Houses are built with many different materials, and in many shapes and sizes. Step by step, this picture book explains how homes are built—from the architect's plans through the arrival of a happy family. The many processes of construction are explained with simple language and bright, clear illustrations, perfect for kids starting to wonder about how the world around them works. Many different careers—including carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and landscapers—are introduced, each doing their part to bring the picture wood-frame house to life. A great read for kids who love construction sites, or who can't get enough of Building a House by Byron Barton. According to The Washington Post, Gail Gibbons "has taught more preschoolers and early readers about the world than any other children's writer-illustrator." Ms. Gibbons is the author of more than 100 books for young readers, including the bestselling titles From Seed to Plant and Monarch Butterfly. Her many honors include the Washington Post/Childrens Book Fuild Nonfiction Award and the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book Award.
How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living. This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials. This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics, environmental studies, energy analysis, mineral geology, industrial organization, manufacturing and material science.
This book deals with the analysis and behaviour of composite structural members that are made by joining a steel component to a concrete component. The emphasis of the book is to impart a fundamental understanding of how composite structures work, so engineers develop a feel for the behaviour of the structure, often missing when design is based solely by using codes of practice or by the direct application of prescribed equations. It is not the object to provide quick design procedures for composite members, as these are more than adequately covered by recourse to such aids as safe load tables. The subject should therefore be of interest to practising engineers, particularly if they are involved in the design of non-standard or unusual composite structures for buildings and bridges, or are involved in assessing, upgrading, strengthening or repairing existing composite structures. The fundamentals in composite construction are covered first, followed by more advanced topics that include: behaviour of mechanical and rib shear connectors; local buckling; beams with few shear connectors; moment redistribution and lateral-distortional buckling in continuous beams; longitudinal splitting; composite beams with service ducts; composite profiled beams and profiled slabs; composite columns; and the fatigue design and assessment of composite bridge beams.
This book presents the results of a Japanese national research project carried out in 1988-1993, usually referred to as the New RC Project. Developing advanced reinforced concrete building structures with high strength and high quality materials under its auspices, the project aimed at promoting construction of highrise reinforced concrete buildings in highly seismic areas such as Japan. The project covered all the aspects of reinforced concrete structures, namely materials, structural elements, structural design, construction, and feasibility studies. In addition to presenting these results, the book includes two chapters giving an elementary explanation of modern analytical techniques, i.e. finite element analysis and earthquake response analysis.
