Term | Definition |
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Sabin | Measure of sound absorption of a surface, equivalent to 1 sq. ft. of a perfectly absorptive surface. |
Saddle | A ridge in a roof deck that divides two sloping parts, diverting water toward roof drains. |
Safing | Fire stop material in the space between floor slab and curtain wall in multi-story construction. |
Safing Off | Installation of fire safety insulation around floor perimeters, between floor slab and spandrel panels. Insulation helps retain integrity of fire resistance ratings. |
Sandstone | A sedimentary rock formed from sand. |
Sanitary Sewage | Waste material containing human excrement and other liquid wastes. |
Sanitary Sewer | A sewer that receives sanitary sewage without the infusion of other water such as rain, surface water, or other clear water drainage. |
Sapwood | The wood near the outside of the log just under the bark. |
SBCCI | Southern Building Code Congress International, nonprofit organization that publishes the Standard Building Code. |
Scab | Small piece or block of wood that bridges several members or provides a connection or fastening between them. |
Scratch Coat | The first coat of gypsum plaster that is applied to the lath. |
Screed | A tool used to strike off the surface of freshly poured concrete so it is flush with the top of the form. |
Screeding | The process of striking off the surface of freshly poured concrete with a screed so it is flush with the top of the form. |
Scupper | An outlet in a parapet wall for the drainage of overflow water from the roof to the outside of a building. |
Scuttle | An opening through the ceiling and roof to provide access to the roof. It is covered with a waterproof cover. Also referred to as a roof hatch. |
Sealant | A mastic used to seal joints and seams. |
Sealer | A material used to seal the surface of a material against moisture. |
Seasoning | Removing moisture from green wood. |
Seated Connections | Connections that join structural steel members with metal connectors, such as an angle upon which one member, such as a beam, rests. |
Section Modulus (S) | Numerical relationship, expressed in in.3, of the resistance to stress of a member. It is equal to the moment of inertia divided by the perpendicular distance from the neutral axis to the extremity of the member. |
Security Glass | Glass panels assembled with multiple layers of glass and plastic to produce a panel that will resist impact. |
Sedimentary Rock | Rock formed from the deposit of sedimentary materials on the bottom of a body of water or on the surface of the earth. |
Segregation | The tendency of large aggregate to separate from the sand-cement mortar in the concrete mix. |
Seismic Area | A geographic area where earthquake activity may occur. |
Seismic Load | Forces produced on a structural mass by the movements caused by an earthquake. |
Semitransparent | Coatings that allow some of the texture and color of the substrate to show through. |
Sensible Heat | Heat that causes a detectable change in temperature. |
Septic Tank | A watertight tank into which sewage is run and where it remains for a period of time to permit hydrolysis and gasification of the contents, which then flow from the tank and are absorbed in the soil. |
Service Entrance | The point at which power is supplied to a building and where electrical service equipment, such as the service switch, meter overcurrent devices, and raceways, are located. |
Service Equipment | The equipment needed to control and cut off the power supply to a building, such as switches and circuit breakers. |
Service Temperature | The maximum temperature at which a plastic can be used without altering its properties. |
Shadowing | An undesirable condition where the joint finish shows through the surface decoration. |
Shaft Wall | Fire-resistant wall that isolates the elevator, stairwell and vertical mechanical chase in high-rise construction. This wall must withstand the fluctuating (positive and negative) air-pressure loads created by elevators or air distribution systems. |
Shales | Clays that have been subjected to high pressures, causing them to become relatively hard. |
shared-party-wall | A wall built on the dividing line between two adjoining parcels, in which each owner has an equal share of ownership. |
Shear | Force that tends to slide or rupture one part of a body from another part of the body or from attached objects. |
Shear Panel | A floor, wall, or roof designed to serve as a deep beam to assist in stabilizing a building against deformation by lateral forces. |
Shear Plate Connector | A circular metal connector recessed into a wood member that is to be bolted to a steel member. |
Shear Stress | The result of forces acting parallel to an area but in opposite directions, causing one portion of the material to "slide" past another. |
Shear Studs | Metal studs welded to a steel frame that protrude up in the cast-in-place concrete deck. |
Sheathing | Plywood, gypsum, wood fiber, expanded plastic or composition boards encasing walls, ceilings, floors and roofs of framed buildings. May be structural or non-structural, thermal-insulating or non-insulating, fire-resistant or combustible. |
Sheave | A pully over which the elevator wire hoisting rope runs. |
Sheeting | Wood, metal, or concrete members used to hold up the face of an excavation. |
SHEETROCK | Leading brand of gypsum panel for interior wall and ceiling surfaces, developed and improved by United States Gypsum Company. There is only one SHEETROCK brand Gypsum Panel. |
Shop Drawings | Related to steel construction, working drawings giving the information needed to fabricate structural steel members. |
Shoring | Temporary member placed to support part of a building during construction, repair or alteration; also may support the walls of an excavation. |
