T1

tab 1. A small, narrow drop curtain in a theater used to mask from view a portion of the stage. 2. A tableau curtain. 3. The lower end of a shingle; the visible portion of a roof shingle that remains uncovered.

tabby A mixture of lime and water with shells, gravel, or stones; when dry, forms a mass as hard as rock; used as a building material.

taberna In ancient Rome, a booth, shop, or stall.

tabernacle 1. A decorative niche often topped with a canopy and housing a statue. 2. A church for a large Protestant congregation.

tabernacle frame The frame for a door, window, or other opening that is treated as part of a complete design with columns or pilasters and an entablature.

tabernacle work A highly decorated arcade with canopies and sculpture.

tabia A rammed earth mixed with lime and pebbles.

tabla house A primitive one-room house of wood-frame construction sheathed with vertical cypress rough-hewn planks (tablas), used by early Spanish colonists in Florida in the 16th century. Typically, had a gable roof thatched with palm leaves, a hole in the roof at the ridge to permit smoke to escape from the fireplace below, and a battened door.

tablas In Hispanic architecture and derivatives, long, square-sawn timbers.

tablature 1. A tabular surface or structure. 2. A painting or design on a part of an extended surface, as a ceiling.

table 1. A stringcourse or other horizontal band of some size and weight; a horizontal molding on the exterior or interior face of a wall. 2. A flat surface forming a distinct feature in a wall, generally rectangular and ornamented. 3. In medieval architecture, the frontal on the face of the altar. 4. A slab set horizontally and carried on supports.

table-base Same as base molding, 2.

tableau curtain A curtain on the stage of a theater which pulls back as it rises, creating a single festoon on each side, giving a draped effect; may function as the act curtain.

tabled joint In cut stonework, a bed joint formed by a broad, shallow channel in the surface of one stone which fits a corresponding projection of the stone above or below.

table saw A circular saw which is set below the surface of a table having a slot through which the saw blade protrudes.

table stone Same as dolmen.

tablet 1. A regularly shaped, separate panel, or a representation thereof, often bearing an inscription or image. 2. A coping stone, set flat; also called tabling. 3. A plaque, often inscribed and carved, usually affixed to a wall surface or set into the surface; sometimes used to serve as a memorial or to commemorate a special event.

tablet flower In Decorated Gothic architecture, a variation of the ballflower, having the form of an open flower with four petals.

tabling Same as tablet, 2.

tablinum In ancient Roman architecture, a large open room or apartment for family records and hereditary statues; situated at the end of the atrium farthest from the main entrance.

tabularium See archivium.

tacheometer See tachymeter.

tachometer See tachymeter.

tachymeter, tacheometer, tachometer A surveying instrument designed for use in the rapid determination of distance, direction, and difference of elevation from a single observation, using a short base which may be an integral part of the instrument.

tack 1. A strip of metal, usually lead or copper, used as a clip to secure the edges of metal items in roof construction, such as flashings. 2. A short, sharp-pointed nail. 3. The property of an adhesive that enables it to form a bond of measurable strength immediately after the adhesive and adherend are brought into contact under low pressure. 4. To glue, weld, or otherwise fasten in spots rather than in a continuous line.

tack coat See asphalt tack coat.

tack dry Descriptive of the stage in the drying of an adhesive at which it will adhere to itself on contact, although it seems dry to the touch.

tack-free dry Descriptive of the stage in the drying of a paint or varnish film at which it no longer feels sticky to the touch.

tack-free time The time period during which a sealant that is molded in the field remains tacky and is not yet fully serviceable.

tackle A mechanism for shifting, raising, or lowering objects or materials, such as a rope and pulley block or an assembly of ropes and pulley blocks.

tackless strip A metal strip, beneath the edge of carpeting, which is fastened to the floor, to a stair, etc.; the strip has many small hooks which point upward and slightly toward the edge; the carpeting is stretched beyond the metal strip, allowing the hooks to secure the carpet backing and hold the carpeting in place.

tack rag A rag impregnated with a slow-drying or nondrying varnish or resin; used to wipe dust, lint, and dirt from an article before it is painted.

tack range The period of time during which an adhesive remains in the tacky dry condition after application to an adherend.

tack rivet A rivet, usually temporary, to hold work during riveting; not intended as a load-carrying rivet.

tack room A room for holding bridles, saddles, and harnesses; usually in a stable.

tack strip A variant term for tackless strip.

tack weld 1. A weld used for holding metal parts in position temporarily. 2. One of a series of welds applied where a continuous weld is unnecessary.

tacky dry, tacky 1. That stage in the drying of an adhesive at which the volatile constituents have evaporated or been absorbed sufficiently so as to leave the adhesive in a desired condition of tackiness. 2. That stage in the drying of a paint at which the film appears sticky when lightly touched with the finger.

taenia, tenia A narrow raised band or fillet, particularly the topmost member of the Doric architrave. Also see order.

tafy joint A connection between two sections of lead pipe; the straight spigot end of one section is inserted in the flared-out end of the adjoining section; the joint is then sealed with solder.

tag 1. In roofing, a sheet-metal strip which is folded over and used as a wedge for holding metallic sheeting in a masonry joint. 2. A temporary sign, usually attached to a piece of equipment or part of a structure, to warn of existing or potential hazards.

tagger A sheet of tinplate, or the like, which is of less than standard thickness.

t’ai Chinese tower structure, rectangular in plan with several receding stories. Watchtower in the Han period; earlier, a hunting or pleasure tower.

tail 1. Exposed lower portion of a slate shingle. 2. Tailing. 3. See rafter tail. 4. See lookout.

tail bay 1. In a framed floor, the space between a wall and the nearest girder of the floor. 2. In a framed floor or roof, a bay, 1 which is next to the end wall; one end of its joists rests on the end wall, the other on a girder.

tail beam See tail piece, 1.

tail cut 1. A cut in the lower end of a rafter where it overhangs the wall; sometimes ornamental. 2. The seat cut at the lower end of a rafter.

tailing 1. That portion of a projecting stone or series of stones, as in a cornice, which is built into a wall. 2. See tailings.

tailing in 1. Securing one end or edge of a projecting masonry unit, as a cornice. 2. To fasten one end of a timber, as a floor joist at a wall.

tailing iron A steel member, built into a wall, to take the upward thrust of a cantilevered member, directly below it, projecting from the wall.

tailings 1. Stones which do not pass through the largest openings of a screen used to separate sizes (as after a crushing operation). 2. The residue or leavings of any product.

tail joist See tailpiece, 1.

tailpiece 1. A short beam, joist, or rafter, which is supported by a header joist at one end and a wall at the other; also called a tail beam or tail joist. 2. An extension to centering, where there is a projection from an impost; can be removed easily. 3. A lookout. 4. A pipe tee used with a sink drain.

tail trimmer A trimmer placed next to a wall, into which the ends of the joists are fastened instead of supporting them on the wall.

takeoff Same as quantity survey.

take-up Any device or mechanism for taking up slack.

take-up block A guided pulley block, rigged so that its weight or spring loading prevents slack from occurring in lines passing through it.

taking Of property, a government action that substantially disturbs or interferes with an owner’s use and enjoyment of the property.

T&P valve See temperature and pressure relief valve.

takspan A Swedish pine shingle for roofing.

talc A soft mineral composed of hydrous magnesium silicate; a major ingredient of soapstone; used on roll roofing to prevent sticking in the roll.

tallboy A chimney pot of long and slender form, intended to improve the draft.

tallus See talus.

tallut, tallet, tallot (Brit.) A loft or attic.

talon molding An ogee, 2.

talus, tallus 1. The slope or inclination of any work, as a talus wall. 2. Coarse rock fragments, mixed with soil, at the foot of a cliff or natural slope.

talus wall A wall having an inclined face; a battered wall.

tamarack See larch.

tambour 1. A column drum. 2. Any generally drum-shaped member.

tamo See Japanese ash.

tamp To compact a material or surface, such as earth or freshly placed concrete, by repeated blows.

tamper A compaction device for consolidating a granular material such as soil, backfill, or unformed concrete; usually powered by a motor. Also see jitterbug.

tamping rod A straight steel rod, having a rounded tip at one end.

tamping roller See sheepsfoot roller.

tampion A cone-shaped hardwood tool used by plumbers; forced into the end of a lead pipe to increase its diameter.

T and G Abbr. for tongue and groove.

tanalized lumber Sometimes said of lumber that has been treated with a preservative.

tang The slender projecting tongue, or prong, forming part of one object that serves to secure it to another, as the projecting tongue on a chisel that secures it to a handle.

tangent Of lines, curves, and surfaces: meeting at a single point and having, at that point, the same direction.

tangential flow filtration Same as crossflow filtration.

tangential shrinkage The shrinkage across the width of plain-sawn lumber.

tangential stress A shear stress.

tangent-sawn Same as plain-sawn.

tanguile, tangile A hardwood which resembles true mahogany, but shrinks and swells to a greater extent when exposed to moisture; the sapwood is light red, and the heartwood is brownish red.

tanking (Brit.) A waterproof lining for a basement floor and walls.

tankless heater A hot-water heater having a metal coil, through which an electric current flows, which is immersed in a boiler; especially used in homes. Also see instantaneous-type water heater.

tap 1. A connection to a water supply main. 2. A faucet. 3. A tool used for cutting internal threads, as in a pipe.

tap bolt A machine bolt, threaded relatively close to the head, which is screwed into a hole in a material without the use of a nut.

tap borer A hand tool used by plumbers for boring tapered holes, as in a lead pipe when making a connection to it.

tape 1. See joint tape. 2. See taping strip. 3. See tape measure. 4. See friction tape. 5. See thermoplastic insulating tape. 6. See thermoplastic protective tape.

tape balance A sash balance in which the weight of the sash is counterbalanced by the force supplied by a metal tape coiled on a spring-loaded reel.

tape correction A correction applied to a distance measured with a tape to eliminate errors caused by the physical condition of the tape or by the way the tape was used.

tapeista In Spanish Colonial architecture, a crude rooflike structure supported by four posts; used as a somewhat protected open-storage area for cornstalks, hay, or the like; also see jacal, 1.

tape joint A flat joint, sealed with a joint compound and covered with a reinforcing tape which provides added strength.

tape measure, tapeline A steel ribbon used for the measurement of distances; in the US, surveyor’s and engineer’s tapes usually are accurately graduated in feet, tenths, and hundredths of a foot; builder’s tapes are graduated in feet, inches, and fractions of an inch; also called a steel measuring tape.

taper A gradual diminution of thickness in an elongated object, as in a spire.

tapered edge strip In built-up roofing, a tapered strip of insulation used to raise the roofing at its perimeter, where there are penetrations through the roofing.

tapered-roll pantile A roofing pantile having a roll that has a slight increase in width from the head to the tail of the tile.

tapered tenon A tenon which decreases in width from the root toward the end.

tapered tread The horizontal surface of a step that is wider at the outer end than at the inner end, as in a spiral stair.

tapered valley In roofing, a valley, formed between shingles, slates, or tiles, which is wider at the bottom than the top.

taper pin A headless, solid pin having controlled diameter, length, and taper, with crowned ends.

taper pipe See diminishing pipe.

taper thread A screw thread which is formed on a cone or the frustum of a cone; used on some types of fasteners; used in plumbing on pipes and fittings, 1 to ensure a gastight joint.

tapestry A fabric, worked on a warp by hand, the designs employed usually being pictorial; used for wall hangings or the like.

tapestry brick Same as rustic brick.

tapia An adobe-like building material consisting mainly of earth or clay in which small pebbles was imbedded; this term is also occasionally applied to puddled adobe.

taping Measuring distance on the ground with a tape or chain.

taping arrow See chaining pin.

taping compound A compound that is specifically formulated and manufactured for embedding a joint reinforcing tape at a gypsum board joint.

taping pin See chaining pin.

taping strip 1. A strip of roofing felt laid over the joints between adjacent precast concrete roof slabs; prevents bitumen which is applied subsequently from dripping into the space below. 2. A strip used to cover the joint between adjacent roof insulation boards.

tapped fitting Any pipe fitting, 1 having a tapped internal thread to receive a threaded pipe.

tapped tee In plumbing, a bell-end tee which has a branch that is tapped to receive a threaded pipe fitting or a threaded pipe.

tapping machine A machine designed to produce a sequence of uniform impacts on a floor surface; used to measure impact sound transmission of a floor-ceiling assembly.

tapping screw See sheet-metal screw.

tar See coal-tar pitch.

tar-and-gravel roofing A built-up roofing which has a surfacing material consisting of gravel in a heavy coat of coal-tar pitch.

tar cement Heavier grades of asphalt cement which are prepared for direct use in construction and maintenance of bituminous pavements.

tar concrete See asphaltic concrete.

target In surveying, see leveling rod.

target leveling rod A type of leveling rod carrying a target, which is moved into position according to signals given by the instrument man; when the target is bisected by the line of collimation of the instrument, it is read and recorded by the rod man.

target rod See leveling rod.

tarmac, tarmacadam See macadam.

tarnish An oxide layer on a metal surface that causes it to dull, often discoloring it.

tar paper See asphalt prepared roofing.

tarpaulin A waterproof cloth, esp. one used in large sheets for covering anything exposed to the weather.

tarred felt Same as asphaltic felt.

tarsia Same as inlay.

tas-de-charge 1. The lowest voussoir or voussoirs of an arch or vault with the joints horizontal instead of radial. 2. In vaulting, that section of a group of vault ribs between the line where they spring and the line where they separate.

task lighting Lighting that is directed to a specific area to provide illumination for the performance of a visual task.

tasolera In Spanish Colonial architecture, a barn to house animals or to store agricultural produce.

tatami A thick straw mat serving as floor covering in the Japanese house. Used as standard unit of floor area, approx. 3 ft by 6 ft (1 m by 2 m).

tauriform See bull’s head.

tavern See inn, 1.

tax abatement The reduction of real estate taxes on a property; usually accomplished by means of a reduction in its assessed value.

taxamanil Thatched roofing.

tax exemption The release of a property from the obligation to pay real estate taxes.

taxpayer A building, often temporary, which yields a minimal return on investment, usually little more than real estate taxes.

