I am trying to determine the correct method for calculating the gauge pressure on a pressure transducer that will be installed on the suction side of a pump. This transducer will be used to set the water level in a tank that will be feeding the pump. There are several lines entering into the...
I have a building that has a lower roof that intersects a main building in between an upper and lower floor diaphragm. I am carrying that roof shear down through a short shear wall to the lower floor diaphragm. I have included a pdf to help visualize. These short shear walls (E.1 and E.2)...
I have a 3-story hotel that has a lower lobby and pool roof that intersect the main building between the 2nd and 3rd floor diaphragms. In addition, my shear wall lines do not line up with the main building. Can I treat the lower lobby and pool roof as a separate building with its own shear...
I should probably have encountered this before, but unfortunately I haven't, or maybe I haven't thought hard enough about it. I am designing a 3-story wood framed hotel with a basement, which is going to have interior shear walls. In my mind, I should carry the shear from all stories down to...
I have a hotel design where the owner is insistent on limiting the transfer of sound through the floor. So the hotel is about 160 ft long x 75 ft wide. The floor diaphragm would have a break in the sheathing at every interior wall separating rooms (about every 15'). Attached is a detail that...
If I have a Type 4 Irregularity - Re-Entrant corner, the code states I can't use the Simplified Wind Load method because of the stipulation in 6.4.1.1. This method uses the zones labeled in Figure 6.2 and pressures in the following tables. However, I specifically remember my professor leading...
I have a welder requesting to splice a T Retrofit to the bottom of an existing wide flange beam. They are concerned they won't be able to get the T Retrofit into place without cutting it. They said that another structural engineer provided a detail for some previous retrofit work they had done...
Is it reasonable to reinforce a steel column by welding a plate to the flanged on the minor axis edges (essentially creating a boxed section - biaxial symmetry) to strengthen a column? In the past, we have always reduced the braced length by diagonal bracing or simply additional beams. In some...
I am designing a building with a two-story open reception area. The 2nd floor would then create a U-Shaped diaphragm to distribute lateral forces to the shear walls. There aren't any interior shear walls planned. In thinking about the chord forces and the diaphragm, I wasn't sure how those...
My question is about wood shear wall design (i.e. 2x6 DF studs/7/16" OSB sheathing/6"-12" 8d nailing). I have worked with segmented shear walls on single story buildings in an area that doesn't have a lot of wind or seismic lateral forces. However, I am now getting into more critical areas and...
I am designing an addition onto an existing home that is going to be 27'w x 68'L. The roof will be made up of a ridge beam (to carry TJI rafters) and posts every 16'. The roof is a 6:12 pitch. The bearing walls will be 16' high. I am not sure how the code works with a sloped roof diaphragm...
I have been working on sizing a building supply line. I am used to working with Public Water Distribution system designs and have been using state codes to design those systems. I am now working on a single building site and need to size a line running to the building. In the IPC I found...
I am analyzing an existing structure that was built without a building permit. I am to analyze the structure and provide recommendations to correct any problems I encounter. The building is framed using 1-1/2" square tubing to create 4'x8' openings (for rigid polystyrene insulation) as best as...
I have a question about the difference between (concrete) piers, pedestals, and short columns. I have a colleague that wants a foundation pedestal and/or a shallow pier to be designed as a short column (large reinforcement ratio). I don't know whether I am right, but I think that there is a...
I recently inspected a residential home that was being framed. The structure is a wood framed structure except for a steel beam that was supporting the second story floor. The contractor originally intended on placing the beam in a wood beam pocket with several 2x6 studs nailed together as the...
The state rules have the following minimum pressure requirements on a public water system:
20 psi - Fire Flow + Peak Day Demand
30 psi - Peak Day Demand - 800 gpd/ERC
40 psi - Peak Instantaneous Demand
If I am looking at a commercial development, I am assuming to use the worst case scenario...
I have an interesting request from a client that we have worked with for years. They operate a mine. They follow veins of gilsonite which leave 3' wide "trenches" below the surface. They have always had the guideline of leaving a 15' thick bridge of gilsonite in place to hold the overburden...
I have been working on a foundation wall, and it has sparked some thought. I was designing a simple foundation for some equipment. The walls are continuous around the edge of the supporting slab. When designing the wall, there are the vertical gravity loads, self-weight, and lateral loads...
I am preparing to design a monolithic slab with turned down edges for equipment on a skid. The frost depth in the area is 48". The contractor wants to pour the foundation and slab in one pour. What is the accepted practice process or workflow to design the slab and foundation for this...
When looking at a regular gabled end of a building where the roof is constructed of manufactured trusses spaced at 24" o.c. I have a question about the dead load that is used to aid in the hold down of a segmented shear wall. Should I only include the gable end truss + overhang as the dead load...
