Limit states design – also known as ultimate strength design or load and resistance factor design (LRFD) – is largely supplanting the traditional methods of allowable stress design for most structural materials. Perhaps you are seasoned enough to remember the days when working stress design of reinforced concrete was the norm, and limit states design was a fairly new concept. …
Think of Egypt, and three monumental engineering endeavors immediately come to mind: the pyramids – timeless, iconic, pioneering. But arguably more critical to the survival of this nation of almost 90 million people is the infrastructure of its modern capital, Cairo, home to a massive 20% of the country’s population and host to several million commuters daily. …
While it is usually possible to demonstrate the safety of an existing structure through calculations based on general accepted engineering principles, this is not always the case. Sometimes there are structures for which calculations alone may not be sufficient to demonstrate fitness for intended occupancy or use. …
As Building Information Modeling (BIM) continues to progress through the steel design and construction industry, showcasing its many benefits to the building project and its owners, demand for BIM information continues to increase. …
During their service life, high-rise buildings and the associated nonstructural components endure various movements and deformations. Although the deformations and movements are not life threatening, inappropriate design of buildings and associated nonstructural components could induce expensive economic consequences in the long-run and, in order to ensure proper building behavior of the superstructures and the attached nonstructural elements, should not be ignored. In this article the possible deformations and movements of reinforced concrete high-rise buildings and the accommodation of the affected components are discussed. …
Have you ever given any thought to the future of our profession? Not the profession next month or next year, but rather the profession that we will leave to our successors. Driven by automation, globalization, contractor-led procurement, and many other forces, our profession is changing like never before. …
I have been told that horizontal joint reinforcement is not allowed by the 2011 Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (TMS 402-11/ACI 530-11/ASCE 5-11) for shear reinforcement in high seismic zones. Where is this stated and why? Are there plans to change this to allow joint reinforcement? …
Advances in computational tools for earthquake engineering analysis continue to broaden the structural engineer’s ability to conduct performance-based simulations, evaluate ductility, and make decisions on performance criteria that involve deformations of a structure beyond the elastic limit. …
Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C3Ink, or the STRUCTURE® magazine Editorial Board.
All new structures are sustainable, according to the construction industry press. However, the truth is that no structures are sustainable under any definition of the word. …
Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc. was an Outstanding Award Winner for the UC Berkeley California Memorial Stadium Seismic Upgrade project in the 2013 NCSEA Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering awards program (Category – Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures). …