TB Abbr. for through bolt.

T-bar In a perforated-metal-pan acoustical ceiling assembly, a metal suspension member designed to support the metal pan by engaging its flanges.

T-beam A reinforced concrete beam or rolled metal shape having a cross section resembling the letter T.

T-bevel Same as bevel square.

TC On drawings, abbr. for terra-cotta.

tchahar taq Square open pavilion in Sassanian architecture (A.D. 224–651), composed of four columns with four arches supporting a dome, mostly over an altar.

tea garden 1. A Japanese garden next to a teahouse, usually small and serene. 2. An outdoor tearoom in a public garden, serving refreshments, including tea.

teagle post In timber framing, a post supporting one end of a tie beam.

teahouse A Japanese garden house used for the tea ceremony.

teak A dark golden yellow or brown wood with a greenish or black cast, found in southeastern Asia, India, and Burma; moderately hard, coarse-grained, very durable; oil which it contains gives it a greasy feeling and makes it immune to the attack of insects; used for exterior construction, plywood, and decorative paneling; also called Indian oak.

tear See run, 5.

tearing A defect in the surface of porcelain enamel, characterized by crackle or short breaks which have been healed.

tear strength A material’s resistance against being pulled apart.

tease To work out a surface defect, as on a varnished surface.

teaser A horizontal curtain or canvas-covered framework, behind and across the top of the proscenium arch of a theater; used to conceal the flies and, together with the tormentors along the sides, to frame the opening of the stage.

tease tenon See teaze tenon.

teaze tenon, tease tenon A tenon, having a stepped outline, on the top of a post; esp. cut to receive two horizontal pieces of timber that cross each other (at right angles) at the post.

tebam The reader’s platform in a synagogue.

tectiform Like a roof in form or use.

tectonic Of or pertaining to building or construction; architectural.

tectorial Covering, forming a roof-like structure.

tectorium opus See opus tectorium.

tee 1. A finial in the form of a conventionalized umbrella, used on stupas, topes, and pagodas. 2. Same as pipe tee. 3. A metal member having a constant T-shaped cross section.

tee beam See T-beam.

tee bevel Same as bevel square.

tee handle A T-shaped handle for actuating the bolt of a lock on a door; used in place of a knob.

tee head See T-head.

tee hinge See T-hinge.

tee iron 1. A flat T-shaped piece of heavy sheet metal having predrilled, countersunk holes; screwed to a joint in wood construction in order to provide reinforcement. 2. A section of steel T-beam.

tee joint A joint between two members which are located approximately at right angles to each other in the form of the letter T.

teepee Same as tipi.

tee square See T-square.

Teflon™ The proprietary name for polytetrafluoroethylene.

tegula A tile, esp. one of unusual shape or material.

tegular Relating to, or arranged like, a tile.

tegurium A roof over a sarcophagus, usually double-sloped and supported by narrow columns.

teja In Spanish Colonial architecture, a burnt-clay roof tile, semicircular in cross section, and usually tapered.

TEL On drawings, abbr. for “telephone.”

telamon (pl. telamones) A sculptured male human figure used in place of a column to support an entablature; also called an atlas. (See illustration p. 984.)

telecommunications The transmission and reception of signals (such as electrical or optical) by wire, optical fiber, or electromagnetic means.

telegraphing, show-through On a decorative material covering a wall, etc., irregularities, imperfections, or patterns of an inner layer which are transmitted to the surface so that they become visible.

telephone booth An enclosure for a telephone in a public area.

telephone station A shelf unit for a telephone in a public area.

telescope house A house comprised of several units, each of descending height, giving the building the appearance of fitting together like the components of a collapsible telescope; compare with continuous house.

telltale Any device designed to indicate movement of formwork.

temenos A sacred enclosure surrounding a temple or other holy spot.

TEMP On drawings, abbr. for “temperature.”

temper 1. To mix lime, sand, and water in such proportions as to make mortar for masonry or plastering. 2. To moisten and mix clay to proper consistency to form bricks, etc., prior to hardening by fire. 3. To bring to a proper degree of hardness and elasticity for use, as steel or other metal, by heat treatment. 4. To impregnate wood fibers or composition board with a drying oil or other oxidizing resin and subsequently to cure with heat so as to improve the strength, hardness, water resistance, and durability of the board.

tempera A rapidly drying paint consisting of egg white (or egg yolk, or a mixture of egg white and yolk), gum, pigment, and water; esp. used in painting murals.

temperature and pressure relief valve A valve that combines the functions of a pressure relief valve and a temperature relief valve.

temperature controller See thermostat.

temperature cracking The cracking of a concrete member due to tensile failure caused by a temperature drop (if member is subjected to external restraints) or caused by a temperature differential (if member is subjected to internal restraints).

temperature reinforcement In reinforced concrete, reinforcement that is designed to resist tensile stresses resulting from changes in temperature.

temperature relay A relay that operates at a predetermined temperature in the apparatus which it protects.

temperature relief valve A temperature-actuated safety valve designed to open automatically when the temperature of the water being heated exceeds a preset value.

temperature rise In cement, the increase in temperature resulting from the absorption of heat or from the internally generated heat, as by the hydration of cement in concrete.

temperature steel Steel reinforcement which is placed in a concrete slab, or the like, to minimize the possibility of developing cracks as a result of temperature changes.

temperature stress See thermal stress.

temperature stress rod In reinforced concrete, one of a number of steel rods laid perpendicular to the reinforcing bars or rods to prevent cracks from forming parallel to the reinforcement, as a result of stresses from drying or from thermal stresses; a type of temperature reinforcement.

tempered board A durable wood fiber or composition board; also see temper, 4.

tempered glass (US), toughened glass (Brit.) Glass having two to five times the strength of ordinary glass as a result of having been prestressed by heating and then suddenly quenched; the rapid cooling produces a compressively-stressed surface layer.

tempered steel Steel that has been heated to a high temperature and then quenched, usually a number of times, a process that significantly hardens it; also called case-hardened steel.

tempered water Water in the temperature range from 85°F (29°C) to 110°F (43°C).

tempietto A small temple, especially one of ornamental character, during the Renaissance or later; many such structures were constructed in the gardens of imposing country houses.

template, templet 1. A pattern, usually of sheet material, used as a guide for setting out work and in repeating dimensions. 2. A piece of stone, metal, or timber placed in a wall to receive the impost of a beam, girders, etc., and to distribute its load. 3. A beam or plate spanning a door or window space to sustain joists and transfer their load to piers. 4. One of the wedges in a building block.

template hardware Hardware that exactly matches a master template drawing, as to spacing of all holes and dimensions.

temple 1. An impressive edifice for a particular public use. 2. A Classical edifice dedicated to the service of an ancient deity, usually connected with a system of worship. 3. A structure specifically used for worship, for example, a synagogue or a Buddhist temple.

templet Same as template.

temple tower A ziggurat.

templon A trabeated colonnade which closes off the bema of a Byzantine church.

temporary (electrical) service Electrical service used for a limited time during construction, exhibits, or similar temporary purposes.

temporary shoring Shoring installed during construction, to support a member or a portion of the structure; removed prior to the completion of construction.

temporary stress In a precast concrete member or in a component thereof, a stress which may occur during fabrication, erection, construction, or test loading.

temse Same as screen, 3.

tenancy Occupation by one with less than a fee interest in property, e.g., a tenancy for life, or a tenancy for a term of years. The latter type of tenancy usually is created by lease.

tenancy in common Ownership of property by two or more persons, each of whom may freely transfer his interest; the death of one tenant does not transfer his rights to the other or others.

tenant A person or firm using a building, or part of a building, as a lessee or owner-occupant.

tenant’s improvement Improvements on real property made by a tenant at his own expense. Unless otherwise agreed, they become part of the property and may not be removed by the tenant at the end of his term.

tender A proposal or bid for a contract to perform work, often on a form, completed by a contractor, giving estimated price and time to complete a contract.

tendon In prestressed concrete, a steel element such as a wire, cable, bar, rod, or strand used to impart prestress to the concrete when the element is placed under tension.

tendon profile In prestressed concrete, the trajectory of a prestressing tendon.

tenement A building having multiple housing units for rent; often, ill-maintained, overcrowded units that may barely meet minimum code requirements for safety and sanitation; usually built many years earlier and found in poorer sections of a city.

tenia See taenia.

tenon The projecting end of a piece of wood, or other material, which is reduced in cross section, so that it may be inserted in a corresponding cavity (mortise) in another piece in order to form a secure joint. Also see mortise-and-tenon joint.

tenon-and-slot mortise A wood joint formed by a tenon and a slot mortise, usually at right angles to each other.

tenon saw A saw having a metal strip along the back to stiffen it; has many small teeth; used for fine, accurate sawing, as in forming tenons, dovetails, and miters. Also called a miter saw.

tensile-frame construction See bent-frame construction.

tensile modulus The ratio of the tensile stress to the tensile strain over the range for which this ratio is constant.

tensile strain The elongation of a material which is subject to tension.

tensile strength The resistance of a material to rupture when subject to tension; the maximum tensile stress which the material can sustain.

tensile stress The stress per square unit area of the original cross section of a material which resists its elongation.

tension The state or condition of being pulled or stretched.

tension bar A metal bar by means of which a tensile strain is applied or resisted.

tension failure See primary tension failure.

tension member A structural member subjected to tension; a tie.

tension pile Same as anchor pile.

tension reinforcement Reinforcement designed to carry tensile stresses such as those in the bottom of a simple beam.

tension ring A circular structural element intended to resist the outward thrust of a dome.

tension rod A rod in a truss or structure which connects opposite parts and prevents them from spreading.

tension wood Abnormal wood found on the upper side of hardwood branches and leaning trunks; characterized by abnormally high longitudinal shrinking, causing warping and splitting.

tent ceiling See comb ceiling.

tepee Same as tipi.

tepidarium In ancient Roman baths, a room of moderately warm temperature.

TER On drawings, abbr. for terrazzo.

term Same as terminal figure.

terminal 1. An electrically conductive element, attached to the end of a conductor or piece of equipment for connection to an external conductor. 2. The ornamental finish, decorative element, or termination of an object, item of construction, or structural part.

terminal box On a piece of electric equipment (such as a motor), a box within which the leads from the piece of equipment are connected to the leads supplying the equipment with power; usually provided with a removable cover plate for access.

terminal expense An expense incurred in connection with the termination of a contract.

terminal figure, terminal statue A decorative figure in which a head, or a head and bust, or the human figure to the waist and including the arms, is incorporated with (as if it were springing out of) a pillar which serves as its pedestal.

terminal pedestal A pedestal prepared for a bust, so that the two together comprise a terminal figure.

terminal reheat system An air-conditioning system in which a reheat coil is provided for each individually controlled zone, regulating the temperature of the air being furnished.

terminal stopping device A limit switch for an elevator car.

terminal unit In an air-conditioning system, a unit at the end of a branch duct through which air is transferred or delivered to the conditioned space.

terminal velocity In an air-conditioning system, the average velocity of an airstream at the end of its throw; one of the indicators of drafty conditions and comfort level.

terminal window In a church, a window that is at the end of an aisle or transept.

terminated stop, hospital stop, sanitary stop A stop, 1 that terminates above the floor line and is closed with a 45° or 90° angle.

terminating enclosure A type of enclosure (approved by the utility company) which is installed at the point of service for the load-end termination of the utility company’s service cables where they join the customer’s service entrance conductors; includes concrete subway-type pull boxes, manholes, wall-mounted pull boxes, and switchboard pull sections.

terminating facility Any type of electrical terminating enclosure or transformer enclosure.

termination An ornamental element which finishes off an architectural feature such as a dripstone.

terminus A bust or figure of the upper part of the human body terminated in a plain block of rectangular form; a terminal figure.

termite shield A shield of noncorroding metal or inorganic material, used as protection against the infiltration of termites in a building; so placed as to prevent their passage, usually as a projecting shield on a masonry foundation or pier (or under a wood sill or beam which it supports), or around pipes which enter the building.

terne metal An alloy of lead, containing up to 20% tin.

terneplate Sheet steel which is coated with terne metal; widely used for roofing and construction work.

terra alba A pure white uncalcined gypsum which is used as a filler in paints.

terrace 1. An embankment with level top, often paved, planted, and adorned for leisure use. 2. A flat roof or a raised space or platform adjoining a building, paved or planted, esp. one used for leisure enjoyment.

terrace door A glass door which has one leaf fixed and the other leaf hinged to the fixed leaf.

terrace house One of a row of houses situated on a terrace, or similar site.

terrace roof See cut roof.

terra-cotta Clay that has been molded in shape and then treated in a kiln at a high temperature; typically reddish-brown in color when unglazed; when glazed, usually colored and used for ornamental work, such as architectural terra-cotta, and for floor tile and roof tile.

terrado In Hispanic architecture, a flat roof made of compacted earth that is sealed with a layer of plaster.

terras Same as trass.

terrazzo, terrazzo concrete Marble-aggregate concrete that is cast in place or precast and ground smooth; used as a decorative surfacing on floors and walls.

terreplein An earth embankment, flattened at the top.

Territorial Revival An architectural mode of limited popularity in the southwestern United States, particularly New Mexico, after about 1920; basically a modification of Territorial style.

