modern construction technology introduction

Designs of man-made structures are more complex than ever before, and they are getting no-
simpler. Requirements are increasing. Human tendency to compare the previous project with the
future one is just one of the reasons. Other reasons for pushing the construction engineering off
limits, include increasing population, use of newly developed materials together with software
developments, which allow us to design these complex structures. The engineering techniques
required for the implementation of designs are highly specific in nature and vary from design to
design. Look alone at the simple construction of pavement designs. Here, the performance of the
pavement is largely dependent on the sub grade and base layers. Durability and stability of the
pavement are decided by the ability of the sub base layers to provide strength and modulus in the
moist and underground conditions.
Since the top most layer is usually the one facing the largest stress and hence coated with
premium materials, the foundation must be uniform and stiff to support them. Engineering
constructions have grown to become highly sophisticated and organized in nature. One of the
prominent reasons is the concern for the safety of human life. In the simple case of pavement
engineering itself, there are various ways to measure the quality of construction. One of them is
Ride Quality parameter which measures the ride quality on the pavement. Non-destructive testing
techniques include Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Falling Weight Deflectometers (FWD).
We prepared and published this seminar abstract for final year engineering students seminar
research. You should do your own research additional to this information before presenting your
seminar.

plinth

1. Prevent leaking of water into foundation -
To prevent a house from settling it is
critical that no water be leaked into
foundation. Being made of cement, plinth
beam is impervious and therefore prevents
water from rain, flooding, etc. from leaking
into foundation.
2. Provides support for walls - For load
bearing houses, walls carry the weight of
the house. Plinth beam provides solid
footing to raise those walls.
3. Holds house together - Since plinth beam
sits across the periphery of the house, it
provides binding force across rooms. For
example, without plinth beam it is
possible for one of the rooms to settle
thus creating uneven floor level. Plinth
beam prevents that from happening.
Basic process to construct plinth beam is as
follows:
1. Mark-up width - Usually width of plinth is
half that of the foundation. In this case,
foundation is about 18" wide and so
plinth is 9" aligning with the outer edge of
the foundation. Inner 9" of foundation
meshes into the floor level of the house.
2. Lay down the steel beam - As the
adjacent picture shows beams are the
core of the plinth beam.  Beams have a
loop every 6" that holds it together.
3. Setup re-inforcement - Before concrete is
poured, re-inforcement has to be
established to provide rectangular shape
to the beam. This takes majority of effort
as planks have to be nailed properly in
place and once concrete is poured they
need to be removed.
4. Pour the concrete - Next step is to pour
the concrete. As concrete is poured,
mason ensures that it is evenly spread
and smoothens out any edges. He also
needs to ensure the height of the beam is
consistent throughout the periphery.
5. Remove re-inforcement - Concrete turns
solid within 24-hour and final step is to
remove the planks leaving the beam
intact.
This short video explains this process in
action.
Foundation Redone:
To give background context, ground level at
living room area is 1' higher than that at the
guest bedroom level. Typical height of plinth
level is 2.5' that includes 1' of plinth beam
and 1.5' of foundation masonry. Turns out
though that foundation masonry was 2.5' at
living room and 3.5' at guest bedroom. What
this meant was plinth height would be 3.5'
from natural ground level. This was realized
only when plinth beam casting was about to
start. To add to misery, by then Rainwater
tank was already done to align with 3.5' of
plinth !
My architect was clear that plinth level can
be no taller than 2.5' or else house would
look place oddly high. What followed was no
fun - We ended-up undoing a few days of
work. Specifically
Reduce Rainwater tank height
by 1' by chipping away at
just-finished concrete tank
Remove 1-layer of foundation
stone masonry from across
the house periphery to reduce
the foundation height by 1'.
Here is the clip of work being undone. It
could have been worse had plinth beam been
built. Good news was we caught it at a time
that cost us about a week and some cost in
material and labor. Having said that, there
were key lessons learnt -
1. Trust your gut instinct - Even though as
homeowners we may not be in
construction business, you have a feel for
what's going on. I certainly did feel that
foundation was looking tall. While "plinth"
was a new term and I didn't know that it
was 1' in height I concluded I knew no
better. That was the critical mistake. No
question is a dumb question especially
when you are new to the domain. Had I
had surfaced my instinct more strongly or
did some research things could have been
different.
2. Working drawing consultation - I
independently found my architect and
contractor. So they had no prior
relationship between them. When architect
released drawings there was no
consultation that occurred between the
two. So, architect didn't get a chance to
explain the nitty-gritty and contractor felt
drawings were clear-enough. A big no-
no ! It is critical that drawings are
released to contractor only after architect
has had a chance to explain them to the
contractor. It is best to have such
meetings at the site to relate paper
drawings to the actual mapping onsite.
Often times, what looks right on paper
doesn't feel right to the eye. If that's not
possible, have them meet at architect's
office.
3. Inspection schedule - Identify stages at
which architect would come and inspect
the site to validate it is built according to
the specifications. In this case, architect
mentioned a couple of times need to
schedule inspection. However, given that
this was first or second inspection we
were not as diligent as needed.
Again, in retrospect, it was not a terrible
setback.. Like many other things in life, none
of the lessons were new; rather they were re-
inforcement of what you would learn at many
other times. Lessons learnt were critical and
have since been put in practice. There is now
tighter collaboration between me or my wife,
architect and the contractor and crisper
conversation about respective point of view.
So, in the end it definitely had a silver lining !

