Thanks one and all for many ideas. In the meantime I find the dead load seismic shear of a 13 inch wall of brick one story high to pencil out at a measily 579 p.sqr.ft. That may be more than any allowance that I can get close to with any kind of maneuvering!!
In an existing brick wall of some 14 inches thick minimum,
is there a rational guide to determine the probable shear capacity of the mortar present? Is there a small compression test that can be applied to the mortar in place?
This is in an urban environment that probably had reasonably up to...
DaveViking
No, I do not recall Sprague... in those years. Most of us were unemployed, and I worked for a month or so at the Federal Land Bank in Wichita. An exciting job of drafting onto maps the locations of Land Grants. I could not stand that pressure so went to American Bridge in Trenton. No...
The way they will be placed has a bearing on this matter. If all will be "poured" together that makes them monothilic and they can be designed as continuous. But if not then the design depends on your treatment of the places where pour joints do occur. At those points you need to be...
pylko
Your bell must be vibrating the tower either because it emits a frequency that finds something in your tower that gets excited, or the rotational ringing of the bell provides sufficient moment as it swings back as to sway the framing.
It would seem likely that the framing may be light.
I...
Kramer
Yes you are right. Frank Wright was on goo so put his stiff buildings on piles and let the goo vibrate around them under their stiff cap. I wonder if he really expected that.
But to the origianl question--surely the foundation has to be designed to accept and handle the seismic ground...
From EvanK
We have had some extremely wise comments. They all have merit and none give a black or white answer!!
The comment about the blind use of the computer is one we should keep in mind. There was a failure of a gymnasium roof in Connecticut about 30 years ago. It was a dommed long span...
CCEV
Yes, there are those 2 waves. Yes, the foundation must be designed to withstand the seismic load expected in that location. Otherwise the seismic effect will not get into the building but the foundation will just stand there and let the earth wiggle under it!!
FL Wright claims to have...
Many excellent comments. Mine may be of interest. I graduated from Univ of Colorado in 1938. No graduate got a job. Desolation!! Finally I received an offer from the American Bridge Company in Trenton, NJ. As a detailer absolutely eveything was thoroughly checked and counter checked. They could...