CONSTRUCTION LOGBOOK Thomas Shiels Weeks 1 and 2 The main properties of a building include the strength, stiffness, material behaviour, shape and compression and tension. The main purpose of a building is to essentially do nothing, to not sway, shift, collapse or move in any way. Forces A force is any influence that produces a change in the shape or movement of a body; a body can be anything from a bridge to a building
Tension forces stretch and elongate the material and the amount of elongation depends on the stiffness of the material, the cross sectional area and the magnitude of the load.
Compresson forces result in the shortening of the material. There is not always tension when there is compression
Relationship: Generally, where there is tension, there is compression. However, in some circumstances, you can have compression without tension.
On the left, a diagram shows the compression and tension relationship of a bridge, and on the right, blocks are stacked on a table to show compression without any tension.