Lecture no.

3
The requirements of an agricultural building
Material selection and the types of structures

The requirements of an
agricultural building
An agricultural building is expected to be a life-support machine
as well as human buildings. It is required to provide the facilities
necessary for animal metabolism such as clean air and water, the
removal of waste produce, optimum thermal and humidity control,
security and visual/acoustic comfort.

In addition, a building must be safe from collapse, fire, storm,

and vermin(trad. duntori); resistant to the physical forces of
snow, rain, wind and earthquakes, etc.; be capable of adaptation
to various functions, external landscaping (trad. peisaj) or
internal equipment arrangements.

The requirements of an
agricultural building cont.
The selection of a suitable construction method (materials and
technology) can be achieved by using the criteria given by the
performance requirements under the following headings:
Appearance
Durability
Dimensional suitability
Strength and stability
Weather exclusion
Sound control
Thermal comfort
Fire protection
Lighting and ventilation
Sanitation
Security
Cost

Figure 1 Performance
requirements for a
building
1.Appearance
2.Durability
3.Dimensional suitability
4.Strength and stability
5.Weather exclusion
6.Sound control
7.Thermal comfort
8.Fire protection
9.Lighting and ventilation
10.Sanitation
11.Security
12.Cost

2. Material selection and the types

of structures
When a building is constructed two main physical resources
are involved. These are, materials necessary in term of
various parts, and technical ability to assemble the parts into
an enclosure, (figure 2).

Material selection and the types of

structures (cont.)

The properties of structural materials have traditionally

been a major determinant of structural form. Strength,
durability, stiffness and flexibility, and fire resistance, as
well as availability and cost, have been primary factors in
the development of architecture and engineering design.

The earliest structures were of timber and stones. More

recently, reinforced concrete and structural steel have
developed as our principal structural materials for large
structures of agricultural buildings.

Material selection (cont.)

The nature of these structural material plays a principal role in the development of
structural form:

Timber grows (generally) straight and thus lends itself to structural systems that are
assemblies of linear members. The use of timber has been expanded beyond the linear
member by the development of curved glued laminated lumber and has been extended
to planar structures by the development of plywood.

Masonry consists of relatively small units laid up by hand and bonded with cement
paste mortar, which suggests its use for wall and piers, vaults and arches, where the
stresses are principally compressive.

Fresh concrete is a perfectly plastic material. Thus, the structural form applications of
concrete are almost without limit, especially with the addition of reinforcement to
overcome the relative lack of tensile strength. There is a tendency for the form of a
concrete structure to be limited somewhat by the cost of its formwork. This should be
passed by the using of precast elements.

Structural steel and other metals are appropriate using linear members and as well as
flat sheet structures, such as metal decks and corrugated iron.

Which is the most durable

building material,
wood or steel?

Stave church, Borgund, Norway

700-800 years old

7 year old free

stall dairy barn

Advantages of Wood
1. Abundant
- Readily available through suppliers and retailers.
2. Economical
- Large volumes, low production costs
= Reasonable material prices.
3. Easy to work with
- Simple tools and fasteners.
4. Insulation/sound proofing qualities
- Air spaces provide these natural qualities.

5. High strength-to-weight ratio

- Parallel to grain produces strong, lightweight
construction.

Disadvantages of Wood
1. Uniformity
- Properties vary greatly (> 20,000 species)
- Each piece is different, variation is inevitable.

2. Poor fire resistance

- Combustible while concrete and steel are not.

