Unit 5 stairs

Read the text:

(§1) Buildings have stairs so that people can gain access to the upper floors. Stairs should be designed so that they are convenient for the majority of people to use.

(§2) The staircases can be built out of timber, reinforced concrete, steel or stone. Figure 5.1.illustrates many of the important parts of a staircase.

Figure 5.1. Staircase Parts

(§3) Timber staircase usually consists of two strings, treads and risers, a balustrade and a handrail. Reinforced concrete staircases are increasingly popular. They are usually cast in situ on formwork. The treads and risers are cast in one piece so they do not have strings. Steel staircases are normally used for fire escapes or for external access. A typical metal staircase has metal strings with steel treads fixed to metal brackets, steel staircases usually do not have risers.

(§4) The first principle in staircase design is that a person should be able to move comfortably from one step to another. The design must be conform to the typical step pattern of an average person.

(§5) As the going increases, then the riser height decreases. The reverse is also true. Increased riser height means a decreased tread length. The goal is to find the compromise between tread length and riser height using a standard formula. Formula for calculating stair dimensions: the going plus the height of two risers must be:

• Maximum of 700 mm;

• Minimum of 550 mm.

To ensure that stairs are not steeper than 42° the relationship between the riser and the going must be based on the measurements in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1. Riser and Going Dimensions

Riser (mm)	Going (mm)
155-220	245-260
165-200	220-305

Each riser in a flight of stairs must be the same height. Each tread must be the same length. The total number of risers depends on the height of the vertical rise of each flight.

(§6) As timber staircases are most traditional, here the steps of how to put a timber staircase together from the timber pieces are described:

1. Glue the treads and rises.

2. Insert the treads and risers in the grooves in the strings.

Lightly nail them together.

Insert and glue two wedges in each tread to strengthen the joint.

Press the structure together with a cramp iron.

3. If the staircase is more than 1 metre wide, then a support called a carriage fixed to the floor at each end: this is a piece of timber with brackets fixed on alternate sides to support the middle of each tread.

4. Fix a 75×75 mm newel post at the top and bottom of both strings.

Make a slot in all the newel posts for the strings and adjacent treads and risers.

Make a small slot in the upper newel post to fit the first floor trimmer joist.

5. Glue and screw all the parts of the staircase together.

6. Fit the handrail in position about 850 mm above the slope of the tread nosings and insert it into the newel posts.

7. Insert the balusters into the handrail and the string at less than 100 mm intervals.

8. Transport it to the site and put the complete staircase into the building.

Assignments:

15. Present phonetic reading of §§ 2 – 4.

16. Explain the words in bold from the text and make up sentences of your own. Use English-English dictionaries to help you.

17. Suggest the Russian equivalents:

gain access, string, handrail, cast in situ on formwork, to be used for fire escapes, to move comfortably from one step to another, to find the compromise between tread length and riser height, formula for calculating, the total number, timber pieces, to nail, to strengthen the joint, cramp iron, adjacent treads and risers, screw, put the complete staircase into the building.

18. Give the English equivalents:

лестница, марш лестницы, тетива лестницы, проступь, подступень лестницы, балюстрада (парапет перила), поручни (перила), опалубка, пожарная лестница, ширина ступени, подъём ступени лестницы, косоур, клин, нижняя стойка лестничных перил, обвязка проёма (в перекрытии), привинчивать, перевозить.

19. Read the text again and answer the questions that follow (1-5):

1. What are the functions of stairs?

2. What materials are used for staircases building?

3. What is the formula for calculating stair dimensions?

4. Which type of staircases are widely used and why?

5. What are the main steps of staircase building?

20. Give a literary translation of the first four steps of how to put a timber staircase together from the timber pieces.

21. You’ve misheard the information. Make it more exact, putting questions:

Example: A: Timber staircase usually consists of two strings, treads and risers, a balustrade and a handrail.

B: What does timber staircase consist of?

1. Reinforced concrete staircases are increasingly popular and usually cast in situ on formwork.

2. The first principle in staircase design is that a person should be able to move comfortably from one step to another.

3. Each riser in a flight of stairs must be the same height.

4. Insert and glue two wedges in each tread to strengthen the joint.

5. Transport the complete staircase to the building site and put it into the building.

22. Match the parts of a staircase to its definitions. Figure given in the text may help you:

1. baluster	a) an inclined rail that follows the slope of the stairs, which is either fixed to a wall or supported on balustrade;
2. balustrade	b) the vertical surface of a step;
3. flight	c)a stout vertical post at one end of the outer string. its function is to support the inclined handrail for a timber staircase;
4. handrail	d) the protection erected on the outer edge of a staircase to prevent anything or anyone falling off the edge;
5. landing	e) the vertical distance between the tops of adjacent treads;
6. newel	f) the part of the tread that projects beyond the face of the riser;
7. nosing	g) the horizontal surface of a step where the feet are placed;
8. rise	h) the infill between the handrail and the string. for safety reasons, the gaps between the uprights on the balustrade must be less than 100 mm apart. it can also be wide rails that run parallel to the string with a handrail supported by intermediate balusters. they can be spaced more widely;
9. riser	i) the level space that breaks up the vertical incline of a flight of stairs;
10. string	j)the side support for a flight of timber steps. the strings are two timber pieces that form the sides of a staircase, which measure about 38×250 mm. the treads and risers are usually fixed into strings in 12 mm slots, which are trapped to take wedges;
11. tread	k)a series of steps between floors or a floor and landing.