between the lowest opening of any pipe that supplies a plumbing fixture and the level at which the fixture will overflow.

The process of treating air to control simultaneously its humidity, cleanliness, and temperature and to provide distribution within a building.

Wood dried by exposing it to air.

A Portland cement with an admixture that causes a controlled quantity of stable, microscopic air bubbles to form in the concrete.

Concrete with an admixture added that produces millions of microscopic air bubbles in the concrete.

A membrane enclosing a pressurized occupied space, which must be held down to its foundation.

Sound traveling through the medium of air.

Synthetic resin modified with oil for good adhesion, gloss, color retention, and flexibility.

The maximum unit stress permissible in a structural member. Also referred to as working stress.

A metallic material composed of two or more chemical elements one of which is a metal.

Amu substance added to a molten metal to change its mechanical or physical properties.

An electric current that varies periodically in value and direction by flowing first in one direction and then in the opposite direction.

The angle that the sun makes with the horizon.

A hydrated form of aluminum oxide from which aluminum is made.

The temperature of the surrounding air.

A basic SI unit that measures the rate of flow of electric current.

Bonding agents that set hard when not exposed to oxygen.

Metal securing device embedded or driven into masonry, concrete, steel or wood.

Heavy, threaded bolt embedded in the foundation to secure sill to foundation wall or bottom plate of exterior wall to concrete floor slab.

The angle of the sloped surface of the sides of an excavation.

Heating a metal to a high temperature followed by controlled cooling to relieve internal stresses.

A deformed shank nail with improved holding qualities specially designed for use with gypsum board.

Am electrolytic process that forms a permanent, protective oxide coating on aluminum.

American National Standards Institute, a nonprofit, national technical association that publishes standards covering definitions, test methods, recommended practices and specifications of materials. Formerly American Standards Assn. (ASA) and United States of America Standards Institute (USASI).

Plywood manufactured to the structural specifications and standards of APA - The Engineered Wood Association.

An underground permeable material through which water flows.

The total elapsed time in seconds and electric current must arc to cause a part to fail.

A curved structure in which the internal stresses are essentially compression.

Clay masonry units made with a textured or sculptured face.

Residential fire walls, usually with a 2- to 4-hour rating, designed to prevent spread of fire from an adjoining occupancy; extends from foundationGlossFoundation.1041 to or through the roof. Identified by codes as either "fire wall", "party wall" or "townhouse separation wall."

Formerly American Standards Assn., now American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Dark brown to black hydro-carbon solids or semisolids having bituminous constituents that gradually liquify when heated.

Formerly American Society for Testing and Materials, now ASTM, a nonprofit, national technical society that publishes definitions, standards, test methods, recommended installation practices and specifications for materials.

Reduction in sound level.

A high-pressure steam room that rapidly cures green concrete units.

A window that pivots near the top edge of the sash and projects toward the exterior.

A longitudinal load that acts at the centroid of a member and perpendicular to it's cross section.

Carpet formed by weaving on a loom that inserts each tuft of pile individually into the backing.

A horizontal angle measured clockwise from North or South.

A short piece of gypsum board adhesively laminated behind the joints between each framing member to reinforce the joint.

Earth filled in around a foundation wall to replace earth removed for construction of the foundation.

Pieces of wood nailed at the ceiling-sidewall corner to provide fastening for ends of plaster base or gypsum panels.

An electrical device to provide the starting voltage and operating current for fluorescent, mercury, and other electric discharge lamps.

Method of framing outside walls in which studs extend the full length or height of the wall.

The volume of soil in situ in cubic yards.

Open-web, flat truss structural member used to support floor or roof structure. Web section is made from bar or rod stock, and chords are usually fabricated from "T" or angle sections.

The absense of environmental barriers, permitting free access and circulation by the handicapped.

The amount of concrete mixed at one time.

Narrow strip of wood, plastic, metal or gypsum board used to conceal an open joint.

Ore containing high percentages of aluminum oxide.

Board for the Coordination of Model Codes; part of the Council of American Building Officials Association (CABO).

A straight horizontal structural loadbearing member spanning a distance between supports.

Support area upon which something rests, such as the point on bearing walls where the weight of the floor joist or roof rafter bears.

The ability of a soil to support load.

A pile that carries a vertical load.

A steel plate placed under a beam, column, or truss to distribute the end reaction from the beam to the supporting member.

A wall that supports any vertical load in addition to it's own weight.

To set firmly and permanently in place.

The hard, solid rock formation at or below the surface of the earth.

A relatively permanent point of known location and elevation.

Bowing of a member that results when a load or loads are applied laterally between supports.

The algebraic sum of the moments of all forces that are on one side of a give cross-section of a beam.

A compressive or tensile stress developed by applying non-axial force to structural members.

A process of grinding and concentration that removes unwanted elements from iron-ore before the ore is used to produce steel.

An absorptive clay that swells several times its dry volume when saturated with water.

A convex shapeed bank of earth.

Film-forming ingredient in paint that binds the suspended pigment particles together.

A generic term describing a material that is a mixture of predominantly hydrocarbons in solid or viscous form. It is derived from coal and petroleum.

Coating formulated by dissolving natural bitumens in an organic solvent.

Excess water that rises to the surface of concrete shortly after it has been poured.

Wood pieces inserted between joists, studs, rafters, and other structural members to stabilize the frame, provide a nailing surface for finish materials, and block the passage of fire between the members.

Volume of a piece of wood, nominal 19 x 129 x 18. All lumber is sold by the board-foot measure.

Lumber less than 2 inches (50.8 mm) thick and 1 inch (25.4 mm) or greater in width.

A closed vessel used to produce hot water or steam.

A continuous reinforced beam formed from horizontal masonry members bonded with reinforced concrete.