Structures from first principles!
In 2007 under-engineering, inefficient regulation, ever increasing dead loads combined with inadequate inspections led to the deadliest structural failure in Minnesota’s history. The immediate aftermath saw an investigation board commissioned to probe the cause of the failure. The investigation would discover a systematic collapse in the very layers of defense the engineering profession creates towards preventing catastrophic failures
” An implicit assumption is an assumption that underlies a logical argument, course of action, decision or judgement that is not explicitly voiced nor necessarily understood by the decision maker1. In other words, implicit assumptions are those assumptions we make without even realizing it, hence they may go undetected.
While many engineers make the very valid argument that software prevent errors and human fallibility, many other engineers including this writer make the equally valid argument that these tools contribute to creating errors. Are these software’s actually aiding us to become better engineers or are they actually replacing us, at least, in cognitive sense, as engineers?
This article discusses the reuse, and refurbishment strategies adopted for the Triton Square building in London to enable the addition of three extra floors. Increasing the total floor area by 70% while achieving a SCORS A rating for the overall carbon per unit area for the scheme.
High above St. Lawrence River, on a hot sunny day in August, 1907, workers were working on the Quebec bridge when suddenly, the sound of twisting metals pierced the air, and the giant cantilever bridge under construction failed, crashing into the river with enormous force, such that people miles away in Quebec City believed an earthquake had hit.
Somewhere in Manhattan, a team of carpenters, welders and labourers were secretly working through the night, retrofitting steel connections under the directive of one of America’s finest Highrise structural designer, in a race to salvage the world’s 7th Tallest building. The skyscraper was meant to be a structural masterpiece but instead was poised to become one of the greatest engineering disasters of all time. Hurricane season was approaching and even a moderate storm would put the lives of over 200k people at risk
Just as there are dangers with the use of software in engineering, it is equally important that we also note that there are also dangers with non-automation. In this article, we’ll look at the circumstances in which the virgin galactic plane crashed in 2014 and if there are lessons that can be learnt.
![[Opinion] Choice of Structural form for a Monopitch Roof](https://structurescentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/featured-image-for-post-330x288.jpg)
You’re faced with the design of a steel truss for a monopitch roof spanning 18.35m. The roof is invariably enclosed hence is considered predominantly subjected to gravity loads, which scheme would you choose or consider more appropriate and why?
At the backdrop of any structural failure are lessons to be learnt, but do engineers actually learn anything?… Find out!
Approximately 50 years ago, the west gate bridge in Melbourne, Australia collapsed under construction killing over 30 people in what is now widely regarded as Australia’s worst construction accidents ever