I am trying to justify some preliminary comments to a client purchasing a building constructed around 1905-1910. The roof steel is sloped at about 20 degrees with a 5" concrete slab cast in place above and around the steel beams. The beams are 8" deep rolled steel with a lower flange of 1/4" x...
Are there any means to quantify the effects of vibration on an SOE system?
A contractor installed an SOE wall approximately 10ft deep less than 2ft from an existing masonry building on a spread footing. The SOE wall was made from drilling 8" pipes into the ground and sliding steel plates...
I was just given one of those "standard details" for a generator foundation to be blessed. Nobody knows where it came from, but it has been used on this MEP's drawings since the dawn of time.
To support a 2000 lb generator, the detail has an 18" slab with rebar at 12" on center top and bottom...
Are there any minimum depth requirements for spread footings under interior building spaces?
We have a single-story masonry building that will bear directly on bedrock. Rock is around 1' below the proposed slab elevation. To minimize rock excavation costs my intent is to excavate rock (which...
How are masonry paritition walls generally considered on structural drawings? Should they be completely designed including rebar, anchorages top and bottom, etc.?
Other types of light/flexible partitions are generally not shown, and this is my first case for masonry. Due to the rigidity and...
I am providing unrequested "feedback" from a wall panel manufacturer on a connection that they consider routine and acceptable. They have light gage framed shop assembled wall panels that typically measure 8' x 20' or larger. One connection they occasionally use is a "grout cup" to develop a...
Is there a prescribed method for designing against lateral frost pressure? How does the magnitude of pressure exerted by frost compare with hydrostatic pressure?
I am considering various causes for cracking in CMU basement walls. I have heard that there has been an above-average occurrence of...
I am reviewing an old set of plans for a cast-in-place concrete structure. The foundation plans have both strap beams and grade beams called out. The details are not discernibly different between the two.
Is there a technical difference between the two types? Does the name somehow tell a...
I overheard a precast building manufacturer suggesting that their buildings be set on reinforced dry stack masonry piers, to be designed by others. Not being familiar with them I did some searching on the internet and found quite a bit, including a TEK by the National Concrete Masonry...
Since this this board is overdue for a post...
I'm figuring a wood floor for a restaurant. The live load is 100psf per code. Presumably, a large portion of that value is due to actual loading by people amassed together. Its on a 2nd floor with no elevator, so there is no possibility for the...
I am reviewing the addition of a steel column to the top of an existing unreinforced stone foundation. The wall is set with stones that are relatively flat and maybe 2"-3" tall, several inches on the flat. I am approximating that the proportion of stone to mortar/cement is about 2 or...
A field inspection revealed a case where a Hilti Kwik Bolt II is welded at the threads instead of nutted. The material type is ASTM A510, chemical composition of AISI 1038. I think it is classified as a medium carbon steel. The shear acting on the bolt is far enough into the shank that the...
I'm designing a new pier footing to go inside the basement of an existing building with a concrete floor. It'll probably be about 5' square. How deep does the bottom of the footing need to be? Is there anything wrong with setting the bottom of the footing at the bottom of the slab?
For that...
I recently documented a beam splice connection at about 1/4-point of a 25 -30 ft simple span beam. The bottom plate has 4 bolts in each flange, the web plate has 4 bolts in each web but there is no top plate. The beam is of course kinked quite a bit at the connection. It was installed as a...
Has there ever been a code provision or published design method for using round timbers as the tensile component of a beam in a concrete floor system? I am looking for anything to compare an existing building against.
I originally posted this question in thread 507-82523 - Structural...
I had occasion to perform a preliminary inspection of an old hotel with composite timber and concrete floors. Was there ever a typical accepted design procedure for this type of construction? Is anyone familiar with this construction?
The building was probably built between 1905 and 1909...
