Worksheets01. Structures, Loading and Foundations
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
What is the main purpose of Part A of the Irish Building Regulations?
To regulate fire safety
To provide minimum standards for structural safety and performance
To set energy efficiency targets
To manage environmental impact
Which of the following is NOT one of the key requirements of Part A (Structure)?
Stability
Strength
Energy efficiency
Resistance to disproportionate collapse
Which design code is typically used to meet the structural requirements of Part A?
Eurocodes
British Standards
ISO 9001
LEED
What are considered permanent actions in structural design?
Wind and snow
Self-weight of the structure
People and furniture
Vehicles on a bridge
Which of these best describes a load path in a structure?
The route taken by construction workers
The sequence by which loads travel through elements to the foundations
The location of services like plumbing and wiring
The path of emergency exits
What is the primary function of a foundation?
To insulate the building from heat loss
To resist wind loads on the roof
To transmit loads from the superstructure to the soil
To support windows and doors
Which situation is most likely to result in differential settlement?
A raft foundation on uniformly compacted sand
Strip foundations on soils of mixed stiffness
Pad foundations on dense gravel
Piled foundations socketed into bedrock
Which soil type in Ireland is typically stiff with low compressibility and causes only small settlements?
Alluvial silts along river plains
Glacial till (boulder clay)
Organic peat in low-lying areas
Loose fine sand in coastal areas
Why do clays experience more consolidation settlement than sands?
They are more permeable, so water drains away quickly
They have smaller particles, slowing water escape
They are less compressible than sands
They are drier and stiffer initially
How can fluctuating groundwater levels affect soil behaviour?
By lowering frost depth in winter
By increasing soil density permanently
By changing effective stress within the soil
By improving concrete curing rates
What is the purpose of surcharging a site before construction?
To stabilise excavations by freezing soil temporarily
To compact soft soils by preloading and forcing out water
To drain groundwater to deeper layers
To remove organic content from topsoil
Which statement best describes a strip foundation?
Individual pads under columns to carry concentrated loads
A thick reinforced slab under the entire building footprint
A continuous concrete strip supporting load-bearing walls
A deep foundation element installed by boring
What is the minimum concrete thickness for strip foundations as per Technical Guidance Document A?
150 mm or half the wall thickness, whichever is greater
200 mm or P from the table, whichever is greater
250 mm regardless of soil conditions
300 mm when placed on granular soils
Which type of load is a pad foundation designed to carry?
Distributed line loads from walls
Concentrated point loads from columns
Uniform area loads from slabs
Variable uplift forces from groundwater
What is a potential consequence of placing a column off-centre on a pad foundation?
Reduced settlement and lower bending stress
Tilting due to uneven soil pressure
Faster curing of the pad concrete
Higher resistance to lateral loads
When are continuous pad (combined) footings typically used?
When pad foundations would overlap due to column spacing
When soils are too strong to allow individual pads
When supporting lightweight partition walls
When piles cannot penetrate to firm strata
Which is a main benefit of a raft foundation?
It uses less concrete than pads
It concentrates loads at the centre to reduce bending
It reduces differential settlement on soft soils
It removes the need for ground preparation
Which of the following are displacement piles?
Rotary bored piles
Precast concrete piles
CFA piles
Secant piles
Which pile type is installed by removing soil and filling with concrete?
Steel tubular piles
Sheet piles
Rotary bored piles
Precast concrete piles
Secant piles are most commonly used in Ireland for:
Retaining walls for deep basement excavations in cities
Temporary site hoarding during construction
Supporting lightweight timber-frame extensions
Anchoring bridges on soft ground
