One of our clients has requested a proposal from us to do the engineering to install a fabric curtain wall around an existing industrial steel building that currently has no walls. The facility is a metal recycling operation that recycles automobiles (they are shredded) and other metal debris...
We are starting a new project (estimated value approx $50 million) that has the requirement that the entire design be delivered via BIM. The general contractor (whom the owner has already hired) wants to be the coordinator of the BIM's from various disciplines and he wants all of us to agree to...
I have been asked by an electrical enginner in our firm to provide a value of the thermal resistivity of concrete. I have been unable to locate a reference that discuuses this topic. According to the EE "the lower the thermal resistivity (higher thermal conductivity) the better we are...
I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question/comment so if it belongs somewhere else just let me know.
I was renewing a PE license online today and had to certify that I would abide by the states ethical requirements. This was a new item so I decided to look up the pertinent law so...
I am a structural engineer who has been tasked with designing a slab on grade that will support a piece of mechanical equipment along with a pipe anchor. The mechanical enginer has stated that the anchor will support carbon steel pipe on one side and a flexible pipe on the other. The purpose of...
Does anyone know if there are any torque requirements for F1554 Grade 36 anchor rods? The assemby in question is for a steel column that has no net tension. Thanks.
ACI 318 section 12.15.4.1 requires that welded or mechanical splices be staggered 24 inches. Two questions:
1. Is the 24 inches measured center to center or end to end?
2. Is there a similiar, or any, requirement to stagger lap splices?
We've got a debate between contactor, construction...
Can anyone supply a reference for the effect of heat on concrete structures?
We are engineering a reinforced concrete foundation for a bottom supported boiler. The boiler manufacturer has indicated to us the the temperature at the base of the boiler will be 400 deg F. The boiler sits on a steel...
I have been directed to engineer a building that will house power generating equipment. The building is approx. 210 feet square in plan with a forty foot high eave line. The roof is essentially flat. The building is envisioned as a steel frame with bracing along the perimeter walls and a few...
I am putting together structural design criteria for an industrial building, housing a turbine generator that will be constructed along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The owner has required that the facility remain operational after a category 3 hurricane. The site is alongside a river near...
There has been some discussion in our office over when to start using the new AISC manual. There are two schools of thought. The first is that we should start using the new manual NOW. That is we should specify steel sizes and follow the specification in the "latest" edition availiable. The...
A contractor has proposed using "QUIKRETE" for the installation of a pump pad. The quikrete has a listed compressive strength of 4000psi. My question is: is this an appropriate product for this application? Pump pads are subject to dynamic loading. I see nothing in the Quikrete literature or on...
I am reviewing an existing turbine hall roof for new loads. The roof construction consists of a concrete deck spanning between purlins that span to trusses. I have the original design drawings, dated March 5, 1930. The concrete deck is 3.5 inches thick and is reinforced with "3-13-125 Mesh...
This is a pretty basic question. Do fire trucks produce structural loadings that are equilivant to standard truck loadings? Are there any references that discuss fire truck loadings? I looked in my states Highway Design Manual but could fine no specific mention of fire truck loads.
For the case...
I need to write a specification for filling an existing floor pit with concrete. The pit dimensions are approximately 22' x 18' x 5.5 feet deep. A concern was raised that using a normal weight concrete would result in unacceptable shrinkage around the perimeter of the pit walls, and that I...
How appropriate is a stress based criteria for the design of buried piping? I am reviewing a design of a casing pipe (30 inch diameter) that will be jacked 7 feet below a RR grade crossing. The link below, which has been mentioned in other threads here, presents a stress based criteria for the...
The American Lifelines Alliance published a design guideline for buried steel pipes in July 2001.
http://www.americanlifelinesalliance.org/pdf/buried_pipe.pdf
In their suggested acceptance criteria, (Appendix A), they provide an allowable stress for through wall bending but indicate that the...
How have you self employed engineers dealt with the issue of obtaining health insurance? My COBRA benefits are set to run out at the end of the year and the quotes I've obtained are not very promising.
I am a professional engineer who has recently completed a one year course in Autocad at a local community college. I am self employed and provide engineering services in the fields of pipe stress analysis, pipe support design, and equipment foundations.
My question. What are the implications...
