Welcome to Asons.com

Company Technology Products Clients Quality Gallery FAQ

Technology

Terminology

Terminology

A- B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K- L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Abuse Wall -	A partial height, non-Butler exterior wall.
AISI -	American Iron and Steel Institute. AISI publishes the design standard for cold form steel (used on secondary members).
Anchor Bolts -	Bolts used to anchor structural members to a foundation or other support. Usually refers to the bolts at the bottom of all columns, wind posts, endwall posts and door posts. When embedded in the concrete foundation of a building or other structure, they resist all tensile or shear forces acting on the structural piers and columns which they anchor.
Astragal -	A closure between two leaves of a double swing or double slide door to close the junction.
Auxiliary Loads -	All specified dynamic live loads other than the basic design loads which the building must safely withstand such as cranes, sprinkler systems, ventilators, material handling systems, machinery, elevators, vehicles, and impact loads.
Base Angle -	An angle secured to a wall or foundation used to attach the base of the wall paneling.
Base Plate -	A plate attached to the base of a column which rests on a foundation or other support, usually secured by anchor bolts.
Bay -	The space between frame center lines or primary supporting members in the longitudinal direction of the building.
Beam -	A primary member, usually horizontal, that is subject to bending loads. There are three types, simple, continuous and cantilever.
Beam and Column -	A primary structural system consisting of a series of roof beams supported by columns. Often used as the end wall of a metal building. Commonly known beam and post endwall.
Brace Rods -	Rods used in the roof and walls to transfer loads, such as wind loads, seismic loads and impact loads to the foundation. (Also often used to plumb buildings but not designed to replace erection cables.)
Bracket -	A structural support projecting from a wall or column on which to fasten another structural member. Example: Crane Bracket.
Bridge Crane -	A load lifting system consisting of a hoist which moves laterally on a beam, 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.
Building Code -	Regulations established by a recognized agency describing design loads, procedures and construction details for structures. Usually applying to designated political jurisdiction (city, county, state, etc.).
"C" Section -	A member formed from sheet steel into the shape of a block "C", that may be used either singularly or back-to-back.
Canopy -	Any overhanging or projecting roof structure with the extreme end usually unsupported.
Cantilever Beam -	A structural member, projecting from a fixed end. The projected end is free and clear of any support. Examples: flag pole, overhangs, canopies, etc.
Cap Plate -	A plate located at the top of a column or end of a beam for capping the exposed end of the member.
Clear Height -	Dimension from floor line to lowest point of primary roof beams or purlins.
Cold Forming -	The process of using press brakes or rolling mills to shape steel into desired cross sections at room temperature.
Collateral Load -	All specified additional dead loads other than the metal building framing, such as sprinklers, mechanical and electrical systems and ceilings.
Column -	A primary member used in a vertical position on a building to transfer loads from main roof beams or trusses to the foundation.
Concentrated Load -	A load applied to a structural element that can be considered as being applied at a point rather than being applied uniformly across a span. An example is a heater unit hung from a beam.
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.
Crane -	A machine designed to move material by means of a hoist.
Crane Rail -	A track supporting and guiding the wheels of a bridge crane or trolley system.
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 underhung bridge cranes, runway beam also acts as a crane rail.
Curtain Wall -	Perimeter wall panels which carry only their own weight and wind load.
Dead Load -	The dead load of a building is the weight of all permanent construction, such as floor, roof, framing, and covering members.
Design Load -	The loads explicitly specified in the contract documents which the metal building system is designed to safely resist.
Eave -	The line along the sidewall formed by the intersection of the planes of the roof and wall.
Eave Height -	The vertical dimension from finished floor line to the eave line.
Eave Strut -	A structural member at the eave to support roof panels and wall panels. It also transmits wind forces and roof bracing to wall bracing.
End Bay -	The bays adjacent to the endwalls of a building. Usually the distance from the endwall to the first interior main frame measured parallel to the ridge.
Endwall -	An exterior wall which is perpendicular to the ridge of the building.
Endwall Post -	A vertical member located at the endwall of a building which supports the girts. In beam and post endwalls, the endwall posts also support the endwall roof beams.
Expansion Joint -	A break or space in construction to allow for thermal expansion and contraction of the materials used in the structure.
Fixed Base -	A column base that is designed to resist rotation as well as horizontal or vertical movement.
Flange Brace -	A bracing member used to provide lateral support to the flange of a beam, girder or column.
Gable -	The triangular portion of the endwall located above the elevation of the eave.
Galvanized -	Steel coated with zinc for corrosion resistance.
Gage (or Gauge) -	A standard unit of measurement for dimension, thickness, etc.
