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Metal Plate Connected Wood Roof Trusses

Evaluation and Repair of Fire Damaged

The use of Metal Plate Connected (MPC) wood roof trusses is a common structural framing system used in residential and light commercial structures. Low initial cost of fabrication, ease of installation, and ability to accommodate varying profiles are some of the advantages of this type of roof framing system. However, when these trusses are damaged by fire, evaluation and repair of the trusses can be challenging. This article presents methods for evaluation and repair of fire-damaged MPC wood roof trusses and discusses the factors that go into the decision whether to remove and replace or repair-in-place, as illustrated by several real-life case studies. …

Oct, 2018 By John Stewart, P.E. In Structural Repair Comments 0

Night Moves on Boylston

Means and Methods for Renovation of the Boston Public Library Johnson Building

The recent $78 million transformation of the Boston Public Library by William Rawn Associates of Boston, Massachusetts, opens up the Library’s Johnson Building to become a more inviting public space. It improves the connectivity between the Johnson Building, 1972, and the Library’s original McKim Building, 1895. …

Oct, 2018 By Nathan C. Roy, P.E. and Ethan A. Rhile, P.E. In Construction Issues Comments 0

Shaft Wall Solutions for Wood-Frame Buildings

Part 2: Applications

Part 1 of this article (STRUCTURE, September 2018) addressed code considerations and detailing related to wood-frame shaft walls in multi-family and commercial buildings that are also wood-frame. Building on those fundamentals, this article examines fire design requirements, construction constraints, and other potential differences associated with applications such as stairs, elevators, and MEP shafts. With a greater understanding of the nuances, the goal is to better equip engineers to realize the cost, schedule, and other benefits of this increasingly common approach to shaft wall design. …

Oct, 2018 By Richard McLain, P.E., S.E. In Structural Components Comments 0

Preserving History

Rehabilitating the Culver Line Viaduct with Composites

When it comes to rehabilitating bridges, an increasingly attractive answer is composite materials. Composites are made from two or more distinct materials that, when combined, produce a stronger and better material offering lighter weight, corrosion resistance, versatility, and overall cost-effectiveness. These qualities are ideal for maintaining fragile historical bridges, safely installing prefabricated decking, and curbing long-term maintenance needs. Perhaps no North American project demonstrates the benefits of rehabilitating with composites more than that of the New York Subway System’s Culver Line Viaduct. …

Oct, 2018 By John P. Busel In Structural Rehabilitation Comments 0

Strengthening Your Employer Brand

Your employer brand is defined by how your current and past employees think of you. If they love you, then your brand can do well in the market; if they do not love you, then you have got some work to do. This article shares four key points about strengthening your employer brand. …

Oct, 2018 By Jennifer Anderson In Business Practices Comments 0

Unanticipated Stresses and the Welded Flange Plate Moment Connection

(STRUCTURE magazine, August 2018, by Sompandh Wanant)

The August 2018 STRUCTURE article, Unanticipated Stresses and the Welded Flange Plate Moment Connection, presents information and opinions on welded steel moment connections and more specifically on connections in the standard ANSI/AISC 358-16, Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment Frames for Seismic Applications. Some of the information in this article may be potentially misleading, particularly regarding statements made on vertical beam shear distribution and weld shrinkage residual stresses. These issues are addressed below. …

Oct, 2018 By James O. Malley, S.E., P.E., SECB, Lawrence F. Kruth, P.E. and Michael D. Engelhardt In To The Editor Comments 0

Portland’s Sellwood Bridge

T.Y. Lin International was an Outstanding Award winner for the Sellwood Bridge Replacement project in the 2017 Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program in the Category – New Bridges or Transportation Structures.

The Sellwood Bridge is the busiest two-lane bridge in the state of Oregon. Located near downtown Portland, the bridge serves as a vital east-west link across the Willamette River. Its predecessor, a four-span, continuous 1,091-foot-long steel Warren Truss was built in 1925 to replace a ferry line that had serviced the community since 1903. Constructed on a restricted budget, the truss bridge was only 32-feet-wide, with two traffic lanes and a single 4-foot sidewalk. …

Oct, 2018 By Eric Rau, P.E. and David Goodyear, P.E., S.E., P.Eng In Spotlight Comments 0

(When) Will Robots Replace Us?

Kurt Vonnegut, whose father and grandfather were architects, imagined a computer program called “Palladio” in his novel Timequake (1997). Palladio, the story went, could perform a complete building design according to basic user inputs about the intended use, size, location, architectural style, and even the aesthetic of surrounding buildings. The program output full working drawings – down to “plans for the wiring and plumbing” (presumably structural as well) – in less than half an hour. …

Oct, 2018 By Eytan Solomon, P.E., LEED AP In Structural Forum Comments 0

Updating the Vision for the Future of Structural Engineering

A Challenge for Younger Professionals

We are facing critical challenges that will affect the future of our profession. For our younger professionals – what should we be doing to make the Structural Engineering Profession not only survive these changes, but thrive for the duration of your career and for those that follow? …

Sep, 2018 By David W. Cocke, S.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE, SEI President-Elect In Editorial Comments 0

Base Plate Design for Post-Installed Anchors

Base plate design” is a frequently misunderstood term, particularly when discussing attachments for post-installed anchoring applications. This article explains how the concept of base plate design, which is typically understood in the context of “column base plate design,” is not necessarily relevant to fixture attachment for post-installed anchoring applications. …

Sep, 2018 By Richard T. Morgan, P.E. In Structural Design Comments 3

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