Thanks everybody for your help, I downloaded STAAD, couldn't figure out how to lift out their shape database. I wound up just entering everything into a spreadsheet by hand. It didn't take that long, and I would probably have wasted more time continuing to look all over the place. I think if I...
I am designing a project to be constructed in China and I am looking for an electronic file that contains Chinese structural shapes (i.e. section properties) for use with my analysis software. I'm trying to avoid mass data entry. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Wow! I remember the first one I did. Lots of research etc. Stacks look pretty simple but are amazing complex little pieces of work. The long and the short of the design process is to calculate the fundamental natural frequencies and modes of the stack. this is based on a dynamic analysis. I have...
The single biggest factor which will affect the time your computer takes to process an FE model is going to be the amount of Ram you have. nearly every software package includes a discussion in their help files on what an appropriate amount of megs of ram per elements that you have.
Residual stresses are present in nearly all steel shapes and are primarily the result of uneven cooling due to the hot-rolled forming process or welding. Several good sources on this are Salmon and Johnson's "Steel structures, design and behavior", "Guide to stability Design Criteria for metal...
Training, as has already been mentioned is key. This takes time. A good drafter can take a sketch with very little detail and knows what is going to be required and "fill in the blanks" This saves the engineer a lot of time. You can then go back after he has it pretty much done and make sure the...
You need to do a structural analysis of your set-up. you can either do it by hand or by computer analysis. once you know your moment diagram you can determine the tension face and size your rebar accordingly
By far your most challenging task will be check the connections of the wood members. estimating a conservative value for the timbers themselves should not be too difficult, but you should do (or have done) an inspection to determine the condition of the wood. I am in the middle of a job where a...
If you are designing a 32'-0" high 8" masonry elevator shaft using empirical design you are not going to get it to work, nor will you be guarding the safety of the public. Also you need to check what seismic design category you are in as this brings some rather stringent detailing requirements...
I completely and totally disagree with 24676. Concrete, while it is relatively weak in tension, does have some capacity to resist tension. The argument can be made as well that the commonly included slab on grade reinforcement used in todays construction climate (wire mesh) is totally...
Guys, whether something is a "curved beam" or an "arch" is determined entirely based on the boundary conditions at the supports. If both ends are restrained against longitudinal translation, you have an arch. If one end is allowed to slide you have a beam. It does not really matter which way you...
