Each of us has at least one hilarious-yet-costly story about hitting an underground utility. The one I can contribute is from 1990 and lacks drama, so I mostly tell other people’s stories. Popping the water main in freezing Gillette, Wyoming on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a popular one. So is that one time the…
One of the fundamental engineering analyses performed for structural applications is determining the moment of force. Unexpected twisting or turning may be a great dance move, but it usually spells disaster for structural elements. Analytical Details The first of multiple articles reviewing some of the methods and calculations used in structural engineering. Atypical Philosophy A…
It is reported that in USA fire kills more people each year than all other natural disasters combined including floors, cyclones and earthquake. The fire load in a building should be kept to the minimum possible. The term fire load indicates the amount of heat liberated in kilo joules per square metre (kJ/m2) of floor…
This is the first in a series of articles reviewing specific structural engineering basics and design processes. In this introductory article, simple structural engineering elements are classified to form the basis of more complex structures. Basic Elements of Structural Construction Never Push On a Rope Creating a safe, durable, cost effective structural engineering design is…
The slipform technique of construction allows for the continuous pouring of concrete into walls of a structure and only stops when the full required height of the structure has been reached. Development of the Slipform Technique Cement, and concrete by its association with it, has an initial setting time of just about thirty minutes, after which the cement and…
Introduction The previous model determined the number of trips produced by and attracted to each zone within the study area under scrutiny. For the trips produced by the zone in question, the trip distribution model determines the individual zones where each of these will end. For the trips ending within the zone under examination, the…
If the theory of consolidation, presented in the previous chapters, were a perfect description of the physical behaviour of soils, it should be rather simple to determine the value of the coefficient of consolidation cv from the data obtained in a consolidation test. For instance, one could measure the time at which 50 % of…
REQUIREMENTS OF FORMWORK Requirements of formwork – quality, safety & economy In the selection of materials for formwork, the three general principles of quality, safety and economy must be paramount. Material quality can ensure safety, and significantly contributes to the achievement of economy. Formwork failure can result in loss of life and always causes catastrophic financial loss. Some general guidelines can…
The trusses according to their generation are subdivided into simple, compound, and complex ones. Simple Trusses Simple trusses are formed on the basis of a hinge-connected triangle with any additional joint attached by means of two additional members. The relationship between the number of bars (S) and joints (J ) for simple statically determined and…
Lacquer is a colored coating that is frequently used to produce a shiny wood appearance. Lacquer types are nitrocellulose, and less often cellulose, which is expensive and produces an appearance that is not very attractive. Lacquer will be durable if suitable measures are implemented. Basics Of Lacquer In a broad sense, lacquer implies a colored and a clear varnish that is…