The design of piled foundation unlike other foundation types largely falls within the remit of a geotechnical engineer with little assistance from the structural engineer. The first step requires the geotechnical team to conduct a detailed site investigation
For projects that requires deep foundations, the piles would be one of the first considerations at the concept design stage. The structural designer is expected to consider during the course of the project development, the type of piling that would be required, the proposed sizes
This article presents the design of cellular raft foundation, a spread foundation arrangement with two way interlocking ground beams with a ground bearing slab in contact with the soil and a suspended slab at the top surface…
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
Steel portal frames are the most common and cost-effective structural solutions for single-storey buildings with gable-pitched roofs. In fact, about 50% of the steelwork in the U.K is used up in the construction of single-storey buildings, of which portal frames form the greater part…
This article presents the design of concealed concrete beams, sometimes referred to as the “wide or strong band beams…
Unlike members in axial tension, when structural elements are subjected to axial compression, they become vulnerable to failure through instability as a result of their geometrical properties rather than their material properties…
A truss is a triangulated assembly of interconnected elements, pinned at the nodes and typically having all external forces and reactions applied at the nodes (Figure 1). Trusses are extremely strong and a very cost-effective solution when compared to other structural options
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.
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?