At the early stage of building design, most architectural designers start with functional block schematic floor plans and the structural floor system. The selection of the floor system is one of the most important considerations in building design. Each alternative demands a certain depth, which results in different building floor-to-floor heights. …
When engineers think of cantilever bridges, the Quebec Bridge with its 1,800-foot span and the Firth of Forth Bridge with its 1,710-foot spans come to mind. The cantilever principle in metal originated in Europe and the United States, but examples of cantilevers in wood and stone were found in many countries in the Far East, such as India, Tibet, China and Japan, as well as Norway and South America. …
Since the industry’s birth in the 1970s, storm shelter protection has risen from dank, dark, underground storm cellars found in backyards to above ground shelters fully integrated into residential or commercial construction. To enforce the proper design of these storm shelters, the ICC 500: ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters was developed. This article focuses on the structural provisions of the 2014 edition of ICC 500, how the provisions differ from typical structural design, the NSSA’s role in the development of the ICC 500, and new storm shelter trends. …
This is counter-intuitive at the surface. Standard effective deck properties are typically reported such that the section moduli used for bending are calculated assuming a maximum bending stress in the extreme fiber of the deck equal to the design yield strength (Fy) of the deck steel. …
In 1837, Stanislaus Sorel received a patent for galvanizing. Even though the process has been around for over 175 years, it’s not your great, great, great grandfather’s galvanizing!
Of course, many of the same principles still apply…outstanding corrosion protection, metallurgical bonding,100% surface protection of the interior and exterior of steel fabrications… but the galvanizing industry has adapted to the demands of the 21st century by recognizing that there is more to it than stopping rust. This article will highlight some of the technical and marketing trends benefitting the engineering community. …
The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) proudly recognized the following recipients at the Structures Congress 2015 in Portland, Oregon on April 23, 2015: …
Do Owners, Building Officials, and even Professional Engineers really understand each other’s respective roles and responsibilities, especially on the use of deferred submittals? Many of today’s engineered designs are not so much linear (i.e., design then build), but cyclic (i.e., iterations of design then build then design then build, etc.). …
I remember when I was a kid, I remember riding in a car with my family and my grandma. As were nearing a local cemetery, she quietly said to me “You know, you need to hold your breath when we pass the cemetery. There are restless ghosts there that want to haunt you, and the only way to keep them away is to hold your breath”. That was pretty scary stuff. Needless to say, I did as I was told. I often feel the same need to hold my breath when I hear about a structural failure. What’s your response when you learn problems caused by the unfortunate errors of others? …
Human language is inherently ambiguous. Most words have multiple meanings, which are subject to change from time to time and from place to place. Even the correct pronunciation of the same arrangement of letters can vary, and the only way to tell which is correct is by taking the context into account. “Did you read my column last time?” “Yes, I read it.” …
Imagine yourself inside a house that rests on a frozen, frictionless lake when a violent earthquake occurs. Apart from noticing some up-and-down vibration, how would you know the ground is shaking? The lack of a horizontal “connection” to the earth would allow the ice to shift horizontally without affecting the house. …