Recent content by nutbutter

Thanks IFRs. That link definitely is full of information. I guess I just don't know how to get from there to determining a Seismic Design Category. I know I'm on a "Site Class D" by the information I've gleaned from the geotech report. Through the link I was able to play around and get the...

Shows how much I know! IBC 2006 appears to still have zones, or "Site Classes". I'm not a structural guy. Did a little bit of foundation design and drafting when I was working for small consulting firm. I'm just filling out a builder's risk questionnaire and it asks what seismic zone...

Does anyone know where to find the seismic zone maps (I-V, I believe). I think they were in ASCE 7-02. I don't want to purchase ASCE 7-02 because I only need to look at the map once. Waste of money. Does anyone know where I can find these online for free? I can find all sorts of more...

Hey thanks for all of the insight fellas. I can't imagine a freestanding tower crane! That is nuts! I wouldn't want to be around it. When I was just out of college I was working on a job site and I was standing about 15-20' from the crane (a regular treaded crane) and one of the cables...

Hello, I've seen some tower cranes spring up lately very quickly. I never been on a site that uses tower cranes and I'm curious how these are anchored into the ground. They always carry fairly heavy loads and they seem to be installed almost overnight. What type of foundation system do they...

OK. I understand the traditional meaning of caisson....the watertight structure that allows for subterranean excavation. Does caisson also mean a drilled pier, because I'm seeing it all over the place. Sorry if this is ridiculous, but it's a HUGE pet peeve of mine when people use incorrect...

Here's the link to that site. There are people in the industry who appear to define caisson differently...

Hey guys, Here's exactly what I'm talking about. I did an image search for caissons and one of the first pages that comes up has this as a definition for caisson: >>>What is a Caisson? Caissons are a deep foundation support that is constructed by placing fresh concrete and reinforcing steel...

Well, thanks Mike, but I don't have access to that book. RWF, I understand that IS what a caisson is, but is there an alternate definition? Or do some people use the word loosely for some sort of cast-in-place pile or something? I'm sure caisson work happens on commercial sites, however, the...

Hiya, I don't know how I missed getting a full grasp on this in undergrad. Obviously, I've googled/wiki'd and done some research online. My online research leads me to believe that this is some huge structure that allows people to enter and dig out the soil below. My problem is that the...

Oh, I forgot to ask...how do you get the generators up on the rollers if there's no room for a large enough crane?

Thanks for the ideas. It sounds like rollers is the best option at this point. I'll look into it a bit more. Thanks again for the ideas. NB

I'm just fishing for some ideas. I'm looking into a way to remove 3-4 very large diesel generators from a steel building. The generators are going to be replaced and it is proving difficult to find a way to remove the old generators from the building. There is one overhead door and there is a...

Hey Twinnell, Thanks again. I thought that the special I saw on History Channel was a dam about 100' high. I don't know if it was made of RCC, but the concrete didn't appear to have any reinforcing steel. The concrete was poured in cells or blocks. Why couldn't a very tall dam be made of...

Thanks! That was very well explained. So these giant 100+ ft RCC dams don't need rebar in excellent soil conditions and uniform loading. NB