In the previous two installments (STRUCTURE December 2021, January 2022), I reviewed seven bad habits I have seen from structural engineers around the country over the years while performing delegated connection design for the fabricators of their projects. Here, I offer my final three observations.
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In the first installment of this discussion (STRUCTURE, December 2021), I looked at 3 examples of bad habits in contract documents that can cause problems later for fabricators. This month, I offer an additional four examples.
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Delegated design of steel connections and stairs for various steel fabricators has occupied most of my last ten years at the structural engineering firm I represent. I have seen contract documents from structural engineers and architects from all over the country, from sole proprietors working out of their houses to some of the most well-known design firms with a worldwide presence. With that said, I am often asked by exasperated fabricators or freelance detailers about contract documents that just do not make any sense to them. Sometimes, I am even offered work because the contract documents are so confusing that the fabricator mistakenly thinks design is being delegated to them. Thus, I sometimes serve as an interpreter first before serving as an engineer, followed by a stint as an unofficial defense attorney of our profession when the cause of the confusion becomes apparent.
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Today’s challenging and fast-paced construction environment forces engineers to take on many responsibilities in the design workflow. The continual evolution of the construction industry makes it difficult for structural design professionals to stay up-to-date on new construction materials, methods, codes, and design technology.
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Engineers routinely need to analyze and design indeterminate structures. Today they would use any one of several analytical software packages commonly loaded on their computers. The programs are so powerful that it does not take long to develop the input and perform the analysis, even for a major building. Sifting through the output and finding the desired answers might be the greatest effort involved.
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This is the final installment of a three-part series (STRUCTURE, April 2020 and May 2020), wherein we discussed the Black Box, why it is critical to our work, and how to control it to make sure we are getting correct and accurate results. This segment takes a high-level look at strategies for the successful use of engineering software.
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In Part 1 of this series (STRUCTURE, April 2020), we discussed the Black Box and why it is critical to our work. We concentrated on how to control it in the areas of gross error (total load checks), boundary conditions, and deflections. We discuss load paths, connections, torsion, temperature and shrinkage, and dissimilar materials in this part.
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The “black box.” We have all heard the phrase, maybe to the point of nauseum. By necessity, as code requirements continue their evolution into ever-increasing complexity, we depend more and more on software to do the calculations that some of us and our predecessors used to do by hand. Not only can the intimate knowledge of how to run the calculation be lost in this trade-off, that move from pencil, paper, and calculator (or slide rule!) to computer software, the old-fashioned “gut feeling” can be lost as well. Unfortunately, these essential tools of the wise engineer are quickly disappearing from our profession.
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