Term | Definition |
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Pad | An approximately level building area. |
Pan | A metal form used to form the cavities between joists in cast-in-place concrete floors and roofs. |
Panelboard | A panel that includes fuses or circuit breakers used to protect the circuits in a building from overloads. |
Panelized Construction | Construction that uses preassembled panels for walls, floors, and roof. |
Parallel Strand Lumber | Lumber made from lengths of wood veneer bonded to produce a solid member. |
Parapet Wall | Extension of an exterior wall above and/or through the roof surface. |
Parging | The application of a portland cement plaster on masonry and concrete walls to make them less permeable to water. |
Particleboard | A sheet product manufactured from wood particles and a synthetic resin or other binder. |
Partition | A non-load-bearing interior wall. |
Party Wall | A wall built on the dividing line between two adjoining parcels, in which each owner has an equal share of ownership. |
Passive Solar System | A heating or cooling system that collects and moves solar heat whiout using mechanical power. |
Paver | A thin brick used as the finished floor covering. |
Penny (d) | Suffix designating the size of nails, such as 6d (penny) nail, originally indicating the price, in English pence, per 100 nails. Does not designate a constant length or size, and will vary by type (e.g., common and box nails). |
Performance Specification | States how a building element must perform as opposed to describing equipment, products or systems by name. |
Perlite | A lightweight material made from volcanic rock. |
Perm | A unit of measurement of Water Vapor Permenance (ASTM). |
Phenol | A class of acid organic compounds used in the manufacture of various resins, plastics, and wood preservatives. |
Phenolic | A synthetic resin made by the reaction of a phenol with an aldehyde. |
Photovoltaic Cells | Thin, flat semiconductors that convert light energy into direct-current electricity. |
Physical Properties | The properties associated with the physical characteristics of a material, such as thermal expansion and density. |
Pier | A column designed to support a load. |
Pig | An ingot of cast iron. |
Pig Iron | A high-carbon-content iron produced by the blast furnace and used to produce cast iron and steel. |
Pigments | Paint ingredients mainly used to provide color and hiding power. |
Pilaster | Projecting, square column or stiffener forming part of a wall. |
Pile | A wood, steel, or concrete column usually driven into the soil to be used to carry a vertical load. |
Pile Cap | A concrete slab or beam that covers the head of several piles, tying them together. |
Pile Hammer | A machine for delivering blows to the top of a pile, driving it into the earth. |
Pillar | Column supporting a structure. |
Pit, Elevator | The part of the hoistway that extends below the floor of the lowest landing to the floor at the bottom of the hoistway. |
Pitch | (1) The slope of a roof or other plane surface. (2) Related to carpets, the number of tufts in a 27-inch width of carpet. |
Pitch of Roof | Slope of the surface, generally expressed in inches of vertical rise per 12" horizontal distance, such as "4-in-12 pitch." |
Plaster | A cementitious material, usually a mixture of Portland cement, lime or gypsum, sand, and water. Used to finish interior walls and ceilings. |
Plaster Base | Any material suitable for the application of plaster. |
Plaster of Parts | A calcined gypsum mixed with water to form a thick, pastelike mixture. |
Plastic | An organic material that is solid in its finished state but is capable of being molded or of receiving form. |
Plastic Behavior | The ability of a material to become soft and formed into desired shapes. |
Plastic Deformation | The deformation of a material beyond the point at which it will recover its original shape. |
Plastic Liimit | Related to soils, the percent moisture content at which the soil begins to crumble when it is rolled into a thread 1/2 inch (3mm) in diameter. |
Plasticity | The ability of a material to be deformed into a different shape. |
Plasticizer | Liquid material added to some plastics to reduce their hardness and increase pliability. Also, an additive to concrete and mortar to increase plasticity. |
Plate | "Top" plate is the horizontal member fastened to the top of the studs or wall on which the rafters, joists or trusses rest; "sole" plate is positioned at bottom of studs or wall. |
Plate Glass | A high-quality glass sheet that has both surfaces ground flat and carefully polished. |
Platform | Floor surface raised above the ground or floor level. |
Platform Frame | A wood structural frame for light construction with the studs extending only one floor high upon which the second floor is constructed. |
