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Restoring History

19^th Century Stone Church Receives New Façade

The deterioration of the masonry façade at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, an English Gothic-style structure originally constructed in 1895 and located in Staunton, Virginia, presented a life-safety issue for parishioners and necessitated the evaluation of the historic structure. Significant water infiltration, cracking, and spalling of the original greenstone façade had progressed to the point that overhead protection was installed to serve as a shield against falling debris. …

May, 2018 By John Grill, P.E. and Rex Cyphers, P.E. In Feature Comments 0

Much Will Be Expected

As I enter the latter phases of my career, I reflect on changes in how structural design documents are developed, recorded, and used for facilities and bridges around the globe. I am a Baby Boomer, so the only constant in my career has been change. …

May, 2018 By Thomas A. Grogan, Jr., P.E., S.E. In Editorial Comments 0

Tornado Debris Impact Testing and Masonry

Those of you who have had an opportunity to work in jurisdictions that have adopted the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) should have noticed a significant change related to mandatory tornado shelters in a significant portion of the Central U.S. For areas that use the 2015 IBC, this new requirement will impact the majority of new school and emergency facility construction spanning as far north as central Minnesota, as far south as southern Mississippi, and stretching to western Pennsylvania in the east and western Texas to the west. This area is shown in Figure 1 and is where tornadoes with wind speeds of at least 250 mph have a history of occurrence. …

May, 2018 By Diane Throop, P.E., W. Mark McGinley, Ph.D., P.E., FASTM and William L. Coulbourne, P.E., M. ASCE In Structural Performance Comments 0

Terra Cotta Clad Steel Frame Building Repair Approach

Repair Options and Replacement Materials

The case to replace terra cotta in-kind with the integration of a corrosion mitigation system, rather than full-scale replacement or replacement with an imitation material, provides clients with a durable, long-term repair and restoration program that retains the original building fabric. This article discusses the history of architectural terra cotta and various repair options in lieu of stripping and replacing. …

May, 2018 By Gina L. Crevello and Michelle K. Perez In Structural Rehabilitation Comments 1

So, You Need to Design a Masonry Infill…

Your client has proposed a building where the exterior steel beams and columns are painted and exposed but the portal space is filled with concrete masonry. Your first thought may be, “Wow, that is a lot of extra building mass to deal with!” Immediately after that thought might come a series of questions. “I wonder if there is a way to use that masonry, instead of it just being along for the ride? Where would I look for design guidance?” The short answers to those questions are yes, you can make use of the masonry and answers are available in the Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (TMS 402). This article expands on those answers and additional questions that might arise during the design process. …

May, 2018 By Charles J. Tucker, Ph.D., P.E. In Structural Systems Comments 0

Transverse (Confinement) Reinforcement

Most designers who engineer reinforced masonry know that code provisions for lap splice lengths have been evolving over the past few code editions. A newer confinement-steel option is available that has the potential to significantly reduce the lap splice lengths, especially for larger diameter bars, through confinement of the structural reinforcement. …

May, 2018 By Edwin T. Huston, P.E., S.E. and Thomas Young, P.E. In Structural Design Comments 0

High-Volume SCM Grouts for Masonry

Masonry has a long performance history as a durable, economical, and attractive building system. It has been used successfully in all climates and can serve as both the structural system and architectural finish. Construction today requires materials that are easy to use and have dependable performance, so manufactured masonry units that have uniform size and properties are much more common than natural (stone) units. Similarly, portland cement-based mortars and grouts are preferred for their consistent setting and strength characteristics. …

May, 2018 By Jamie Farny In Building Blocks Comments 1

TMS 402/602-16

Changes to the Masonry Code

A new edition of Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures and Specification for Masonry Structures was published in 2016 (Figure 1). In addition to technical updates, there were four non-technical changes. The first is that the code and specification are now solely sponsored by The Masonry Society (TMS) and are known as TMS 402 (formerly also designated as ACI 530 and ASCE 5) and TMS 602 (formerly also designated as ACI 530.1 and ASCE 6), respectively. …

May, 2018 By Richard M. Bennett, Ph.D., P.E. In Code Updates Comments 0

The Use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer

Seismic Retrofit of Masonry Structures with Wood Diaphragms

Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) have been used for seismic retrofit applications in masonry and concrete structures for many years. FRP has also been used for general restoration purposes in wood structures. Examples include repair and strengthening of wood columns or posts by wrapping with FRP and strengthening of wood beams by either wrapping beams with FRP or by placing FRP of the sides or bottom of wood beams. …

May, 2018 By John Masek, P.E., S.E. and Briant Jacobs, P.E. In InSights Comments 0

Riverfront Revival

Silman was an Award Winner for its Empire Stores project in the 2017 Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program in the Category – Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures over $20M.

The Empire Stores complex is a series of seven interconnected warehouses initially built between 1869 and 1885 on the Brooklyn waterfront just north of the Brooklyn Bridge. The warehouses are constructed of heavy timber columns, girders, and joists with brick exterior bearing walls and large schist party walls. At the time of construction, the buildings varied from four to five stories in height. …

May, 2018 By Paul Evans In Spotlight Comments 0

Current Issue	Resource Guide

19th Century Stone Church Receives New Façade

Repair Options and Replacement Materials

Changes to the Masonry Code

Seismic Retrofit of Masonry Structures with Wood Diaphragms

19^th Century Stone Church Receives New Façade