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  1. birneys

    Working from home

    I've been working 1 day a week from home for the last 2 1/2 years while working for national A/E firms in the building design sectors. There's always been some pushback from others in the office, likely the old-school mentality/fear that people won't work if their supervisor can't walk by and...
  2. birneys

    Engineer's responsibility to check rebar shop drawings?

    Are you talking about rebar shop drawings for buildings or bridges? I think the responses might vary depending on which type you're asking about.
  3. birneys

    Wet Setting Anchor Rods

    I've had contractors throw all kinds of justification at me to allow wet-setting, including a letter from another "engineer" that quote "wet-setting is industry standard". I believe there is an explicit statement that all items to be embedded in concrete have to be secured in place prior to...
  4. birneys

    High moisture content in concrete slab on grade

    I've run into this issue on multiple projects where it caused significant project delays and conflict within the project team. In my opinion, the best solution that I have seen is an additive to the concrete mix that effectively closes the interstitial pores that Ron mentioned during the curing...
  5. birneys

    precast architecural pieces supported on steel angles

    I agree w/ KootK, but I would also typically defer to your precast manufacturer for the actual design of the attachment. I typically provide guidance on the type of connection that is acceptable if there are aesthetic restrictions from the architect or other considerations (structural...
  6. birneys

    Is handrail attaching to a chkr plate ok?

    I'd be very surprised if you can provide adequate support for the required handrail loading from checkered plate on its own.
  7. birneys

    Bridging for Bar Joist

    No, typical joist bridging is not suitable for suspending MEP equipment. Any suspended loads should be supported directly from the steel joists at panel points or from additional framing specifically designed to support vertical loads. Bridging is typically only sized to provide lateral...
  8. birneys

    Wedge anchor

    My understanding is that the "bare bones" package is the same features that were previously available for the desktop product. The "bells and whistles" are the new features that are being added in this new release (they haven't been available before). That's how I read the feature comparison for...
  9. birneys

    Abandoned anchor holes near expansion anchor

    Does Hilti allow the HDA-T for use with dynamic loading? I would be hesitant to use expansion-type anchors in this situation because of the adjacent holes as well as the issues of dynamic loading, vibration, etc. The anchor only works by exerting outward pressure on your hole. In my mind, the...
  10. birneys

    Applicablility of ASCE 7-16's Seismic Diaphragm Requirements to Distributing Wind Loads

    It's my understanding that the seismic criteria for diaphragms does not apply when you are considering wind loads. I don't know the exact section, but the ASCE 7-10 commentary discusses this somewhere. I think it even goes so far as to say what types of roof deck/diaphragm can be assumed...
  11. birneys

    Bearing Length for Steel Channel Pinch Beam

    I would proceed with great caution. There are multiple issues with using something like this for long-term support. I know contractors use them for temporary shoring, but, personally, I won't use them for a permanent lintel. You're relying on a handful of bolts to support CMU of unknown quality...
  12. birneys

    Concrete setting vs. cure time and cracking

    Alan CA, it might be helpful for you to take a look at ACI 306 which gives criteria and recommendations for cold weather concreting. I don't have it open in front of me, but I'm fairly certain that it will give you an approximate time frame for protecting concrete from cold temperatures. As...
  13. birneys

    Bracing of Precast Concrete building during construction

    Typically, as an EOR, I have a note that indicates the contractor is responsible for all temporary bracing until the building is complete (including diaphragms, shear walls, etc.). Often your liability insurance doesn't cover construction bracing or shoring. If your precast erector is...
  14. birneys

    Steel column at slab on grade edge

    If you're in a cold climate, I would suggest having a frank discussion with your architect about potential issues with thermal bridging. As well as noting that the mastic coating will need to be maintained often relative to the life of the building.
  15. birneys

    Stamping blanket calcs

    My current company does a decent amount of design for repetitive buildings and installations around the country. Most of them, we have a calculation template, but we create a new calculation package and drawing set for each installation or project. For others, what we've done is take a...
  16. birneys

    Continuing Education to Maintain PE While Working as Project Manager

    It depends on the state where you hold your license. They should have an explanation of the CE policies on their website, or I would give the board a call and ask for clarification.
  17. birneys

    PDH for ND/TX PE

    I would double check with the boards directly, but often a state waives the continuing education requirement for your first renewal. I think the idea is that if you register half way through the renewal period, it would be unreasonable to require all the hours in a shorter time period. If it was...
  18. birneys

    Odd situation with an EOR

    SteelPE, thanks for the updates. Also, I'm always encouraged to read about other engineers providing quality and ethical responses to tricky situations. That definitely sounds like a big mess with multiple sources of error. I'm curious where the AHJ is in this situation, or the architect, or the...
  19. birneys

    Odd situation with an EOR

    I get these types of calls regularly from contractors. It seems to me there are two different scenarios. One is that the EOR doesn't want to expend the effort fixing a contractor mistake, omission, etc. because they aren't going to get paid for their time by the architect, contractor, etc...
  20. birneys

    Opening Classification for a screen wall system with no roof

    I would typically design a screenwall as a "solid sign". I don't remember the section offhand (it's later in the wind sections of ASCE 7-10, but the building criteria (open, partially enclosed, etc) wouldn't apply in your case. Hope that helps.

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