Girt -	A secondary horizontal structural member attached to sidewall post or endwall post columns to which wall covering is attached and supported horizontally. "H" Section - A steel member with an H cross section.
Haunch -	The deepened portion of a column or roof beam designed to accommodate the higher bending moments at such points. (Usually occurs at connection of column and rafter.)
Header -	A horizontal member above a door, window, etc.
High Strength Bolts -	Any bolt made from steel having a tensile strength in excess of 100,000 pounds per square inch. Some examples are ASTM A-325, A-449, A-490.
Hot-Rolled Shapes -	Steel sections (angles, channels, W-shapes, etc.) which are formed by rolling mills while the steel is in a semi-molten state.
Impact Load -	An assumed dynamic load resulting from the motion of machinery, elevators, craneways, vehicles, and other similar moving forces.
Jack Beam -	A beam used to support another beam or truss thereby eliminating a column support.
Jamb -	The vertical framing members located at the sides or an opening.
Jib Crane -	A cantilevered boom or horizontal beam with hoist and trolley. This lifting machine may pick up loads in all or part of a circle around the column to which it is attached. Since it is cantilevered and free to rotate, it may apply twisting or bending loads to its supporting column which may create rigid design requirements for that member.
Kip -	A unit of measurement equal to 1,000 pounds (4.4KN).
Knee -	The connecting area of a column and roof beam of a structural frame such as a rigid frame.
LRF -	A double slope, clearspan rigid frame with tapered sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
LRDS -	A double slope, clearspan rigid frame with straight sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
LRDT -	A single slope, clearspan rigid frame with straight sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
LRSS -	A single slope, clearspan rigid frame with straight sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
Lateral -	Proceeding from or directed towards the side of something. The lateral strength of a rigid frame is its resistance to forces coming from the side.
Lean-To -	A structure such as a shed, having only one slope or pitch and depending upon another structure for partial support. A width extension or a WX is an example.
Live Load -	Live load means all loads exerted on a roof except dead, wind snow and lateral loads.
Load -	The amount of pressure due to superimposed weight, whether stationary or moving.
Load-Bearing Wall -	A wall that supports a weight or load other than its own weight-such as a masonry wall that supports the building roof.
Load Combinations -	The various loads, such as wind, live, cranes, collateral, etc. that are to be applied in design of the structure as occurring on the structure at any one time (as required by the building code). The code may require several combinations and some of the loads may be applied in fractional amounts.
Longitudinal -	Pertaining to longitude or length, running lengthwise. The longitudinal strength of a structure system is its resistance to forces coming from the end in a lengthwise direction. The bracing system provides most of the longitudinal strength of a building.
MRF -	A double slope, modular rigid frame with tapered sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
MRDS -	A double slope, modular rigid frame with straight sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
MRDT -	A single slope, modular rigid frame with tapered sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
MRSS -	A single slope, modular rigid frame with straight sidewall columns and tapered roof beams.
Mezzanine -	An intermediate story, usually not full width, between two main floors or between the ground floor and the roof.
Module -	The distance between intermediate frame columns along the frame width interior columns or between interior columns and main columns of an intermediate frame on an MRF, MRDS, MRSS or MRST building.
Moment -	The tendency of a force to cause rotation about a point or axis.
Moment Connection -	A connection between two members which transfers the moment from one side of the connection to the other side and maintains under application of load the same angle between the connected members that existed prior to the loading. Also a connection that maintains continuity.
Monorail Crane -	A load lifting system consisting of a hoist which moves under a single runway beam. It is suspended by its wheels and is generally free to swing in the lateral or longitudinal direction, thereby imparting only vertical loads to the building structural system.
Mullion -	A slender vertical bar or pier between panes or sections of windows, screens, doors, etc., (i.e. Parkway accent mullion and removable mullion on double doors).
Nominal -	The value named, or face value of an item. (i.e. nominal eave height and nominal panel height)
Over Length Materials -	Structurals longer than 39'-6" or panels longer than 38'-6" will be shipped via rail car or TOFC when possible unless customer agrees to over-the-road freight premiums.
Parapet -	That portion of the vertical wall of a building which extends above the roof line at the intersection of the wall and roof.
Pier -	A plain, detached mass of masonry, timber, or concrete usually serving as a foundation support. An upright projection portion of a wall. Usually concrete as used with Butler buildings.
Pilaster -	A reinforced or enlarged portion of a masonry wall to provide support for roof loads or lateral loads on the wall.
Pinned Base -	A column base that is designed to resist horizontal and vertical movement, but not rotation.
Portal Frame -	A rigid frame structure so designed that it offers rigidity and stability in its plane. It is normally used to resist longitudinal loads where rod bracing is not permitted.
