Engineering Class
Engineering Class
(OP)
I have a client who is a mid sized contractor. In the past he has brought up the idea of having me come into his office to teach his office staff and field superintendents the ins and outs of engineering. He doesn't want his guys to know how to design beams, but rather what to look for during construction to minimize errors and improve the product he delivers to his clients. Has anyone ever done this before or can someone recommend a place where I might find some information to teach such a class?






RE: Engineering Class
How many sessions are you talking about? One lunch? Eight hours?
RE: Engineering Class
This isn't expected to happen until July of August so I do have some time to put things together.
RE: Engineering Class
RE: Engineering Class
RE: Engineering Class
Using a beam as an example...
Where the loads come from, strength material etc...reference a few codes along the way.
Most importantly and probably most relevant to them would be recognizing the assumptions about the site condition you make along the way of your design. Like support for the compression flange of the beam.
It might be worth asking him about some of the typical problems he runs into on site and then address those specifically.
Agreed that this is a good idea...I wish some of the contractors I work with would be that proactive.
RE: Engineering Class
RE: Engineering Class
That’s a great idea, and should be a good experience for you too. Make it a bag lunch deal, but you don’t get to eat, too busy talking and drawing. Make it a late afternoon continuing ed. and safety training meeting with pizza and a beer. And, it should be an ongoing exercise or event, because you will sometimes have to say, ‘I don’t know, I’ll get an answer to that question for the next meeting.’ You guys give your questions to your boss, and he’ll get them to me a week or two before the next meeting, and those will be the topics for that next meeting.
You should have no trouble coming up with topics; the very basics of Statics, Strength of Materials, properties and limitations of various construction materials. Look at the basic chapters and first few paras. of any of our basic ref. texts, for starter topics. What’s a beam, simple beam, uniform load and mid point load, moment and shear diagrams and max. locations for each? What is shear and bending stress, they’ve seen it in action and have not trouble grasping the basics, as they relate to their work. Two span cont. beam, draws load and moment to the mid reaction. What’s a column and how do they work? What’s a truss and how do they work? Loads and contrib. area, and how do we account for them, and importance of clean, clear load paths. A thousand details they build every day, how do they work, what’s important to us engineers about how they build that detail. Plan reading and review for meaning of details and notes. What topics does the boss want covered, what conditions and details give then fits? Give me your mail at rwhaiatcomcastdotnet. John Wiley & Sons, used to have a simplified design book series by Harry Parker; for example “Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders,” “Simplified Design of Struct. Stl., Timber, Concrete, etc.
I’ve done that type of thing a couple times, in a small way, and it’s quite rewarding for all parties. It’s great to see the light go on, when they get it; or put what they kinda thought all together in a simple engineering way. If you have an enthusiastic boss, and he generates some interest in his employees it should be fun.
RE: Engineering Class
For a longer class, you might have time to go into the basics of the theory - free body diagrams, shear/moment diagrams, etc. I've often said that 80% of engineering is being able to draw a free body diagram, but I think this would be hard to make stick (such that they'd be able to understand and apply it) in only 4 hours.
Brian C Potter, PE
http://simplesupports.wordpress.com
RE: Engineering Class
Start with Newton (A Body at rest tends to stay at rest). Use 2D examples (plans, elevetions, etc.) with explainations of 3D implications. Summation of forces, moments. Different constuction materials - advantages, limitations. Foundations - shallow, deep, etc. Retaining walls. Again - summation of moments, forces.
If the boss does not want projections, prepare some handouts so that you don't have to draw everything on the white board. Use them as talking points and to keep the meeting focused.
Try to initiate some give and take. Don't underestimate your audiance. Some of these people will have "been there, done that", but may not know exactly why certain things were done the way they are.
3 to 4 hours will not be enough, but if you are informative and engaging, you will undorbtedly be asked to come back and explain in more detail some of the things that they often have to deal with.
gjc
RE: Engineering Class
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Engineering Class
I have also taught these subjects and basic structural engineering to construction management students at University.
In my experience, I would like to see the contractor's personnel learn about construction before they learn about engineering. Most do not have a good grasp of the things in construction that most of them do wrong (concrete placement, compaction, stucco, waterproofing, welding certifications, etc.)
I probably have some outlines and info. Contact me through the site and I'll see what I can provide.
RE: Engineering Class
Like you guys are indicating, I am having a hard time not getting into specifics. They are only looking for a general overview of why things are done a certain way (rebar at the bottom of a footing, struts in joists, what makes a beam composite, good practices for reinforcing a beam etc.....). They don't want to get too deep into the theoretical stuff (which I don't think I could do). I know the GC is bringing in other people as well (he mentioned something about bringing in someone who know the ins and outs of lumber grading).
RE: Engineering Class
Good luck. It is a great marketing tool for engineers. Hit the architects next....might require surgical input, but could be worthwhile.
RE: Engineering Class
RE: Engineering Class
It seems to me the biggest argument with engineers vs. architects and engineers vs. contractors is their perception that we 'overdesign' everything. They install a beam incorrectly, and when you ask for it to be fixed the inevitable response is 'what do you mean it doesn't work, it looks fine to me'. If you could show them what you design for - code loads, factors of safety, serviceability etc. and make them understand that the goal isn't just for the structure to be standing after construction that would be a big step in my opinion.
RE: Engineering Class
Most lay folks do not realize that all forces excreted on a structure are ultimately resisted by the earth. At one time, a plan checker from California required me to write down / describe the load path that wind load would take to get to the ground. So basically, wind was applied to cladding, cladding transferred the force to fasteners, fasteners to sheathing, sheathing to studs, etc.
Helping them understand the load path may make them realize that everything in a building transfers load.