Iran Nezam Civil Design Exam key terms

A design method that checks a structure against defined conditions of safety and serviceability, such as collapse or excessive deflection, rather than against a single allowable stress value.

The condition in which a structure or member reaches its maximum load-carrying capacity, including strength, stability, and fatigue failure modes that endanger people.

A prescribed arrangement of factored dead, live, seismic, and other loads applied together to verify that a member or structure satisfies a given limit state.

A multiplier greater than one applied to nominal loads to account for uncertainty and variability when checking ultimate strength in a design code.

A coefficient less than one applied to a member's nominal resistance to account for variability in material strength, workmanship, and the consequences of failure.

The calculated capacity of a cross-section or member based on specified material strengths and dimensions, before any strength reduction factor is applied.

The ratio of the area of tension steel to the effective area of concrete in a reinforced section, used to control ductility and failure mode.

A reinforced concrete cross-section in which concrete crushing and steel yielding occur simultaneously at nominal strength, marking the boundary between brittle and ductile behavior.

A reinforced concrete section in which the tension steel yields well before concrete crushing, producing a ductile failure mode and permitting a higher strength reduction factor.

The length of embedded bar or anchorage needed to transfer the bar's yield force into the surrounding concrete without pullout or splitting failure.

A connection in which two reinforcing bars overlap over a specified length so that force is transferred from one bar to the other through the surrounding concrete.

The shear stress developed along the interface between a reinforcing bar and the surrounding concrete that resists slipping of the bar under load.

The ability of a member or structure to undergo large inelastic deformation without significant loss of strength, allowing energy dissipation during strong earthquakes.

A steel cross-section whose flanges and web are thick enough to reach the plastic moment before local buckling occurs, permitting plastic design.

A stability failure in which an unbraced steel beam deflects sideways and twists, reducing its bending capacity below the full plastic or yield moment.

A localized zone of a member that has yielded fully in bending and can rotate at constant moment, forming the basis of plastic collapse analysis.

A structural element or system that restrains lateral displacement or twisting of members, thereby increasing their buckling and lateral-load resistance.

The maximum pressure a soil or rock mass can support beneath a foundation without shear failure or excessive settlement of the supported structure.

The design soil pressure obtained by dividing the ultimate bearing capacity by a factor of safety and checking that settlement remains acceptable.

The downward movement of a foundation caused by compression and deformation of the supporting soil under the applied structural loads.

The time-dependent volume decrease of saturated fine-grained soil as water is squeezed out of its voids under sustained loading.

A phenomenon in which saturated loose sandy soil temporarily loses shear strength and behaves as a fluid during strong shaking, damaging foundations and buried structures.

A field test in which a split-spoon sampler is driven into the ground and the blow count per depth increment is recorded to estimate soil strength and density.

A seismic design coefficient that reduces elastic base shear to account for a structural system's inherent ductility and overstrength.

The total horizontal seismic force assumed to act at the base of a building, distributed over its height to represent inertial effects of the design earthquake.

The modification of earthquake ground motion by local soil conditions, which can amplify shaking at soft or thick soil sites relative to rock.

The mass ratio of water to cementitious material in a concrete mix, which governs strength, permeability, and durability of the hardened concrete.

The ease with which fresh concrete can be mixed, placed, compacted, and finished without segregation, commonly assessed by slump testing.

The separation of coarse aggregate from mortar or paste in fresh concrete, leading to non-uniform hardened concrete with weak zones.

The process of maintaining adequate moisture and temperature in young concrete so that cement hydration proceeds and design strength and durability develop.

The longest sequence of dependent activities in a project network, which determines the minimum total project duration and has zero total float.

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion date, calculated as the difference between late and early finish times.

A bar chart that displays project activities against a time scale, showing start and finish dates and progress for planning and monitoring.

A document listing measured quantities of work items with descriptions, used to obtain tenders and to value work executed under a construction contract.

A formal instruction issued by the contract administrator to change the scope, quantity, or timing of contracted work, with resulting cost and time adjustments.

An official authorization issued by the local authority confirming that proposed construction drawings and documents comply with applicable codes and zoning rules.

A fixed point of known elevation or coordinates used as a reference for establishing levels and horizontal positions during surveying and setting out.

The surveying operation of determining elevation differences between points, typically using a leveling instrument and graduated staff on a horizontal line of sight.

A surveying method in which a series of connected lines between measured points forms a framework for locating details and computing coordinates.

The change in hydraulic head per unit length of flow path through a porous medium or pipe, driving seepage or flow between two points.