SXL was an Award Winner for the SkyDance Bridge project in the 2013 NCSEA Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering awards program (Category – New Bridges & Transportation Structures).
Mayor Cornett described this project as a competition to design a pedestrian bridge of iconic status to serve as a symbol of Oklahoma City. …
In Part 1 of this article (July 2014), I examined the wind load provisions in ASCE 7-10 to illustrate how the ever-increasing complexity of code provisions has negatively impacted our profession. In this second and final installment, I would like to take a look at where we have been as a profession in recent decades, and perhaps extrapolate where we are heading if current trends continue. …
I’m very excited about the upcoming 2014 NCSEA Conference in New Orleans. This year, we once again focused on putting together a schedule of well-known speakers with topics that the practicing structural engineer can really use, and we continued last year’s practice of offering concurrent sessions that allow attendees a choice between topics. …
Structural engineers in certain parts of the country have practiced under a separate licensing law for many years, most under a title act, not by choice, but by compromise. Two states have full practice acts limiting the practice of structural engineering to structural engineers and architects, also a compromise. …
Until the middle of the 19th Century, wood was commonly used as a primary structural building material in many types of non-residential buildings around the world. Many of these timber-built structures remain standing and are still in use today, including factories, warehouses, schools, temples, and churches – some dating as far back as the seventh century. …
Steel joist and deck systems are already an efficient means of construction, but there are ways an engineer can design these systems more efficiently and cost effectively. Techniques include designing support framing to maximize deck strength utilization, selecting seat sizes to accommodate long joist top chord extensions, …
Life safety has always been a fundamental goal of U.S. building codes. With the introduction of the International Building Codes (IBC) in 2000, new demands have been placed on engineers, manufacturers and builders who produce structures in earthquake-prone regions. Prior to the IBC, engineers were accustomed to designing buildings to prevent damage such as buckling and yielding. …
The Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings was updated and is designated ANSI/AWC WFCM-2012 (Figure 1). The 2012 WFCM was developed by the American Wood Council’s (AWC) Wood Design Standards Committee and is referenced in the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC) and 2012 International Building Code (IBC). …
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad broke ground in Baltimore, Maryland on July 4, 1827 and planned on running from Baltimore to the Ohio River along the Potomac River to Cumberland, Maryland. After delays at Point of Rocks due to a right of way conflict with the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, it arrived at Sandy Point, across the river from Harpers Ferry, on December 1, 1834. …
Formal concrete anchorage design provisions first appeared in ACI 318-02 as Appendix D, with applications limited to cast-in-place anchors and post-installed mechanical expansion anchors. …