Structural Engineering and Wind Load

[Sowega]

I am a civil engineer in Florida. My background is mostly in water resources, utilities, and roads. I also hold a contractor's license and have experience in wood-framed building construction. After a CAT 5 hurricane in my area, I started getting into small structural projects like additions and decks. I have a fairly good understanding of loads and have been using Clearcalcs software. What I struggle with are wind loads. Not necessarily calculating wind loads but how to transfer that information to wood-framed construction design. In other words, how to use that information to design shear walls and hold-downs. Does anyone have a recommendation for a book or class or video or tutor or anything to help me apply this to real-life situations? Unfortunately, I do not have a senior engineer or coworker to help me. Thanks in advance for the guidance.

 

[phamENG]

Sowega - as a structural engineer and native Floridian (sadly my wife won't move down there...), what I'm going to say will probably sound elitist and unkind: if you have no formal training in designing structures to resist wind loads, you probably have no business designing them in Florida. It's like designing structures in Los Angeles if you don't know how to determine seismic loads. It's just not a good idea.

I understand that you're trying to correct this, and I commend you for it, but the kind of training you need isn't the stuff that comes from PDHs and books or even college courses - it's working under an experienced engineer overseeing your designs as your skills develop.

Best book for wood construction is Breyer's Design of Wood Structures (currently on the 8th edition, I believe). I'd suggest you enroll in a graduate level wood design course at your local university. At least audit one. Then go get a job at a firm and spend the time learning under somebody with extensive experience. You might be able to find a solo engineer or a semi-retired engineer that doesn't mind working with you, teaching you, and reviewing your drawings. That may be a path to staying independent if you can find the right person. Or you could expand your practice and hire an experienced, licensed structural engineer that can teach you (could be an odd employment dynamic there, though, so be careful).

 

[human909]

While I do half agree with phamENG's comments. But I disagree.

A competent person can teach themselves structural engineering. A civil engineer is already half way there. I know this because it is what I did and are mostly still doing. I built my experience without an experienced engineer by my side overseeing things. While it is quite uncommon these days it certainly is possible and it used to be far more common in generations past.

The most important thing is to know ones own abilities. And educated yourself widely such that the 'unknown, unknowns' don't come and bite you because they are the problems.

Or to put it another way. Make sure your learn enough that you feel like you don't know enough! Don't climb the first hill of dunning-kruger and think you know what you are doing!

 

[canwesteng]

Would strongly disagree with human, and I think most boards would as well. You don't know what you don't know (I've been doing it ten years and still find some things where I need senior review), and there is no substitute for peer review, especially when you are just starting.

 

[human909]

I was just posting a contrary direct experience. It isn't a recommendation or encouragement of Sowega to proceed down this path.

You don't know what you don't know (I've been doing it ten years and still find some things where I need senior review), and there is no substitute for peer review, especially when you are just starting.

No argument there. If I'm working at 70 I'll still be coming across things that I'd like to ask for other engineers thoughts / reviews. But that luxury isn't available to everybody. In the case of Sowega's question I wouldn't completely dismiss it as impossible. Just quite hard and potentially very risky if you are not cautious.

And just to reiterate and directly quote phamENG:

the kind of training you need isn't the stuff that comes from PDHs and books or even college courses - it's working under an experienced engineer overseeing your designs as your skills develop

That is the standard way most structural engineers are trained and I won't dispute it if anybody claims that it is the best way. My only dispute is with the suggestion that it is the ONLY way.

If most of us had good access to sufficient peers and experts then this forum would be much more quiet.

 

[phamENG]

human - I can go along with that only to a point. I agree that most of us don't get the level of training we should and we're left to largely figure things out on our own. But that first step is important. Without some guidance, the chances that you'll build anything worthwhile on that erstwhile foundation is vanishingly small. No doubt there are some who could and have pulled it off. But I think the chances of it working well are low enough that I'm not willing to suggest it as a viable course of action to an anonymous name on the internet. A couple additional reasons:

1) In my experience, the people who are capable of doing it usually do it and ask follow up questions after to solidify their understanding. They don't start by asking where to start unless they've had at least one or two failed starts already (and learned from those).

2) This is Florida. If you're in a place with low wind speeds, I'd be a little more accepting. But it's like me designing for seismic here in Virginia vs. Southern California. I do it, but odds are it won't ever see it. Seismic activity around here that can be felt and results in forced displacements it's a once every few generations thing. LA...it'll probably be every 2 years at least. They may not approach a design level event, but the structure will experience cyclical loading several times in its life span making the detailing quite important. In Florida, the structure will experience significant wind loading. Will it get hit by a category 4 or 5 storm? Probably not, but a hurricane of some strength is very likely and the structure will be tested.

 

[human909]

Fair points phamENG.

 

[Ron]

I agree with phamENG. I have been practicing in Florida for 45 years and have designed hundreds of structures for wind loads. I still run into things that make me scratch my head, so there is no "cut and dried" solution to basic structural design other than what phamENG said.

Good luck and I applaud your efforts to further your exposure to other realms of engineering. I'm thankful for all those times I had to learn something new to progress.