I have two great ones:
My project manager (engineer with ~15 years experience) for a PT parking garage told me that increasing or decreasing the number of tendons in a post-tensioned beam will not affect deflection.
During shop drawing review for deferred balconies, I asked to show...
I'm also really curious about this and I found a nice article from SK Ghosh that goes back to the 1997 SBC, but haven't looked beyond that. I knew parking garage live load just changed from 50psf to 40psf from previous editions to ASCE 7-16 but hadn't realized how much it has fluctuated over the...
If we're going to be looking at Hummers, we should use a gas-powered hummer as a point of reference.
H2 Hummer = 6614lb/(190"*81"/144) = 61.9 psf
GMC Hummer EV = 9063lb/(217"*87"/144) = 69.1 psf
69.1/61.9 * 100% = 11.7% increase
I'd be interested in seeing a breakdown of EVs vs. their gas...
Cliff,
I just ran across this the other day as well but haven't had time to look more into the actual requirement. I saw it in PTI Technical Note #18 at the following link: https://www.post-tensioning.org/education/publications/faqstechnotes.aspx
See section "1-Introduction" for the relevant...
1) That's a correct assumption, the proposed coupler is Zap Screwlok by Barsplice.
2) Understood, that's what I was leaning towards.
3) I agree, and it makes me think of the overall contribution of the bearing against the bar head to the development length versus the contribution of the straight...
Hi all,
I am trying to come up with a solution for a misplaced pile and I'm struggling to find information on whether the development length of rebar includes or excludes the length of the coupler for a mechanical splice. Our foundation system is augercast piles embedded into grade beams. The...
Funnily enough, this is only part true. We're looking for tenants right now to take over ~75% of the space. Regardless, I do understand the point. I was conflating my boss's personal finances with the firm's. It's hard for me to mentally separate the two because it's such a small firm.
I had...
The principal has owned the building for over a decade, it wasn't a new purchase. We moved offices because they could not find tenants. I don't really see how the engineering firm and owner having the same owner is irrelevant to this discussion. As stated above by Jed, rent and office expenses...
Thanks for the all replies, this is just the discussion I was hoping for. I had calculated payroll taxes + software licenses for the entire office and that was about 40% of my salary. Current employer only provides health insurance and I hadn't factored that in. We have no support staff and pay...
Hi all,
I'm just curious about what the typical ratio of engineering hourly rate charged to clients vs hourly rate that an employee receives is. My previous employer charged about 4x my hourly rate to clients, and my current employer charges just under 3x my hourly rate. The previous employer...
Do you have a code reference for that? I can't find anything in ACI318-14 Chapter 25 specifying that. I have always thought that clear cover was all sides of the bar, and top/bottom/side cover is explicitly perpendicular to the bar.
As far as having the bars rest on top of the concrete below...
Hi all,
In ACI318-14 Table 25.4.2.2, "clear cover at least db" is required to avoid using the more conservative development length equations. Without this clear cover, the equations yield a 50% higher development length. Does this apply at a construction joint? For example, at a concrete wall...
Hello all,
I'm currently working on a multi-family project with a podium PT slab and a parking PT slab underneath. The electrical contractor wants to use ENT/Smurf tubing in lieu of metallic conduit. How do you feel about using this type of conduit in slabs? The first issue that comes to mind is...
driftLimiter,
Thanks for the reply, ensuring adequate shear friction transfer is one of my main concerns here. Good to hear more support for a continuous beam.
hokie66,
I had assumed a pinned condition because the contractor plans on pouring the second half of the grade beam a few weeks after the first half of the grade beam. If I'm interpreting what you said correctly, then the grade beam remains continuous if we keep the reinforcement continuous. So...
Hello all,
We have a 5-on-2 with a foundation system consisting of augercast piles connected by grade beams. We have a pour strip at our podium slab that is roughly centered in the building floor plan. The contractor is now requesting that we add construction joints at all slabs-on-grade...
Hello all,
We're having a discussion in our office about the use of non-orthogonal concrete shear walls. The structure is a 6-on-1 wood on PT podium slab. Concrete shear walls support the PT podium slab. We have some disagreement about how to treat the concrete walls in the corner of the slab...
Our office is designing a deep foundation system for a large multi-family building. The deep foundation system consists of piles and grade beams due to a seismic design category of D and a site class of E. We have already been through permit and are now getting strong pushback from the...