Shoring | Bracing used to temporarily hold a wall in position. |
Shrinkage Limit | Related to soils, the water content at which the soil volume is at its minimum. |
Siamese Connection | A connection outside a building to which firefighters connect an alternate water supply to boost the water used by the fire suppression system. |
Sill | Horizontal member at the bottom of a door or window frames to provide support and closure. |
Sill Plate | Horizontal member laid directly on a foundation on which the framework of a building is erected. |
Silt | Fine sand with particles smaller than 0.002 inches (0.05 mm) and larger than 0.00008 inches (0.002 mm). |
Single-Ply Roofing | A roofing membrane composed of a sheet of water-proof material secured to the roof deck. |
Sintering | A process that fuses iron-ore dust with coke and fluxes into a clinker. |
Site Investigation | An investigation and testing of the surface and subsoil of the site to record information needed to design the foundation and the structure. |
Site Plan | A drawing of a construction site, showing the location of the building, contours of the land, and other features. |
Site-Cast Concrete | Concrete poured and cured in its final position. |
Skylight | A roof opening that is covered with a watertight transparent cover. |
Slab | Flat (although sometimes ribbed on the underside) reinforced concrete element of a building that provides the base for the floor or roofing materials. |
Slab-On-Grade | A concrete slab poured and hardened directly on the surface of the earth. |
Slag | A molten mass composed of fluxes and impurities removed from iron ore in the furnace. |
Slake | The process of adding water to quicklime, hydrating it and forming lime putty. |
Slip Form | A form designed to move upward as concrete is poured in it. |
Slump | A measure of the consistency of freshly mixed concrete, mortar, or stucco. |
Slump Test | A test to ascertain the slum of concrete samples. |
Slurry | A liquid mixture of water, bentonite clay, or Portland cement. |
Slurry Wall | A wall built of a slurry used to hold up the sides of an area to be excavated. |
Smelting | A process in which iron ore is heated, separating the iron from the impurities. |
Smoke Barriers | Continuous membranes used to resist the passage of smoke. |
Smoke Developed Rating | A relative numerical classification of the fumes developed by a burning material. |
Soffit | Undersurface of a projection or opening; bottom of a cornice between the fascia board and the outside of the building; underside of a stair, floor or lintel. |
Soft-Mud Process | A process used to make bricks when the clay contains moisture in excess of 15 percent. |
Softwood | A botanical group of trees that have needles and are evergreen. |
Soil Anchors | Metal shafts grouted into holes drilled into the sides of an excavation to stabilize it. |
Soil Stack | A vertical plumbing pipe into which waste flows through waste pipes from each fixture. |
Soil Vent | That portion of a soil stack above the highest fixture waste connection to it. |
Solar Energy | Radiant energy originating form the sun. |
Solar Screen | A device used to divert solar energy form windows. |
Sole Plate | See Plate. |
Solid Clay Masonry | A unit whose core does not exceed 15 percent of the gross cross-sectional area of the unit. |
Solvents | Liquids used in paint and other finishing materials that give the coating workability and that evaporate, permitting the finish material to harden. |
Sound Absorption | Conversion of acoustic or sound energy to another form of energy, usually heat. |
Sound Insulation, Isolation | Use of building materials or constructions that will reduce or resist the transmission of sound. |
Sound Intensity | Amount of sound power per unit area. |
Sound Pressure Level (SPL) | Expressed in decibels, the SPL is 20 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the sound pressure to a reference pressure of 20 micropascals. See Decibel. |
Sound Transmission Class (STC) | Single-number rating for evaluating the effectiveness of a construction in isolating audible airborne sound transmission across 16 frequencies. Higher numbers indicate more effectiveness. Tested per ASTM E90. |
Span | Distance between supports, usually a beam or joist. |
Span Rating | Number indicating the distance a sheet of plywood or other material can span between supports. |
Spandrel Beam | Horizontal member, spanning between exterior columns, that supports the floor or roof. |
Spandrel Wall | Exterior wall panel, usually between columns, that extends from the window opening on one floor to one on the next floor. |
Special Units | Concrete masonry units that are designed and made for a special use. |
Specific Adhesion | Bonding dense materials using the attraction of unlike electrical charges. |
Specific Gravity | The ratio of the weight of one cubic foot of a material to the weight of one cubic foot of water. |
Specifications | A written document in which the scope of the work, materials to be used, installation procedures, and quality of workmanship are detailed. |
Speed of Sound | Varies with atmospheric pressure and temperature, but is the same at all frequencies. For most architectural work, the speed of sound should be taken as 1,130 ft./second. |
Spire | A tall pyramidal roof built upon a tower or steeple. |
Split Ring Connector | A ring-shaped metal insert placed in circular recesses cut in joining wood members that are held together with a bolt or lag screw. |
Spoil Bank | An area where soil from the excavation is stored. |
Spread Foundation | A foundation that distributes the load over a large area. |
Spreading Rate | The area over which a paint can be spread expressed in square feet per gallon. |