Structure - Aug 2017

STRUCTURE A Joint Publication of NCSEA | CASE | SEI
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CONTENTS
Columns and Departments
EDITORIAL INSIGHTS
7 NCSEA Summit 2017 52 Structural Observation
D.C. Is the Place to Be! By Greg Robinson, S.E., P.E., SECB
By Thomas A. Grogan, P.E., S.E. and Greg Schindler, P.E., S.E.
BUILDING BLOCKS STRUCTURAL LICENSURE

8 Issues Every Structural 54 Second Order Effects and
Engineer Should Consider Structural Licensure
When Using Foreign Steel By Timothy M. Gilbert, P.E., S.E. SECB Cover Feature
36 HANCOCKS TILT
By Richard M. Drake, S.E.,
Thomas A. Hunt, S.E., and LEGAL PERSPECTIVES
Jennifer A. Memmott, P.E. 56 A Further Look at Consent By John Peronto, S.E., P.E., SECB and Christian DeFazio, P.E.
to Assignment Agreements What connects the idea for a one-of-a-kind thrill in Chicagos Hancock
ENGINEERS NOTEBOOK By Gail S. Kelley, P.E., Esq. Tower with structural engineers? The ability to make it a reality, of
13 Welding Cold-Formed Steel course. Read how engineers were instrumental in creating a fixed-tilt
By Roger LaBoube, Ph.D., P.E. curtain wall that gives visitors a most unusual view of Chicago.
CASE BUSINESS PRACTICES
59 Would You Accept This
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
16 Lateral Analysis Part 2
Indemnification Clause? Features
By Ed Schwieter, P.E., S.E.
By Samuel M. Rubenzer, P.E., S.E.
29 SOFTWARE
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
SPOTLIGHT
61 2017 ASCE Structural
CONTINUES TO EVOLVE
21 The Ethics of Procurement By Larry Kahaner How is the software industry keeping up
and SEI Awards
By Marc S. Barter, P.E., S.E., SECB with demands from their structural engineering customers
for specialty add-ons, increased efficiency, updated code
STRUCTURAL FORUM
STRUCTURAL DESIGN inclusions, information exchange, and more?
66 When Good Engineering
24 in 12 Design Slope and
Ideas Go Wrong
Water Drainage Part 1
By Jeremy Herauf 41 LONDON FINANCIAL
By Scott D. Coffman, P.E., SECB
DISTRICTS FIRST
HISTORIC STRUCTURE
VERTICAL VILLAGE
48 Ross Island Bridge
By Katherine Flesh For this multi-billion-dollar project, structural
By Frank Griggs, Jr., D.Eng., P.E.
engineers developed unique solutions for recycling an existing
IN EVERY ISSUE foundation, adjusting column positions to accommodate
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES 6 Advertiser Index load transfers in the superstructure, and using innovative
50 Compensation, Overtime, 14 Noteworthy technology to enhance the design process.
and the Gender Pay Gap 57 Resource Guide Software
62 NCSEA News
44 FRP BRIDGE REPAIR
By Angie Sommer, S.E. and
Nick Sherrow-Groves, P.E. 64 SEI Structural Columns
By Greg Schindler, S.E. and Sara Roberts, S.E. For the
Publication of any article, image, or advertisement in STRUCTURE magazine does not constitute pedestrian bridge that provides access to a popular beach
endorsement by NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C 3 Ink, or the Editorial Board. Authors, contributors, and area on Puget Sound, structural engineers solved unique
advertisers retain sole responsibility for the content of their submissions. corrosion problems and construction issues with FRP materials.
STRUCTURE magazine 5 August 2017

