One of the companies I own is a mechanical contracting company. We have "engineering" in the name. I'm the responsible PE in charge on the certificate of authorization. I just found out today that in a cost cutting move, the two other partners (non PE's) allowed the professional liability...
Client wants to install octagonal seat wall with 36 inch footings. Issue is proximity of wall footing to septic tank. One of the corners of the tank nearest the house is exposed in the trench for the footings. (Long story, but client got permit for simple seat wall, then the design grew into...
In NFPA 30, they talk about storage rack sections:
From the 1996 edition:
"4-4.4.4 Total quantity of liquids stored in a liquid warehouse shall not be restricted. However, the storage heights and maximum quantity per pile or rack section for unprotected storage shall comply with Table...
Does the state of New York have a welder certification requirement to perform welding in the state? I caught that in an e-mail this week, and I'm not sure if it was a typo.
Hello,
I have a project where the owner wants rooftop units added to his building. Three of the spots have steel beam construction that can be reinforced with WT's (ala Miller) and additional purlins.
The fourth roof is a little more difficult, and he has no alternative position for the new...
I have a W14 roof beam that I need to partially remove and replace in order to swap out a conveyor (about 8 ft of a 25 ft beam). The W14's span from one W24 girder to the next (50' apart), with one column support in the middle. We can brace the adjacent W14's and frame the opening, support the...
I have a boiler that needs 8 tubes replaced. A quick peak on the water side tells me there will be a bit of scale on the tubes. What are some common methods of removing a tube from the middle of a bundle when it's OD exceeds the tubesheet hole because of scale deposits, without damaging the...
I have a 14 foot 4" concrete panel curtain wall system on a single story building for which the owner wants to increase one exposure's fire rating by 4 hours (BOCA requires a heaftier rating due to the building's proximity to another building on his property). He didn't bite on UL Des 490...
When replacing a roof joist support beam (as in the case of permanently removing an existing column and the two beams attached to it, and spanning the gap with a single larger, properly sized beam), is it best to support the adjoining web joists from below or above? There's a debate raging here...
I'm just curious. I know a colleague who has a kiln that operates at 2200 deg F. He uses carbon steel carts on tracks to load and unload the kiln (the carts stay in the kiln during firing). He rebuilds carts non-stop because of heat damage. There's got to be a better grade of steel he can use.
Can you really get away with hanging lift hoists and beam trolleys from a bar joist roof? What is the normal safety factor for a bar joist roof system? I was in a plant last week that had a dozen or so beams and trolleys hanging from the bar joists. They using them to move around 500 lb drums...
