Required Course
Credits: 2-3-3 (3 semester hours)
Type of Course Supervised Lecture - Technology
Instructors: T. Russell Gentry
Prerequisites: ARCH 3241 and ARCH 4251
Course Overview:
Lateral loads and lateral load resisting systems for building structures. Design and application of Portland cement concrete mixtures. Design of reinforced concrete structures. Building foundations.
This lecture course begins with an introduction to lateral forces on buildings. The natures of lateral forces (wind, earthquake, soil pressure, and blast), as well as the way that buildings react to and resist lateral forces are presented. This segment of the course is a continuation of material presented in the prerequisite course, ARCH 4251. At this point, the course begins a discussion on Portland cement concrete. The initial focus is on the historical development of cementicious materials, on the constituents and proportioning of concrete mixes, and on the properties of fresh and cured concrete. Students complete a concrete mix design, mix the concrete, and track its compressive strength growth through 3, 7, 14, and 28 day compressive strength tests. The behavior of reinforced concrete structures is introduced and the types of steel reinforcements (flexural, shear, longitudinal, slab, etc.) are presented along with the behaviors of generic reinforced concrete elements: beams, columns, slabs, and footings. Students complete individual exercises on reinforced concrete framing systems that are collected and shared with the class. The final lectures of the class focus on calculations and design of common reinforced concrete elements. The design and behavior of post-tensioned concrete is explored through a final homework that leads students through calculations that demonstrate the difference between reinforced and pre-stressed concrete.
Learning Objectives: In the structural design sequence, students are expected to discover the structural ramifications of architectural decisions. Issues of form, span, structural density, and material choice are discussed in the context of architectural design. Students learn to communicate with structural consultants when designing complex structures and to assume the responsibility for structural design for simple structures. In ARCH 4252, the subject matter is more complex than in the perquisite course. Structural design for lateral loads and design of reinforced concrete structures require an emphasis on "understanding" behavior and "identifying" proper structural solutions, but not necessarily on completing detailed designs. The focus on reinforced concrete structural systems (one-way and two-way systems, reinforced and post-tensioned systems) builds on lectures from earlier Construction Technology I and II courses.
Course Requirements: The primary text for the structures design sequence (ARCH 4251 and ARCH 4252) is "Building Structures" by James Ambrose.
In ARCH 4252, this text is supplemented with readings from the following texts:
"Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures", Portland Cement Association, Latest Edition "Fundamentals of Building Construction", by Edward Allen (for concrete floor systems)
Students complete approximately 7 homework assignments during the semester. The first homework is a lateral force design exercise that draws on case-studies presented in the prerequisite course (ARCH 4251). The remaining homeworks deal with reinforced concrete materials, systems, and structural design. Two hourly exams are given during the term along with a final exam. The students also complete a team-based design / build / destruct exercise in reinforced concrete, similar to that is completed in ARCH 4251. The project starts early in the term with individual team members given responsibility for structural design, concrete mix design, and construction. The group project is documented with calculations, design drawings, construction photographs, and a post-mortem show-and-tell session.
see http://murmur.arch.gatech.edu/~rgentry/beam_project/index.html