STRUCTURE Articles

This article is provided by Ed Huston as the 2011 recipient of The Masonry Society’s Haller Award. Named for Professor Paul Haller, the Haller Award recognizes an individual engineer or engineering firm that has enhanced the knowledge of masonry in […]

Question For the critical examination or condition assessment of masonry façades, what is a good reference for practicing engineers to use? Answer A good, comprehensive reference document that specifically addresses masonry façades is the recently published Guide for Condition Assessment […]

According to Alasdair MacIntyre, applying virtue ethics to any practice is primarily a matter of recognizing the goods that are internal to it and the character traits that enable those who are involved in it to achieve them ("Rethinking Engineering […]

The Mission Statement for the Structural Engineers Certification Board (SECB) is as follows: The second statement implies that SECB is not intended to become the ultimate grantor of the certification, but is only to act as a vehicle toward the […]

Mechanical anchor systems are commonly installed in historic masonry materials despite the lack of manufacturer-specified design values for this type of substrate. Scaffolding lateral supports, signage installations and telecommunication mounting systems all use these mechanical fasteners in natural stone materials. […]

What’s Coming for Structural Engineers It’s been several years since the inception of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in our industry. Substantial progress has been made by the different software developers to provide us with the tools needed to tackle any […]

A nine-story glass building, shaped like a flower bud, is being built in the young scientific and industrial center of Siberia, Novosibirsk (Figure 1). In such a harsh weather environment – where during five cold days in January the temperature […]

If you are like me, you emerged from your collegiate experience with a broad array of fundamental tools in structural design that, hopefully, armed you adequately for your chosen career. I recall finishing my bachelor’s degree and having a skill […]

Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views […]

Fatigue specifications for the design of new, and evaluation of existing, highway bridges are provided by AASHTO in the LRFD Bridge Design Specifications (LRFD) and the Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE), respectively. Recently published NCHRP Report 721 Fatigue Evaluation of […]

From Planning to Completion It is not unusual to create an opening in existing floors during building renovations and alterations. A new opening may be used for stairs, an elevator shaft, a duct penetration, skylights, etc. In order to execute […]

Ammann was born on March 26, 1879, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, the home of the famous 18th century Grubenman wooden bridge. His family was of moderate means with his father in manufacturing and his mother in hat making. At an early […]