Glossary | A to C

AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

A-36 ASTM designation for yield strength of structural steel in
Psi (36,000).

Absorption The increase in weight of concrete resulting from th4e penetration of water into the concrete.

Admixture A material other than water, aggregates, cement and fiber reinforcing used as an ingredient of concrete and added to the batch immediately before or during its mixture.

Anchor Bolt A threaded bolt-embedded in concrete or masonry construction for the attachment of other structure assemblies.

Annular Space The space between the inner surface of the female end and the outer surface of the male end of an assembled pipe joint.

ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials.

Backfill Soil that is used as fill around an excavation, against a foundation, or in site engineering design to establish a finished grade.

Backhoe A piece of excavation equipment used to dig with by drawing a steel bucket towards the operator of the equipment. Buckets are designed in one cubic yard increments.

Batch Plant concrete mix batching plant that establishes all the proper proportions of ingredients that comprise a concrete design mix.

Bearing A surface or point at which a load is transferred from one element to another.

Bentonite colloidal clay that will swell to several times its volume when exposed to water.

Benched An excavation procedure that utilizes platforms to stabilize the Excavation slope of a deep excavation

Blend combining of various cementitious materials.

Box section A concrete pipe with a rectangular cross section.

Box section (bottom slab) Lower horizontal portion of a box section in the installed condition.

Box section (top slab) Upper horizontal portion of a box section in the installed condition.

Box section (wall) Vertical sides of a box section in the installed condition.

Cage An assembled unit of steel reinforcement consisting of circumferential and longitudinal bars or wires.

Caulking A term that refers to any elastic sealant used in construction.

Circular (reinforcement) A circular-shaped line of reinforcement.

Circumferential Reinforcement that is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the concrete pipe.

Cold-formed steel Sheet steel which is formed at room temperature into its final shape.

Combined sewer A pipeline intended to convey sewage and storm water.

Compaction The mechanical process of compacting soil, backfill and borrow fill operations with the aid of mechanical means.

Compression test A test made on a concrete specimen to determine the compressive strength.

Compression The maximum resistance of a concrete specimen to axial compressive loading; or the specified resistance used in design calculations.

Concrete A homogeneous mixture of Portland cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, and water. The mixture may also contain admixtures, or other cementitious materials, or both.

Concrete cylinders This is a test of concrete strength whereby molds are filled with the concrete to be tested via specification, then cured for a designated period of time, and finally crushed for final results.

Core A cylinder of concrete obtained from concrete by means of core drill.

Crown The top or highest point of the internal surface of the transverse cross section of a pipe.

Crushed stone Aggregate of stone that has irregular sides usually of one dimension or sieve size.

Culvert A pipeline intended to convey water under a highway, railroad, canal, or similar facility.

Curing The hardening of concrete or other wet materials through evaporation, hydration, or chemical reaction.

Curing compound A material which is sprayed over newly placed concrete forming a film that retards the dehydration of the concrete allowing it to cure over a longer period of time.

Cylinder (test) Cast cylindrical specimen of concrete.