The columns of the Capitol 4

[ishvaaag]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17329779/FOIA-Request-to-the-National-Archives

I don't remember in what of the roman kings' or republican Rome point the roman people had to make clear that they wanted all the laws to be complied with be published for all to see at the columns at the Capitol. Hence, some 2300 years ago, the people was no more to be judged by the "secret of the law" rule, under which they were judged in mysteric terms they were prejudiced not to be entitled to know or conversant to consider.

2009.

We are still trying to get to see the standing laws. By reference, we are made subject to the arbitrion of private parties and to pay to know the rules, and also to re-pay for public services we have already paid for.

Good luck.

 

[JAE]

Heh,

Interesting letter. The federal US Government requires activities (such as construction) to meet certain standards, such as ACI 318 concrete code, ANSI standards, and many....many others.

This group, Public.Resource.org is asking for copies of ALL of these referenced standards to be made public, free of charge, by the government. They back this up by showing how some of these documents cost quite a bit of money (>$1000) and are very difficult to find - even in public libraries across the country.

i.e. - government references a costly standard as law - therefore ipso facto the freedom of information act requires the gov't to produce free copies of that law.

While I appreciate their stance on this, I fear that free access to the ACI concrete code would mean a huge decrease in funding for ACI and thus a limit on the growth of new ACI code provisions, size of their code, number of code updates....wait...I kinda like that idea.

 

[JAE]

Interesting - if you go to the

http://www.public.resource.org,

you can get into their archives and find all sorts of pdf scans of codes, such as the IBC 2006.

 

[ishvaaag]

Don't get as sure on lesser number of pages. Govts have many secretaries that know how to use wordprocessors and the tide for more and more legislation remains uncurbed. Furthermore they have the magic wand ole counts of middle age had, emission of money and sizing (seizing?) taxes. Heh, we here are taxed to seizure. As Tabary would put in the Califah Haroum el Poussah, no more word jokes. My word.

 

[jgailla]

I've wondered when this was going to happen.
Citizens have a right to know what the law is.

 

[ishvaaag]

The question is neither irrelevant in cost. A subscription for the entire actual monthly actualization to the UNE (AENOR's) (akin to ISO's) norms in cdroms costed maybe ten years ago around $45000 a year. Maybe $9000 of these are referenced in norms to be used by a structural engineer or architect, so say $9000 are clipped off their earnings. This may be unbearable cost to the average professional. It is also a nag to true competence in the field (just one more). Plus, in what they are thinking for? We are not maybe supposed to have them but we must apply them. What reminds me of the hilarity that produces the remark by some TV news man reading with pride that the proceedings of such and such trial are going by now over 500000 pages; Superman judge, then with his supersight...

 

[ishvaaag]

Just not to cause deception for those wanting to see the columns of the Capitol (U.S., some of the original ones)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/National_Capitol_Columns_-_Washington,_D.C..jpg

 

[FDiego]

Hello ishvaaag,
I am looking for a copy of the book "Curso de Estructuras Metálicas de Acero Laminado" by Luis F. Rodríguez. Would you mind telling me where can I get a copy? I've tried many times unsuccessfully because it is an old book.

Thank you and sorry for using this thread that has nothing to do with this, but I assumed you would be reading it since it is a recent post from you.

Thanks.

 

[ishvaaag]

An excelent professor that I had, this man. His notes for the 4th course at ETSAM, "Estructuras" or "Cálculo de Estructuras" the best of what I know of him. The books you refer to I think was in two or three tomes reflecting a course at COAM but it seems are not in pdf. I have them in their eighties edition ... at the closet that I try not to access to but sometimes a year (cumbersome task), no need to peruse them by now. Were nice books, but searching the web does not reveal pdf of this. Maybe second hand libraries at Madrid, where more likely, and of course, institutional libraries, such at the Colegios de Arquitectos. Good luck.

 

[JStephen]

I suspect this effort is going to come to naught when it's all done.

One thing that's not clear to me is whether the government can furnish the specified documents under the Freedom of Information Act, and then be sued for copyright violation. That is, I don't know that the Freedom of Information act exempts them from compliance with copyright laws.

More critically, Congress has taken action several times to modify the copyright laws to to extend the copyright protections available. If it looks like some other act passed by Congress is cutting into that copyright protection, it wouldn't be any big deal for Congress to adjust one or both laws as required to correct the situation. The only issue is when it becomes important enough for them to take notice. I would think this is something that the various standards-writing bodies are looking at pretty closely already.

 

[FDiego]

Guess what ishvaaag???

I got them! I found them in a bookstore in Madrid and purchased them. I just got them.

Thank you! Although I can't seem to find the simplified procedure you cited in the thread "Compressive Buckling of Gusset Plates". Do you remember the chapter or the page?

Thank you again.

 

[ishvaaag]

I'll try to get my hands on the books one of these days and will post if I find, but I think the buckling factor was there in some example or so... I'll try to find it.

 

[ishvaaag]

DDiego,

well, I have examined the book and what has to say about Gusset plates is around p. 57 that falls short of what now we can do. Enough then, maybe practical, but most would elect doing more now. No mention of the .7 K factor here but somewhere else (not necessarily this book) I think to have read. Since here gusset plates were mostly thoroughly welded this could be coming from considering locally the member compressing as hinged to the gusset and fixed to the other end. The length would be being measured from node to end of gusset for conservatism, or maybe just the exposed part. Think that double angle trusses or channel were predominant. Anyway whilst we find if something a substantiation of this old simplification, let it be stand what said. I check for example Thornton&Kane's contribution to Tamboli's book and find that he takes .5 K factor on length for a corner gusset plate, and this applied to less length than in the assumptions considered above, whatever, so that part of the practice would be conservative per this test. I check the Prontuario Ensidesa and is more or less what in the book by Luis Felipe Rodríguez Martín. Lothers in its classic book also has a table for gusset thickness, as the book, that quoted DIN codes.

What may have me confused in my memory about this data being from this book is that has a procedure at p. 150 for gusset plates used at baseplates to deliver rigidity to the baseplate. There it is specified both length, width of the notional member within the gusset and a 2/3 K factor.

There are out there fantastic books for steel connections, so opportunities to learn are not lacking. Best wishes.