Territorial style An architectural style in New Mexico from the time it became a territory of the United States in 1848 until about 1900; typically, a one-story house usually having a flat roof with parapets, exterior walls of adobe coated with adobe plaster or stucco; an entry door commonly flanked with sidelights; brick trim around doors and windows with pedimented lintels above, sometimes with wood decorative trim suggestive of the Greek Revival style. Such houses were sometimes built around an enclosed courtyard with rooms opening onto a covered walkway around the perimeter of the courtyard.

terrone A building material cut into rectangular units of sod from a river bottom or swamp, and then sun-baked; similar to adobe but stronger when dry because of the added strength provided by the sod roots; used in the form of building blocks.

tertiary beam Any beam which transfers its load to a secondary beam, at either one end or both ends.

tessellated Formed of small square pieces of marble, stone, glass, or the like, in the manner of an ornamental mosaic.

tessellated work Inlay work composed of tesserae.

tessera A small squarish piece of colored marble, glass, or tile, used to make mosaic patterns, either geometric or figurative.

tesseris structum Same as opus tessellatum.

test A check on the performance characteristics of a building component, device, material, piece of equipment, or system to determine its conformity with performance criteria and standards. Tests may be performed in the prototype stage, during manufacture, at the site during and after installation, after the project’s completion, or at any combination of these times.

testaceum Same as opus testaceum.

test code A measurement standard that is primarily applicable to a specific class or type of machinery or equipment.

test cylinder A cylinder of concrete 6 in. (15 cm) in diameter and 12 in. (30 cm) high; cast from a representative sample of the plastic concrete in any pour and cured under controlled conditions; used to determine its compressive strength after a specified time interval.

tester 1. A flat canopy, as over a bed, throne, pulpit, or tomb. 2. In a church, the same as sounding board.

testing machine Any device or machine used to measure accurately the properties of a material, product, assembly, etc., under controlled conditions.

test method The technical procedures and actions that are required to determine whether or not a particular product conforms with a relevant standard.

test pile A pile, 1 used to determine the load that it can support without settling; this determination usually is made by placing heavy weights on a platform mounted on the top of the pile.

test pit An excavation made to examine an existing foundation, or to determine whether an area is suitable for building construction; includes the taking of soil samples and the determining of the depth of groundwater.

test plug In a drainage system, a plug which is installed in the system being tested for leaks. The test plug is connected to an air compressor (through a valve) that is used to inflate it and seal the drain.

test pressure In plumbing, the water pressure or air pressure to which the pipes and fittings, 1 are subjected when they are tested for watertightness and strength.

test tee In plumbing, a special pipe tee which is inserted in a drainage system; provided with a mechanism for producing water test pressure to check the system for leaks.

testudinate Having a ridge roof.

testudo In Roman architecture, an arched vault or ceiling, esp. when surbased or flattened.

tetraprostyle Said of a classical temple having a portico of four columns in front of the cella or naos.

tetrapylon A structure characterized by having four gateways as an architectural feature.

tetrastoon A courtyard with porticoes or open colonnades on each of its four sides.

tetrastyle Having four columns in the front or end row; consisting of a row or rows of four columns.

textile A material, woven or knitted, that is made from fiber or yarn.

textile mill A factory in which woven fabrics are manufactured. Many early mills were located near a source of water power for operating the machinery; most were of timber construction and in constant danger of being consumed by fire. In 1832, a significant advance in fire safety occurred with the construction of a mill in Rhode Island that was especially designed to resist fire (and to burn slowly if ignited) by using thick floor planking, by minimizing the number of timber beams, and by maximizing the cross-sectional area of each beam. These design criteria, widely applied, greatly improved fire safety in the mills.

texture The tactile and visual quality of a surface or substance other than its color.

texture brick A rustic brick.

textured paint See plastic paint.

texture-finished paint See plastic paint.

TG&B Abbr. for “tongued, grooved, and beaded.”

thalamus, thalamium In early Greek architecture, an inner room or chamber, esp. the women’s apartment.

thatch The covering of a roof, or the like, usually made of straw, reed, or similar materials fastened together to shed water and sometimes to provide thermal insulation; in tropical countries palm leaves are widely used.

thatched hut See palma hut.

T-head 1. In precast framing, a segment of girder crossing the top of an interior column. 2. The top of a shore formed with a braced horizontal member which projects on two sides, forming a T-shaped assembly. 3. In plumbing, same as curb cock.

theater A building or outdoor structure providing a stage (and associated equipment) for the presentation of dramatic performances and seating for spectators.

theater-in-the-round An arena theater; also see arena, 2.

theater seating Same as auditorium seating.

theatrical gauze A stiff gauze, 1, usually of cotton or linen; used on the stage of a theater for curtains or scenery.

theodolite A precision instrument used in surveying; consists of an alidade which is equipped with a telescope, a leveling device, and an accurately graduated horizontal circle; also may carry an accurately graduated vertical circle.

theologeion, theologium A small upper stage or balcony in the stage structure of the ancient theater, on which persons representing divinities sometimes appeared and spoke.

therm A quantity of heat equivalent to 100,000 Btu.

thermae See bath, 3.

thermal barrier See thermal break.

thermal bath See bath, 3.

thermal break, thermal barrier An element of low heat conductivity placed in an assembly to reduce or prevent the flow of heat between highly conductive materials; used in some metal window or curtain wall designs intended for installation in cold climates.

thermal bridge Same as cold bridge.

thermal capacity See heat capacity.

thermal conductance The time rate of flow of heat through a unit area of material from one of the faces of the material to the other, for a unit temperature difference between the two faces, under steady-state conditions.

thermal conduction The process of heat transfer through a material medium in which kinetic energy is transmitted by particles of the material from particle to particle without gross displacement of the particles.

thermal conductivity The rate of transfer of heat by conduction; the amount of heat per unit of time per unit area that is conducted through a slab of unit thickness of a material if the difference in temperature between opposite faces is one degree of temperature; a property of the material itself, usually represented by the letter k and called k factor.

thermal conductor A material which readily transmits heat by means of thermal conduction.

thermal cutout An overcurrent protective device in an electric circuit; contains a heater element and a renewable fusible member which opens when the current is so great as to produce sufficient heat to melt it; not designed to interrupt short-circuit currents.

thermal diffusivity The thermal conductivity divided by the product of the specific heat and unit weight; an index of the ease with which a material undergoes a change in temperature.

thermal emissivity The ratio of the rate of radiant heat energy emitted by a body at a given temperature to the rate of radiant heat energy emitted by a blackbody, 1 at the same temperature, in the same surroundings.

thermal endurance A measure of the capability of glass to withstand thermal shock.

thermal expansion The change in length or volume which a material or body undergoes on being heated.

thermal finish Same as flamed finish.

thermal-fusion joint Same as heat-fusion joint.

thermal insulating cement A prepared composition, in dry form, comprising granular, flaky, fibrous, or powdery materials; when mixed with a suitable proportion of water, it develops a plastic consistency, and if applied to a surface, dries in place and forms a covering that provides thermal insulation.

thermal insulation, heat insulation A material providing high resistance to heat flow; usually made of mineral wool, cork, asbestos, foam glass, foamed plastic, diatomaceous earth, etc.; fabricated in the form of batts, blankets, blocks, boards, granular fill, and loose fill.

thermal insulation board A preformed rigid or semirigid material in board or block form, which provides resistance to heat flow.

thermal load A load on a structure which is induced by changes in temperature.

thermal mass Any material or wall that can absorb heat or cold and release it at a later time. Also see roof pond, rock storage, and Trombe wall.

thermal movement Changes in dimension of concrete or masonry as a result of temperature changes.

thermal protector For a motor or motor-compressor, a protective device which protects the motor against dangerous overheating, due either to failure to start or to overload.

thermal radiation The transmission of heat from a hot surface to a cooler one in the form of invisible electromagnetic waves, which, on being absorbed by the cooler surface, raise the temperature of that surface without warming the space between.

thermal resistance The reciprocal of thermal conductance.

thermal resistivity An index of a material’s resistance to the transmission of heat; the reciprocal of thermal conductivity.

thermal shock The sudden stress produced in a body or in a material as a result of a sudden temperature change.

thermal storage The means by which solar energy is collected for re-radiation at a later time.

thermal storage roof In a passive solar energy system, a roof that provides thermal mass; also see roof pond.

thermal storage wall In a passive solar energy system, a wall acting as a thermal mass; located between the collector and the space to be heated; see Trombe wall.

thermal stress, temperature stress Stress introduced by uniform or nonuniform temperature change in a structure or material which is constrained against expansion or contraction.

thermal stress cracking The crazing of some thermoplastics as a result of overexposure to high temperature.

thermal transference The steady-state flow of heat from a body, through applied thermal insulation, to the external surroundings, i.e., the time rate of heat flow per unit area of the body surface per unit temperature difference between the body surface and the external surroundings.

thermal transmittance, U-value The time rate of heat flow per unit area under steady conditions from the fluid on the warm side of a barrier to the fluid on the cold side, per unit temperature difference between the two fluids.

thermal unit A unit of heat energy, such as the British thermal unit (Btu) in the English system, or the calorie in the metric system.

thermal valve A valve whose action is controlled by a thermally responsive element.

thermite welding A welding process in which the joining of the parts is produced by heating with superheated liquid metal and slag resulting from the ignition of a mixture of ferric oxide and finely-divided aluminum particles; pressure may be applied.

thermal window See insulating glass.

THERMO On drawings, abbr. for thermostat.

thermocouple A device consisting of two junctions of two dissimilar metals, in an electric circuit; when the two junctions are at different temperatures, a voltage is generated by the device; used for measuring temperature.

thermoforming The forming of thermoplastics as a result of the application of heat that softens the material.

thermometer A device for measuring temperature.

thermometer well A specially designed enclosure which is connected into a piping system and into which a thermometer may be inserted to measure fluid temperature.

Thermopane™ A proprietary name for a heat-insulating glass.

thermoplastic A material which becomes soft and pliable when heated (without change in its other properties) and hard and rigid when cooled again.

thermoplastic insulating tape A tape composed of a thermoplastic compound; used to provide insulation at joints in an electric conductor.

thermoplastic protective tape A tape which is composed of a thermoplastic compound that provides a protective covering for electrical insulation.

thermosetting Descriptive of a material such as synthetic resin which hardens when heated or cured, and does not soften when reheated.

thermosetting resin A synthetic resin which assumes a permanent set under heat; cannot be remolded once the set has taken place.

thermosiphoning A method of cooling a house in which hot air rises to the upper part of the house where an attic fan blows it to the exterior; cooler exterior air at a lower height is then drawn into the house.

thermosiphon solar energy system A solar energy system in which the heat transfer fluid circulates by convection as the less dense, warm fluid (air) rises and is displaced by the denser, cooler fluid (air).

thermostat An instrument which responds to changes in temperature, and directly or indirectly controls temperature.

thermostatic expansion valve A controlling device for regulating the flow of volatile refrigerant into a cooling unit, actuated by changes in cooling unit pressure and superheat of the refrigerant leaving the cooling unit.

thermostatic mixer Same as shower mixer.

thermostatic switch A type of switch installed inside security cabinets, vaults, etc. If the temperature within the cabinet or vault rises significantly above its normal value, the thermostatic switch closes, thereby activating an alarm.

thermostatic trap A steam trap utilizing a thermally actuated device to expand and close the discharge port when steam flows through it, and to contract and allow steam condensate to flow through when the temperature of the fluid drops to a predetermined value; usually used for small steam loads such as radiators.

therm window Same as Venetian window.

thesaurus In ancient Greece, a treasury house.

thickness gauge Same as feeler gauge.

thickness molding Same as bed molding.

thick set Said of a ceramic tile that has been set in a thick bed of mortar.

thief-resistant lock A mechanical device that is especially effective in preventing unauthorized entry.

thimble 1. A protective sleeve of metal which passes through the wall of a chimney to hold the end of a stovepipe or smoke pipe. 2. The socket or bearing attached to an escutcheon plate in which the end of the knob shank rotates.

T-hinge, tee hinge A surface-mounted door hinge in the shape of the letter T, of which one leaf, the strap, is fastened to the door, and the other (short and wide) is fixed to the doorpost.

thinner, dilutent, solvent A volatile liquid used to dilute and lower the viscosity of paints, adhesives, etc.

thinning ratio The amount of thinner that is recommended for a given quantity of paint.

thin-set Said of a ceramic tile that has been set in a thin layer of mortar.

thin-set terrazzo Same as special matrix terrazzo.

thin-shell concrete Thin reinforced concrete in the shape of a large shell, 1 or section thereof.

thin-shell precast Precast concrete which is characterized by relatively thin slabs and web sections.

thin stone Stone that is less than 2 in. (5 cm) thick.

thin-wall conduit Electric conduit which has a wall thickness insufficient for providing threads; the ends are joined by couplings which slip over the ends and which are held in place by setscrews.

thixotropic That property of certain gels of becoming liquid when shaken or stirred.

THK On drawings, abbr. for “thick.”

thole 1. Same as tholos. 2. A niche or recess in which votive offerings were made. 3. A knot or escutcheon at the apex of a timber vault.

tholobate The circular substructure of a dome.

tholos 1. In Greek architecture, any round building. 2. The corbeled, domed tombs of the Mycenaean period. 3. A domed rotunda.

tholos tomb See beehive tomb.

tholus Same as tholos.

thread The prominent spiral part of a screw; a ridge of uniform section in the form of a helix on the external or internal surface of a cylinder. Also see taper thread.

threaded anchorage In posttensioning, a device used for anchorage; has threads to attach the jacking device more easily and to effect the anchorage.

threaded joint A mechanical joint between threaded pipes or between a threaded pipe and threaded fitting.

thread escutcheon A small metal plate placed around any small opening, as a keyhole.

three-bay threshing barn, three-bay barn Same as Yankee barn.

three-centered arch An arch whose inner curved surface is struck from three centers, resulting in a shape approximating one-half an ellipse. Compare with two-centered arch.

three-coat work In plastering, the application of three successive coats: scratch coat, brown coat, and finish coat.

three-decker A pulpit for a meetinghouse with the clerk’s desk at the bottom, the reader’s desk above it, and the pulpit on top.

three-ended barn See straw shed.

three-hinged arch An arch with hinges at the two supports and at the crown.

three-hole basin A wash basin provided with two openings, one each for the control of the flow of hot and cold water, and a third opening for a faucet.

three-light window 1. A window with three panes. 2. A window which is three panes high or three panes wide.

three-part window 1. A window having three sashes of the same height and in the same plane; there is a wide rectangular sash at its center and a narrower sash on each side; essentially the same as a Palladian window with the rounded head of the center sash lopped off at the top. 2. Same as treble sash.

three-pinned arch Same as three-hinged arch.

three-ply Consisting of three layers, thicknesses, laminations, etc., as veneers in plywood; where the layers have a grain or orientation, usually the grain in adjacent layers is opposite.

three-pointed arch See equilateral arch.

three-point lock A device which locks the active leaf of a pair of doors at three points; sometimes required on doors having a 3-hr fire rating.

three-quarter bat Same as three-quarter brick.