Platform Framing | Technique of framing where walls can be built and tilted-up on a platform floor, and in multi-story construction are erected sequentially from one platform to another. Also known as "Western" framing. |
Plenum | (1) The space above a suspended ceiling. (2) Chamber in which the pressure of the air is higher (as in a forced-air furnace system) than that of the surrounding air. |
Ply | One of a number of layers in a layered construction. |
Plywood | A glued wood panel made up of thin layers of wood veneer with the grain of adjacent layers at right angles to each other or of outer veneers glued to a core of solid wood or reconstituted wood. |
Plywood Stressed-Skin Panel | A structural panel constructed with outer skins of plywood applied over an internal frame of wood members forming a rigid panel. |
Plywood, Cold-Pressed | Interior type plywood manufactured in a press without external applications of heat. |
Plywood, Exterior | Plywood bonded with a type of adhesive that is highly resistant to moisture and heat. |
Plywood, Interior | Plywood manufactured for indoor use or in locations in which it would be subject to moisture for only a brief time. |
Plywood, Marine | Plywood panels with the same glue as exterior plywood but with more restrictive veneer specifications. |
Plywood, Molded | Plywood that is glued to the desired shape either between curved forms or by fluid pressure applied with flexible bags or blankets. |
Plywood, Postformed | Panels formed when flat plywood sheets are reshaped into a curved configuration by steaming or the use of plasticizing agents. |
Pole Construction | Construction using large-diameter log poles in a vertical position to carry the loads of the floors and roof. |
Polycarbonate | A polyester made by linking certain phenols through carbonate groups. |
Polyester | A linear polymer mad by linear linking of oxybenzoyl units. |
Polyethylene | A thermoplastic resin made by polymerizing ethylene. |
Polyimide | A polymer based on the combination of certain anhydrides with aromatic diamines. |
Polymer | A chemical compound formed by the union of simple molecules to form more complex molecules. |
Polymerization | A chemical reaction in which molecules of a monomer are linked together to form large molecules whose molecular weight is a multiple of that of the original substance. |
Polyolefin | A polymer composed of open-chain hydrocarbons having double bonds. |
Polypropylene | A polymer produced by the linking of repeated propylene monomers. |
Polystyrene | A clear, colorless plastic resin made by polymerizing styrene. |
Polyurethane | A thermoplastic or thermosetting resin derived by the condensation reaction of a polyisocyanate and a hydroxyl. |
Polyvinyl Chloride | A thermoplastic resin derived by the polymerizatoin of vinyl and acetate. |
Ponding | The collection of waters in shallow pools on the top surface of a roof. |
Porcelain | A strong vitreous material bonded to metal at high temperature. |
Porcelain Enamel | An inorganic metal oxide coating bonded to metal by fusion at a high temperature. |
Portland Cement | Hydraulic cement produced by pulverizing clinker consisting essentially of hydraulic calcium silicates, usually containing one or more forms of calcium sulfate as an interground addition. |
Post, Plank, and Beam Framing | A wood-framing system using beams for horizontal structural members that rest on posts, forming the vertical members. |
Posttensioning | A method used to place concrete under tension in which steel tenons are tensioned after the concrete has been poured and hardened. |
Power | The rate at which work is performed, expressed in watts or horsepower. |
Pozzolan | A siliceous or siliceous and aluminous material blended with portland cement that chemically reacts with calcium hydroxide to form compounds possessing cementitious properties. |
Pozzolan Cement | A cement made from volcanic rock that contains considerable silica. |
Precast Concrete | Concrete cast in a form and cured before it is lifted into its intended position. |
Prescription Specification | Traditional procedure used on building projects to describe by name products, equipment or systems to be used. |
Pressure-Treated Lumber | Lumber that has chemicals forced into it under pressure to slow decay and provide resistance to fire. |
Prestressed Concrete | Concrete that has been pre-tensioned or post-tensioned. |
Pretensioning | A method used to place a concrete member under tension by pouring concrete over steel tendons that are under tension before the concrete is poured. |
Primer | A base coat in a paint system. It is applied before the finish coats. |
Property Line | A legal boundary of a land parcel. |
Proportional Limit | The upper limit at which stress is proportional to strain. |
Purlin | Horizontal member in a roof supporting common rafters, such as at the break in a gambrel roof. Also, horizontal structural member perpendicular to main beams in a flat roof. |