3. Decay
- Attacked by wood destroying fungi, insects and
marine borers.

4. Weathering
- Unprotected wood will deteriorate

Wood Properties

Species: hardness vs softness

Moisture content

Shrinkage: tendency to shrink, swell, or warp

Decay
- Preservation
Strength: nail holding power, bending strength

Wood beams

Concrete
Advantages:
1. Strong in compression (compressive strength up to 40 Mpa,
even 138 MPa, wood 2.3 18.4 MPa)
2. Not subject to decay
3. Can be made into various shapes
4. Easily cleaned, durable, non-combustible

Disadvantages:
1. Weak in tensile strength (about 1/10 of compressive strength.
using steel reinforcing)
2. Not adaptable to change
3. Heavy (2400 kg/m3 plain concrete, 2500 kg/m3 reinforced
concrete, wood 340-750 kg/m3, steel 7943 kg/m3)
4. High thermal conductivity (concrete 0.93 W/mK, wood 0.110.17 W/mK)

Application In Agricultural
Buildings
Livestock housing for structures,
foundations (manure pit-trad.gropi de
gunoi), floors, and walls.
Milk containing structure, silage or manure
storages(trad. Depozite de ngrmnt)

STEEL
Used as:
Structural posts, beams
Sheathing
Concrete reinforcing
Disadvantages:
Structural shells
Corrodes in animal
environment
Wood fasteners
Advantages:
Water proof
Usually low maintenance
Strong

(Baked on enamel,
galvanizing, stainless
steel)
Hail damage
Thermal conductor

Rolled Steel

Rolled steel shapes

are specified by their
outside dimensions

Sheet Steel

Sheet steel is specified by a gauge (trad. dimensiune,

mrime) number.
Gauge size decreases with an increase in sheet
thickness (ex: 18 gauge is thicker than 32 gauge)
Profile (corrugations): increases stiffness and strength
without weight.
Sheathing, grain bin panels, stressed skin arches.

Aluminum products for agriculture buildings

http://www.insul.net/

Other materials
Gypsum board
Ceramic tiles
Plastic
lumber
mouldings
panels
laminates
vapor barriers

Structural shells
Petroleum products
insulation
Asphalt
Stone
Earth, sod (trad. iarba, paie)

One span structures for agricultural building

1
3

2
2

1
3

2
2

1. Roof slope; 2.Windows; 3. Air flow

Multispan structures for agricultural buildings

3
2

1. Roof slope; 2.Windows; 3. Air flow

Multispan structures for agricultural buildings

1

1
1

3
2

2
3

1. Roof slope; 2.Windows; 3. Air flow

RC structures with transverse girder

6,0
(7,5; 9,0; 12,0)

(2,8; 3,2; 3,6)

1
2,4

(2,8; 3,2; 3,6)

2,4

6,0

6,0

(9,0; 12,0;15,0;18,0)

1. Transverse girder; 2.Roof members; 3. RC column

Steel structures for agricultural buildings

+2,40 m
2
1

6,0

6,0

6,0

(7,5; 9,0; 10,50)

(7,5; 9,0; 10,50;12,00)

(7,5; 9,0; 10,50)

1. Steel truss girder; 2.Steel column; 3. RC foundation

Timber structures for agricultural buildings

+4,80 m

+2,30 m

3
2
4

l = 4,00

l = 4,00

l = 4,00

l = 4,00

1.Rafters (cpriori); 2. Post (montant sau stlp din

lemn); 3. Bracings; 4. Foundation

Different shapes for storage structure

The patented Cover-All Legend Building Series (LBS)

The patented Cover-All Legend Building Series (LBS)

Span=11m

The patented Cover-All Legend Building Series (LBS)

Span=25 m

Wooden structure for an agricultural deposit

Test questions
1. Specify the advantages of wood as a building material. Exemplify
with wood products used in rural area constructions.
2. Which are the disadvantages of wood as a building material? Give
examples of structural and non-structural elements used in agricultural
constructions.
3. List the main advantages of concrete as a construction material used
both for the infrastructure and superstructure of farm buildings.
Exemplify with types of elements.
4. Which are the disadvantages of concrete as a building material?
5. Mention the advantages of steel as a building material. Exemplify
with steel structural elements used in rural area constructions.
6. Which are the disadvantages of steel as a building material for
livestock farms. Explain the effect of corrosion on structural elements
and their joints.