Architectural and Engineering Glossary

B

Bench Table.

A projecting course of masonry at the foot of an interior wall,or around a column;generally wide enough to form a seat.

Bench Terrace

A level step cut into a hill-side grade.

Bench Trimmer,trimming Machine,guillotine

A machine for cutting the ends of two pieces of wood to any desired angle.

Bench Vise

An ordinary vise,1 fixed to a bench,which is used to hold a material or component while it is being worked on.

Benched Foundation

Same as stepped foundation.

Benchwork

Any work performed at a bench rather than on machines or in the field.

Bend

See pipe bend.

Bend Radius

The smallest radius of curvature into which a material can be bent without damage.

Bender

For pipes,see hickey,2.

Bending Beam

See tie beam.

Bending Iron

A tool used to straighten or to expand flexible pipe,esp.lead pipe.

Bending Moment

The moment which produces bending at a section of a beam or other structural member;equal to the sum of moments taken about the center of gravity of that section.

Bending Pin

One of a number of pins in a curved line which are used in bending lead pipe.

Bending Schedule

A chart showing the shapes and dimensions of every reinforcing bar and the number of bars required on a particular job;prepared by the designer or detailer of the reinforced concrete structure.

Bending Strength

The ability of a structural member to resist breakage when subject to one or more external forces that cause it to bend.

Bending Stress

The tensile or compressive stress resulting from the application of a non axial force on a structural member.

Bending Tool

Same as hickey.

Beneficial Occupancy

The use of a project or portion thereof for the purpose intended.

Beneficiation

The improvement in the physical or chemical properties of a material by the removal or modification of undesirable components or impurities which it contains.

Benefits (mandatory And Customary)

The personnel benefits required by law (such as social security,workmen’s compensation,and disability insurance),and by custom (such as sick leave,holidays,and vacation),and those which are optional with the individual firm (such as life insurance,hospitalization programs, pension plans,and similar benefits).

Benitier

A basin for holy water,usually set at the entrance to a church.

Bent

1.Same as bent frame.2.A rhizomatous grass,used where a resilient velvety texture is required.

Bent Approach

An arrangement of two gateways not in line,so that it is necessary to make a sharp turn to pass through the second;for privacy in houses or temples,for security in fortifications.

Bent Bar

A longitudinal reinforcing bar which is bent to pass from one face of a structural member to the other face.

Bent Chisel

Same as corner chisel.

Bent Ferrule

A ferrule having a 90bend.

Bent Frame

One of a number of sections in a timber framework that is transverse to the length of a large barn or house of timber frame construction;each section,usually designed to carry both lateral and vertical loads,was commonly constructed on the ground and then raised to its upright position with the assistance of neighbors,as described under barn raising.
 

Bent Glass

Flat glass that has been reshaped while very hot to form a curved surface.

Bent Grass

See bent, 2.

Bent Shoe

A base shoe molding which is bent on a radius.

Bentonite.

A clay,formed from decomposed volcanic ash,with a high content of the mineral montmorillonite;has the capability of absorbing a considerable amount of water,and swells accordingly.

Bentwood Wood

formed to shape by bending,rather than by carving or machining.

Berlin Blue

See Prussian blue, 2.

Berliner,palladiana

A type of terrazzo topping using small and large pieces of marble paving,usually with a standard terrazzo matrix between pieces.

Bermuda Stone

A soft limestone formed primarily of broken shells and coral;usually cut into rectangular blocks and used in building construction.

Besant

See bezant.

Bestiary

In a medieval church,a group of carved or painted creatures,often highly imaginative and symbolic.

BET.

On drawings,abbr. for “between.”

Bethel

A place of worship.

Bethell Process

A process for preserving wood by impregnating the cells with creosote under pressure.

Béton

A kind of concrete;a mixture of lime,sand, and gravel.

Béton Armé

Same as reinforced concrete.

Béton Brut

Concrete as it appears when the framework is removed,so that the concrete surface reflects the framework joints,wood grain,and fasteners around which it was poured;often deliberately retained for architectural effect.See Brutalism.

Bettering House

An archaic term for poor house.

Bev

In the lumber industry,abbr.for “beveled.” 

Bevel

1.The angle which one surface of a body makes with another surface when they are not at right angles.2.See door bevel.3.See lock bevel.4.A bevel square.
 

Bevel Angle

In welding,the angle which is formed between the prepared edge of a member and a plane perpendicular to the surface of the member.

Bevel Board

A board cut to any required bevel;used in framing a roof,stairway,or other angular wood construction.

Bevel Chisel

A chisel for cutting wood,having its cutting edge at an angle to the sides.

Bevel Collar

Same as angle collar.