I am currently designing aluminum "fins" (about 12" wide x 4" deep) to hang from an existing 12-story building. They are being added solely as an architectural feature. In an attempt to limit the wind load force, we are exploring using perforated aluminum to fabricate the fins.
The perforations...
Hey all!
I have a question regarding maintenance of traffic and clearance requirements.
I have a widening project where we're maintaining traffic adjacent to a work area. The existing full-depth pavement is going to carry 4 lanes next to the work area. The work being done adjacent to the...
I've been working on a project that has a certain cell library attached to each MS file. For the last year, the line terminator has worked perfectly. Now, in a few files, when I go to terminate a line using the "Place Active Line Terminator", there is no cell recognized. When I go to...
In the AISC ASD Steel Manual (9th Ed.), p. 5-46 (Chapter F of the specs), it states that equation (F1-8) "is applicable only to sections with a compression flange that is solid and approximately rectangular in cross-section..."
My question: do S-shapes have an approximately...
The current project I'm working on contains a few interior non-load bearing CMU walls. I have designed the exterior building CMU walls for the wind loads described in BOCA (1999).
According to BOCA, the minimum wind pressure to design for is 10psf (1609.6) but BOCA doesn't make this clear if...
Does AASHTO provide any commentary or additional live loads for the case of a vertical roadway slope on a bridge?
I'm currently designing a bridge where the longitudinal forces on the substructure are the critical factor. The bridge is on a 6% vertical slope. I contend that AASHTO builds a...
There's been a big controversy in my area concerning a resident of a gated, private community placing a flagpole in his yard. The flagpole is 25-30 feet tall and is in violation of the community's bylaws (or something like that).
A few "engineers" have apparently written to the paper...
Calculations I'm reviewing require seismic loads to be calculated using AWWA D100 (for elevated water tanks). The contractor has provided seismic loads using ASCE 7.
Does anyone know if ASCE 7 is more conservative than AWWA D100? I'm a little curious about how the 2 standards compare even...
ACI 318, which is the concrete design reference for STAAD, is in terms of LFD. Appendix A of ACI 318 gives criteria for designing concrete members using allowable stress. Is it possible to use the allowable stress method in STAAD to design concrete? Anyone know? I'm thinking no but thought I'd...
In a few files I've been working in, I have only been able to rotate the reference files by an angle that is an integer (I input the exact angle I want, hit return, and the display automatically changes the angle to an integer). I've noticed that in most of the Microstation files I've created, I...
AASHTO has guidelines for pedestrian railings on highway bridges in Section 2.7.3. In this section, it states that "all elements of the railing assembly shall be spaced such that a 6-inch sphere will not pass through any opening. For elements between 27 and 42 inches above the walking...
In 8.18.2.2.2, the ratio of spiral reinforcement to total volume of core is defined. Is this ratio referring to the total volume of reinforcing steel to core concrete? The current numbers I'm getting for my specific case seem to be very high and I'm thinking maybe I'm looking at the wording...
Is there any mention of punching shear for pile footings? The only shear for this situation I can find is in section 4.4.11.3 (one-way shear at the critical section) but I swear there's a section concerning punching shear. Am I thinking about ACI 318 instead?
I know in the past I have been able to set my Microstation "preferences" to allow me to view the coordinates of the cursor. So as I scroll around any view, I can see the coordinates change continuously in the information area.
I now can't find the setting that allows me to do this...
