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Methods and Materials of Construction, Renovation, and Demolition

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Objectives (1 of 2)

• Identify and describe the basic regulations that apply to building construction projects

• Identify and describe the role of the typical members of a building design team

• Identify and describe the roles of the various members of the construction team

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Objectives (2 of 2)

• Identify and describe the hazards to fire fighters during the construction, renovation, and demolition of a building

• Identify and describe the hazards to fire fighters of the different types of materials used in the construction of buildings

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Introduction

• Inherent dangers

• Buildings under construction, renovation, and demolition

• Building materials interaction in fire

• Buildings in Your Community

• Built under different codes

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Construction Regulations (1 of 2)

• Building code

• Fire code

• Plumbing, mechanical, and electrical codes

• Zoning regulations

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Construction Regulations (2 of 2)

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Insurance regulations

• Construction safety regulations

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The Building Design and Construction Process (1 of 2)

• Professionals in the design process

• Architect

• Structural engineer

• Civil engineer

• Mechanical engineer

• Electrical engineer

• Fire protection engineer

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The Building Design and Construction Process (2 of 2)

• Professionals in the design process

• General contractor

• Subcontractors

• Fireproofing contractors

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Site Preparation (1 of 3)

• Preliminary soil testing

• Deep foundations

• Piles 

• Caissons

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Site Preparation (2 of 3)

• Foundation structural components

• Superstructure

• Substructure Foundation

• Foundation

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Site Preparation (3 of 3)

• Excavation• Dewatering pumps• Soil walls • Crosslot bracing • Rakers • Tiebacks • Slurry wall

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The Hazards of a Building Under Construction (1 of 4)

• Before a fire

• Visit buildings under construction

• Videotape the construction

• Test private fire prevention mechanisms

• Look for hazards

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The Hazards of a Building Under Construction (2 of 4)

• Fire dangers• Welding and

cutting operations

• Construction debris

• Arson

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The Hazards of a Building Under Construction (3 of 4)

• Framing

• Wallboard

• Falsework

• Standpipe systems

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The Hazards of a Building Under Construction (4 of 4)

• Issues during a construction fire

• Collapse of a structure

• Progressive collapse 

• Explosives stored on-site

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The Hazards of a Building Under Renovation

• May be occupied by people

• Changes in use

• Altered or disabled fire protection systems

• Cut-off egress paths

• “Do-it-yourself” renovators

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The Hazards of a Building Under Demolition

• Disabled or removed safety systems

• Torch cutting operations • Unsupported, freestanding

walls • Fractured utilities

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The Characteristics of Materials

• Reaction to forces

• Vary

• Good against compressive forces

• Good against tensile forces

• Strong in tension and weak or unsuitable in compression

• All damaged by fire

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Wood (1 of 3)

• Types of woods

• Softwoods

• Conifers (pines)

• Hardwoods

• Oak

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Wood (2 of 3)

• Board: greater than 2"

• Dimensional lumber: 2"– 4"

• Timber: greater than or equal to 5"

• Chemical treatments

• Insect resistance

• Fire resistance

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Wood (3 of 3)

• Compressive strength can vary

• Material and structural components

• Plywood 

• Oriented strand board (OSB) 

• Lightweight wood truss 

• Wooden I-joist 

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Masonry and Stone

• Brick 

• Spall 

• Portland cement mortar 

• Sand-lime mortar 

• Concrete masonry

• Quarried stone 

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Concrete• Mixture of portland

cement, water, and aggregates • Aggregate • Admixture • Composite materials

• Virtually no tensile strength

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Metal (1 of 4)

• Wrought Iron• Commercially

pure iron of fibrous nature

• Malleable• Cast iron

• Brittle

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Metal (2 of 4)

• Structural steel

• Rolled in a variety of shapes

• Conducts heat

• Elongates when heated

• Fails at approximately 1000°–1100° F

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Metal (3 of 4)

• Cold-drawn steel

• Used in the construction of cables used to brace failing buildings or as tendons in tensioned concrete

• Also used as cables to brace failing buildings

• Fails at 800° F

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Metal (4 of 4)

• Aluminum

• Lightweight

• Malleable

• Nonmagnetic

• Melts at ordinary fire temperatures

• Aluminum roofs are hazardous

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Glass

• Little resistance to heat or pressure• Thermal pane• Blast-resistant• Fixed sashes of double-pane glass• Laminated “hurricane-resistant”• Wired glass• Glass fiber insulation

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Asbestos

• Fireproofing agent for steel

• Often unknown usage

• Carcinogen when inhaled

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Synthetic Materials

• Thermoplastics

• Thermosets 

• Interior finish 

• Foam core panels

• Resin plastics

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Gypsum

• Natural mineral

• Used in the manufacture of drywall and plaster

• Typically wallboard

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The Effects of Shape

• Affects resistance to a compressive load

• Not a consideration in tensile loads

• Resistance related to the cross-section makeup of a material

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Summary

• Variety of regulations

• Many different professionals

• Preparing a site

• Buildings under renovation

• Demolition structures