I have a question on wind loading. I have a case where I need to determine the actual wind speed that will cause a ballasted sign to topple. The sign is a small sign (about 1x2) with a weighted ballast base.
I'm approaching this from two fronts. First, to determine the actual ballast weight...
I came across something today I hadn't seen before and I'm looking for thoughts, literature, if anyone else has come across this and what you've done.
I have a 38' tall brick veneer wall on a two story building with no relief angles. The height just barely makes it for the maximum height...
Hi all. I have a situation where a free standing wall was damaged by a tornado and is being rebuilt. It's a large wall (approximately 37' tall) and about 5' way from the exterior wall of the main building. I was shocked to see it was a double wythe brick wall with no interior structure and no...
Hello All -
I have an interesting situation in which a new opening needs to be added in an existing floor. The opening will remove the slab from both sides of the beam for the 2' length at one end. Normally, I would check this as non-composite (which was done) and reinforce it, if necessary...
I have to analyze some spreader beams that are adjustable by sliding HSS sections of different size into each other.
I have ASME B30.20-2013, but this doesn't deal with the design of spreader beams. I'm trying to determine what radius of gyration I should be using as the spreader beam is...
I've been looking for a good detail to temporarily release a PT slab from restraining wall elements that have multiple levels of wall and I'm having no luck. PTI has one detail they call a temporary release for this condition, but I see some issues with it and want something different. I...
I am giving a presentation to a group of high school students and I want to demonstrate how post tensioning works with concrete. I'll be using legos and rubber bands. I bought a box of large rubber bands, but they're very soft - too low of an E for my taste for this demonstration. Does anyone...
I have always shown E80 electrodes to be used when welding A706 rebar to steel. I received a question from a fabricator recently that caused me to look into this much more closely.
Looking at AWS D1.4 Section 5.1.2 - the filler metal should be selected based on the lower tensile strength...
Hello. My son is a junior in high school and would like to pursue genetics in college. We have been looking through undergrad programs that would allow him to work in this profession and it seems somewhat overwhelming. There are degrees in genetic engineering, bioengineering, 5+ different...
I have an existing building where the owner wants to make some relatively minor modifications to an existing CMU wall. During the site survey I went into the basement to look at the condition of the CMU in the basement. I encountered a condition that made me very nervous and has become the...
I'm having a serious struggle with a waterproofing contractor and would like to get some other opinions.
I'll preface the statement with my understanding of a basic aspect of what is critical (in my mind) to the discussion. My understanding of the shear capacity across a cold joint across a...
I'm being asked to check a slab on grade for structural adequacy. This is for a realtor friend. It's a slab on grade home and the slab has settled in the kitchen. It was noted by the home inspector and the buyer wants it to be looked at by a structural engineer. My friend called me. To be...
I haven't done a lot of high seismic design, so I have a few questions for the folks who deal with it more often. This is all based on ASCE 7-05.
1. In 12.3.4.2, is the 35% reference based on the applied story force or the story shear?
2. If rho=1.33, then the seismic force is amplified by...
Hi all. I was able to get some good information from this thread - http://eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=336281 - but I have some additional questions for those of you who have taken this exam.
I've been asked to take the new 16 hour SE exam (I currently have a PE via the old SE I). I did not...
When you are using a STM with concrete strength greater than 6,000 psi, ACI 318 requires that the tie force in the bottle-shaped strut be designed (it is not automatically satisfied by equation A-4.
App. A states that you can assume the strut fans out at 2:1 (longitudinal to transverse).
I...
I have a condition where a 6 story tall concrete wall that is about 18' long. The problem is that only half of it is within the footprint of the slab and the other half is out in space unbraced laterally. The wall that extends beyond the slab is not supporting anything except for its own...
Hello all,
It's been a long time. Someone sent me a message that some were asking questions about where I was at so I figured this would be as good a time as any to stop in to say hi and get some great feedback with something current. I was going through some difficult personal/family...
Does anyone know where to find information on Hammer Beam Trusses?
I'm doing some research and can really only find pictures. I could just pump the geometry into a model, but I'd like a little historical information first.
I peruse the structural engineering job openings occasionally on Monster and Careerbuilder just to get an idea of what the market is like.
Today I saw a job for a Structural Engineer (with a PE requirement) that would NOT be doing any actual design work. The position required only to check the...
