envs10003- hung ju teresa tung
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Construction Environments (ENVS10003) Interim Logbook Submission Hung Ju Teresa TungTRANSCRIPT
ENVS10003 Constructing Environments
A01 LOGBOOK
Hung-‐Ju Teresa Tung
WEEK 01: Introduction to Construction
COMPRESSION ACTIVITY: Compression is a characteristic of mass construction, and compression & tension does not have to simultaneously occur in a structure. The block tower was built as high as possible with the blocks stacked on top of each other. As there was nothing holding the structure firmly together, the tower used compression to support the load (if tension was present, the tower would not be able to stand, because the load cannot be held).
Image 02: Sketch of the tower with one block taken out and the load path of the structure.
Melbourne’s Bluestone:
Throughout Melbourne, bluestone (also known as basalt) can be found in various places (eg. The Cathedral on Flinders St). Bluestone is an igneous rock and a local building material that forms from volcanoes. On modern bluestones, lava flow can be seen, as bubbles that form from the lava are captured and left as little holes on the stone when cooled. The streets and laneways of Melbourne are shaped and coloured by the dark colouring of basalt-‐ this coincides with Dr. Margret Grove idea that ‘landscape is the fundamental background to the constructed city’. Melbourne is well known for its grey tone of environment.
Image 01: Sketch plan of the block tower. During the deconstruction process, the tower does not immediately fall apart, as the forces in the structure hold the loads in place. The load in the compression force will choose to reach the ground in the most direct route possible, and in the case of a missing block, the load will divert it’s route. Hence, as the main structure still exist, a few missing blocks does affect the standing of the tower.
Construction materials are significant in shaping the result of a structure. Taking into consideration of the potential load that the structure will hold, and the environment characteristics, the properties of strength, stiffness and shape of a material needs to be considered before utilized in the construction process. In general, steel (quite strong in both compression and tension) is stronger than timber, while brick/concrete are only strong in compression. Concrete is a stiff material, whereas carpet, rubber and nylon ropes are flexible and floppy. There are three different types of shape: mono-‐dimensional (linear), bi-‐dimensional (planar) and tri-‐dimensional (volumetric).
WEEK 01: Knowledge Map
FRAME ACTIVITY: For a load to be successfully transferred though an object, it needs to be evenly distributed, with minimal pressure and with a balanced centre. The formation of the balsa wood structure was built upon a large base, so that as the tower continues to grow, the centre will not shift, and the pressure can be reduced. Considering the lightweight of the balsa wood, a skeletal system was used to build the structure. This allows the loads to be transferred to the ground in an efficient way. As shown in Image 02, the tower was able to hold the load from the sticky tape, but it leans towards the right, because the centre is unbalanced.
Image 05: Path load of the balsa wood structure.
Image 06: Sketch of balsa tower.
Initially, the tower was to be built by gluing the joints together, however, waiting for the glue to dry was inefficient and caused the structure to collapse upon any load. The tower was completed using sticky tape instead. This resulted in the formation of fixed joint – as the sticky tape restricted horizontal, vertical and rotational movements. The tower was constructed with varying length of balsa strips -‐ the longer ones were placed vertically to create height and the shorter ones were constructed into triangles to support and keep the structure intact. Strips of balsa were later taped together to form a frame on the exterior. This longer strip aims to distribute the load more evenly, and provide strength to the whole tower.
Image 03: The main structure of the balsa tower under
construction.
Image 04: The balsa tower standing firm under the stress of the load.
As the tower tilts towards the right, tension is present in the left side of the structure, and compression is in the right side. Tension attempts to lift the tower off the ground on the left side, but as the load travels down to the ground, the structure is able to hold itself. Tension and load path are working in opposite directions.
WEEK 02: Structural Loads and Forces
WEEK 02: Knowledge Map
GLOSSARY Anisotropic: Anisotropic are materials that exhibit different characteristics and properties when force is applied. Battens: A long flat strip of metal or wood fastened onto structure to hold a material in place. Beams: As Ching describes: ‘Beams are rigid structural members designed to carry and transfer transverse loads across space to supporting elements’. Column: Columns are structural members designed to hold loads that are placed at either side of its ends. Dead Load: Static loads that is permanent, ‘comprising the self-‐weight of the structure and the weight of building elements, fixtures and equipment’ (Ching pp2.08). Frame: A frame is a rigid structure that holds the shape or supports the load of an external force. Isotropic: Materials that display similar characteristics and properties regardless of the direction the force are applied. Live Load: Any load that is not applied permanently on a structure. For example, snow, humans, furniture, water etc..
Load Path: A path that allow loads to move towards the ground in the most direct route available. Masonry: Timber, stone, concrete or brick work by a mason. Oscillate: The moving of a structure back and forth at a constant speed due to its magnitude and application of external forces. Point Load: A load that is situated at a particular point or position on a structure. Rafters: A performance requirement in the construction system that holds roof battens in place.
REFERENCES Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Site Analysis’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.1.07. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘The Building’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.02. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Building Systems’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.03. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Building Systems’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.04. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Loads on Buildings’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.08. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Wind Loads’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.09. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Earthquake Loads’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.10. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Structural Forces’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.11. Ching FD.K 2008, ‘Beams’, in F Ching, Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey., Canada, pp.2.14.
ESD and Selecting Materials 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Clare Newton. Framework for Analysing Form 2014, ENVS10003, Australia. By Dr. Alex Selenitsch. Melbourne's Bluestone 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Dr. Margaret Grose. Newton, C Basic Structural Forces (I), viewed 17 March 2014, < https://app.lms.unimelb.edu.au/bbcswebdav/courses/ENVS10003_2014_SM1/WEEK%2001/Basic%20Structural%20Forces%201.pdf> W01 c1 Construction Overview 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Clare Newton. W01 m1 Introduction to Materials 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Clare Newton. W01 s1 Load Path Diagrams 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Clare Newton. W02 c1 Construction Systems 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Clare Newton. W02 s2 Structural Joints 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Clare Newton. W02 s1 Structural Systems 2014, video recording, ENVS10003, Australia. By Clare Newton.