Structures from first principles!
Every profession has it “modus of operandi”. It is expected that all engineers would be bounded by ethics. This post looks extensively at one of the ethical issues that posses a dilemma for many engineers, it concerns replacing an incumbent engineer on a project.
At approximately 22 minutes past 6:00 pm on 21st of August 2009, a train was travelling across the viaduct, when the train driver suddenly noticed a portion of the viaduct had begun to collapse
A windpost is a vertical element offering lateral support to cladding element typically made from masonry. Historically masonry elements were required to sustain only vertical forces and designed as principal load bearing elements
A significant opening within masonry walls will always require a lintel of some sort to bridge over it. In contrast to popular opinion, lintels are structural elements though classified as secondary structural elements whose primary function is to support the masonry that arches over the opening
This is the first post in a series on concrete bridges, the series will discuss in detail the various aspects of concrete bridge design and construction. This post introduces the concept and the key benefits of using concrete for bridges
The designer of a composite floor has a number of basic and obvious decisions to make, including what type of beam to use and what type of decking. He or she also has some more detailed decisions, such as the choice of propped or unpropped construction, whether the steel beams will be restrained during construction, and how will the upper surfaces of the slabs be levelled during concreting
Timber as a structural element is not new, in fact, it predates the development of concrete and steel as structural members, dating back many centuries
Some failures are caused by the most stealthy human factors: corruption and greed. This situation is even worse in the third-world countries where the use of sub-standard materials, faulty construction and cutting corners around standard specifications is highly prevalent.
Column base plates are provided beneath steel columns in order to transmit the applied design forces safely to the foundations. Steel columns are heavily loaded and their cross-sections are typically small…….
The second willow island, West Virginia cooling tower collapsed while still under construction on April 27, 1978, killing all 51 workers. It is regarded as the deadliest construction accident in the whole of US history.