ground beam of building

GROUND BEAMS
Here at Performance Foundations we can provide you with
traditional or piled ground beams for any building project you
may have, such as, an extension, single plot or multiple plots. By
having ground beams installed you can improve construction programmes by reducing poor ground conditions.
Ground Beams are designed to support brick/blockwork or to form a permanent shutter to the edge of insitu
concrete floor slab. The amount of reinforcement introduced into the design will be used to suit specific loading
requirements and the beams can be designed to withstand any heave forces with the use of void forming or
compressible materials.
Installation may require piling, then once that is complete we excavate the ground to a width and depth required
by your design or shuttered above ground. Reinforcement is then placed and the pile reinforcement tied into the
ground beam. After inspection by the relevant authorities the beam will be concreted.
FLOOR STABILISATION
In situations where industrial floors and yards are subject to excessive loading, we can improve the loadbearing
properties of the surface by pile insertion. This is a quick and clean process and causes minimal disruption to
your business.
To support existing concrete ground floor slabs, we can install a permanent pile casing in a pre-bored hole to a
calculated 'set' to carry the working loads. Piles are installed at designed centres and constructed to support the
existing concrete slab by means of an enlarged head at the top of the pile.

steps of foundation of building

Survey and Stake
Before any construction can begin, the home site is surveyed to
establish the home's basic footprint and to ensure the home is set
back the appropriate distances from the property lines. The corners
of the home are marked by surveyor's stakes. Offset stakes, which
are about two feet out from the surveyor's stakes, also are placed.
The excavator will dig at the offset stakes, creating a slightly larger
hole than the foundation actually will occupy. The extra room
enables crews to work on the exterior of the foundation walls.
Excavation
The depth of the excavation is determined by a structural engineer
who considers the soil, the frost line and the height of the water
table (the depth in the soil at which you find water). Surface soil is
removed to expose soil that is compacted enough to bear the load of
the home. The excavation must be deep enough to place the top of
the footing below the frost line. This prevents the concrete from
cracking due to the freeze-thaw cycle of the surrounding soil. The
excavation cannot be so deep that it's below the water table,
however, because that can cause a chronically wet or flooded
basement.
Footings
Footings are poured concrete pathways that help to spread the
weight of the home from the foundation walls to the surrounding
soil. Footings are wider than the foundation walls they support, and
form the perimeter of the home. Sometimes, additional footings are
added inside the perimeter to support load-bearing interior walls.
Sub-slab Systems
Plumbing lines are run from the street to the home's basement, by
going under or over the footing. In some regions, soil gas mitigation
systems are added to collect the soil gases trapped under the slab
and vent them to the outside. Eventually, these systems will be
covered with the poured concrete slab that is the basement floor.
Foundation Drainage Tile System
This system collects subsurface water and moves it away from the
foundation. Foundation drainage tile consists of a continuous run of
perforated drainage pipes embedded in gravel along the outside
perimeter of the footings.
Some building codes require drainage pipes along the inside
perimeter of the footings as well.
Sump
In regions where the earth is flat or the soil tends to be wet, a sump
may be added to help collect subsurface water. A sump pump moves
the collected water away from the home.
Walls
Foundation walls are constructed by pouring concrete between sets
of form work (the total system of support assemblies for freshly
poured concrete, including mold, hardware and necessary bracing.)
Once the concrete gains its full strength, the form work is removed.
Foundation wall thickness is determined by a structural engineer
who considers the height of the wall and the load it has to bear.
(Structural load is the force or combination of forces of gravity,
wind, and earth that acts upon the structural system of a home).
Wall thickness varies from home to home, and even within a home.
Anchor Bolts
Anchor bolts are embedded at pre-determined points along the top
of the foundation walls. They'll be used during framing to secure the
framing to the foundation.
Beam Pockets
Beam pockets are cast in the top of the foundation walls to receive,
support, and hold beams in place.
Dampproofing and Waterproofing
A dampproofing or waterproofing seal is applied to the exterior of
the foundation walls that eventually will be below-ground. This
slows or stops water from traveling through the walls and into the
basement.
Slab
A 3-inch to 4-inch thick concrete slab is poured between the walls.
The slab helps to stabilize the base of the foundation walls, and
also forms the basement floor.
Backfill
Backfill is pushed into the trenches around the exterior of the
foundation walls, burying a portion or all of the walls below the
surface for added stability. Ideally, backfill is soil that drains easily.