PSF -	Pounds per square foot.
PSI -	Pounds per square inch.
Purlin -	A horizontal structural member attached to the main frames which supports roof panels.
Purlin Brace -	A member used to laterally brace the compression flange of a purlin.
Pin Connection -	In structural analysis; a member connection to a foundation, another member or structure that is designed in such a way that free rotation is assumed.
Primary Members -	The main load carrying members of a structural system, including the columns, endwall posts, roof beams, or other main support members.
Purlin -	A secondary horizontal structural member attached to the primary frame which transfers the roof loads from the roof covering to the primary members.
Purlin Brace -	A tension member used to support purlins in the direction of the week axis.
Rake -	The intersection of the plane of the roof and the plane of the gable.
Rafter -	A primary beam supporting the roof system. Butler uses the term roof beam instead of rafter.
Ridge -	Highest point on the roof of the building which describes a horizontal line running the length of the building.
Rigid Frame -	A structural frame consisting of members joined together with rigid (or moment) connections so as to render the frame stable with respect to imposed loads, without the need for bracing in its plane.
Roof Slope -	The angle that a roof surface makes with the horizontal. Usually expressed in units of vertical rise to 12 units of horizontal run. Ex. ½:12 (one-half inch rise in every 12 horizontal inches).
Roof Live Load -	Gravity loads applied to the roof of a structure which tend to vary in magnitude over time, such as snow load.
Roof Snow Load -	The live load induced by the weight of snow on the roof of the structure.
Scrubolt™ Fastener -	A fastener that attaches paneling to a structural element or that attaches paneling to paneling (a panel splice).
Secondary Members -	Members which carry loads to the primary members. This term includes purlins, girts, eave struts, rod bracing, flange braces, and knee braces, headers, jambs, sag members, and other miscellaneous framing members.
Seismic Load -	The assumed lateral load acting in any horizontal direction. Used in designing for earthquake conditions.
Simple Span -	A term used in structural analysis to describe a support condition for a beam, girt, purlin, etc., which offers no resistance to rotation at the supports.
Single Slope -	A sloping roof with one surface. The slope is from one wall to the opposite wall of a rectangular building.
Snow Load -	A load imposed on buildings or other structures due to snowfall.
Suction -	A partial vacuum resulting from wind loads on a building which cause a load in the outward direction.
Soffit -	A panel which covers the underside of an overhang or fascia.
Span -	The distance between supports of beams or trusses.
Stress -	A measure of the load on a structural member in terms of forces per unit area (kips per sq. in.) (Mpa).
Strut -	A brace fitted into a frame work which resists axial forces.
Tolerance -	A fractional allowance for variations from the specified standard weights, dimensions, etc., of mechanical construction.
Top Running Crane -	A load lifting system consisting of a hoist which moves laterally on a beam, girder or bridge which in turn moves longitudinally on a runway made of beams and rails. On a top running crane, the wheels run on top of the beam and rail system and may transfer vertical, lateral and longitudinal forces to the building structural system.
Torx® Head -	A spline type head used for fasteners.
Transverse -	The direction perpendicular to the ridge.
Tributary Area -	The area which contributes load to a specific structural component.
Truss -	A structure made up of three or more members, with each member designed to carry a tension or compression force. The entire structure in turn acts as a beam.
Turn-of-the-Nut-Method -	A method for pre-tensioning high strength bolts. The nut is turned from the snug-tight position, corresponding to a few blows of an impact wrench or the full effort of a man using an ordinary spud wrench, the amount of rotation required being a function of the bolt diameter and length.
Underhung Crane -	A load lifting system consisting of a hoist which moves laterally on a beam, girder or bridge which in turn moves longitudinally under a runway beam. An underhung crane has wheels which run along the bottom flange of the runway beam with the bridge suspended from these wheels. This type of crane is generally free to swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions and therefore imparts only vertical load on the building structural system.
Uplift -	Wind load on a building which causes a load in the upward direction.
Ventilator -	An accessory, usually used on the roof, that allows the air to pass through.
Wainscot -	Wall material, used in the lower portion of a wall, that is different from the material in the rest of the wall. Decorative facing applied to the lower portion of an interior wall.
Weights -	All stated weights are approximate. Weights shown are based on size of material required by design. Mill tolerances and material substitutions may cause weight variation. Weight of crating and packing material is not included.
Wind Load -	The load on a structure caused by the wind blowing from any direction (usually horizontal).
Wind Posts -	A vertical member supporting a wall system designed to withstand horizontal wind load by utilizing a fixed base.
"X" Bracing -	Brace rods, to carry tension only, placed in a bay in the form of an "X" between two frames of a building to receive loads applied from the side or weak direction of a frame such as the wind load on the endwall of a building.
"Z" Section -	A member cold formed from steel sheet in the shape of a block "Z".