Definitions A - C

Accessory: A building product which supplements a basic solid panel building such as a door, window, light transmitting panel, roof vent, etc.
Agricultural Building: A structure designed and constructed to house farm implements, hay, grain, poultry, livestock or other agricultural products. Such structure shall not include habitable or occupiable spaces, spaces in which agricultural products are processed, treated or packaged; nor shall an agricultural building be a place of occupancy by the general public.
Aluminum Coated Steel: Steel coated with aluminum for corrosion resistance.
Anchor Bolts: Bolts used to anchor members to a foundation or other support.
Anchor Bolt Plan: A plan view drawing showing the diameter, location and projection of all anchor bolts for the components of the metal building system and may show column reactions (magnitude and direction). The maximum base plate dimensions may also be shown.
Approval Drawings: Approval drawings may include framing drawings, elevations and sections through the building as furnished by the manufacturer for approval of the buyer. Approval by the buyer affirms that the manufacturer has correctly interpreted the overall contract requirements for the metal building system and it's accessories, and the exact location of accessories in the building.
AISI:The American Iron and Steel Institute
AISC: The American Institute of Steel Construction
AISE: American Iron and Steel Engineers
Architectural Drawing: A drawing which shows the plan view and/or elevations of the finished building for the purpose of showing the general appearance of the building, indicating all accessory locations.
ASCE: American Society of Civil Engineers
ASD: Allowable Stress Design
Assembly: A group of mutually dependent and compatible components or subassemblies of components.
Astragal: A closure between the two leaves of a double swing or double slide door.
Automatic Crane: A crane which when activated operates through a preset series of cycles.
Automatic Welding: A welding operation utilizing a machine to make a continuous, unbroken weld.
Auxiliary Crane Girder: A girder arranged parallel to the main girder for supporting the platform motor base, operator's cab, control panels, etc., to reduce the torsional forces that such load would otherwise impose on the main crane girder.
Auxiliary Loads: All specified dynamic live loads other than the basic design loads which the building must safely withstand, such as cranes, material handling systems, machinery, elevators, vehicles, and impact loads.
Awning Window: A window in which the vent or vents pivot outward about the top edge giving the awning effects.
AWS: American Welding Society
Axial Force: A force tending to elongate or shorten a member
Bar Joist: A name commonly used for "Open Web Steel Joists"
Base Angle: An angle secured to a wall or foundation used to attach the bottom of the wall paneling.
Base Plate: A plate attached to the base of a column which rests on the foundation or other support, usually secured by anchor bolts
Base Tube: See "Cast in place Base"
Bay: The space between frame center lines or primary supporting members in the longitudinal direction of the building.
BBC: Basic Building Code
Beam and Column: A primary structural system consisting of a series of rafter beams supported by columns, often used as the end frame of a metal building system.
Bearing End Frame: see :Beam and Column"
Bearing Plate: A steel plate that is set on the top of a masonry support on which a beam or purlin can rest.
Bent: Primary member of a structural system
Bill of materials: A list of items or components used for fabrication
Bird Screen: Wire mesh used to prevent birds from entering the building through ventilators and louvers
Blind Rivet: A small headed pin with expandable shank for joining light gauge metal. Typically used to attach flashing, gutter, etc…
Block or Board Thermal Insulation: Rigid or semi rigid thermal insulation performed into rectangular units.
BOCA: Building Officials and Code Administrators International Inc.
Bonded Roof: A roof which carries a written warranty with respect to weathertightness for a stipulated number of years.
Box Girder: Girders, trucks or other members of rectangular cross-section enclosed on four sides.
Brace Rods: Rods or cables used in roof and walls to transfer loads such as wind loads, and seismic and crane thrusts to the foundation. (also often used to plumb buildings but not designed to replace erection tables)
Bracing: Rods angles or cables used in the plane of the roof and walls to transfer loads, such as wind, seismic and crane thrusts to the foundation.
Bracket: A structural support projecting from a wall or column on which to fasten another structural member. Examples are canopy brackets, lean to brackets, and runway brackets.
Bridge Crane: A load lifting system consisting of a hoist which moves laterally on a bean girder, or bridge which in turn moves longitudinally on a runway made of beams and rails. Loads can be moved to any point within a rectangle formed by the bridge span and runway length.
Bridging: Bracing or systems of bracing used between structural members.
British Thermal Unit (BTU): The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Builder: A party who, as routine part of his business, buys Metal Buildings Systems from a manufacturer for the purpose of resale.
