Construction – Construction terms

Construction terms

Construction terms: The construction terms you need to know

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Construction engineering terms

Engineering is a technical subject and profession, and it has it's fair share of technical jargon and interesting construction terms.

There are many different types of engineering, and we will try to focus on construction-related engineering terms here.

Beam - Beams come in various forms including simple beams, cantilever beams and continuous beams, and all beams share the common term meaning of being a structural member which carries loads cross-ways to their longitudinal axis.

Cantilever - A cantilever is the part of a member which extends over a beam and is not supported at its end.

Continuity - Continuity shares many things in common with the word continue. Continuity describes the transfer of loads and stresses from member to member as if there were no connections.

Dead load - Dead load describes the loads from the weight of the permanent components of a structure - in contract to dynamic loads which vary over time.

Girder - Girder is another structural construction engineering term, referring to the main horizontal member spanning between to main supports.

Kip - Some words in construction engineering simplify normal every day language. A kip is simply 1000 pounds.

Joist - Joist is one of the more commonly used construction terms, referring to a load-carrying member with a web system used to support floors and roofs - two of the most common elements of any building.

Shear - Most people have heard of sheared bolts, and this describes the term sheared well. Shear refers to the force resulting in two touching parts of a material sliding in opposite directions, often resulting in damage.

Torsion loads - A torsion load is a load which causes a member to twist.

Remembering your construction terms

Remembering all of your construction terms and acronyms can be a part-time job in and of itself.

Obviously over time, your construction vocabulary and terms will become larger and more sophisticated. But not all of us can wait for new and interesting construction terms to arise in conversation, nor is it advisable to ask what something means at times.

So in order to improve your construction terminology, it helps to read through articles and construction term 'dictionaries' like this, and more broadly, it helps to be proactive about learning and reading about the industry.

Staying on top of new trends in project management, engineering and construction technology can help you stay ahead of the curve - and avoid those awkward head-nodding moments when you have no idea about the construction term which someone has just dropped in your meeting.

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About Lance Hodgson

Lance is VP of Marketing at Sitemate. His aim is to bring awareness to a brighter future for the Built World where industrial workers and companies work smarter.

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