Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

Register Log in
  • Congratulations TugboatEng on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Search results for query: *

  • Users: bhiggins
  • Content: Threads
  • Order by date
  1. bhiggins

    Is this structure braced?

    Hi everyone, I'm currently working on a house with a third-story pop-up section that has an elongated oval shape. The ends of this structure will feature curved walls framed with curved plywood sheathing, which will be finished with a layer of corrugated metal cladding. I'm a bit hesitant to...
  2. bhiggins

    Builder Ethical Woes

    I've run into some unique ethical and professional challenges on a small tenant finish-out project, and I’d really appreciate some insight. The scope of my work involved designing a 20-foot-tall cold-formed steel and hot-rolled steel building façade to support a curtain wall system, several...
  3. bhiggins

    Retaining Wall Reinforcement

    Hi everybody, I frequently get asked to evaluate older retaining walls, and I'm trying to develop some typical cost-effective reinforcement details for walls deemed inadequate. For context, I'm currently assessing a 4-foot-tall reinforced concrete cantilever retaining wall that's approximately...
  4. bhiggins

    Structural Detailing Software

    I've been using classic AutoCAD for all of my drafting and detailing over my entire career. I'm really fast and efficient doing it the old way, but I'm curious if there is a better way or newer specialized software to try out. The detailing process is super laborious and tedious so I'm looking...
  5. bhiggins

    Driven pipe pile with uplift

    Hi All! I'm designing a pool foundation which consists of 8" diameter steel pipe piles, 12"X30" concrete grade beams spanning between piles which supports a pool shell. The pool is about 7' deep and there is a high water table so there will be net uplift from buoyancy forces. The typical...
  6. bhiggins

    Anchor breakout, correlating allowable tension with shear

    Hi eng-tippers! I have a renovation project where we are installing a large number of anchors into an existing 100+ year old limestone and clay brick wall. The quality of the limestone walls are suspect so I was going to retain Hilti to do a load test on some anchors to verify our design...
  7. bhiggins

    Wood columns bearing on concrete

    Hi all, I have a residential remodel project where the contractor is refusing to install 6x6 oak columns with the knife plate detail we have specified. Right now the columns are bearing directly on concrete and are held into place with concrete screws. This connection is horrible in the first...
  8. bhiggins

    Braced length of free-standing steel portal frame

    Hi Guys and Gals! I've been tasked with designing a free-standing steel portal frame. The span is 35', height is 10', and the frame will be supporting a wood cantilevered deck and roof. The frame is not braced laterally where the beam meets column, but I am assuming the beam top flange is...
  9. bhiggins

    Column blockout at diagonal brace

    Hi All, I'm designing a a brace frame steel structure which is supported on concrete straight shaft piers. I am doing a concrete blockout detail and was wondering what is more customary at diagonal braces? Is it acceptable to bury the brace connection in the blockout or should I shift the...
  10. bhiggins

    Cutting new opening in thick masonry wall

    Hi Guys and Girls, I have a remodel project where the architect wants to create a new 12 ft opening in a 2 ft wide limestone block wall. I'm trying to come up with the most practical detail for a new lintel. For thinner walls I've done pinch beam lintels, but I don't think it would work well...
  11. bhiggins

    Slab on grade curing time for construction loads

    Hi All, I have a commercial project where an existing slab on grade will be replaced with a new 5" concrete slab, reinforced with #4 @ 12" O.C. each way. The concrete mix is 4000 PSI concrete with 25% flyash. The contractor wants to use the slab as soon as possible to perform the remodel...
  12. bhiggins

    Pouring Slab over precast tank

    Does anyone see any issues with pouring a concrete slab over a 138"L x 75"W x 59"D precast concrete grease trap tank. The concrete slab is a 7" dumpster pad slab and will be poured directly over the tank. The tank is rated for H20 loads. I'm thinking there should be a crack control joint...
  13. bhiggins

    Adding brick ledge to existing foundation

    Hi Eng-tippers! Does anyone have any good details for adding a brick ledge to an existing foundation? I provided a detail to the contractor, but this particular detail will not work because the existing foundation only extends 8" into grade. I'm trying to come up with an alternate detail...
  14. bhiggins

    Bad Welds

    For your viewing pleasure. Caught by third party inspector.
  15. bhiggins

    Locating Columns with GPS

    Hi All! I have a large 15,000+ SF house project that we've designed. This house has roughly 50 embed plates for steel columns. The column placement is extra crucial to get correct, so the general contractor was asking us if there was a tool, software, or procedure to locate the columns using...
  16. bhiggins

    Time between concrete pours

    Hi all! I'm working on a small 2 story concrete podium project. The structure is a conventionally reinforced moment frame supported on piers on top of a slab on grade with pier caps. The piers have been poured roughly 3 weeks ago and now the slab/pier caps are ready to be poured. The owner...
  17. bhiggins

    Fly Ash in Architecturally exposed concrete

    Hey eng-tippers! I have a client who was asking about the use of fly ash in his concrete floor slab. This house is very high end with exposed concrete floors so proper appearance is crucial. I have some old standard notes that state "Fly ash shall not be used in architecturally exposed...
  18. bhiggins

    old brick/CMU building bracing

    Hey eng-tips! I have an old CMU/brick structure 150'x50' (low seismic area). This is a tenant finish out where the client wants to remove a center CMU wall and place additional openings at the existing facade. There are a number of issues that I wanted an opinion of: There is a center CMU...
  19. bhiggins

    wideflange beam over wideflange beam - lateral restraint

    Howdy Engineers! I currently have a project where I am designing a steel frame to support punching bags at a fitness center. The main wideflange beam supporting the punching bags is supported by an HSS column on one end, and on the other end rests on top of a wideflange beam and is bolted at...
  20. bhiggins

    Detail Management

    Hi Engineers! After getting through a huge residential project that had 120+ details, I am wondering if there is a better way for managing a drawing with a large number of details and section cuts. Inevitably drawing sheets will be added/removed, details will be renumbered and shifted around...

Part and Inventory Search

Back
Top