Unit VII. Types of concrete text
7A. New types of concrete
Read and render the text in Russian:
a) Not long ago a new building material was born. Called alkali-slag concrete, most of its components come literally from under foot. Cement is replaced by a mixture of granulated blast-furnace slags and sodium and potassium compounds: The filler can be sand or sandy loams containing various amounts of clay, which usually cannot be used with conventional cement.
The new material has been tested successfully and is now being used for roads, pavements, irrigation systems and other structures. Chemically resistant concrete (кислотоупорный) may be sometimes used in the construction of structures attacked by chemically active media (среда), i.e. industrial, hydraulic and underground structures. It has been proposed
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дворцы культуры, музеи, театры, детские сады и больницы. У строителей и архитекторов - одна общая цель: обеспечить людей всеми современными удобствами - водой, газом, электричеством, центральным отоплением. Инженер-сантехник следит за качеством воды, в то время как архитектор проектирует здания. Архитектору надлежит знать скульптуру, живопись, проектирование, градостроительство, географию и др. Огромный размах строительства в стране является доказательством наших планов на мирное будущее.
TEXT 2B. THE ENGINEER AND CONSTRUCTION
Read the text and translate it:
The efforts of an engineer who designs a project, and the constructor, who builds the project, are directed toward the same goal, namely, the creation of something which will serve the purpose for which it is built. Construction is the ultimate objective of a design. The application of engineering fundamentals and analyses to construction activities may reveal methods of improving the quality, while at the same time reducing the costs of construction.
An engineer is engaged to prepare the plans and specifications and usually to supervise the construction of the project. It is the duty of the engineer to design the project which will most nearly satisfy the needs of the occupant at the lowest practical cost.
The engineer should study every major item to determine if it is possible to reduce the cost of the project. It may be possible to change a design, modify the requirements for construction, or revise portions of the specifications in such a manner that the cost of the project will be reduced without sacrificing its essential value. An engineer who practices this philosophy is rendering a real service to his client. Thus, it seems evident that an engineer should be reasonably familiar with construction methods and costs if he is to design a project that is to be constructed at the lowest practical cost.
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Exercise. Answer the following questions:
I. Are the efforts of an engineer and the constructor directed toward
the same goal? 2. Construction is not the ultimate objective of a design, is it? 3. What is an engineer engaged to do? 4. Is it the duty of the engineer to design the project which will most nearly satisfy the needs of the occupant? 5. Why should the engineer study every major item? 6. Should an engineer be reasonably familiar with construction methods and costs?
TEXT 2C. THE ENGINEER AND CONSTRUCTION ECONOMY
Translate the text in written form using the dictionary:
The cost of a project is influenced by the requirements of the design and the specifications. Prior to completing the final design the engineer should give careful consideration to the methods and equipment which may be used to construct the project. Requirements which increase the cost without producing commensurate benefits should be eliminated The ultimate decisions of the engineer should be based on a reasonable knowledge of construction methods and costs.
The following are indicative of methods which an engineer may use to reduce the costs of construction:
1. Design concrete structures with as many duplicate members as practical in order to permit the reuse of forms without rebuilding.
2. Simplify the design of the structure where possible.
3. Design for the use of cost-saving equipment and methods.
4. Eliminate unnecessary special construction requirements.
5. Design to reduce the required labor to a minimum.
6. Specify a quality of workmanship that is consistent with the quality of the project.
7. Furnish adequate foundation information where possible.
8. Refrain from requiring the contractor to assume the responsibility for information that should be furnished by the engineer or for adequacy of design.
9. Use local materials when they are satisfactory.
10. Use standardized specifications, with which the contractors are familiar, where possible.
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Dialogue 2
A.: May concrete be considered an artificial conglomerate stone?
В.: Certainly, it may! Why not?
A.: You know how it's made, don't you?
В.: Sure, I do. It's made by uniting cement and water into a paste.
A.: What about sand? Isn't sand used?
В.: Of course, sand is used! How can you make concrete without sand?
Dialogue 3
A.: Concrete has great compressive strength, doesn't it?
В.: Quite true, it has enormous compressive strength!
A.: Does it have great ability to withstand tension?
В.: Tension, you say? It has very little ability to withstand tension.
Dialogue 4
A.: Are lime, gypsum and cement widely used in building construction?
В.: It goes without saying that they are!
A.: For what purpose are they so widely used?
В.: They are used for the purpose of binding together masonry units.
A.: Masonry units? What kind of masonry units?
В.: Don't you know? Masonry units such as stone, bricks and terra cotta.
Dialogue 5
A.: What qualities does a brick building possess?
В.: A brick building is strong and durable.
A.: Do you consider a brick building to be weather resistant too?
В.: Naturally, I do! A brick building is weather resistant too.
Exercises
I. Fill up the blanks with English equivalents:
I: (Самым важным качеством) of concrete is its property to be formed into large and strong monolithic units. 2. Concrete is made by mixing
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can gas concrete be successfully used? 5. What can you say about cast gas concrete?
II. Which are the nouns derived from the following verbs:
|
;o change |
to mix |
to practice |
|
to damage |
to crack |
to set |
|
to work |
to cast |
to consider |
|
to affect |
to pipe |
to hydrate |
|
|
to insulate |
to prefabricate |
|
to cause |
to accelerate |
to divide |
|
to contain |
to achieve |
to bind |
|
to require |
to compress |
to distribute |
|
to stress |
to cure |
to reinforce |
|
to produce |
to heat |
to force |
|
to protect |
to place |
to weigh |
|
to develop |
to transport |
to concrete |
III. a) Explain the use of the gerund in the following sentences. b)Translate the sentences.
1. Placing concrete in winter is not very complicated. 2. Even in winter you can achieve a proper strength gain in concrete, if you succeed in keeping the material warm and moist. 3. Before cooling, the concrete must be kept warm for several days.