The recent construction forecasts for the building industry (not including transportation) I've seen have been rather grim for 2011 with little growth predictions until 2012.
Has anyone read any reports or heard of any areas of the country that are starting to grow in this sector...
Recently our firm put together a structural proposal for a 30 story office, retail, mixed use high rise in the US. Total square footage is around 700,000 with about 100,000 of that being parking The structure is rather high end – Post Tension Floors, Concrete Frame, Deep Foundations, high...
Does anyone know of a quick table or chart that shows different lb/ft cacpacities of wood stud walls? Basically I'm just looking for a quick reference to use during conceptual design and project layout to determine if a specific stud size/spacing and wood type is feasible.
It would show 2x4...
I am a recently laid off structural engineer. My previous employer closed its US doors several weeks ago and laid off all remaining employees. The past few weeks I have spent networking and rigorously searching for a new position. Unfortunately the area I'm in is experiencing a tough time in...
Per Section 6.5.12.4.4 of ASCE 7-02 two wind load cases shall be considered for parapet design. The first involves positive wall pressure to the front surface and negative corner zone ROOF pressure to the back surface.
The commentary describes this principle of using roof pressure as...
I have a few questions regarding hollow core bearing details:
1. Hollow Core On WT Beam - When you bear plank on the bottom flanges of a WT for an interior bearing condition - how do most of you fasten the plank to the beam? For a typical steel W-beam we will use a headed stud at 4' o.c...
Forgive me if this is a very basic question - As I am new to light gage steel design....
When you are designing a light gage exterior wall - how do you establish 'continuous lateral bracing'? Is this assumed if sheathing is on the exterior (compression) flange? If yes - is there a minimum...
I have some questions regarding masonry ties for vertical reinforcement in compression.
Per ACI 530-05: Section 3.1.8.3. “The compressive resistance of steel reinforcement shall be neglected unless lateral reinforcement is provided in compliance with requirements of Section 2.1.6.5”
Per...
Are there maximum allowable heights specified in code for brick veneer backed with concrete or cmu? ACI-530 gives a maximum height of 30' for wood and steel stud backing, but does not specifically call out concrete or CMU requirements.
We have a block and plank project where the client wants...
Has anyone read the most recent news thread on the NCEES website:
http://www.ncees.org/news/index.php?release_id=36
Most specifically:
"The results of this study will be used to determine the specifications for the exam, which is scheduled to replace the current Structural I and II PE...
Would you consider Eccentric Loading & P-delta effects to be an out of plane load?
The loading is in the plane of the wall, however, bending is out of plane. Based on terminology alone - I would say no.
For example, if you have an interior masonry wall (no significant lateral load) with a...
Per MSJC 2005 Section 3.3.5.4 - Equations apply to wall with factored axial stress of .20 *fm or less.
My question is - what happens when the axial stress is greater than .20*fm?
This was previously addressed in the MSJC 2002 which stated deflection criteria applied to walls with axial...
Does anyone know where I can find a table for wall weight assemblies for light gage studs or wood studs?
I would think there would be a set of tables (Similar to TEK-14-13A for masonry) that gives 'per foot' weights of different wall assemblies. This would include a top and bottom track at...
Does anyone have any experience with using carpet ready hollow core plank?
We have an architect who is pushing to use it to reduce any topping and maximize floor to floor heights. Has anyone seen this in the field? Any constructability issues that your aware of or is the product as good as it...
We often get asked by contractors if its acceptable to pour deep concrete beams in two pours. This usually occurs when the slab ties into the side of the beam. (Top of slab elevation is lower than top of beam elevation) And GC wants to pour the slab to outside edge of beam in one pour.
Is...
I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on training/professional development on company time.
Its in best interest of a company to continually train staff and keep them up to speed with advancements in the industry. However, how much 'personal' professional/technical training should be...
My understanding of how a tilt wall panel should be properly set in the field is the following:
1. The panel is raised and set on shims (on a footing) by a crane.
2. The panel is held until the gap between footing and bottom of panel is grouted & grout is set.
3. The panel is braced and...
In a slab-beam-column type construction in multistory building the practice is to many times use higher strength concrete in columns as compared to beams and slabs. The concrete is placed in the following stages:
1. Column is cast up to bottom of beam using high stength concrete.
2. Beams...
State statues require Engineers to have "responsible charge" over drawings they sign and seal. What does this mean to everyone? I have researched this but am having a difficult time coming across a specific response.
At my firm it is not uncommon to have employees without their professional...
