CONSTRUCTION TERMS (MSTE)

PLACING – the movement of concrete to its final position

CONSOLIDATION - the process of removing air voids in concrete as it is placed

FINISHING - the process of bringing the surface of concrete to its final position and imparting the desired
surface mixture

CURING - the process of providing required water and maintaining favorable temperature for a period of
time after placing concrete

VACUUM DEWATERING - may be employed to reduce the amount of free water present in plastic
concrete after the concrete has been placed and screeded

TILT-UP CONSTRUCTION - a special form of precast wall construction in which wall panels are cast
horizontally at the job and then erected

FATIGUE - when a material is subjected to repeated cycle of stress or strain, what causes its structure to
break down ultimately leading to fracture

CREEP – time dependent deformation

YIELDING - in what condition is a material when it breaks down and deforms permanently even due to a
slight increase in stress above the elastic limit

HIGHWAY ENGINEERING (MSTE)

WEATHERING - refers to the natural deterioration of the asphalt material

OXIDATION - chemical reaction that takes place when the asphalt material is attacked by oxygen in the
air

VOLATILIZATION - evaporation of the lighter hydrocarbons from the asphalt material

STABILITY - is the property of bituminous mixes in pavement to resist deformation or displacement due
to impose load or repeated loading

DURABILITY - it describes the ability of an asphalt material to resist weathering

DUCTILITY - it is a distance in centimeters a standard sample of asphalt material will stretch before
breaking when tested on standard ductility test equipment at 25 C (77 F)

VISCOSITY – is a property used to describe the consistency of asphalt material in the liquid state

PENETRATION TEST – gives an empirical measurement of the consistency of material in terms of the
distance a standard needle sinks into that material under a prescribed loading and time
FLOAT TEST – used to determine the consistency of semisolid asphalt materials that are more viscous
than grade 3000 or have penetration higher than 300

FLASH POINT – conducted using Cleveland open-cup apparatus

LOSS-ON HEATING TEST - used to determine the amount of material that evaporates from a sample of
asphalt under a specified temperature and time

DEMULSIBILITY TEST – used to indicate the relative susceptibility of asphalt emulsions to breaking down
(coalescing) when in contact with aggregates

MARSHALL STABILITY METHOD – one of the commonly used method to determine the optimum asphalt
content

EXTRACTION TEST – checking the gradation of composite aggregates and asphalt content of asphalt mix

SOLUBILITY TEST – test used to measure the amount of impurities in the asphalt material

JOB MIX FORMULA – refers to the determination of proportion different materials to be used in
producing the hot-mix, hot-laid mixture for the project under consideration

TACK COAT – a thin layer sprayed over an old pavement to facilitate the bonding of the old pavement
and a new course

PRIME COATS – it is used mainly to provide a waterproof surface on the base

SEAL COATS – it is usually a single application of asphalt that may not contain aggregates

SUBGRADE – natural material located along the horizontal alignment of the pavement

SUBBASE – located immediately above subgrade

BASE COURSE – lies immediately above subbase

SCALING – result of too wet mix, over sanded mix and overworking of concrete mix

SEGREGATION – malpractice of conveying fresh concrete mix

CBR TEST – most common method of assessing strength and stiffness of both subgrade and pavement
materials

DESIGN MIX – it is design to give the most practical combination of the materials which will produce the
desired workability, strength and durability

SLUMP TEST – test used to determine the consistency of concrete

VIBRATOR – tool used to eliminate the air voids and honeycomb

BLOCK CRACKING – interconnected cracks that divide the pavement into rectangular pieces

LONGITUDINAL CRACKS – cracks parallel to the centerline of the pavement

TRANSVERSE CRACKS – cracks orthogonal to the centerline of the pavement

POTHOLES – bowl-shaped holes

REFLECTION CRACKING – cracks in asphalt concrete overlay surfaces that occur over joints in concrete
pavement

ALLIGATOR CRACKING – series of interconnecting cracks that are caused by fatigue failure

RAVELING – wearing of the pavement surface caused by breaking aggregates

SAFETY – freedom from accidents: absence of hazardous conditions and acts

HEALTH – freedom from illness: state of wellness, not just absence of disease

HAZARD – potential of an act or condition that can be lead to an accident

RISK – the chance of physical or personal loss

ACCIDENTS – unplanned or unwanted occurrence or event that cause damages

NEAR MISS – disruption in the normal process which does not results to injury or equipment damage

HYDRAU-GEO TERMS
CLAY – type of soil having fraction passing No.10 (2mm) U.S sieve and retained on No.200 (0.075mm)
sieve under AASHTO classification system

GRAVEL - type of soil having fraction passing 75mm sieve and retained on No.10 (2 mm) U.S sieve under
AASHTO classification system

SILT & CLAY - what type of soil having fraction passing the No. 200 sieve under AASHTO classification
system

CLAYEY - type of silt clay materials where the fine fractions have plasticity index of 11 or more

SILTY - type of silt clay materials where the fine fractions have plasticity index of less than 11

BOULDERS & COBBLES- soil having size large than 75 mm (75mm – 300mm)

SAND - soil particles having particular size limits from 2mm to 0.05mm in diameter under USDA
classification

SILT - soil particles having particular size limits from 0.05mm to 0.002mm in diameter under USDA
classification

CLAY - soil particles having particular size limits smaller than 0.002mm in diameter under USDA
classification

A-7-5 - classification of soil under AASHTO classification where P.I < LL-30

A-7-6 - classification of soil under AASHTO classification where P.I > LL-30

10-20 – range of suitability number of good backfill materials

FLOW LINE – line which a water particle will travel from upstream to downstream

EQUIPOTENTIAL LINE – line along which the potential head at all points is equa