South Carolina Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings Contractor Examination

Before excavating for a metal-building foundation in South Carolina, an excavator must notify SC811 and wait how long for locators to mark underground facilities?

• AThree full working days, not counting the day the request is submitted, weekends, or holi…
• BUntil the same calendar day if the call is made before noon
• COne calendar week including Saturday and Sunday
• DFifteen calendar days before any stake is driven

After utilities are marked, the SC811 Tolerance Zone for most excavation is:

• A12 inches on either side of the paint mark only
• B18 inches measured from the trench spoil pile
• C24 inches on either side of the utility mark, plus one-half the diameter of the facility…
• D36 inches from the building column line regardless of marks

A normal SC811 locate request remains valid for how long from its start time?

• A72 hours including weekends
• B7 calendar days
• C15 working days
• D30 calendar days with no renewal required

White paint, flags, or stakes used to outline a planned excavation on a metal-building site are called:

• AWhite lining of the proposed excavation limits
• BPink survey control
• CYellow gas-line confirmation
• DRed electrical isolation

Finished site grading around a pre-engineered metal building should primarily:

• APond stormwater against the slab to increase soil moisture under the footings
• BSlope the grade toward the building so downspouts can discharge at the columns
• CProvide positive drainage away from foundations and slabs to protect bearing soils and li…
• DLeave the perimeter flat so crane mats can sit in standing water

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651 requires excavated spoil and other materials that could fall or roll into an excavation to be kept at least how far from the edge, unless a sufficient retaining device is used?

• A6 inches
• B12 inches
• C2 feet
• D6 feet

Unless the excavation is in stable rock or a competent person finds no cave-in potential, OSHA 1926.652 requires a protective system when employees enter an excavation that is:

• AAny depth once a ladder is present
• BLess than 4 feet deep
• C5 feet deep or greater
• DOnly 20 feet deep or greater

Immediately before placing concrete for metal-building piers or continuous footings, the subgrade should be:

• AProof-rolled or otherwise checked so loose, organic, or pumping material is removed and t…
• BFlooded overnight so the soil is fully saturated
• CCovered with loose topsoil to cushion the concrete
• DLeft uncompacted so rain can drain through the footing

How many cubic yards of concrete are required for a 54 ft by 30 ft slab that is 6 inches thick? Ignore waste.

• A20 cubic yards
• B27 cubic yards
• C30 cubic yards
• D45 cubic yards

A continuous footing for a metal-building wall is 24 inches wide, 12 inches thick, and 162 feet long. How many cubic yards of concrete are required? Ignore waste.

• A12 cubic yards
• B8 cubic yards
• C16 cubic yards
• D24 cubic yards

ACI cold-weather concreting procedures are required when air temperature falls, or is expected to fall, below:

• A20°F
• B32°F only after snow is on the ground
• C40°F
• D55°F

Unless a high-early-strength mix or the project specification says otherwise, newly placed concrete should be kept moist and above about 50°F for at least:

• A12 hours
• B24 hours
• C3 days for high-early-strength concrete or 7 days for standard portland-cement concrete
• D28 days of continuous ponding on every member

Air-entraining admixture is specified in exterior metal-building slabs and exposed footings primarily to:

• AImprove freeze-thaw durability by creating a system of microscopic air voids
• BIncrease slump without changing water content
• CReplace all coarse aggregate in the mix
• DEliminate the need for curing

Adding water to a ready-mix truck at the jobsite after the design slump has already been reached typically:

• AIncreases 28-day compressive strength
• BHas no effect if the driver approves it
• CRaises the water-cement ratio and reduces strength and durability
• DIs required by ACI before every discharge

Acceptance of structural concrete compressive strength is based primarily on:

• AStandard-cured cylinder tests, typically evaluated at 28 days unless the specification se…
• BThe color of the hardened surface
• CA single slump test taken at the plant
• DHow quickly the truck can be emptied

During hot-weather placement of a metal-building slab, the greatest early-age risk from rapid surface drying is:

• APlastic-shrinkage cracking before the concrete has set
• BAn increase in specified 28-day strength
• CA permanent increase in air content
• DElimination of the need for contraction joints

Internal vibration of freshly placed footing or pier concrete is performed to:

• AConsolidate the concrete around reinforcement and into corners without causing segregation
• BAdd extra mixing water after the truck leaves
• CRemove all entrained air needed for freeze-thaw resistance
• DFinish the slab surface to a hard trowel

For a given set of materials, lowering the water-cement ratio of structural concrete generally:

• AIncreases compressive strength and improves durability if the mix remains workable
• BDecreases compressive strength and increases permeability
• CHas no effect on strength once slump is 4 inches
• DAllows the specified 28-day cylinders to be omitted

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.703 requires formwork to be designed, fabricated, erected, supported, braced, and maintained so that it can:

• ASupport without failure all vertical and lateral loads that may reasonably be anticipated…
• BSupport only the weight of the empty forms
• CBe removed as soon as the concrete is no longer plastic
• DBe used as the permanent metal-building foundation

Except for slabs on grade and slip forms, OSHA allows form and shore removal only when:

• AThe employer determines the concrete has gained sufficient strength, based on the plans a…
• BThe surface has been hard-troweled
• CFour hours have passed regardless of temperature
• DThe ready-mix ticket shows a 4-inch slump

A form-release agent is applied to pier and wall forms primarily to:

• APrevent the concrete from bonding to the form so the form can be stripped cleanly without…
• BIncrease the water-cement ratio of the concrete
• CCure the concrete for 28 days
• DReplace the need for form ties

Snap ties or similar form ties in a foundation wall are used to:

