Punching shear behavior is a topic that has attracted much attention from engineers in the last decades because of several collapses caused by punching shear failures. Introducing transverse reinforcement is the most common solution when the geometry of the slab-column connection has to be maintained and punching shear resistance has to be increased. …
Resiliency is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” To a structural engineer, this means a strong yet ductile structure that is survivable and repairable in the face of severe environmental loads, such as major earthquakes. In terms of earthquake resiliency, where does our building inventory stand? We have come a long way as you will see, but we have a long way to go. …
Like it or not, design professionals are required to deal with building officials on a regular basis. This is such an important aspect of structural engineering that NCSEA has a committee devoted to it – the Code Officials and Government Agencies Committee. Several member SEA’s also understand the importance of the relationship that structural engineers should have with building officials. A great example is a white paper entitled Guideline – Structural Plan Review Philosophy that was developed by the Structural Engineer’s Association of Washington (SEAW) with the help of the Washington Association of Building Officials (WABO) and is located on the WABO website. …
I was part of a conversation recently among a group of practitioners where someone wondered about what was studied in an Architectural Engineering (ArchE) program. Earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Engineering myself, this curiosity surprised me. After all, I had presumed, in the several decades since graduating, Architectural Engineering had surely become ubiquitous in the profession in which most of us practice. …
One of the most frequently used “buzz words” in the media lately is Infrastructure, a term used to represent many different things to many different people. One definition of Infrastructure is “the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.” …
It is no novelty that communication and visualization in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry are continuously evolving. With more challenging project types, owners requesting “the next best thing,” and digital tools and more sophisticated software advancement, it is our duty to stay current and relevant with the latest innovative trends and tools. …
Concrete is the most widely used material in the world. With U.S. cement consumption at 3.4M metric tons through May and 9.4% growth over the same period in 2015, it is safe to say that concrete plays a significant role in nearly all types of construction projects (PCA July Monitor, 2016). …
Design, modeling, and analysis are keys to the success of today’s bridge projects. The next generation of bridge modeling software requires that the model is purpose-built for bridge designers and contractors who need to create, construct, maintain, and document a wide variety of bridge information throughout the lifecycle of the bridge. …
One of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries of our time lies in a courtyard outside of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters in Langley, Virginia. It’s a sculpture called Kryptos, and although it’s been partially solved, it contains an inscription that has puzzled the most renowned cryptanalysts since being erected in 1990. Meanwhile, in another part of the DC Beltway about 15 miles to the southeast, another great mystery is being deciphered at the American and Iron Institute (AISI) headquarters. …
In the October 2010 Insights column (STRUCTURE®), Bruce Maison wrote an excellent article on ASCE 41-06 Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings, now called ASCE 41-13 Seismic Retrofit of Existing Buildings, and its inclusion in the International Building Code (IBC). …