three-quarter brick A brick which is equal to three-quarters of the length of a full-sized brick.

three-quarter Cape house A Cape Cod house that has two double-hung windows on one side of the front door and only one on the other side of the door.

three-quarter closer Same as king closer.

three-quarter header A header whose length is equal to three-fourths of the thickness of the wall.

three-quarter house A Cape Cod house or saltbox having two windows on one side of the front door and one window on the other side.

three-quarter-turn Descriptive of a stair which, in its progress from top to bottom, turns 270°.

three-quarter view A view of an object which is midway between a front and a side view.

three-room plan A once-popular plan consisting of a parlor, hall, and kitchen lined up along the front of the house. The entry door, which was not centered on the façade, usually opened directly into the kitchen.

three-way strap A steel strap which is shaped to fit and join three members of a wood truss; fastened with bolts or screws.

three-way switch An electric switch, used in conjunction with a similar switch, to control lights from two different points, as from two different ends of a hallway.

three-wire system An electric wiring system which utilizes three conductors; one of the wires (the “neutral wire”) is maintained at a potential midway between the potentials of the other two.

threshing barn Same as Yankee barn.

threshing floor The section of a barn where wheat is separated from the chaff and also where hay is stored. In some early barns, the threshing process took up an entire floor.

threshold 1. A strip fastened to the floor beneath a door, usually required to cover the joint where two types of floor material meet; may provide weather protection at exterior doors. Also see doorsill. 2. In illumination engineering, the value of physical stimulus which permits an object to be seen a specified percentage of the time with specified accuracy.

throat 1. A groove that is cut along the underside of a projecting member (for example, under a belt course) to prevent rainwater from running back across it toward the wall; also called a drip molding. 2. Same as chimney throat.

throated sill The lowest horizontal member of a window frame; a groove cut along the underside of the frame retards the flow of rainwater back toward the wall.

throating 1. A drip or drip mold. 2. See throat. 3. A chimney throat.

throat opening In a steel doorframe, the opening between the backbends of the frame.

throttling valve In a piping system, an orifice designed to control the rate of flow through it.

through-and-through-sawn Same as plain-sawn.

through arch Any arch which is set in a thick, heavy wall.

through bolt A bolt which passes completely through the members it connects.

through bond In a masonry wall, the transverse bond formed by stone units or bricks extending through the wall.

through check In a timber, a check which extends from one surface through to the opposite side.

through dovetail See common dovetail.

through gutter A gutter having parallel sides.

through lintel A lintel whose thickness is that of the wall in which it is placed.

through lot A lot, other than a corner lot, having frontage on two public streets or highways.

through penetration An opening that passes through both sides of a fire-resistive construction.

through shake In timber, a shake which extends between any two faces.

through stone A stone that is set with its longest dimension perpendicular to the face of a wall and whose length is equal to the thickness of the wall.

through tenon A tenon that extends completely through the piece into which its corresponding mortise is cut.

through-the-cornice wall dormer See wall dormer.

through-wall flashing A flashing which extends through a wall, from one side to the other.

throw 1. The horizontal or vertical axial distance an airstream travels after leaving an air outlet to the point where the airstream velocity is reduced to a specific value; also called blow. 2. The effective distance between a lighting fixture and the area being lighted. 3. The maximum distance that a bolt projects when it is fully extended.

THRU On drawings, abbr. for “through.”

thrust 1. The amount of push or force exerted by or on a structure. 2. In an arch, the resultant force normal to any cross section of the arch.

thrust bearing A support for a shaft designed to take up its end thrust.

thrust line In an arched structure, the line of action of the resultant compressive force.

thrust stage A stage in a theater that does not have a proscenium; the stage is surrounded on three sides by the audience.

thuja Same as thuya.

thumbat In roofing, a hook for fastening sheet lead.

thumb knob Same as turn knob.

thumb latch A lift latch for securing a door in a closed position, usually by means of a flat bar that falls into a catch when pressed by the thumb; for example, see Norfolk latch and Suffolk latch.

thumb molding A narrow convex molding which is flattened in cross section.

thumbnail bead A quarter-round molding cut into the edge of a board so that it is recessed slightly from the surface.

thumb nut Same as wing nut.

thumb piece A small pivoted part above the grip of a door handle; pressure on this part, by the thumb, causes the latch bolt to operate.

thumb plane A very small, narrow carpenter’s plane.

thumbscrew A screw having a broad head that is knurled or flattened so that it may be turned easily by the thumb and one finger.

thumb turn Same as turn knob.

thurm To work moldings, or the like, across the grain of the wood with a saw and chisel, producing an effect similar to turning on a lathe.

thuya, western red cedar, Pacific red cedar A soft, lightweight, straight coarse-grained wood that is relatively weak; the sapwood is white, the heartwood is reddish; because of its durability it is widely used for shingles, tanks, and other exterior applications.

thymele In the orchestra of an ancient Greek theater, a small altar dedicated to Bacchus; usually at the center of the orchestra circle and marked by a white stone.

thyroma 1. Of an ancient house, a door which opens on the street. 2. A large doorway in the second story at the rear of the stage of the ancient Roman theater.

thyrorion, thyroreum Of an ancient Greek house, a passageway leading from the entrance to the peristyle.

tide mill A mill, such as a gristmill or sawmill, operated by a waterwheel powered by tidal water confined in a reservoir after high tide. An incoming tide opens a gate, permitting tidal water to fill the reservoir; when the direction of the tide changes, the gate is closed by hand, and then the outflowing tidal water turns the mill’s waterwheel.

Tidewater cottage A one-room cottage in the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia, after about 1630.

tie 1. Any unit of material which connects two parts, as masonry to masonry. Also see wall tie. 2. A framing member which sustains only a tensile load; a member in tension to prevent spreading. 3. In surveying, a connection from a point of known position to a point whose position is desired.

tieback A tension element used to resist the lateral force on a retaining structure.

tie bar 1. A flat bar used as a tie or a tie rod. 2. A deformed bar, embedded in a concrete construction at a joint and designed to hold abutting edges together; not designed for direct-load transfer.

tie beam 1. On individual pile caps or spread footings which are eccentrically loaded, a beam (usually of reinforced concrete) used to distribute horizontal forces to other pile caps or footings; a strap, 2. 2. In roof framing, a horizontal timber connecting two opposite rafters at their lower ends to prevent them from spreading; also see collar beam.

tied arch An arch having a tie between the skewbacks of the arch ends in order to provide a horizontal reaction component.

tied column A column which is reinforced laterally with ties.

tie iron Same as wall tie.

tien A basic Chinese structure used for domestic, public, and religious buildings; consists of a platform supporting a structural wooden framework of at least four columns and longitudinal and transverse tie beams, on which rest the roof trusses of the prominent, upward-curving, high-pitched, tiled roof. Enclosures and interior partitions are nonbearing screen walls.

tie piece Same as tie beam, 2.

tie plate 1. Any plate used to tie together two components or parallel parts of a built-up structural-steel member. 2. Same as batten plate.

tie point The point of closure of a survey, either on itself or on another survey.

tier A row, or a group of rows placed one above the other, as rows of seats in a theater or of beams in construction.

tier building A multistoried building, the floors of which may or may not be partitioned.

tierceron In medieval vaulting, a secondary rib springing from an intersection of two other ribs; an intermediate rib that rises between the main diagonal and transverse ribs from the impost of the pier to the ridge rib.

tie rod A rod in tension, used to bind parts of a structure together. (See illustration p. 998.)

tie stone A stone serving as a tie, 1.

tier structure A multistory framed building.

tie wall A wall built at right angles to a spandrel wall to increase its lateral stability.

tie wire An annealed iron wire, used to tie steel reinforcing bars together in reinforcement, 1.

Tiffany glass See opalescent glass and stained glass.

tige The shaft of a column, from the base moldings to the capital.

tigerwood A grayish to dark brown wood of western Africa; of moderate density; highly figured and with high luster; used for interior carpentry and plywood.

tight building A building in which air infiltration is kept to a minimum to reduce heating and cooling costs.

tight knot See sound knot.

tight sheathing 1. Tongue-and-grooved boards or dressed-and-matched boards nailed to rafters or studs to serve as a base for an outer covering; may be fastened either at right angles or diagonal to the supports. 2. Same as closed sheeting except that the vertical sheathing planks are interlocked; used in saturated soils; sometimes steel sheet piling is used instead of wood planking.

tight sheeting Same as closed sheeting.

tight side The side of veneer which originally faced outward in the log or flitch when the veneer was cut from it.

tight tolerance A tolerance in a specification that holds the permissible deviation from the specification to a minimum value.

tile 1. A glazed or unglazed ceramic unit for finishing a surface; usually thin in relation to the dimensions of its face. 2. A surfacing unit of slate or of some other impervious composition; also see brick-tile, chimney tile, clay tile, corner tile, crown tile, Dutch tile, encaustic tile, fireplace tile, hollow clay tile, mission tile, pantile, ridge tile, rounded tile, Spanish tile, structural clay tile.

tile-and-a-half tile Tile having the same length, but 1½ times the width, of the tile used elsewhere on a roof.

tile arch A floor arch, 2 made of terra cotta.

tile batten See slate batten.

tileboard 1. A wallboard used for interior finishing; usually a base sheet material overlaid with a hard, glossy decorative facing to simulate tile. 2. Square or rectangular boards, usually made of compressed wood or vegetable fibers, often with beveled interlocking edges, used for ceiling or wall covering.

tile creasing A weather-protective barrier at the top of a brick wall; consists of two courses of tiles which project beyond both faces of the wall, so as to throw off rainwater. Also see creasing.

tile drain See drain tile.

tile field A system of distribution tile.

tile fillet Tiles cut to form a fillet, and set in mortar against a wall adjoining a roof surface in lieu of flashing.

tile hammer A brick hammer of reduced size; used to cut glazed brick and tile and, in some cases, facing brick; not used for heavy-duty work, which is performed with a brick hammer.

tile hanging Same as weather slating.

tile listing Tile used to create a splayed fillet at an abutment.

tile pick A sharp pointed hammer used to pick holes in tile units.

tile pin A pin passing through a roofing tile into the wood beneath to hold the tile in place.

tile shell In a structural clay tile, the outer shell of the hollow unit.

tile shingle See shingle.

tile strip Same as slate batten.

tile tie A heavy braided wire used to secure tile to a roof.

tile valley On a roof, the valley between two sloping plane surfaces formed with specially made tiles.

tiling plaster See Keene’s cement.

till, glacial till, boulder clay An unstratified glacial deposit which consists of pockets of clay, gravel, sand, silt, and boulders; has not been subject to the sorting action of water; usually has good load-sustaining properties.

tilting concrete mixer See tilting mixer.

tilting-drum mixer Same as tilting mixer.

tilting fillet, cant strip, doubling piece, tilting piece A thin wedge-shaped strip of wood placed under the slates or tiles of a roof to tilt the bottom course; used where needed to shed water more effectively. Also see arris fillet.

tilting level A level, 1 in which the final leveling of the instrument is obtained by small controlled amounts of rotation of the telescope about a horizontal axis.

tilting mixer A horizontal-axis cement mixer whose drum can be tilted; the materials are fed in when the discharge opening of the drum is raised, and the mixture is discharged by tilting the drum.

tilting piece See tilting fillet.

tilt-up construction Construction of concrete wall panels which are cast horizontally, adjacent to their final positions, and then tilted up into a vertical position when hardened.

timber 1. Uncut trees or logs that are suitable for conversion to lumber. 2. Wood sawn into balks, battens, boards, etc., suitable for use in carpentry, joinery, and general construction. 3. Square-sawn lumber having: (US) a minimum dimension of 5 in.; (Brit.) approximately equal cross dimensions greater than 4 in. by 4½ in. (101.6 mm by 114.3 mm). 4. A heavy wooden beam used as a shoring or bracing system member.

timber bond In masonry, a chain bond formed by the use of timber.

timber brick Same as wood brick.

timber building Same as timber-framed building.

timber connector One of a number of metal connectors used (with bolts) to join timber in heavy construction; usually the connector has a series of sharp teeth which dig into the wood as a bolt is tightened, thereby preventing lateral movement and decreasing the number of bolts required; another type employs a sharp round ring to perform this function.

timber dog A dog iron suitable for joining two timbers.

timber-framed building A building having timbers as its structural elements (except for the foundation); for a description of the major individual components used in such a structure, see collar beam, girt, joist, plate, purlin, rafter, summerbeam, windbrace.

timber-framed house A house in which the major structural components were huge timber posts and beams or girts. The space between these structural timbers was usually filled with brick, plaster, mud, wattle-and-daub, or the like. The exterior of the building was often coated with hard plaster and then sheathed with weatherboarding, or covered with slates or shingles as protection against the penetration of rain and to provide improved thermal insulation.

timber framing See frame.

timber house A type of house, usually lofty, found in secular Gothic architecture, especially in Central Europe; characterized by a lower story of masonry which supports the timber construction above, usually with richly carved gables.

timbering Any temporary work in timber, as formwork for concrete, shoring, etc.

timber joint connector Same as timber connector.

timber stresses In stress-graded lumber, the stresses which conform to recognized values.

time Time limits or periods stated in the contract. A provision in a construction contract that “time is of the essence of the contract” signifies that the parties consider that punctual performance within the time limits or periods in the contract is a vital part of the performance and that failure to perform on time is a breach for which the injured party is entitled to damages in the amount of loss sustained, or is excused from any obligation of further performance, or both.

time and materials (T&M) The time and total cost of all materials required to complete a construction job; often used where the cost of the job is otherwise difficult to estimate.

time-delay fuse Any fuse in an electric circuit that takes more than 12 seconds to open at a 200% load.

timely completion Completion of the work, 1 or designated portion thereof on or before the date required.

time of completion The date established in the contract, by name or by number of days, for substantial completion of the work. Also see completion date and contract time.

time of concentration In a storm-water drainage system, the time required for storm water to travel from the most remote portion of the tributary area to an inlet or drain.

time of haul In production of ready-mixed concrete, the period from first contact between mixing water and cement to the discharge from the mixer of the freshly mixed concrete.

time of set See initial setting time, final setting time.

