These guys have a lot of good info on their site. More than once have they helped me when a contractor tells me the material is not available for a bolt or nut.
http://www.portlandbolt.com/technicalinformation/nutcompatibility_nutchart.html
Unreinforced often works fine for interior partition walls. May depend on local trends since 72" is allowed but contractors may question if 48" on center is the norm.
When the geometry gets complicated I'll draw a stick model in 3D in AutoCAD then export to DXF then import the DXF into RISA. You'll want to experiment with the way it works since you can bring in member shapes to match layers too.
I've heard it argued various ways but the primary cases of ASCE Figure 6-9 states 'projected area perpendicular to each principal axis.' Since sidewall and roof are not perpendicular to the principal axis considered they are not required.
I fought the ASD fight for a long while but model codes don't give me much choice. I tell the younger engineers to use the load combinations and safety factors that make sense to you but in the end your serviceability checks better match mine. To me Chapter C of the 2005 spec is the biggest...
This is a regional preference in my experience. In Florida (high uplift) they set the trusses on the CMU exclusively and are relatively good at placing embedded straps in the right location. In Michigan the builders scream if you dont use a wood plate. However, moderate lateral or any uplift...
I'll often go to pinned top of the column at the roof level by using minimal dowels centered in the column and some bearing pad material to form a cold joint. May require a little more reinforcement in the slab/beam structure but better than telling an architect that the top floor columns drive...
As CTW provided there is no limit for fixed industrial stairs for general industry in OSHA. However, some state OSHA regulations do include the 12' maximum rise. May depend on location.
But I also agree that it does depend on the inspector signing off on cert. of occup. Not trying to change...
Working on a pedestrian bridge with a snow melt system in the concrete deck. We need insulation under the slab for heat loss so have detailed concrete on rigid insulation on form deck and are concerned about water getting into the deck flutes and causing problems. Has anyone heard of or used...
I've used the same approach as TTU outlined often with a layer of insulation between the plywood and steel deck. As far a non-combustible requirement I find it difficult to believe the roof system has to be completely non-comb. Are the shingles non combustible? FMGlobal requires a layer of...
It seems like the walls just keep getting taller and the openings wider. Architects don't seem to understand that 8" masonry wasn't meant to span 14 to 16 feet tall in high wind regions. I very often end up putting concrete columns in the wall around these openings. Although I've had some...
Looking for the requirements that need to be followed for a fixed industrial stair accesssing a 'non-occupied space' in Ontario. I've been pushed toward using the Ontario Building Code section 3.4.6 which would seem to apply to an architectural stair not a maintenance access stair. I do a lot...
Coolest scaffold I've seen for inside a tank was a large mast thru the center supported top and bottom with skinny plank like platform that essentially cantilever each side and actually rotated about the mast. They had to work in unison loading each side uniformly to limit eccentricity but once...
