I am analyzing a large 3.5 to 12 roof as a plywood diaphragm. I realized that there will be a ridge vent down the center of the diaphragm that will essentially cut the roof in half (a few inches of the plywood will be removed to provide the ventilation at the ridge vent). Does this cause a...
I am designing a two-story house, mostly for wind load. I am having difficulty establishing a constant lateral load path from the roof to the ground. I am looking at a system of a wood shear wall at the 2nd floor (supporting the roof) and a steel moment frame below, supporting the 2nd floor...
The project consists of adding new ceiling hung medical equipment on the ground floor of a hospital. The building was apparently built in the 1920s, and of course there are no as-built drawings. The existing floor framing above consists of a concrete slab supported on steel beams. The...
We did some measurements on an existing building that was to be expanded vertically. The new steel beams (W8x24 spanning 17 feet) were to be supported on one end by new steel columns spliced to existing columns and at the other end on an existing brick wall. Unfortunately our measurements came...
I am designing a 4-story steel building (100'x100'). The first phase of the construction will only build the first 3 stories. What type of provisions should I make for the future story? It is unknown how far in the future the 4th story will be added. Thanks.
I have designed a foundation to support a large piece of equipment. The machine manufacturer recommends extruded polystyrene insulation for the vibration isolation joint around the perimeter of the foundation. The machine manufacturer states that the machine vibration is 10 Hz. Has anyone...
I am beginning a concept design for a 100-foot tall free standing steel structure and I need some help to determine what is the most efficient bracing system. The structure is 60 feet by 60 feet in plan. There are no intermediate levels, only a top level. The top will be a slab supported on...
I am in the process of evaluating a roof that was designed in the 60's. The roof is constructed of steel bar joists supported on steel beams and columns. As far as I can tell, it was not designed for drifted snow, and the flat roof design snow load increased by 20 psf since the original design...
I am currently investigating a school roof built in 1968 for compatibility with current codes. The roof will need to be strengthened because of design snow load changes since 1968. The roof system consists of a laminated (vertical laminations ) deck supported on double tapered glu-laminated...
I visited a building construction site yesterday and was shown that the anchor bolts in a column baseplate do not extend through the baseplate enough to set the nut. Actually, some of them do not extend through the baseplate at all. The problem appears to be that the contractor set the top of...