time system A system of clocks and control devices, with or without a master timepiece, which will indicate time at various remote locations; the master timepiece may have additional facilities to program other systems, such as bells.

tin 1. A lustrous white, soft, and malleable metal having a low melting point; relatively unaffected by exposure to air; used for making alloys and solder and in coating sheet metal. 2. To coat with a layer of tin.

tin-canning See oil-canning.

tin cap A small flat metal washer used under roofing nails.

tin ceiling See metal ceiling and pressed-metal ceiling.

tin-clad fire door A door of two- or three-ply wood-core construction, which is covered with No. 30 gauge galvanized steel or terneplate or No. 24 gauge galvanized steel sheets.

tinfoil A very thin sheet of tin, now replaced by other foils such as aluminum.

t’ing A four-sided, open, wooden pavilion of Chinese origin; consists of uprights supporting an upward-curving roof by means of tie beams and brackets.

tingle 1. A support which reduces the sag in a long line used in laying brick. 2. A flexible metal clip used to hold a sheet of glass, metal, etc.

tinning, precoating Coating a metal with solder or tin alloy, prior to soldering or brazing it.

tinplate Thin iron or steel sheets which have been plated with tin as a protection against oxidation.

tin roofing A roof covering of flexible tin-plate or terneplate metal.

tin saw A saw used for cutting kerfs in bricks.

tin snips Shears with a blunt nose; used for cutting thin sheet metal.

tint A light color made by mixing a small amount of the pure color with a large amount of white.

tinted glass Glass which has been tinted, usually to filter out near-infrared solar energy, thereby reducing the solar heat gain through the glass and reducing the load on the air-conditioning system.

tinter See stainer.

tinting strength, staining power The ability of a pigment to modify the color of a standard white or colored paint.

tipi A relatively lightweight, transportable, conically shaped dwelling primarily of American Indians of the Great Plains; its base was generally egglike in plan, with the narrower end of the base at the entrance. The framework consisted of heavy wood poles, fixed in the ground at their lower ends and lashed together at the top. This framework was covered with decorated waterproof animal skins, sewn together with sinew and secured to the ground by pegs driven through loops at the base of the cover. Another type of tipi, used by tribes in the eastern regions of America, had a domed rather than a conical framework consisting of branches bent over, tied together, and covered by bark or animal skins sewn together with sinew to provide a waterproof covering. Also spelled tepee or teepee.

tirant 1. A tie beam. 2. A tie rod.

T-iron See tee iron.

titanium dioxide A white pigment having a very high opacity; used in paints; occurs in two crystalline forms, anatase and rutile, of which the latter has higher opacity.

titanium white A pigment consisting primarily of titanium dioxide; bright white in color; has high hiding power and good permanence.

tithe barn A barn once used by farmers to hold their contributions to the church in the amount of one-tenth of their harvested crops.

title A legal right to the ownership of property. Also see abstract of title.

title insurance Insurance, offered by a company, that the title to property is clear or that it may be cleared by curing specified defects.

title search An inquiry into the historical ownership record of a property in order to ascertain its true ownership and the possible existence of any liens or easements on the property which might affect its sale.

tjandi A Hindu sepulchral monument, prevalent in Java from the 8th to 14th cent. A.D., consisting of a square base, a cella-like temple, and a prominent pyramidal roof structure; a small room in the base contained the urn with the ashes of the prince in whose memory the structure was erected.

T-joint See tee joint.

TL Abbr. for transmission loss.

TMA Abbr. for “Tile Manufacturers Association.”

tobacco barn A barn used for curing tobacco leaves, with or without the addition of heat, by hanging them from a series of horizontal poles within the barn; occasionally called a tobacco house. Three common types of tobacco barns are designated by the curing process employed: air-cured, fire-cured, and flue-cured.

toe 1. A projection from the foot or foot piece of any object or construction to give it broader bearing and greater stability. 2. That part of the base of a concrete retaining wall which projects in front of the face of the wall, away from the retained material. 3. That portion of sheeting below the excavation subgrade. 4. On a door, the lower portion of the lock stile. 5. Of a weld, the junction between the base metal and the face of a weld. 6. To drive a nail at an oblique angle.

toeboard 1. A board placed around a platform or on a sloping roof to prevent workmen or materials from falling. 2. A member that forms the lowest vertical face of a kitchen cabinet, or the like, at toe level.

toe crack A crack, at the toe of a weld, in the base metal.

toed In carpentry, said of a board, strut, etc., having the end secured by nails driven obliquely.

toehold A batten or board which is nailed, temporarily, to a sloping roof to act as a footing for workmen.

toe in The small reduction in the outside diameter of a plastic pipe at its cut end.

toe joint A joint formed between a horizontal timber and another at some vertical angle with it, as between a rafter and a wall plate.

toenailing, skew nailing, tusk nailing Nailing obliquely to the surfaces being joined; alternate nails may be driven at opposite angles to provide increased holding power.

toe piece Same as ledger, 2.

toeplate 1. Same as kickplate, 2. 2. A flat metal bar attached to the outer edge of a metal grating or to the rear edge of a tread, and projecting above the top surface of the grating or tread so as to form a lip or curb.

toe wall At the bottom of an embankment, a low wall built to prevent the earth from slipping or spreading.

toggle bolt A bolt having a nut with pivoted, flanged wings that close against a spring when it is pushed through a hole, and open after emerging from the hole; used to fasten objects to a hollow wall or to a wall which is accessible only from one side.

toggle switch A lever-actuated snap switch.

toilet 1. A water closet; W.C. 2. The room containing the water closet.

toilet enclosure In a toilet room having a number of water closets, one of the compartments which provides individual privacy.

toilet partition One of the panels forming a toilet enclosure.

toilet room An enclosed space containing one or more water closets, lavatories, toilet enclosures, urinals, and other plumbing fixtures; also see bathroom.

tokonoma In the Japanese house, an alcove, raised above the floor, for displaying a hanging scroll and a flower arrangement.

TOL On drawings, abbr. for tolerance.

tolerance The permissible deviation in a specified size or dimension.

tollhouse 1. A house near a tollgate of a highway or bridge, serving as the residence of the keeper. 2. A tollbooth.

Toltec architecture An austere geometric Mesoamerican architecture, ca. 1000 A.D., which formed the basis for Aztec architecture and other architecture of Mesoamerica.

tom Same as shore.

tomb In architecture, a memorial structure over or beside a grave.

tomb chest A stone coffin-like box.

ton 1. The equivalent of 2,000 lb (907.2 kg). Also see metric ton. 2. A unit of refrigeration capacity equal to 200 Btu per minute, the equivalent cooling provided by the melting of one ton of ice in one hour.

tondino 1. A small tondo. 2. A circular molding.

tondo A circular plaque or medallion.

toner An undiluted organic pigment; contains little or no inert matter.

tongue A projecting member, either as a continuous ridge along the edge of a board or plank, or as a tenon on the end of a wood member; intended to be fitted into a corresponding groove or opening in another member to form a joint.

tongue-and-dart molding A decorative molding consisting of a tonguelike ornament alternating with a dartlike ornament.

tongue and egg molding A decorative molding consisting of alternating tongue-like and egg-shaped ornaments. Compare with egg and dart.

tongue-and-groove boards See dressed-and-matched boards.

tongue-and-groove joint, T and G joint A joint formed by the insertion of the tongue of one member into the corresponding groove of another.

tongue-and-groove material See dressed-and-matched-boards.

tongue-and-lip joint A type of tongue-and-groove joint in which the joint is concealed by a flush bead on the board with the tongue.

tongued miter A miter joint which incorporates a tongue.

tongue joint A split joint formed by inserting a tongue or wedge-shaped piece into a correspondingly grooved piece in another member; if metal, such a joint may be welded.

tonk strip A steel adjustable support for a shelf.

tonne A metric ton; a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms (approximately 2205 pounds).

ton of refrigeration A refrigerating effect equal to 12,000 Btu (3,024 cal) per hour.

ton slate Random-sized slate which is purchased by weight.

tooled ashlar Stonework having a tooled finish.

tooled border A tooled, ashlar surface having a decorative border consisting of double alternating squares.

tooled finish, tooled surface In stonework, a fluted, flat surface that usually carries 2 to 12 concave grooves per inch (5 to 30 per centimeter); also called tooling.

tooled joint Any masonry joint that has been prepared with a tool before the mortar in the joint has set rigidly.

tooled surface A tooled finish.

tooled work See batted work.

tooling 1. Compressing and shaping the face of a mortar joint. 2. See tooled finish. 3. See batted work. 4. Compacting and contouring a sealant in a joint.

tooling time After the application of a sealant in a joint, the time interval during which tooling, 3 is possible.

tool pad A tool, consisting of handle and clamp or chuck, for holding small tool bits, such as awls, screwdriver blades, etc.

tooth 1. In a paint film, a fine texture imparted either by pigments or by the abrasives used in sanding; this texture provides a good base for the adhesion of a subsequent coat of paint. 2. A dogtooth, 2.

tooth chiseling Cutting parallel stripes on the surface of a stone slab with a stonecutter’s chisel.

toothed plate, bulldog plate A toothed metal plate that serves as a timber connector.

toothed ring A metal ring with toothed edges which serves as a timber connector.

toother Same as dogtooth, 2.

toothing Cutting out alternate courses in old work to provide a bond for new work.

toothing plane A carpenter’s plane, the cutting edge of which is formed into a series of small teeth, usually to roughen a surface.

tooth ornament, dogtooth A decoration, generally in the hollow of a Gothic molding, consisting of four-leaved flowers, the centers of which project in a point.

top-and-bottom cap One of the horizontal metal channels, attached at the jobsite to the top and to the bottom of a hollow-metal door which does not have an integral flush top or bottom.

top beam A collar beam.

top car clearance The shortest vertical distance between the top of an elevator car (or crosshead, if provided on the car) and the nearest overhead obstruction when the car floor is level with the top terminal landing.

topcoat The final coat of paint applied to a surface; usually applied over a primer and/or one or more undercoats or surfacers.

top-course tile The uppermost course of tile, laid along the ridge of a roof; usually shorter than the others.

top cut The vertical cut at the upper end of a rafter.

top dressing A layer, usually thin, of manure, humus, loam, etc., to improve soil conditions in planted areas.

tope See stupa.

top form A concrete form required on the upper or outer surfaces of a sloping slab, a thin shell, etc.

top-hinged in-swinging window A window having a sash (ventilator, 2) which is hinged at the top and swings in at the bottom.

top-hung window A casement window hung by a hinge running along its upper edge.

topiary work The clipping or trimming of plants, trees, and shrubs, usually evergreens, into ornamental and fantastic shapes.

top lap In shingle roofing, the shortest distance between (a) the lower edge of an overlapping shingle and (b) the upper edge of the lapped unit in the course directly below.

toplighting Lighting from above.

top mop See pour coat.

topographic survey The configuration of a surface including its relief and the locations of its natural and man-made features, usually recorded on a drawing showing surface variations by means of contour lines indicating height above or below a fixed datum.

top out To complete the uppermost course or the highest structural member in a construction.

topping 1. A layer of high-quality concrete or mortar placed to form a floor surface on a concrete base. 2. The mixture of marble chips and matrix which, when properly processed, produces a terrazzo surface.

topping coat A floated coat.

topping compound Same as finishing compound.

topping joint In a topping, 1, a joint which is directly over an expansion joint in the concrete base.

topping out The placing of a flag or banner (sometimes a tree—especially at Christmas time) at the highest point of the framework of a building when it is completed.

top plate 1. The top horizontal member of a frame building to which the rafters are fastened. 2. The horizontal member at the top of the partition studs.

top rail 1. The top horizontal structural member of any piece of framing, as a door or sash. 2. A rail which is the top member of a railing system.

topsoil 1. The surface of upper layer of soil, as distinct from the subsoil; usually contains organic matter. 2. See loam.

torana, toran A monumental and richly decorated gateway in the enclosure of a Buddhist stupa in Indian architecture.

torch brazing A brazing process in which the required heat is furnished by a gas flame.

torchère 1. An indirect floor lamp which sends all or nearly all of its light upward. 2. An ornamental support for a flambeau or other source of light.

torching The application of a lime mortar under the top edges of roof tiles or slates; in full torching the mortar is applied beneath the entire underside of slates between battens.

torch soldering A soldering process in which the required heat is furnished by a gas flame.

tore Same as torus.

torii A monumental, freestanding gateway to a Shinto shrine, consisting of two pillars with a straight crosspiece at the top and lintel above it, usually curving upward.

tormentor In a theater, one of a pair of curtains or a rigid framed structure running parallel to the front of the stage, just behind the proscenium; used to frame the sides of the inner proscenium opening and to conceal the offstage wings from the audience.

torn grain A fuzzy or whiskered appearance in the face of a wood shake, usually caused by cutting the shake with a dull saw.

torque That which tends to produce rotation; the product of a force and a lever arm which tends to twist a body, as the action of a wrench turning a nut on a bolt.

torque viscometer An apparatus for measuring the viscosity of slurries.

torque wrench A wrench that incorporates a gauge, such as a dial, that provides a numerical indication of the torque that has been applied to a shaft.

torreón A defensive tower used for protection against enemy attack; a fortification once found in some Spanish Colonial communities.

torsade, cable molding, rope molding 1. A twisted or spiral molding. 2. Any ornamental twist.

torsel A piece of timber, steel, or stone which supports one end of a beam or joist and distributes its load.

torsion The twisting of a structural member about its longitudinal axis by two equal and opposite torques, one at one end and the other at the opposite end.

torsional strength The resistance of a material to being twisted about an axis.

torsional stress The shear stress on a transverse cross section which results from the action of a twist.

torso A spiral column, in Medieval and Renaissance architecture.

torus A bold projecting molding, convex in shape, generally forming the lowest member of a base over the plinth.

torus roll In sheet-metal or lead roofing, a joint made at the intersection of two planes having different slopes; allows for differential movement.

toshnailing Nailing at an angle so the nailheads are not visible.

