Architectural and Engineering Glossary

C

C-c

Abbr.for “center-to-center.”

C-clamp

A steel clamp,shaped like the letter C;used to hold,under pressure,two materials placed between the top of the open end of the C and a flattened end of a screw shaft which is threaded through the other end of the C.

C&Btr

In the lumber industry, abbr. for “grade C and better.”

Caaba

Same as Kaaba.

CAB

Abbr. for cement-asbestos board.

Cab-tire Cable

A flexible cable having a heavy rubber or neoprene outer sheathing.

Cabaña

1.An open or tent like structure at a swimming pool or at the shore. 2.Originally, a simple Spanish dwelling resembling a hut or cabin.

Cabanne

A primitive one room dwelling used by the early French pioneers in the Mississippi Valley as a temporary shelter; had a framework consisting of poles with branches woven between them; a steeply pitched gable roof, thatched with palmetto fronds or bark attached to a wood framework; somewhat similar to the palma hut in Florida.

Cabin

A simple one-story cottage or hut, often of relatively crude construction; see center-hall cabin, continental cabin, dog run cabin, dogtrot cabin, double pen cabin, log cabin, possumtrot cabin, saddlebag cabin, singlepen cabin, stone cabin, tourist cabin, vertical log cabin, Virginia cabin.

Cabin Court

 A motel, usually consisting of individual cabins.

Cabinet

1.A private room for study or conference.2.A suite of rooms for exhibiting scientific and artistic curiosities. 3.A case or box like assembly consisting of shelves, doors, and draw- ers and primarily used for storage. 4.An enclosure having a front hinged door or doors, for housing of electrical devices or conductor connections.5.In  French Vernacular architecture of Louisiana, one of two areas at the rear corners of a typical house; one was used for sleeping or storage, and the other used to house a stairwell.

Cabinet File

 A single cut file, half round on one side, flat on the other.

Cabinet Filler

 A wood member which closes the space between cabinets and adjacent walls or ceilings.

Cabinet Finish

A varnished or polished hard wood interior finish as distinguished from a painted softwood finish.

Cabinet Heater

A heater containing a heating element enclosed in a metal cabinet, usually with an intake grille below, and an outlet for the heated air above; often contains a fan.

Cabinet Jamb

 A steel doorframe in three or more pieces applied as the finished frame over a rough buck.

Cabinet Lock

A spring bolt.

Cabinet Scraper

A flat steel blade used for smoothing a wood surface after it has been planed, or for scraping paint, etc., from the surface.

Cabinet Window

A type of projecting window or bay window for the display of goods in shops; much used early in the 19th cent.

Cabinet Work

Built in cabinets and shelves, often of fine quality, as in joinery.

Cable

1.An electric conductor consisting of a group of smaller diameter conductor strands twisted together. 2.A group of electric conductors which are insulated from each other. 3.Any heavy rope or wire line used for support, for exerting a force, or for controlling a mechanism. 4.One of the reedings which are set into the flutes of a pilaster or column.

Cable Bond

An electrical connection (a) between the armor or sheath of one cable and that of an adjacent cable, (b) across a joint in the armor or sheath of a cable, or (c) between the armor or sheath and the earth.

Cable Duct

A rigid metal duct through which insulated electric conductors are run, generally conductors carrying large currents; for under ground installations, concrete pipes usually are used.

Cable Grip

 A device temporarily connected to the end of a cable to assist in pulling the cable during its installation.

Cable Jacket

The protective covering over the core, insulation, or sheath of a cable.

Cable Pulling Compound

A substance which facilitates the pulling of wires through a cable duct or conduit.

Cable Roof

A structural system consisting of a roof deck and covering which are supported by cables.

Cable Sheath

A single layer or multiple layers of a protective covering over a cable.

Cable Support Box

In an installation of elecric conduit that runs vertically, a box which provides support for the cables within the conduit so as to limit the strain on them from their own weight.

Cable Supported Construction

A structure that is held in equilibrium by cables.

Cable Tray

 An assembly of metalwork which is used to support insulated electric conductors; similar in function to a metal cable duct, but consisting of a ladder like metal framework on the bottom and sides, with the top open.

Cable Vault

An underground structure used in pulling or splicing electric cables which are laid underground.

Cabled Fluting, Ribbed Fluting

stopped flute A molding of convex section formed in the flutes of a column, usually in the lower third of the shaft.

Cableway

An apparatus for moving material, sometimes used at construction sites; usually a wire rope which is suspended between two points, from which buckets, or the like, are hung and pulled along.

Cabling,cable Molding

1.An ornament formed like a cable, showing twisted strands.2. The convex filling of the lower part of the flutes of classical columns. Also see rope molding, reeding.

Cabot’s Quilt

An insulating material consisting of dried eelgrass held between layers of cloth or paper; once used as thermal insulation, now little used.

CAD

Abbr. for computer aided design.

Cadaster

A public record or survey of the value, extent, and ownership of land that serves as a basis for taxation.

Cadastral Survey

A survey relating to land boundaries and subdivisions,made to create units suitable for transfer or to define the limitations of title.

Cadmium Plating

An electroplating which provides a corrosion resistant coating on metal. 

Cadmium Yellow

A strong yellow pigment, cadmium sulfide,characterized by good permanence; used in paints.
 

Caementicius

In ancient Rome, irregular masonry built of rough quarry stones not squared or shaped in any way.

Caementum

Ancient Roman masonry formed  of small rough stones set in a mixture of concrete.

Caen Stone

A stone from Caen (in Normandy) used in some medieval buildings in England.

Caer

A prefix signifying a fortified wall, castle, or city, occurring in place names in Wales and parts of western and northern England.

Caernarvon Arch

Same as shouldered arch.

Cage

1.Any rigid, reinforced assembly, ready for placing in position. 2.A metal enclosure for balcony spotlights.3.A chantry or chapel screened by open tracery.

Cage Of Reinforcement

A system of concrete reinforcement bars; see illustration under reinforcing rods.

Caged Beam

A beam enclosed in a casing, 2,usually by a fire rated construction.

Caged Column

A column enclosed in a casing, 2, usually by a firerated material; also see column casing.