Recent content by JackTrades

Thank you all for the helpful advice. It seems that, as a minimum, I should have my lawyer review the owner's policy.

I am presently working as a contract employee for a small structural engineering firm and have been told that I am covered by their professional liability (E&O) insurance policy. I don’t believe that this is typical. While I understand that whether I'm covered or not would be determined by the...

As a variation on this theme, I left my last position due to PM's (who were all registered professional engineers) chronically battling us (the EOR's) regarding the time we deemed necessary to cover design requirements, while withholding design funds and truncating design schedule timelines in...

Data Point: 2011 Louisville, KY BSCE, MS, PE, 25 years experience, $89k, good bennies

I managed to learn quite a bit of structural engineering while working in a in a public works department. Usually the smaller, less complex projects don’t require a lot of review. If you've passed the PE with the structural depth section and the CA seismic, you're in better shape than a lot of...

Thanks to you all for your advice. I end up designing a bridge every couple of years, usually of a configuration that I hadn't previously done before, and this forum and your assistance is greatly appreciated. -Jack

I'm in the initial design stages of a 40-foot span x 18-foot roadway box beam bridge (which will be subject to loads greater than HL-93) and have two questions: 1. Would either of the two (file attached) superstructure configurations have an advantage over the other for design or...

Thank you all for these valuable comments. I'll provide these suggestions to the design team geotech for consideration. -Jack

I've been presented with a problem concerning an existing tied-back diaphragm (or slurry) wall in which an additional excavation to 15 feet below the bottom of the wall is required. One solution put forth is to place an additional diaphragm wall at the face of the existing, extending down to a...

I find myself in the position of needing to assess the load carrying capacity of an existing 132" diameter RCP that will have an additional 10 feet of compacted fill placed over it to serve as a levee. The 1972 record drawings indicate only that it falls under the requirements of ASTM C76, but...

3doorsdwn, I really appreciated your thorough review of the situation there in Greenville. I'll do my mid-term career planning accordingly. The situations you described pertaining to the lack of respect for the profession seem to be endemic to both large private and public sector entitites. My...

3doorsdwn, For several years now my wife has wanted us to move to the Greenville area as she has a brother in the area and is hoping that if we move there she can convince her parents to join us. I was hoping that the number of large engineering companies in town would make obtaining permanent...

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I've recently found that there are shop drawings which supposedly indicate the loads for which the structure was designed and that they'll be made availble soon. Also, I believe that this is a relatively new (2 years) design and so should hopefully fall...

Here's a new one for the books: I've been asked to propose on design and construction services for a 40,000+ SF PEMB that was originally manufactured for a location and end use that are different from that required by the present owner. The components are crated up on the new site and need a...

I'm in complete agreement with civilperson. I've kept my membership for the last dozen or so years primarily for the group life insurance. But it's becoming less of a bargain as I get older. And the $200+ dues per year for two magazines (that were mostly showcases for the designs of their major...