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Recent content by countervail

  1. countervail

    Building geometry

    Sorry but just so I understand the 20% requirement, is this fresh air? Where I do this we have a requirement for natural (not mechanical) ventilation with an opening area equal to 20% of the floor area.
  2. countervail

    Loss of all Cohesion in Masonry Walls

    In case anyone wants an update. We did our calcs. These were by design broad brush to give a feel, I don’t believe the numbers can do more than support a qualative assessment given the size of the structure and the variability in what’s it’s become. They were there to tell me to PANIC or not...
  3. countervail

    Trying to explain to non-engineers that it may be OVERKILL, but it is NECESSARY

    We get this quite a bit on smaller jobs. Most of the time the client is "probably" right and it will be fine and I agree with them, but I can't prove it or am not 100% sure so I have to go with a designed solution which is "more". When its somone in the trade a contractor I will often say yeah...
  4. countervail

    Loss of all Cohesion in Masonry Walls

    Bit of a long one. I have a 14x story historic brick tower (about 11mx11m in plan and 52m high) where sulphates in the brick have eaten all the cement within the mortar beds, it’s basically just a very large stack bricks bedded on sand bands now. Water has got into the structure and caused...
  5. countervail

    How far below/above the compression flange is a lateral restraint effective?

    There is a document I think called "Common cases of restraint" by the IStructE which gives guidance on when LTB restraints become ineffective there is also plenty of guidance in various bridge loading codes (where deeper beams with dropped shallow beams are very common)
  6. countervail

    foundation pad not deep enough

    Talk to your enginner, its his / her design so shouldn't be altered without consulting. That said the depth is almost certainly to get down to the gravel (difference will be starting level TOC vs FGL), made ground is not generally (almost always) a suitable founding strata. Remedial options rip...
  7. countervail

    solicitation from homeowners

    Just as PAHM say. My phone "advice" normally amounts to: you don't need me, please don't pay me BUT its your judgement in the end if you do need me, and if you do I come out and you pay me. I always wish I was more unethical and went out every time to take their cheque!
  8. countervail

    Parallel Beams Differential Deflection

    A drawn section would help. One thing would be to look at what it's carrying as (say it's a 440mm solid masonry) it may well do most of the work of transferring the load to equalize on your beams with the actual connection between the not really doing much.
  9. countervail

    Help me come up with a name

    Just make sure people can pronounce it. We are Crucis Designs (thanks the wife) and I have to listen to new clients struggle with it every day on the phone. Bonus is we get both eclesitacal and astromical design in at random.
  10. countervail

    Are Structural Calculations required?

    Interesting seeing what's on the other side of the pond. Over here all structure requires the calculations to be available for review by others, if we ever turned round and said no you can't see them all hell would break lose. That's not to say we have to produce calcs for things we don't need...
  11. countervail

    Cantilevered timber poles supporting timber Deck

    It's not the deflection limit that gets you it's what horizontal load you use to generate the deflection, In the UK we have a horizontal load based in a proportion of dead and live load as a minimum horizontal load (great for buildings) but this has been found to be to small for mezzanines and...
  12. countervail

    Shelf Angle Anchorage

    Thanks, The bars are running parallel to the span. Based on standard detailing requirements I need 50% of the main steel area to run 12dia past the line of support, I take the line if support as mid point of the angle and then take off 25mm of cover so I get 25mm past the line of support to get...
  13. countervail

    Shelf Angle Anchorage

    Hi I have shelf angles supporting a set of RC stairs. I speced welded starter bars as I couldn't achieve enogth anchorage on the main bars. The contractor left out the welded bars and now wants to cut some slots, weld in the bars and grout up. This doesn't sound to me like it would works as I...
  14. countervail

    Expansion anchors installed into top of concrete on metal deck

    Hilti (in the uk anyway) do an anchor for this with 50mm concrete over metal deck, I can't remember what it's called but if you contact them they are always keen to help sell desperately expensive anchors

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