What is your typical simple pinned connection of a wide flange beam to wide flange column connecting to the minor axis? I'm curious if most are using a simple shear tab or single angle welded to the column web and cope beam flanges as necessary or if you prefer to use an extended shear tab...
In an existing building seismic retrofit, I have seen a design where the engineer used a wood sheathing (OSB) overlay as a wood blocked diaphragm. The walls are masonry and the designer placed anchors and straps to connect the wall to the diaphragm for out-of-plane connections without using...
I have a project where the owner wants to add some load to an existing roof that has Pre-cast Single Tees constructed in the 1960's. I am looking to determine if the existing tees have the capacity to support the additional load. I have the original plans and the only designation in reference...
What chapter of ASCE 7-05 does a self-supporting stair tower fall under? Chapter 12 or 15? The stair tower is an exterior industrial type, adjacent to a building and constructed out of steel. The stair tower is approx. 70 ft. high, 18 ft. long and 10 ft. wide with landings about 8' apart. It...
I just did a structural peer review on a one-level light-frame building for a city. The footings are continuous and were designed using 3000 psi. The structural design engineer didn't have testing required for the building. This brought up a discussion of code interpretation with the building...
I would like to get some feedback from fellow structural engineers on what eccentricity is typically used for square tube steel columns (HSS's) that are concentrically loaded and are not part of a frame (resist gravity loads only). The columns would support steel beam(s) on one or both sides...
I am designing embedded poles using the methodology in the IBC 1805.7. The poles will be used as part of a temporary timber lagging retaining wall. Do you have to include the 1.5 factor for sliding and overturning requirement for retaining walls (1806.1) for design or does the equation stand...
I am designing a special steel moment frame building with 2 bays in one direction. Due to the wide flange column configuration I cannot do a moment frame with fixed ends at each column. Looking at a bay I have two beams connecting with a pinned connection to the outer columns and connecting...
When calculating snow drift against a roof projection the UBC had a maximum value of 50' for the winward roof length (97' UBC 1644.5). I am designing with the IBC 2003 which references ASCE 7-02 for snow drift design. Under section 7.8 Roof Projections, there isn't a maximum value for lu...
Does anyone have a good solution for providing out-of-plane anchorage of the top of masonry walls to a wood trussed roof? It can easily be done when the masonry walls extend past the diaphragm (parapet) with a Simpson strap embedded into the CMU. The condition I am referring to is where the...
Does anyone know if knee braces are allowed to be used for lateral resistance(eccentrically braced frames) in a steel structure? I have looked in the seismic provisions manual and I can't find where it says they are not allowed, however my gut feeling is they wouldn't be allowed. I know that a...
By hand I am designing a 2-story light framed (wood) building that rests on a rigid concrete suspended slab, a 1 story parking structure below. I am inclined to design the wood building all by itself with the simplified base shear method and then design the concrete diaphragm with its own base...