TOT. On drawings, abbr. for “total.”

total float In CPM terminology, the difference between the amount of time available to accomplish an activity and the time required.

total load See service load.

tot lot An outdoor playground for very young children.

touch catch A door catch which releases automatically if the closed door is pushed.

touch dry A stage during the drying of a paint film when it can be touched lightly without the paint’s adhering and lifting when the finger is removed.

toughened glass British term for tempered glass.

toughness 1. The ability of a structural material to resist shock or impact; its ability to absorb energy before fracture. 2. The ability of a cladding, coating, or paint film to resist abrasion, chipping, or cracking.

tough-rubber sheath (Brit.) An abrasion-resistant, corrosion-resistant, waterproof, protective covering for an insulated electric cable.

tourelle A turret.

tourist cabin One of a number of small separate units, each providing overnight accommodation for travelers; usually consisting of a bedroom and bathroom, grouped in what was once called a tourist court; found along well-traveled highways during the first half of the 20th century; now replaced by motels.

tourist house A house used by travelers as a lodging, often available with or without meals; the total number of individuals that can be accommodated is usually specified by the applicable local code.

towed grader See grader.

tower A structure or building characterized by its relatively great height as compared with its horizontal dimensions; also see shot tower and torreón.

tower bolt Same as barrel bolt.

tower crane A type of crane consisting of a fixed vertical mast which is topped by a rotating boom, equipped with a winch for hoisting and lowering loads and placing them at any location within the diameter of the boom.

tower hoist In concrete handling in tall building construction, usually a tower, elevator bucket, and a movable receiving hopper set at the level where the concrete is placed; the bucket may be hoisted within the well of the tower frame or external to it.

tower house 1. A small castle consisting primarily or entirely of a single tower. 2. Same as keep.

tower keep See keep.

town hall A public hall or building, belonging to a town, where public offices are established, the town council meets, the people assemble in town meetings, etc.

town house 1. A comfortable-to-luxurious dwelling in an urban environment. 2. One of a series of houses constructed in an unbroken row, separated by party walls, often with a relatively flat roof. 3. An upscale row house.

town plan A large-scale, comprehensive map of a town or city that delineates its streets, important buildings, and other urban features in a detail compatible with the scale of the map; also see city plan.

town planning See city planning and community planning.

townscape 1. A view of a town or city from a single vantage point. 2. The planning and construction of buildings within a town or city with the objective of achieving overall aesthetically pleasing relationships.

T-plan The basic floor plan of a building having the shape of a capital letter T.

T-plate A flat metal plate in the shape of a T; used to join two timbers, one of which butts against the other, or to strengthen a joint.

trabeated 1. Descriptive of construction using beams or lintels, following the principle of post and lintel construction, as distinguished from construction using arches and vaults. 2. Furnished with an entablature.

trabeated system A system of building construction using beams or lintels to support the weight over an opening.

trabeation Construction using beams and posts; lintel construction.

trabes, trabs In ancient Rome, a beam, esp. a long beam supporting the joists of a ceiling.

tracery The curvilinear openwork shapes of stone or wood creating a pattern within the upper part of a Gothic window, or an opening of similar character, in the form of mullions which are usually so treated as to be ornamental. By extension, similar patterns applied to walls or panels. See bar tracery, branch tracery, fan tracery, etc.

trachelium In classical architecture, any member (usually part of the necking) which comes between the hypotrachelium and the capital.

tracing cloth A smooth linen fabric, coated with size to make it transparent and suitable for tracing.

tracing paper A transparent paper used for tracing and original drawings.

track A U-shaped member, attached to the floor and/or ceiling; used to receive metal studs for a partition, or to guide a sliding partition, door, curtain, etc.

track lighting Lighting provided by fixtures on a lighting track.

traction load A load on a structure exerted by a moving vehicle in the direction of its motion, caused by friction, tractive effort, or braking.

traction machine On elevators, a machine having a sheave which produces motion of the car through friction between the sheave and the wire ropes (cables) that hoist the car.

tractor A powerful engine-driven vehicle, on wheels or on tracks, used for pushing or pulling attachments or tools.

tractor loader, tractor shovel A tractor which has a bucket for digging, elevating, and dumping its load at truck height.

trade 1. A person’s occupation or craft, usually involving manual skill. 2. In building construction, the classifications of work, such as masonry, carpentry, plastering, etc.

trade granite See gneiss.

trading post A store, usually found in sparsely settled areas, where inhabitants can exchange products they make, grow, or trap, for goods sold by the store.

trafficable roof A flat, asphalt-prepared roof that provides protection against heavy foot traffic.

traffic board A board that protects a roof surface from damage caused by people walking on it.

traffic deck surfacing See topping.

traffic paint Paint specially formulated to withstand wear of vehicular traffic and to be highly visible at night; used to mark center lines on roadways, traffic lanes, crosswalks, etc.

traffic topping See topping.

trammel 1. In a fireplace, an adjustable hook for suspending a cooking pot from a pivoted wrought-iron horizontal bar attached to one of the fireplace walls. 2. An instrument for drawing ellipses.

trammel point One of the two metal points on a beam compass.

TRANS On drawings, abbr. for transformer.

transducer A device which converts power in one kind of system to power in another form, e.g., a loudspeaker which converts electric power to acoustic power.

transenna Latticework of marble or metal enclosing a shrine.

transept The transverse portion of a church crossing the main axis at a right angle and producing a cruciform plan.

transept aisle An aisle on the side of a transept.

transept chapel A chapel entered from a transept, usually on its east side.

transfer In pretensioning, the act of conveying the stress in the prestressing tendons from the jacks (or pretensioning bed) to the concrete member.

transfer beam A beam that distributes the load from the structure above it to that part of the structure directly below it.

transfer bond In pretensioning, the bond stress resulting from the transfer of stress from a prestressing tendon to the concrete.

transfer column A column in a multistory framed building that is not continuous down to the foundation, but is supported at some intermediate level where the load is transferred to adjacent columns.

transfer girder A girder supporting a transfer column.

transfer grille In an air-conditioning system, a grille which permits air to flow from one space to another; may be one of a pair, installed on opposite sides of a wall, door, etc.

transfer length Same as transmission length.

transfer molding An injection molding using a thermosetting material.

transfer register A transfer grille having a mechanism for controlling the quantity of airflow.

transfer strength In pretensioning, the strength the concrete must attain before stress is transferred from the stressing mechanism to the concrete.

transfer switch A device arranged to switch an electrical conductor from one circuit to another without interrupting the flow of current.

transformer A device with two or more coupled windings, used to convert a supply of electric power at one voltage to another voltage.

transformer bank Two or more transformers located in the same enclosure, as in a transformer vault.

transformer box See instrument transformer box.

transformer room An unattended room used to house electric transformers and their auxiliary equipment.

transformer vault An unattended isolated enclosure having fire-resistant walls, ceiling, and floor, for transformers and their auxiliary equipment; often located below ground.

transillumination The illumination of a material from the rear by light which is transmitted through the material.

transit A surveying instrument used for the measurement and laying out of horizontal and vertical angles, distances, directions, and differences in elevation; a type of theodolite having an alidade with a telescope which can be reversed in direction.

transit-and-stadia survey A survey in which horizontal and vertical directions or angles are observed with a transit and distances are measured by transit and stadia rod.

transitional style An architectural mode in a period between two different architectural styles, as for example, between late Georgian and early Federal style; such a transition may occur at different times in different parts of a country.

transit line In surveying, any line of a survey traverse which is projected, either with or without measurement, by the use of a transit or the like.

transit mix, transit-mixed concrete, truck-mixed concrete Concrete that has been mixed in a revolving-drum truck mixer.

transit-mix truck Same as truck mixer.

translation A linear displacement; in kinematics, a motion of a body such that a set of rectangular axes, fixed in the body, remains parallel to a set of axes fixed in space.

translucent Descriptive of a material that transmits light but diffuses it sufficiently so that an image cannot be seen through the material clearly.

translucent coating A liquid formulation (such as varnish, shellac, or lacquer) which when dry forms a translucent film.

translucent concrete A combination of glass and concrete in precast or prestressed panels.

transmission coefficient See thermal transmittance.

transmission factor See transmittance.

transmission length At the end of a pretensioned tendon, the distance necessary for the bond stress to develop the maximum tendon stress.

transmission loss Of a partition, the number of decibels by which sound (incident on the partition) is reduced in transmission through it; a measure of the sound insulation value of the partition—the higher the number, the greater the insulation value.

transmissivity The capacity of a material to transmit radiant energy.

transmittance When radiant flux is incident on a medium, the ratio of the flux which emerges from the medium to the flux which is incident upon it.

transom 1. A horizontal member, usually of wood or stone, that separates a door from a window, fanlight, or panel above it; sometimes called a transom bar. 2. An operable window hinged to the transom, 1 directly above a door. 3. A crossbar in a window frame that divides a window horizontally. Also see operable transom.

transom bar 1. An intermediate horizontal member of a doorframe, window frame, or similar structure. 2. A horizontal member which separates a door from a window, panel, or louver above.

transom bracket A bracket supporting an all-glass transom over an all-glass door when the door has no metal top rail or transom bar, 2.

transom catch A fastener applied to a transom and having a ring by which the latch bolt may be retracted by means of a hook on a long pole.

transom chain A short chain used to limit the opening of a transom; usually provided with a plate for attachment at each end.

transom frame A doorframe with a transom bar, 2 and glass, a panel, or a louver above the door opening.

transom lift A vertically operated device attached to a doorframe and an operable transom window, 1, by which the transom may be opened or closed.

transom light A glazed light above the transom bar, 2 of a door.

transom window 1. A transom light; may be operable. 2. Any window operated by a transom lift. 3. Any window divided by a transom bar.

transparent coating A liquid formulation (such as varnish, shellac, or lacquer) which when dry forms a transparent film.

transtrum In ancient Roman construction, a horizontal beam.

transverse See chambranle.

transverse arch The arched construction built across a hall, the nave of a church, or the like, either as part of the vaulting or to support or stiffen the roof.

transverse load A load, 1 applied perpendicularly to the plane of the longitudinal axis of a structure, such as a wind load.

transverse prestress In a member, prestress that is applied perpendicular to the principal axis.

transverse reinforcement Reinforcement at right angles to the principal axis of a member.

transverse rib A rib in vaulting spanning the nave, aisle, or transept at right angles to its longitudinal axis and dividing its length into bays or compartments.

transverse seam See cross welt.

transverse section Same as cross section.

transverse shear A shearing action parallel to the transverse axis of a body.

transverse strength 1. The breaking load applied normal to the neutral axis of a beam. 2. Same as modulus of rupture.

transyte See tresaunce.

trap 1. A device to maintain a water seal against sewer gases, air, and odors; also called a stench trap. 2. A removable section of a theater stage floor. 3. Same as traprock.

trapdoor A door set into a floor, ceiling, or roof.

trapdoor monitor A section of a sloping roof which is elevated so that it is at a flatter angle than the remainder of the roof; has the appearance of a trapdoor hinged along the upper edge; does not run the full length of the roof.

trap elevator In a theater, an elevator below the stage floor that lifts a trap, 2.

trapeze hanger A horizontal rigid member, suspended by rods, on which pipes are supported and/or clamped.

traprock A dark-colored igneous rock having a fine-grained, more or less columnar structure.

trap seal In plumbing, the vertical distance between the crown weir and the top of the dip of the trap.

trap vent Same as back vent.

trascoro In Spanish church architecture, a part of the choir separated from the main choir by an open passage at the crossing.

trash A mixture of highly combustible waste such as paper, cardboard cartons, wood boxes, and combustible floor sweepings; contains up to 10% by weight of plastic bags, coated paper, laminated paper, treated corrugated cardboard, oil rags, and plastic or rubber scraps; contains approx. 10% moisture, and approx. 5% incombustible solids. Also see garbage, refuse, and rubbish.

trash chute 1. Any vertical smooth shaft used to conduct rubbish, trash, or garbage from the upper floors of a building to a trash storage bin or room at the bottom end of the chute. 2. A temporary shaft erected during the construction of a multistoried building for the removal of debris. 3. See refuse chute.

trass A natural pozzolan of volcanic origin.

trass mortar A mortar made of a mixture of lime and trass, with or without the addition of sand; the trass provides protection against moisture.

T-rated switch A switch whose rating satisfies the requirements of the National Electrical Code for a tungsten-filament lamp load.

travated Divided into traves.

trave 1. A crossbeam; a beam or a timber crossing a building. 2. One of the divisions or bays, as in a ceiling, made by crossbeams.

travel, rise Of an elevator, escalator, etc., the vertical distance between the bottom terminal landing and the top terminal landing.

travel distance At a specified point in a building, the distance between that point and a place of safety, in the event of fire.

traveler, traveler curtain On the stage of a theater, a curtain that closes the proscenium when drawn.

traveling cable A cable, made up of electric conductors, which provides an electric connection between an elevator or dumbwaiter car and a fixed electrical outlet in the hoistway.

traveling crane A tower crane which is mounted on crawlers, rubber tires, or rails.

traveling form Same as slipform.

traverse 1. A screen, railing, or other barrier across an opening to allow passage from one place to another by an official or dignitary, but to discourage unauthorized entry. 2. Same as survey traverse.

travertine A variety of limestone deposited by springs; usually banded; commonly coarsely cellular; used as building stone, esp. for interior facing and flooring; some varieties are sold as marble in the building trade.

traviated Having a series of transverse divisions or bays, as in a ceiling.

travis See trave, 2.

tray ceiling Under a gabled roof, a horizontal ceiling constructed part of the way up toward the ridge.

trayle See vinette.

tray rail See food tray rail.

treacle molding A rounded molding or nosing that is deeply undercut, upward to a groove that acts as a drip to discharge rainwater.

tread The horizontal surface of a step; often has a rounded edge that extends beyond the upright face of the riser below it.

treading barn A circular two-story barn once specifically constructed for threshing grain. Horses or oxen were led around the second story of the barn, across layers of wheat; the grinding action of their hooves separates the wheat from the chaff; the grain fell through gaps between the floorboards into the granary in the story below.

tread length The dimension of a tread measured perpendicular to the normal line of travel on a stair.

tread plate A floor plate which is fabricated of metal, e.g., aluminum.

tread return In an open stair, the continuation of the horizontal rounded edge of the tread, beyond the stair stringer.

