Name 3 construction materials that basement walls can be built with.
1. cast-in-place reinforced concrete
2. stacked CMU's (concrete masonry units)
3. pressure-treated wood
What are 4 examples of non-cohesive, course-grained soils?
1. sand
2. gravel
3. cobbles
4. boulders
What is the recommended slope away from the building for the finished grade?
1/2" per foot
Where is the vapor barrier/retarder placed for a basement?
under the floor slab
What is geotechnical engineering?
the study of the structural nature of soils
How deep is the frost line in St. Louis, MO?
30 inches
What are 6 methods to support vertical cut excavations?
1. sheet piles
2. cantilevered soldier piles
3. contiguous bored concrete piles
4. secant piles
5. soil nailing
6. bentonite slurry walls (for trenches)
What are 3 types of materials used for pile foundations?
1. steel
2. precast concrete
3. timber
T or F?
The allowable bearing capacity is smaller than the ultimate bearing capacity.
True
Which 3 factors are used to classify soil?
1. shape
2. size
3. cohesion
Name 3 different types of waterproofing materials used for basement walls.
1. rubberized asphalt
2. thermoplastic sheets
3. liquid applied elastomeric compounds
What are 4 reasons why a land survey is necessary?
1. needed to measure the site boundaries and topography
2. needed to locate the easements and encroachments
3. needed to determine drainage patterns
4. needed to determine site ownership and legal history
T or F?
Soil testing will determine the depth of the water table.
True
How far do foundation walls need to extend above the finished grade level?
8 inches
What are 2 types of fine-grained soils?
1. clay
2. silt
What are 3 types of fill that may be needed for backfilling an excavated site?
1. grading fill
2. select fill
3. engineered fill
What types of piers and piles are there?
- end bearing
- friction
What are the 2 types of ways in which a building may settle after construction?
1. uniformly
2. differentially
What is a sieve used for?
to measure soil particle size
What is the plasticity index used to determine?
how much a soil shrinks and swells with changes in moisture content
What is a drilled pier foundation dug with?
an auger
How is a basement waterproofed?
apply the vapor barrier under the floor slab
Which index determines how much the soil shrinks and swells with changes in moisture content?
plasticity index
What do course-grained soil particles lack?
cohesion .....of COURSE !!!
(ok FINE, I'll stop with the lame soil jokes...! )
1 kip equals how many pounds?
a. 10,000 lbs
b. 1 kipolometer squared of typical soil
c. 100 meters cubed of typical dry soil
d. 1,000 lbs
d. 1,000 lbs
Which type of soil has a flat, plate-like shape?
clay
True or false: An open excavation is the best option when needing to lay foundation for a large column or elevator shaft.
false. the best option for a column or elevator shaft is a pit excavation. an open excavation is best used for basements
From the following choices, choose the best method to mark utility lines when preparing a site.
A. Use ground stakes hammered into the ground, ensuring that they break ground clearance by at least 18 inches for maximum visibility
B. Placing a sign with an OSHA-approved warning label at the epicenter of the area of land to avoid excavating
C. Sprinkle Reese's Pieces candy all over the area that should not be dug into at all costs
D. None of the above
D. None of the above. The correct answer is by using colored flags to indicate what may be located under that section of Earth.
What is the most comprehensive, but also the most costly method used to obtain soil samples for testing?
test pit
What are 3 reasons why the test-boring method would be a better choice than the test pit method?
1. If the water table is high
2. if you need to determine the soil's density and strength
3. if you are on a limited budget and need to choose the most economical method
What does clay soil do which makes it unstable?
expands and contracts
What must extend below the frost line?
A. Drilled piers
B. Drilled piers and Driven piles
C. Driven piles
D. Mr. Freeze's secret underground lair
E. None of the above
E. None of the above. The base of footings must extend below the frost line. (D is an acceptable answer too, though)
What 2 things determine the type of necessary foundation?
1. characteristics of the soil near the surface
2. pressure exerted on soil by the loads on building
T or F?
The crawl space floor should be covered with mouse slab.
False. It should be covered with rat slab.
What 2 methods are used to prevent moisture build-up in a crawl space?
1. ventilation below the floor system
2. have vapor retarder covering the ground
To protect the foundation from surface water (rain and snow), the finished grade must slope away from the building:
A. 1/2 inch per foot for the first 15 feet
B. 1/4 inch per foot for the first 10 feet
C. 1/2 inch per foot for the first 10 feet
D. 1/4 inch per foot for the first 15 feet
C. 1/2 inch per foot for the first 10 feet
What is the typical diameter of a footing drain?
4 to 6 inches
T or F?
In fine-grained soils, settlement is immediate; that is, it occurs as the load is applied
False, in course-grained soils, settlement is immediate. In fine-grained soils, some settlement is immediate, but the remainder occurs over several months or years. This is called consolidation settlement.
What are clusters of deep foundation piles joined together at the top with?
pile cap
What are 3 ways to insulate a basement?
1. use rigid insulation below the concrete floor slabs
2. furred out stud walls with batt insulation
3. rigid insulation on the exterior side of foundation walls
The perforated edge of the drain pipe used around the perimeter of the footings is placed: ______.
face down
What are 4 materials/ways basement walls can be constructed?
1. using cast-in-place concrete
2. using prefabricated concrete
3. using concrete masonry units
4. pressure-treated wood