Admixtures are used to modify and improve the properties of fresh and hardened concrete. The use of the proper admixtures can result in increased workability, cementitious efficiency (psi per pound of cement), and optimum setting time with mixes, even those with low water/cementitious ratios. …
Construction projects, big and small, have phases. What happens during the early phases can dictate how smoothly the project will go and how much it will cost in the end. Consulting early with the steel joist supplier can help prevent delays and cost overruns by avoiding commonly made early-phase mistakes. …
It is relatively common for light wood-frame commercial and multi-family buildings to include shaft walls made from other materials. However, with an increase in wood construction nationwide, many designers and contractors have come to realize that wood-frame shaft walls are a code-compliant means of reducing costs and shortening construction schedules. …
Most structural fire protection designs in the U.S. are conducted using prescriptive code requirements. This approach allows designers to select fire resistant assemblies from available listings that are qualified through standard furnace testing. …
In many jurisdictions, design professionals who volunteer their services following disasters should be concerned about liability. Having effective Good Samaritan laws can help.
It was quite a year. With hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, and more, 2017 set records for natural disasters in the U.S., costing lives and over $300 billion in damages. …
There are various methods for incorporating the recommendations of Geotechnical Reports into structural drawings and specifications, and for engaging the Geotechnical Engineer in the design process. Invariably, Structural Engineers extract pertinent design and construction information from Geotechnical Reports to use as the basis for foundation-related design and detailing directives included in contract documents. …
As more architects make the switch from two-dimensional CAD to BIM, structural engineers are faced with a similar decision as to whether or not it makes sense to adopt BIM. Some structural engineers who design primarily in wood have taken longer to make the switch than those designing larger Type I, II or III projects where clients or architects require the work be done in BIM. …
The Hotel Street Lift Bridge, constructed in Utica, New York, in 1873, was a first of its kind and a gateway to long-span lift bridges in later years. In the 1850s, the Erie Canal Board adopted Whipple bowstring trusses (STRUCTURE, January 2015) to cross the canal in cities requiring a span of 72 feet, as that was the standard span for the Whipple bowstring. …
Structural Licensure Committee. Structural Engineers Certification Board. Structural Engineering Licensure Coalition. What are these groups? How are they connected? What do they do? Why is it important? …
The design provisions for the shear strength of steel-to-steel screw connections provided by Section E4.3 of the North American Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members, AISI S100-12, are based on testing. …