tread run The horizontal distance between two consecutive risers or, on an open-riser stair, the horizontal distance between nosings or the outer edges of successive treads, all measured perpendicular to the front edges of the nosings or treads.

tread width The dimension of a tread (measured along the normal line of travel of the stair) plus the projection of the nosing, if any.

treated lumber Lumber that has been treated with a preservative, 1 according to standards of the ASTM, the American Wood Preservers Association (AWPA), or a similar organization.

treated wood 1. See fire-retardant wood. 2. Wood which has been subjected to a wood preservative.

treble sash A window having three vertically sliding sashes, one above the other, each of which closes a different part of the window; once used in large houses having very high ceilings; compare with three-part window.

tredyl Old English term for grees.

tree belt A strip between the sidewalk and curb of a road, planted with grass and sometimes with shade trees.

tree-dozer An attachment for the front of a tractor consisting of metal bars and a cutting blade; used in clearing land of small trees, bushes, and the like.

tree grate Surrounding a tree trunk set in pavement, a metal grille which is flush with the pavement.

treenail A long pin of hardwood used in timber-framed houses to secure a joint between two planks or timbers; also called a trenail or trunnel.

trefoil In an opening, a three-lobed pattern separated by cusps; see foil.

trefoil arch An arch whose inner surface is struck from three centers; the configuration of the arch is determined by the position of the centers of curvature and radii of curvature of the arcs that are joined.

treillage A trellis support for vines or espaliers.

trellage Same as treillage.

trellis 1. An open grating or latticework, of either metal or wood. 2. An arbor or framework for the support of vines; a treillage.

trellis molding, trellice molding An ornament, used in buildings of the Norman style, consisting of a series of overlapping zigzag lines which produce a trellis-like appearance.

trellis window A casement window, fixed or hinged, with glazing bars set diagonally to suggest a trellis; also called a lattice window.

tremie A pipe or tube through which concrete is deposited under water, having at its upper end a hopper for filling and a bail by means of which the assembly can be handled by a derrick.

tremie concrete Concrete placed by means of a tremie.

tremie seal Concrete placed under water by means of a tremie to seal a cofferdam or caisson so that water may be pumped out.

trenail Same as treenail.

trench 1. A creep trench. 2. A housing, 1.

trench box, trench shield A heavily braced box of wood or steel which can be moved along a trench bottom as excavation and pipe laying proceed; used where the trenches are deep and not sheathed; also used in lieu of other methods of sheathing and shoring for shallow excavations where the sides of the shield can extend from the trench bottom to the ground surface.

trench brace A device, usually adjustable in length, for supporting sheeting or other materials used to prevent collapse of the sidewalls of a ditch or trench.

trench duct A metal trough buried in a concrete floor and having removable cover plates that are level with the top of the floor; used to carry electric conductors.

trench jack A screw jack or hydraulic jack used as cross bracing in a trench shoring system.

trench shield A shoring system composed of steel plates and braces which are welded or bolted together; the shoring system supports the walls of a trench from the ground level down to the bottom of the trench; can be moved along as the work progresses.

tresaunce, transyte, trisantia In medieval architecture and derivatives, a narrow vestibule or passageway.

tresse Flat or convex bandelets which are intertwined; especially such interlacing ornamentation used to adorn moldings.

trestle ladder A portable ladder which is self-supporting, but not adjustable in length; consists of two sections which are hinged at the top so as to form equal angles with the base.

trevis See trave, 2.

trial batch Of concrete, a batch which is prepared to establish or check the proportions of the constituents.

trial pit A small-diameter hole in the ground, excavated to investigate the nature of the soil and to determine the distance to bedrock.

triangular arch 1. An arch often formed by two large diagonal stones that mutually support each other to span an opening; also called a miter arch. 2. A Mayan arch.

triangular dormer A dormer having a triangularly shaped gable roof.

triangular fret molding See dovetail molding.

triangular pediment A pediment having a horizontal cornice and slanting sides that meet in a point at the top so as to form a triangle; also called an angular pediment.

triangulation A method of surveying in which the stations are points on the ground which are located at the vertices of a chain or network of triangles; the angles of the triangles are measured instrumentally; then the sides are derived by computation from selected sides which are termed “base lines,” the lengths of which are obtained from direct measurements on the ground.

triapsidal Having three apses, either side by side or forming a cloverleaf pattern at the sanctuary end of a church.

triaxial compression test A test subjecting a specimen to a confined hydrostatic pressure and then to an axial load until failure.

triaxial test A test subjecting a specimen to lateral and axial loads simultaneously.

tribelon In a church, a triple arcade which connects the nave with the narthex.

tribunal In an ancient Roman basilica, a raised platform for the curule chairs of the magistrates.

tribune 1. A slightly elevated platform or dais for a speaker. 2. The apse of a church.

tricalcium silicate A compound which is a main constituent of portland cement.

trickle irrigation In landscape architecture, an efficient means of watering plants or trees by supplying the water directly to their roots.

triclinium A dining room in an ancient Roman house, furnished with a low table, surrounded on three sides by couches.

triconch Having apses with semidomes on three sides of a square chamber; some churches, chapels, and tombs are built on this plan.

triforium In medieval church architecture, a shallow passage above the arches of the nave and choir and below the clerestory; characteristically opened into the nave.

triga A chariot similar to a quadriga but drawn by three horses.

trigger bolt See auxiliary dead latch.

triglyph The characteristic ornament of the Doric frieze, consisting of slightly raised blocks of three vertical bands separated by V-shaped grooves. The triglyphs alternate with plain or sculptured panels called metopes. Also see order.

trigonum A mosaic of triangular pieces of marble, terra-cotta, glass, or other material.

trilateration A surveying method in which the lengths of all sides of a chain of triangles, polygons, or quadrilaterals (or any combination of them) are measured with an electronic instrument; the angles then may be computed from these field measurements.

trilithon Two upright monoliths spanned by a third, as at Stonehenge.

trilobe arch Same as trefoil arch.

trim 1. The visible woodwork or moldings of a room, such as the baseboards, cornices, casings, etc. 2. Any visible element, usually of metal or wood, which covers or protects joints, edges, or ends of another material; the finishings around fittings and openings, as a door trim, window trim, etc. 3. The exposed metal appurtenances of plumbing fixtures, such as faucets, spigots, exposed traps. 4. The hardware applied to a door. 5. In the theater, to adjust the vertical position of any element of scenery or equipment hung in the rigging. 6. Same as trimstone. 7. To adjust closely. 8. To fit up and finish.

trim band A flat piece of metal which is welded to a side or end of a grating panel and carries no load; used chiefly to improve appearance.

trim block Same as corner block.

trim bronze A copper-zinc alloy having a bright finish; usually a commercial bronze (90% copper) or red brass (85% copper); in strip form it is used for architectural trim.

trim hardware Decorative finish hardware, used either to operate functional hardware or to serve as functional hardware.

trimmed joist A joist, supported by a trimmer, which has the same cross section as the common joists.

trimmed opening See cased opening.

trimmed rafter A rafter, supported by a trimmer, which has the same cross section as the common rafters.

trimmer 1. A piece of timber inserted in a roof, floor, wooden partition, or the like, to support a header which in turn supports the ends of the joists, rafters, studs, etc. 2. A small horizontal beam, as in a floor, into which the ends of one or more joists are framed; often named from the place of use as a hearth trimmer, stair trimmer, etc. 3. A trimmer arch. 4. Variously shaped ceramic tile used as bases, caps, corners, moldings, and angles, as necessary to complete an installation and to satisfy sanitary and architectural requirements.

trimmer arch A nearly flat arch, usually a low-rise arch of brick; used for supporting a fireplace hearth; also called trimmer.

trimming Trimming rafters, or trimmers and trimming joists which form an opening.

trimming joist A joist, supporting a trimmer, of larger cross section but of the same length as, and parallel to, the common joists.

trimming machine See bench trimmer.

trimming piece Same as camber piece.

trimming rafter A rafter, supporting a trimmer, of larger cross section but of the same length as, and parallel to, the common rafters.

trimstone, trim In masonry, the stone used as decorative members on a structure built or faced largely with other masonry material, as brick, tile, block, or terra-cotta; includes sills, jambs, lintels, coping, cornices, and quoins.

tringle A small square fillet molding or ornament.

tripartite scheme A type of design for a multistory commercial building, often associated with the work of Louis H. Sullivan (1856–1924). The building’s façade is characterized by three principal divisions: a base consisting of the lowest two or three stories of the building; a cap, consisting of one to four stories, at the top of the building, and a shaft, consisting of the floors between the base and the cap. Such a building has a flat roof, projecting eaves, imposing arched or round-topped windows, vertical strips of windows separated by massive mullions, and massive arched doorways. In Sullivan’s designs, the decorative elements typically consist of highly ornate friezes with interwoven foliated designs in low relief (particularly in terra-cotta) that usually appear in spandrels, 1 and over entrances. See Sullivanesque.

tripartite vault A vault, covering a triangular space, which is formed by the intersection of three barrel vaults or three expanding vaults; esp. common in Romanesque buildings.

tripartite window, triple window 1. Same as three-part window. 2. Same as treble sash.

triple-hung window A window having three vertically sliding sashes, each closing a different part of the window; the weight of each sash is counterbalanced for ease of opening and closing; same as treble sash.

triplex cable A cable composed of three individually insulated electric conductors, twisted together and having a common outer protective covering.

triplex house A house that provides living quarters for three families, each with a separate entrance; usually has three stories, with one apartment on each floor.

tripteral Having three wings or three rows of columns.

triquetra An ornament composed of three half circles or ellipses crossed and joined together at their ends.

trisantia See tresaunce.

tristyle in antis A Classical portico that has three columns between antae. Compare with distyle in antis.

tritostile In Hispanic architecture, a loophole.

triumphal arch An arch commemorating the return of a victorious army, usually in the line of march during its triumphal procession.

trivet A low support for a surveying instrument where a tripod cannot be used.

trochilus A cavetto or scotia.

troffer A long recessed lighting unit, usually installed so that its opening is flush with the ceiling.

trolley beam An exposed steel beam, attached to the underside of the structure above; provides support for and acts as a track for a trolley crane.

Trombe wall A passive solar-energy thermal storage device used in houses. Consists of a thermal storage wall, usually of masonry or concrete, 8 to 16 in. (20 to 40 cm) thick, that is coated with a dark heat-absorptive material; and a glass skin, placed in front of the wall that leaves an air space ¾ in. to 6 in. (2 cm to 15 cm) between the wall and the glass. Solar energy that strikes the glass is absorbed by the wall during the day and released to the house during the evening.

trompe A piece of vaulting of conical or partly spherical shape, or resembling one corner of a cloistered vault.

trompe l’oeil Ceiling and wall paintings that deceive the eye, creating the illusion of three dimensions.

trophy A sculptured composition of arms and armor as an emblem of, or a memorial to, victorious battles or triumphant military figures.

trough A channel used to carry electric conductors.

trough cable tray A continuous cable tray having slots for ventilation.

troughed roof Same as valley roof.

trough gutter A box gutter.

trough mixer See open-top mixer.

trough roof See M-roof.

trough urinal A long, narrow urinal designed for use by several men at the same time; equipped with a water supply and drain for flushing away the urine.

trowel A flat hand tool having a broad steel blade; used to apply, spread, and shape plaster or mortar or to impart a relatively smooth surface to concrete floors and other unformed concrete surfaces in the final stages of finishing operations.

trowel finish A smooth-finished surface produced by troweling.

troweled joint A mortar joint in a masonry wall; it is finished by removing excess mortar with a trowel.

troweling machine A motor-driven device that operates orbiting steel trowels on radial arms, which rotate on a vertical shaft; used to trowel concrete.

truck crane A materials-handling machine consisting of a crane which is mounted on a truck-type vehicle to provide mobility and maneuverability.

truck-mixed concrete Concrete that has been mixed in a revolving-drum truck mixer.

truck mixer A mobile unit for hauling and mixing concrete in transit; consists of a rotating drum (in which the concrete materials are placed) that is mounted on a truck chassis.

truck zoning device On a freight elevator, a device which permits the operator to move the car within a limited distance above a landing with the car door or gate and the hoistway door open.

true bearing The bearing, 4 of a line in relation to the local geographic meridian; used in early descriptions of land boundaries in the US

true horizontal A horizontal plane passing through a point of vision or a perspective center.

true north The direction from an observer’s position to the geographic north pole.

true soil The upper layer of soil.

trullo A dry-walled rough stone shelter, circular in plan, with a corbeled domical roof, resembling ancient structures and still used in southern Italy.

trumeau The central support of a medieval doorway.

trumpet arch A conically shaped squinch, 2.

truncated gable Same as jerkinhead.

truncated roof A gable roof or hipped roof whose top has been cut off, forming a flat horizontal surface.

trunk lift Same as freight elevator or goods lift.

trunk sewer A sewer which receives many tributary branches and serves as an outlet for a large territory; also see main sewer, 2.

trunnel See treenail.

truss A structure composed of a combination of members (such as chords, 1, diagonals, and web members), usually in some triangular arrangement so as to constitute a rigid framework. See king-post truss, plated truss, queen-post truss, Vierendeel truss; also see bowstring beam.

truss beam Same as trussed beam.

truss blade Same as principal rafter.

truss chord A principal member of a truss, the car door or gate and the hoistway door open. braced by web members.

truss clip A metal component that serves as a connection between a truss and a wall plate; resists the forces of wind uplift.

trussed Provided with some form of truss.

trussed beam 1. A beam, usually of timber, reinforced with one or more tie rods. 2. A beam in the form of a truss; braced by one or more vertical posts supported by inclined rods attached to the ends of the beam.

trussed joist A joist in the form of a truss, as a bar joist.

trussed partition 1. A framed partition which is self-supporting at its ends. 2. A partition consisting of a continuously supported frame with facing or infilling.

trussed purlin A lightweight trussed beam used as a purlin.

trussed-rafter roof A pitched roof having all (or selected) opposite pairs of common rafters triangularly braced.

trussed ridge roof A pitched roof having the upper ends of its rafters supported by a single truss, which runs along the ridge.

trussed-wall opening In a framed structure, any opening in which the framing is trussed to carry the load above.

truss plate Same as nail plate.

truss rod 1. In a truss, a metal rod used as a member under tension for stiffening. 2. A metal rod used as a diagonal tie.

try square A square whose legs are fixed at 90°; serves as a guide for marking lines at right angles to an edge or surface, as a scale for laying out work, and as a tool for testing the straightness and/or squareness of edges, faces, etc.

