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I contacted the BIA and their opinion was that it probably was a sealant related issue. This is more common in Minnesota than it would be in non - freezing states because a very small amount of moisture can "pop" the surface sealant off. I did not state that the brick behind the peeling...

You can detail yourself out of the .3" deflection requirement with reinforcing or by jointing. I wouldn't though. Brick is a "real" load. That 40 psf is there all day long, all week long, all year long, and usually masonry buildings arn't the type that get ripped down in 25 years. I've used...

I have a building with clay bricks from the 1940’s. The brick has exhibited full faceshell spalling (entire face approximately 1/16” to 3/16” thick peeling off). This spalling randomly affects 3 or 4 areas of approximately 50 square feet. This spalling is probably due to the brick being...

Always look at the pipe runs, I hate to go out on a site visit and see a 9" diameter main running parallel to a typical K series bar joist. OUCH!

In my experience, owners that take this sort of forked road are looking for reasons not to pay consultants, watch your accounts receivable.

Seismic may very well govern. I would use 5psf lateral live load OR 10% of the total applicable live load applied laterally if seismic didn't control. In non seismic applications these mezzanines are typically tied into the existing columns and/or existing exterior walls and I typically take...

Give a call to the supplier and get the mill certs if its already built, or call a local supplier and ask what he can get and have him send you the sizes and properties and then specify them accordingly, listing the supplier in the specs. When dealing with specialty steels / aluminums /...

I would contact a local structural engineer familiar with local practices, labor, methods, and materials and do the first couple jobs with them looking over your shoulder. PT is tricky if you haven't done it before.

Let the Engineer of Record provide direction for the remedy and then assist him in specifying testing options after he's specified the remedy. If he used masonry grout, the grout is probably just an aesthetic patch due to the shrinkage in relation to the already set concrete and the lack of...

Find out the age of the building. If it was built later than the 80's the joists may have stamps on them that indicate the species and grade. If no stamps, go to the applicable wood code of that time and use those values based on the wood type. As far as grade, look at the lumber and classify...

I'm not sure, but it probably costs a ton!

Watch out for fastener slip. If your anchorage needs to give 1/8" before the fasteners take the load you might run into some pretty high deflections due to joint rotation. If its a pole barn its probably just fine, but if its a nice big window wall you might crack the glass in a high wind...

I'd have to disagree with JStephen. In structural engineering it is very important (law) to use the current code incorporated by the governing code agency, whether its State, City, etc. If in doubt contact the local (usually city) code official for the proper code reference.

I agree whole heartedly with your gripe. Column lines go on the *&#$% columns. Not on the outside face of drywall, or wherever else some guy thinks they should go. This is something that, in my own opinion, we as structural engineers do not reinforce as strongly as we need to. They are...

I've heard a presentation on it. I've never heard of it being used locally (Minnesota). Sounds like a good idea, but from my limited information I would be concerned about cost, availability, competitive bidding, etc. and probably would specify it only after having written approval from the...

There are many options in mid to deep foundations such as: Helical (screw) piers Geopiers Steel piles Concrete caissons Rock columns Etc. Your local geotechnical engineer (the soils testing agency) will be able to recommend the proper system based on local availabilty, past performance in the...

I agree with jmiec and EdR. Do not use a computer program unless you can justify your results by hand (2d modeling, 3d modeling, Finite Element Analysis, Matrix Analysis, anything and everything really) Black box computer programs are the most dangerous thing in structurally engineering today.

Put a steel tube or angle on top of the load bearing light gage top track and weld the bar joists to the structural steel. Alternately use a heavy light gage top track or heavy light gage built up top section and weld the joists to that (use > 14 gage material).

Its not post tensioned that I know of. I believe that PT concrete came about in the early 70's (but am not sure).

I have done several remodels with this product. A company that I used to be with had a Dox plank manual, but I don't have one anymore. Do a search on dox plank on this site and you will get a bunch of hits. Basically its a pan and joist concrete floor system with rebar (typically 40 ksi bar)...