Single-Story Buildings

CENE 437: The Class: Introduction: Single-Story Buildings

Introduction

Single-Story Buildings - What and Why:

In this class, we will concentrate on an introduction to the design of single-story structures, and the use of wood and masonry within single story structures by looking at:
1. Basic structural system behavior:
  - The structural response of the building due to imposed loads, and
  - The development (e.g. estimating magnitude and direction) of structural loads.
2. Elements of wood roof systems.
3. Elements of reinforced masonry wall systems.
4. And, integration of wood and masonry elements into a system.
  - These are the most common mix of building materials in low-rise buildings.
Why single story structures?
- Largest type of structure built.
- Includes residential, industrial, and commercial facilities.
- Often a topic that is neglected in undergraduate engineering curriculums.
- Provides the fundamental knowledge base to build from.
What type of single story building is studied here?
- We will study a box-type, bearing/shear wall systems as opposed to other types of structures.
  
  System of walls (vertical) and roof elements(horizontal) that are generally simply supported and work together to support both vertical and horizontal loads.
- Another type of common structural building system (not covered in this class) is a system of internal moment resisting frames that resist vertical and horizontal forces. These systems typically are constructed of steel.
The single-story building elements considered in this class include:
1. Reinforced masonry wall construction:
  1. We will concentrate on hollow, reinforced with steel and grouted with cement concrete units (CMU) as opposed to other types of masonry units such as:
    - Brick units - clay, where the basic methodology for analysis and design is almost the same as CMU's except for dimensions, moisture and temperature considerations.
    - Unreinforced units
      - Earliest forms of building with stone or adobe (a mixture of clay, sand, and lime).
      - Strength dependent solely upon compression capacity of mortared unit.
      - Could not resist large tensile forces that developed during earthquakes
        
        1933 Long Beach Earthquake - impetus for reinforcing.
  2. Reinforced masonry wall construction is:
    - Long lasting with good weather durability.
    - Provides good fire resistance.
    - Good sound control.
    - Low maintenance.
    - Economically competitive.
2. Wood roof construction:
  1. In particular, we will study the panelized type of roof system vs. truss-type systems.
  2. The panelized system is a front-runner in roof systems for commercial and industrial buildings in the western U.S. because it is:
    - Light weight
    - Economical
    - Easy to construct
    - Aesthetically pleasing

Send Email to Deb Larson at Debra.Larson@nau.edu

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