• AHold opposite form faces at the correct wall thickness against fresh-concrete pressure
• BServe as the permanent vertical reinforcement
• CReplace walers and strongbacks
• DAnchor the metal-building column base plate

Chamfer strips placed in the corners of pier and wall forms are used to:

• ACreate a beveled edge that is less likely to spall when forms are stripped and that looks…
• BIncrease the specified compressive strength
• CHold the anchor-rod template in place
• DVent bleed water out of the bottom of the form

Tall pier or wall forms for a metal-building foundation must be braced against:

• ALateral loads from wind and from the fluid pressure of fresh concrete
• BOnly the weight of the empty plywood
• CRoof snow load on the finished building
• DThe crane's maximum pick radius

Reshoring after elevated formwork is stripped is required when:

• AThe remaining concrete must support loads greater than its current capacity until it gain…
• BThe slab-on-grade has reached initial set
• CThe ready-mix supplier requests it
• DAnchor rods have not yet been grouted

Joints in pier and wall forms should be tight primarily to:

• APrevent mortar or grout leakage (grout loss) that creates honeycombing and weak edges
• BAllow grout to leak and form decorative fins
• CIncrease slump at the bottom of the pour
• DEliminate the need for vibration

Before placing concrete in a metal-building pier form, the crew should verify that the form is:

• AOn line, plumb, and at the elevation shown on the foundation plan so the finished pier ma…
• BOut of plumb by at least 1 inch so the column can be shimmed later
• CAt least 2 inches narrower than the base plate
• DFilled with standing water to cool the mix

When a plywood or steel template is built into a pier form to hold anchor rods, the template must:

• ABe removed as soon as the first concrete enters the form
• BBe oversized by 2 inches in both directions so the base plate can slide
• CBe made of cardboard so it can stay in the pour
• DHold each rod at the plan pattern, projection, and plumbness until the concrete can maint…

For cast-in-place concrete placed against and permanently exposed to earth, ACI 318 / IBC minimum cover to reinforcement is:

• A3/4 inch
• B1 inch
• C1-1/2 inches
• D3 inches

For interior slabs not exposed to weather or in contact with the ground, ACI 318 minimum cover for No. 11 and smaller bars is:

• A3/8 inch
• B2 inches
• C3 inches
• D3/4 inch

Most field tension lap splices of deformed bars are ACI 318 Class B splices. The Class B lap length is:

• AEqual to 6 inches regardless of bar size
• BOne-half the development length
• C1.3 times the tension development length, ld
• DThe bar diameter only

Bar chairs, slab bolsters, and similar accessories are used to:

• AIncrease the specified yield strength of the bar
• BReplace hooked anchor rods at columns
• CMeasure slump at the truck
• DHold reinforcement at the specified location and cover during concrete placement

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.701 requires that protruding reinforcing steel onto or into which employees could fall be:

• ALeft bare so it can be spliced quickly
• BBent over by hand without regard to the placing drawings
• CUsed as a step to enter the excavation
• DGuarded to eliminate the impalement hazard

A No. 5 reinforcing bar has a nominal diameter of:

• A3/8 inch
• B1/2 inch
• C5/8 inch
• D1 inch

Grade 60 deformed reinforcing bar has a specified yield strength of:

• A40 psi
• B3,000 psi
• C60,000 psi
• D120,000 psi

Welded-wire reinforcement in a slab-on-grade should be:

• ALaid on the subgrade and pulled up after the concrete is placed
• BOmitted wherever saw-cut joints occur
• CUsed only as a substitute for all footing bars
• DSupported at the specified elevation, typically in the upper half of the slab, before and…

Dowels projecting from a metal-building footing into a later-placed pier or grade beam are provided to:

• AFinish the slab surface
• BHold the form-release agent in place
• CReplace the need for concrete cover
• DDevelop a structural connection so tension and shear can transfer across the construction…

Clear spacing between parallel reinforcing bars in a footing, unless the drawings or ACI 318 require more, must be at least:

• AThe bar diameter, 1 inch, or 4/3 the maximum aggregate size, whichever is greatest
• B1/8 inch regardless of aggregate size
• CThe full width of the footing
• DZero, because bars may be bundled without limit in footings

ASTM C270 Type S masonry mortar is the usual choice for:

• AInterior non-loadbearing partitions only
• BSetting glass block in a storefront
• CGrouting CMU cells in place of ASTM C476 grout
• DAt- or below-grade masonry and walls that need higher lateral (flexural tensile) strength

ASTM C270 Type N mortar is generally intended for:

• AThe highest-strength below-grade foundation walls
• BUse as coarse grout in 16-inch CMU
• CWelding to structural steel columns
• DGeneral above-grade masonry where high lateral strength is not required

The standard specified thickness for head and bed joints in CMU or brick masonry, unless the drawings say otherwise, is:

• A1/8 inch
• B1 inch
• C2 inches
• D3/8 inch

Weep holes in a drained masonry veneer on a metal building must be placed:

• AOnly at the top of the wall under the eave
• BRandomly wherever a head joint looks open
• CBelow grade so they drain into the footing
• DImmediately above through-wall flashing, typically at a maximum spacing of 33 inches

Unless the specification requires self-consolidating grout, masonry grout is mixed to a slump of about:

• A1 to 2 inches
• B3 to 4 inches
• C8 to 11 inches
• D18 to 20 inches

Cold-weather masonry construction procedures are generally required when the ambient temperature or the temperature of masonry units is below:

• A20°F only
• B32°F after ice is visible on the units
• C40°F
• D70°F

In running bond, each CMU course is typically offset by:

• ANo offset; head joints align vertically
• BThe full wall height
• CThe thickness of the flashing only
• DOne-half the unit length