Building: A structure forming an open, partially enclosed, or enclosed space structured by a planned process of combining materials, components, and subsystems to meet specific conditions of use.
Building Aisle: A space defined by the length of the building and the space between building columns.
Building Code: Regulations established by a recognized agency describing design loads, procedures and construction details for structures usually applying to a designated political jurisdiction (city, county, state, etc.)
Built-Up Roofing: A roof covering made up of alternating layers of tar and asphalt materials
Built-Up Section: A structural member, usually an "I" shape section, made from individual flat plates welded together
Bumper: An energy-absorbing device for reducing impact when a moving crane or trolley reaches the end of it's permitted travel, or when two moving cranes or trolleys come into contact.
Butt Plate: The end plate of a structural member usually used to rest against a like plate of another member in forming a connection. Sometimes called a splice plate or bolted end plate.
Bypass Girt: A wall framing system where the girts are mounted on the outside of the columns.
"C" section: A member in the shape of a block "C" formed from steel sheet, that may be used either singularly or back to back.
Cab-Operated Crane: A crane controlled by an operator in a cab supported on the bridge or trolley.
Camber: curvature of flexural member in the plane of its web before loading.
Canopy: A projecting roof system that is supported and restrained at one end only.
Cantilever Beam: a beam supported only at one end having a free end and fixed end.
Capillary Action: that action which causes movement of liquids when in contact with two adjacent surfaces such as panel sidelaps.
Cap Plate: A plate located at the top of a column or end of a beam for capping the exposed end of the member.
Capacity: the maximum load (usually stated in tons), which a crane is designed to support.
Cast in Place Base: A continuous member imbedded in the edge of the foundation to which the wall panels are attached.
Caulk: to seal and make weather-tight the joints, seams, or voids by filling with a waterproofing compound or material.
Chalking: When the paint finish on panels has a white powder film due to over exposure.
Channel, Hot Rolled: A "C" shaped member formed while in a semi-molten state at the steel mill to shape having standard dimensions and properties.
Cladding: The exterior metal roof and wall paneling of a Metal Building System. See also "Covering"
Clip: A plate or angle used to fasten two or more members together.
Closure Strip: A strip, formed to the contour of ribbed panels and used to close openings created by ribbed panels joining other components, either made of resilient material or metal.
CMU: Concrete Masonry Unit. Generally, used to construct masonry walls.
Cold Forming: The process of using press brakes or rolling mills to shape steel into desired cross sections at room temperature.
Collateral Loads: The weight of additional permanent materials required by the contract, other than the Building System, such as sprinklers, mechanical and electrical systems, partitions and ceilings.
Column: A primary member used in a vertical position on a building to transfer loads from main roof, beams, trusses, or rafters to the foundation.
Component: A part used in a Metal Building System. See also "Components and Cladding".
Components and Cladding: Members that include girts, purlins, studs, wall and roof panels, fasteners, end wall columns and end wall rafters or bearing en d frames, roof overhang beams, canopy beams, and masonry walls when acting as other than shear walls.
Concealed Clip: A hold down clip used with a wall or roof panel system to connect the panel to the supporting structure without exposing the fasteners to the exterior surface.
Connection: The means of attachment of one structural member to another.
Continuity: The terminology given to a structural system denoting the transfer of loads and stresses from member to member as if there were no connections.
Continuous Beam: A beam having three or more supports.
Covering: The exterior metal roof and wall paneling of a Metal Building System.
Crane: A machine designed to move material by means of a hoist.
Crane Aisle: The portion of a building aisle in which a crane operates, defined by the crane span and the uninterrupted length of crane runaway.
Crane Rail: A track supporting and guiding the wheels of a bridge crane or trolley system. On under hung cranes, the crane rail also acts as the runway beam.
Crane Runway Beam: The member that supports a crane rail and is supported by columns or rafters depending on the type of crane system. On under hung bridge cranes, the runway beam also acts as the crane rail.
Crane Span: The horizontal distance center to center of runway beams.
Crane Stop: A device to limit travel of a trolley or crane bridge. This device normally is attached to a fixed structure and normally does not have energy-absorbing ability.
Crane Support Column: A separate column, which supports the runway beam of a top running crane.
Curb: A raised edge on a concrete floor slab or roof accessory.
Curtain Wall: Perimeter wall panels which carry only their own weight and wind load.