Structural Abuse

[csd72]

Just thought this was an interesting topic.

When have you seen the builder effectively violate the structural integrity of your design because of a clash with services e.t.c.

Here is a good (meaning bad) example:

http://www.dbp.org.uk/cs/DBP00042.pdf

 

[JAE]

I saw something just like that once in, of all places, San Francisco. A cross brace in a building was cut through (completely) to accommodate a pipe. Built in the 1950's the building apparently stood fine through numerous seismic events until late 1990's when we discovered it.

 

[lisica]

Just like it writes:
"Never over estimate people inteligence - some people are stupid"

 

[COEngineeer]

Obviously the guy who cut it knew he was doing. The structure is still standing . That is crazy.

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[jike]

Over the years, we have encountered some pretty silly things:

Cutting out of the webs of a bar joist to pass ductwork thru it.

Cutting of a beam to run ductwork and then replacing the beam with jogging the beam around the ductwork in plan (one continuous beam... like a crankshaft in plan)

Removal of bracing

 

[civeng80]

Thats just plain stupidity !

The guy who did that should be sacked immediately!

 

[JStephen]

Hey, some perfectly qualified engineer might have spent hours analyzing that beam and discerned that it COULD be cut like that without a loss of integrity.

 

[frv]

JStephen-

That's a column (sic) not a beam

 

[civeng80]

I doubt that very much !

 

[csd72]

Anyone else have some good examples? Some good ones regarding cantilevers are mentioned in the aisc site fixes lecture.

 

[GodfreyMgwasa]

Those are the kind of thing resident consultant engineers, or any one assigned to supervise the structures during construction or when any adjustment to buildings are done need to look at.

Let us engineers open our eyes and see beyond beyond that!



Practicing engineering is hard than studying it!!!

 

[csd72]

Godfrey,

For sure! Our lecturers used to say to us that we will only learn 10% of what we need to know at university the rest on the job. I agree with them.

You never stop learning.

 

[JStephen]

"That's a column (sic) not a beam "

You are correct. Referring to the 9th AISC, I should have said "member" or "element" or "shape" rather than beam. I find "American Standard beams" used and find "Stuctural tees are obtained by splitting the webs of various beams" and a mention of "beam webs" but otherwise don't see the word used in a general sense.

 

[COEngineeer]

That is not a column nor a beam!! It is a valve protector!

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[swearingen]

I've seen MANY of these (including the one the OP highlighted) and they always drive me nuts.

Here's a picture taken by a co-worker, Matt Hamilton, on a jobsite visit a few months back. I love the fact that this pipe had to go precisely where there happened to be a gap in the web doubler plates - the absolute weakest section of the column.



If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS

 

[JAE]

swearingen - looks like its been there a while with all that rust.

 

[ajh1]

At least they left the flange in position on that one.

 

[csd72]

At least that second one may have kept 40% of the original capacity, rather than about 4% for the first one!

 

[RareBugTX]

Here's an experience I had:

The owner of a new 5 story high end residential building was issued a stop order for failing to collect construction trash in a dumpster every day.

When additional inspectors came to the site with copies of the approved plans, they realized that the structural system that was approved by the Structural Bureau, was not what was actually built. The contractor thought that it was OK to replace precast concrete planks bearing on masonry walls, with a steel frame, beams and columns and cip concrete slab that he sized and built according to "his experience". A lot of scary detailing was also found.

 

[Dinosaur]

That contractor should have been jailed.