T-shore A shore having a T-head, 1.

T-square, tee square A guide used in mechanical and architectural drawing; consists of two arms joined together at right angles, like the letter T; the shorter arm slides along the edge of the drawing table or drawing board, which serves as a guide; the longer arm is used to draw parallel lines or to support triangles for drawing lines at different angles.

TUB. On drawings, abbr. for tubing.

tube 1. A thin-walled pipe. 2. See lamp.

tube-and-coupler scaffold An assembly consisting of tubing which serves as posts, bearers, braces, ties, and runners, a base supporting the posts, and special couplers which connect the uprights and join the various members.

tubeaxial fan 1. A fan consisting of a propeller or disk-type wheel within a cylinder; may be either belt-driven or connected directly to a motor. 2. A type of axial-flow fan which is similar to a vaneaxial fan but without downstream guide vanes. Lower in efficiency than the vaneaxial fan, but also lower in cost.

tube pile A pipe pile.

tubing Any material in the form of a tube.

tub mixer See open-top mixer.

tubular discharge lamp Any electric-discharge lamp having a straight or curved tubular bulb.

tubular lock A type of bored lock in which the bolt is enclosed in a tube.

tubular saw Same as crown saw.

tubular scaffolding Scaffolding which is fabricated of aluminum or galvanized steel tubing, held together by clamps.

tubular-welded-frame scaffold A sectional panel or frame metal scaffold substantially built up of prefabricated welded sections which consist of posts and horizontal bearer with intermediate members.

tuck A recess in a horizontal mortar joint which is raked out to provide for tuck pointing.

tuck and pat pointing See tuck pointing.

tuck-in The part of a counterflashing, skirting, or roofing felt that is inserted into a chase or reglet in a wall.

tuck pointing, tuck and pat pointing, tuck joint pointing The finishing of old masonry joints: the joints are first cleaned out and then filled with fine mortar which is left projecting slightly or with a fillet of putty or lime; also called tuck-and-pat pointing or tuck-joint pointing.

Tudor arch A relatively flat, slightly pointed arch whose inner surface is struck from four centers; common in the architecture of Tudor England.

Tudor architecture The final development of Perpendicular style architecture during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, preceding Elizabethan architecture. Characterized by Tudor arches, diaperwork, strapwork, labels and label stops over windows with mullions, ornate brick chimneys.

Tudor chimney A term occasionally used for a stepped-back chimney.

Tudor flower An ornament of English Perpendicular Gothic buildings; a trefoil flower developed from the upright points of the crossing or the cusps of a foliated arch.

Tudor Revival, Tudor style A term descriptive of a picturesque mode of domestic architecture prevalent from about 1880 to 1940 and beyond, emulating its Tudor architecture prototype. Homes in this style, usually asymmetrical in plan, often were clad in brick, or stucco in combination with wood; commonly, false half-timbering; surface ornamentation consisting of strapwork; steeply pitched gables with little overhang at the eaves; bargeboards on the gables; a shingled roof; tall, massive, elaborate chimneys often with decorative chimney pots atop the chimneys; tall, narrow, leaded windows; a decorative main entry doorway, often incorporating a Tudor arch or a round-topped arch. Compare with Neo-Tudor architecture, Elizabethan architecture, Jacobethan architecture.

Tudor rose A conventionalized rose pattern, usually with five petals, a superposition of white and red roses, the heraldic emblem of the Tudor dynasty.

tufa A porous limestone used in masonry construction.

tuff, volcanic tuff A low-density, high-porosity rock; composed of volcanic particles, ranging from ash size to small pebble size, which are compacted or cemented together; sometimes used as building stone or as a thermal insulation material.

tuft bind The magnitude of the force required to pull a tuft out of a carpet, according to an industry-standard test procedure.

tufted carpet Carpet made by punching pile yarn through a carpet backing material which has been previously woven; then the pile is cut.

tulipwood 1. A soft, close-textured durable wood, yellowish in color; used for millwork and veneer. 2. A rose-colored, very hard wood from Brazil; esp. used for inlay work.

tumbled Said of a metal surface that has been cleaned and polished by agitation in a rotating drum containing a polishing compound.

tumbled-in gable Same as straight-line gable.

tumble home, tumble in An inclination inward from the greatest breadth of a structure.

tumbler In a lock, the locking mechanism which detains the bolt until set free by a key.

tumbler switch In electric wiring, a lever-actuated snap switch.

tumbling See barreling.

tumbling course A sloping course of bricks that are set perpendicular to a straight-line gable in Dutch architecture or its derivatives; such an arrangement provides a better seal against the penetration of moisture through the masonry joints than one in which all courses of bricks within the gable are laid in horizontal courses up to the peak of the gable. Where a sloping course of bricks intersects a horizontal masonry course, the arrangement of brickwork so formed is called a mouse-tooth pattern.

tumbling in See tumbling course.

tumulus A mound of earth or stone protecting a tomb chamber or simple grave; a barrow, 2.

tung oil A drying oil which oxidizes very rapidly, at almost twice the rate of linseed oil; forms a hard dry film when used in paints and varnishes; although “China wood oil” and “wood oil” sometimes are used as synonyms, tung oil never is extracted from wood.

tungsten-filament lamp See incandescent lamp.

tungsten-halogen lamp A tungsten-filament incandescent lamp which is filled with a gas containing halogens; the envelope, made of quartz or other material that can be subjected to high-temperature, is small compared with standard lamps of equivalent wattage; formerly known as quartz-iodine lamp.

tungsten inert-gas weld To weld by means of an electric arc struck between a nonconsumable tungsten electrode and the workpiece; constant current across the arc is supplied during the welding operation.

tungsten steel Steel usually containing 5 to 10% (but sometimes as much as 24%) tungsten and 0.4 to 2% carbon.

tunnel test An ASTM standard test of the surface-burning characteristics of a building material.

tunnel vault A vault having a uniform cross section everywhere.

turbidimeter An apparatus for the measurement of particle-size distribution of a finely divided material such as portland cement, based on successive measurements of the turbidity of a suspension in a fluid.

turbidimeter fineness The fineness of a material as measured on a turbidimeter; usually expressed as the total surface area in square centimeters per gram.

turbine mixer See open-top mixer.

turbulent flow The motion of a fluid in which local velocities and pressures fluctuate highly irregularly with time, in contrast to streamline flow.

turf The upper layer of earth and vegetable mold in which the roots of grass and other small plants form a thick cover.

turf sprinkler system Same as lawn sprinkler system.

turnbuckle A device for connecting and tightening a line, rod, or stay; consists of a right screw and a left screw which are coupled by means of a link.

turn button, button A fastener for a window or door which rotates on a pivot and is attached to the frame.

turned bolt A machine bolt, ordinarily with a hexagonal head, whose shank is fabricated to a close tolerance.

turned drop A hanging wood ornament, formed on a lathe, but sometimes hand-carved; especially found in timber-framed early American colonial houses, often suspended from a second-floor overhang, 1. either at the front corners of the façade or adjacent to the front door. Sometimes simply called a drop; compare with pendant.

turned work In stone and wood cutting, pieces having a circular outline, such as columns, balusters, etc.; usually cut on a lathe, although some shapes are cut by hand.

turning The shaping of objects by means of cutting tools while the material, from which the objects are made, rotates rapidly on a lathe.

turning bar See chimney bar.

turning gouge Any one of a set of gouges having the corners of the bit rounded off; used in turning.

turning piece 1. A piece of board cut to a curve to guide the mason in turning any small arch for which no centering is required. 2. Same as camber piece.

turning vane One of a number of curved fins which are placed in air-conditioning ductwork at a point where the duct changes direction; used to promote a more uniform airflow and to reduce pressure drop.

turn-key job A job in which the contractor completes all work and furnishing of a building so that it is ready for immediate use.

turn knob A small doorknob, often oval or crescent-shaped; used to control the door bolt from the inside of the door.

turn piece A small doorknob, lever, or the like, having a spindle attached; used to operate the dead bolt or a bolt mortised in the door.

turnpike stair Same as spiral stair.

turnstile A barrier which rotates on an axis and usually is so arranged as to allow the passage of a person through an opening only in one direction, one person at a time.

turn tread A tread on a stair where it changes direction.

turnup That portion of roofing material which is turned up at any vertical surface.

turpentine, oil of turpentine A volatile liquid obtained by the distillation of the exudation from certain coniferous trees; once widely used in paint, it is now replaced by solvents obtained from petroleum or coal-tar stocks. Also see wood turpentine.

turret, tourelle A diminutive tower, characteristically corbeled from a corner.

turret step A stone step, triangular in section, which forms, with other turret steps, a spiral or solid newel stair. Turret steps are tapered and have shaped ends which, laid upon each other, constitute the central column or solid newel.

turriculated Describing a building in which the characteristic feature is a row of turrets.

turris A tower of a fortification, placed at intervals in the walls of an ancient city or any other fortified enclosure.

turtleback 1. See blistering, 1. 2. In plastering, a localized condition of checking, 3.

Tuscan order One of the five Classical orders; a simplified version of the Roman Doric order to which it is similar, but has fewer and bolder moldings, unfluted columns, a plain frieze, and no triglyphs; its only decorative details are moldings.

Tuscan Revival A term descriptive of late 17-century architecture that emulates and borrows features from the Tuscan order.

Tuscan Villa style A style somewhat similar to that of villas in the Italianate style, boxlike in shape but having a symmetrical plan rather than an asymmetrical plan and a flat roof; frequently a square belvedere at the center of the roof; windows often round-headed.

tusk 1. A beveled shoulder on a tenon to provide additional strength, the mortise being cut correspondingly. 2. A stone or brick in toothing.

tusk nailing See toenailing.

tusk tenon A tenon strengthened by having one or more steps on its lower side; the shoulder above may be beveled.

twelve-over-twelve See pane.

twin archway An opening having two archways which are side-by-side.

twin brick Same as double-sized brick.

twin cable A cable consisting of two individually insulated electric conductors, laid parallel; either bound together in a common outer protective covering or attached to each other by insulation. Also see duplex cable.

twin-filament lamp An incandescent lamp with two filaments that are wired independently.

twining stem molding A common Norman molding consisting of a half round entwined by a stylized tendril.

twin tenons (pl.) Same as double tenons, 1.

twin-twisted bar reinforcement Two reinforcement bars having the same nominal diameter, twisted together.

twist A warped board in which the four corners of one face are not in the same plane; a spiral distortion.

twist drill A drill, with one or more helical cutting grooves; used for drilling holes in metal, wood, etc.

twisted column See wreathed column.

twisted grain Same as interlocked grain.

twisted pair Two insulated electrical conductors, twisted together without a common covering.

two-and-one-half-story house A two-story house in which the loft space between the ceiling of the second floor and the roof above is provided with natural light and ventilation either by dormers and/or by windows in the gable-end walls.

two-bay cottage A Cape Cod house having a façade with two windows on each side of the front door; also called a full Cape house.

two-by-four A piece of timber, nominally 2 in. (5 cm) thick by 4 in. (10 cm) wide, but actually 1

in. by 3

in. (4.13 cm by 9.21 cm).

two-centered arch A pointed arch whose inner surface is struck from two centers; the shape of the arch is determined by the position of the centers of curvature and radii of curvature of the two arcs of circles that are joined; also see equilateral arch.

two-coat work In plastering, the application of a first coat (the base coat) followed by a second (the finish coat).

two-family house A two-story house having two separate living quarters, with a separate entrance for each.

two-hinged arch An arch with hinges at the supports at both ends.

two-light window 1. A window with two panes. 2. A window which is two panes high or two panes wide. 3. A gemel window.

two-over-two Descriptive of a double-hung window having two panes in the upper sash and two panes in the lower sash; see pane.

two-part adhesive An adhesive that requires the addition of an accelerator to the resin, in order to set, e.g., see epoxy.

two-point latch A type of door latching device; sometimes used where it is necessary to lock the inactive leaf of a pair of doors at top and bottom.

two-point suspension scaffold Same as swinging scaffold.

two-pour system Concrete that is poured at two different times; compare with monolithic pour system.

two-room plan A relatively common floor plan for a simple two-room dwelling in colonial architecture of New England, the mid-Atlantic area, and the South. This plan has many variations but usually consists of an all-purpose main room (the hall) and an adjacent room (the parlor) containing the best furniture and a bed for the parents. Also see hall-and-parlor plan.

two-stage curing A process in which concrete products are cured in low-pressure steam, stacked, and then autoclaved. See cure; autoclave.

two-tiered porch A two-story porch, each of which is virtually identical.

two-way draw Said of a drapery that parts in the middle and can be drawn to each side.

two-way joist construction Floor or roof construction in which two mutually perpendicular systems of parallel beams, in a horizontal plane, are used to support the floor or roof.

two-way-reinforced footing A footing in which the reinforcement runs in two directions, usually perpendicular to each other.

two-way reinforcement Reinforcing bars arranged in a grid pattern, so that the sets of bars are at right angles to each other.

two-way slab 1. A concrete floor slab in which the main reinforcement runs in two directions. 2. A rectangular, reinforced concrete slab having a span on the long side that is less than twice the span on the short side.

T-wrench A T-shaped wrench with a handle having a socket (either fixed or removable) which fits over a nut or bolt head.

tympanum 1. The triangular or segmental space enclosed between the horizontal cornice of a pediment and the underside of the raking or curved cornice above; sometimes decorated with decorative elements, sculpture, or a window. 2. Any space similarly marked off or bounded, as between the lintel of a door and the arch above.

TYP On drawings, abbr. for “typical.”

type-DWV tubing A copper tubing which has thinner walls than other types of copper tubing; used primarily for drainage, waste, and vent lines.

type-S fuse A fuse contained in a small glass or ceramic housing, which can be screwed into a screw-shell socket; it has a window for observing whether the fuse has been “blown”; available in three, noninterchangeable sizes (15, 20, and 30 amperes).