7. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Сучасне будівництво використовує багато будівельних матеріалів, бетон – один з них.

2. Цей майданчик включає вісім 17-поверхових багатоквартирних будинків, при чому кожний має 100 квартир.

3. Балки бувають різної товщини, а найбільш звичайні розміри від 6 до 9 дюймів.

4. Задача цього архітектора – спроектувати новий район міста, а житлові будинки є тільки частина проблеми.

5. Коли проект був закінчений, архітектор показав його своїм колегам.

V. Talking Assignments

1. Divide the text into logical parts.

2. Express the main idea of each part. Use the following phrases:

– The first (second, third …) part of the text is about …

– It describes (considers, deals with, informs) …

– The author stresses (points out) that …

3. Ask your friend some questions in English about their content. Summarize his/her answers:

– Що таке бетон?

– Які основні характеристики бетону?

– Які методи виробництва бетону ви знаєте?

– В яких випадках бетон може руйнуватися?

– Як зміцнюють бетон?

– Які переваги та недоліки залізобетону?

– Де використовуються збірні залізобетонні елементи?

4. Tell your friends about the ways of concrete production. Use the key words:

concrete; important; artificial conglomerate; crushed stone; gravel; mortar; production; selection; accurate method; volume; to weigh.

5. Give a detailed description of reinforced concrete production. Use the key words:

concrete, reinforced concrete, to be reinforced with …, iron and steel bars, elasticity, initial plasticity, final rigidity, resistance to …, low thermal insulating value, to require forms, to be kept warm, preferred material.

6. Compare concrete and reinforced concrete with other building materials. Discuss the problem with your friends, give your opinion:

– As far as I know … ;

– I suppose … ;

– The fact is … ;

– To start with … ;

– They say … ;

– If I am not mistaken … .

7. Give a short summary of the text.

VI. Listening Comprehension

1. Translate the following words and word-combinations into Ukrainian:

prestressed concrete, tendons, high-tensile steel, pretensioning, posttensioning, anchore, to release, to induce, to annul, wire, hole, grout, creep, shrinkage, span.

2. Mask the text “Prestressed concrete” and listen to it attentively:

Text b. Prestressed Concrete

Prestressed concrete is not a new material. We know it to be an improved form of reinforced concrete. It can be defined as concrete in which highly stressed tendons are used instead of reinforcing bars. These tendons consist of high-tensile steel while reinforcing bars are usually made of ordinary steel.

There are two ways of achieving prestress in concrete: pretensioning and posttensioning. The word “pretensioning” means that the reinforcing steel is stretched and anchored before the concrete is cast around it. When the concrete has hardened the anchorage of the tendons is released. The bond which has formed between the steel and the concrete prevents the steel from contracting to its original length, and in the way a compressive stress is induced. The compression in the concrete must be great enough to annul any future tension that loads applied may develop. Since the bond is the principal means of transfer of stress from the steel to the concrete, wires are preferred to bars because of their relatively larger surface area. Pretensioning is usually employed for prefabricated elements.

Post-tensioning can be defined as a method of prestressing reinforced concrete in which the reinforcing steel is tensioned after the concrete has hardened. The tendons are usually inserted through holes in the concrete, and after the stretching the space around the tendons may be filled with cement grout under pressure. The post-tensioning of steel is more complicated and less suitable to mass production than the pretensioning process, but the specialists consider it to have some advantages over the other: the elements can be prefabricated in a plant, but also can be produced on the site; post-tensioned concrete is less influenced by early creep and shrinkage, because the stretching can be delayed until a large part of shrinkage has taken place; the reinforcing steel may be bent up to achieve better stress distribution. There are several different systems of post-tensioning, but the procedure itself is almost the same and variations are only in the details of the tendons and their anchorages. The main use of prestressed concrete is for long span structures such as bridges and large tanks and high-pressure pipes.