Project 1:  Building Codes and Materials

Who

This is a group assignment.  Your group number will be listed in Grade Center in the Rolla-section-1A Blackboard course.  You can meet your group members and exchange phone numbers, etc during class.  Group members for this first assignment will be in the same section (and on the same campus).  Group members for later assignments may be from other sections and across both campuses.

When

As a group, complete the following two steps by your section's lab period during the week of August 29-September 2.  You should be ready to discuss and/or show your results during that lab period.

What

Step 1. Building Codes

Select a location in the United States, outside of Missouri, that you and your group members would like to visit (or have already visited), and determine the following information for that location.  List the references for that information, and add all of this to the group's wiki in the Rolla-section-1A Blackboard course.  You are free to determine how best to format the wiki and present the requested information.  Other groups will be allowed to view the wiki and may be asked to evaluate it as the semester progresses.  It is okay to make it an anonymous wiki by not listing the group member's names.  If the course instructors get a complaint that a group member is not pulling his or her fair share of the effort, they will probably check the wiki log to see how often and long each group member spends with the wiki.

Requested information

  1. location
  2. ground snow load
  3. wind speed
  4. seismic design category
  5. weathering probability
  6. frost line depth
  7. termite infestation probability
  8. winter design temperature
  9. air freezing index
  10. mean annual temperature

Recommended references

Missouri S&T Library Missouri State Meyer Library

You are welcome to use any other credible source, except the local building authoring in your selected location.

Example location:  Rolla, Missouri

Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria Symbol Value Reference
ground snow load Pg 20 psf 2006 IRC Figure R301.2(5)
basic wind speed for 50-year
mean recurrence interval		 3-second gust V3s 90 mph 2006 IRC Figure R301.2(4)
fastest mile Vfm 76 mph 2006 IRC Table 301.2.1.3
seismic design category   C 2006 IRC Figure R301.2(2) (warning: this figure in the 2003 IRC is barely legible)
weathering probability for concrete   severe 2006 IRC Figure R301.2(3)
frost line depth   0.5-0.75 m,
2-3 ft		 www.ngs.noaa.gov/PUBS_LIB/GeodeticBMs/#figure13,
publications.usace.army.mil/publications/eng-manuals/em1110-1-1905/entire.pdf (Figure 2-1)
termite infestation probability   moderate
to heavy		 2006 IRC Figure R301.2(6)
winter design temperature, 97.5% winter (Dec, Jan, Feb)   5 deg-F 2006 IRC Figure R301.2(1)
air freezing index   500-1000,
719		 2006 IRC Figure R403.3(2),
www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/9712/AFI-pubreturn.pdf (100 year, 99% for Vichy airport)
mean annual temperature   55 deg-F,
55.3 deg-F		 ncdc.noaa.gov/img/fpsf/tempnormallarge.jpg,
www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/9712/AFI-pubreturn.pdf (for Vichy airport)

 

Step 2. Building Materials

Visit a local home-improvement store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc) and find the following information corresponding to your group number and the specified materials.  You should work independently of the other groups.  Limit the information to the merchandise in stock during your visit.  Add the information to the group's wiki.

Groups Materials Requested Information
1-4 all 2x2 and 2x3 lumber
  1. nominal size (thickness x width x length)
  2. actual size (thickness x width x length; average if necessary)
  3. number of plies (if plywood)
  4. wood species (approximate if necessary)
  5. lumber grade (if you can find it on the store sign or grade stamp)
  6. untreated or treated
  7. price

If you borrow a tape measure from the Tools department to make your 
measurements, please return it!  It would be quite annoying to the store 
employees for 100 people to leave tape measures in the lumber isles
and would look bad on S&T and MSU.
5-8 all 2x4 lumber
9-12 all 2x6 and 2x8 lumber
13-16 all 2x10 and 2x12 lumber
17-20 all lumber with thickness greater than 2"
21-24 all 0.0 to 0.5"-thick 4'x8' plywood and OSB, 
excluding siding and hardwood
25-30 all 0.5 to 1.0"-thick 4'x8' plywood and OSB, 
excluding siding and hardwood
31-34 one untreated piece of each of the following
  1. 2x4
  2. 2x6
  3. 2x8
  4. 2x10
  5. 2x12
  6. plywood, excluding siding and hardwood
  7. OSB
  1. nominal size (thickness x width x length)
  2. actual size (thickness x width x length)
  3. weight in pounds
  4. weight in pounds per cubic foot (using actual size) for lumber, plywood, OSB
  5. weight in pounds per square foot for shingles, roofing felt
    • 3 packages of shingles typically cover 1 square or 100 sqft
  6. comparison to the dead loads given in Chapter 1 of the textbook
    • percent difference = 2 abs[ (x1 - x2) / (x1 + x2) ] (100)

If needed, bathroom scales can be checked out from Dr. Thomas.
35-38 all 4'x8' sheets of siding,
one package of asphalt shingles,
one roll of No. 30 roofing felt (note sqft covered)

Optional:  The second project will involve finding a storage building to model.  While you are at the store, you may want to go ahead and pick a suitable building.