STRUCTURE

ADVERTISER INDEX PLEASE SUPPORT THESE ADVERTISERS

Bentley Systems, Incorporated ............... 12 NCSEA ........................................... 34, 35
Bluebeam Software .................................. 4 New Millenium Building Systems ......... 49 MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES
Canadian Wood Council ....................... 40 Nucor Vulcraft Group ........................... 20 sales@STRUCTUREmag.org
Clark Dietrich Building Systems ..... 26, 27 RISA Technologies ................................ 68 Joe Murphy
Decon USA Inc ..................................... 39 SCIA Inc. .............................................. 28 jmurphy@STRUCTUREmag.org; Tel: 203-254-9595
Design Data .......................................... 23 Simpson Strong-Tie............................... 31 Denis OMalley
Dlubal Software, Inc. ............................ 30 Steel Joist Institute................................. 11 domalley@STRUCTUREmag.org; Tel: 203-356-9694, ext. 13
Fibergrate Composite Structures............ 47 Strongwell ............................................. 19
Hardy Frame ......................................... 15 StructurePoint ....................................... 32 EDITORIAL STAFF
Independence Tube Corporation ............. 2 Trimble ................................................... 3 Executive Editor Alfred Spada
Integrated Engineering Software, Inc..... 46 USG Corporation ................................. 43 aspada@ncsea.com
Integrity Software, Inc. ............................ 6 Veit Christoph GmbH .......................... 33 Editor Christine M. Sloat, P.E.
KPFF .................................................... 67 Weyerhaeuser ........................................ 55 publisher@STRUCTUREmag.org
LNA Solutions ...................................... 51 Wood Products Council ........................ 60 Associate Editor Nikki Alger
publisher@STRUCTUREmag.org
Erratum
Creative Director Tara Smith
The Education Issues article (Okoye et al) in the July 2017 issue of STRUCTURE magazine graphics@STRUCTUREmag.org
was based, with permission, on an extended article written for the World Conference of Timber
Engineering (2016). The original article is credited as follows: Barnes, C.; Kam-Biron, M.; Okoye, EDITORIAL BOARD
U.; Perkins, B.: Timber engineering education for structural engineers, CD-ROM; Proceedings of the Chair Barry K. Arnold, P.E., S.E., SECB
World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2016), August 22-25, 2016, Vienna, Austria, ARW Engineers, Ogden, UT
chair@structuremag.org
Eds.: J Eberhardsteiner, W. Winter, A. Fadai, M. Pll, Publisher: Vienna University of Technology,
Austria, ISBN: 978-3-903039-00-1. Jeremy L. Achter, S.E., LEED AP
ARW Engineers, Ogden, UT
Erin Conaway, P.E.
Your Opinion Makes a Difference! SidePlate Systems, Phoenix, AZ
John A. Dal Pino, S.E.

On the first of every month, a link to the Editorial Boards current Issue Survey is posted
FTF Engineering, Inc., San Francisco, CA
on the homepage of STRUCTUREmag.org. This survey provides valuable information
to the Board on what types of articles readers prefer. Please take 5 minutes to send Linda M. Kaplan, P.E.
us your anonymous feedback on the current issue of STRUCTURE! TRC, Pittsburgh, PA
Dilip Khatri, Ph.D., S.E.

Khatri International Inc., Pasadena, CA
Important
Jessica Mandrick, P.E., S.E., LEED AP
Gilsanz Murray Steficek, LLP, New York, NY
Brian W. Miller
news for
Davis, CA
Emily B. Lorenz, P.E.

Chicago, IL
Bentley Users
Evans Mountzouris, P.E.
The DiSalvo Engineering Group, Ridgefield, CT
ADVERTISEMENT - For Advertiser Information, visit www.STRUCTUREmag.org
Greg Schindler, P.E., S.E.

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KPFF Consulting Engineers, Seattle, WA
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Prevent Quarterly and Monthly Overages Product ID code and Stephen P. Schneider, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.
BergerABAM, Vancouver, WA
Control all Bentley usage, even licenses counts (pipe, inlet,
you do not own pond, and all others) John Buddy Showalter, P.E.
American Wood Council, Leesburg, VA
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publisher.

Editorial NCSEA Summit 2017 D.C. Is the Place to Be!
new trends, new techniques and current industry issues
By Thomas A. Grogan, Jr., P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, NCSEA President
I
have exciting news to share with all of you. During the second week Kevin Moore, Charles Kircher, Steve Kerr, Joseph
of October, from the 11th through the 14th, the structural engineer- Kane, John Harris, and Ben Nelson. There will also
ing community will descend upon Washington, D.C., for the 25th be several opportunities to meet with vendors on the
annual NCSEA Structural Engineering Summit. This promises trade show floor and learn about the many products they offer for our
to be our best Summit yet, and I hope that you will make time in your industry. Already this year, we have more than 50 exhibitors, making
busy schedule to join us. Attendees will include the best and brightest our this our largest trade show ever. Whether it is your first or 25th time, or
profession has to offer, including our Member Organization Delegates something in between, there is much to be learned.
and some of their officers, the NCSEA Board of Directors and staff, an The evening will conclude with another fantastic CSi event, hosted by
excellent group of presenters, and many of our young members. This is Ashraf Habibullah at the National Building Museum. This is one of the
your opportunity to meet and mingle with all of them. most impressive public spaces in our nations capital, and the evening
will include a great variety of food and drink. This has been one of the
Summits highlights in recent years, so you will not want to miss it.
Friday, October 13, will be another great day at the Summit. It begins with
a Delegate Collaboration Session, again hosted by the Communications
Committee. After that, there will be two tracks for the remainder of the
day. One will be technical in nature and focus on a variety of structural
engineering subjects. The other will cover the softer side of our profession,
with topics such as networking, engagement, equity, client develop-
ment, contract negotiations, and accounting/financial systems. Speakers
include Jose Busquets, Nick Sherrow-Groves, Angie Sommer, Lori Koch,
Cliff Jones, Sarah Appleton, and John Tawresey. Both tracks promise to
deliver the best in professional development and leave all attendees better
prepared to provide outstanding structural engineering services to their
clients. Friday night is the annual banquet to recognize the winners of
the Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards, so dress up in style and
show D.C. that structural engineers know how to party.
On Saturday morning, NCSEA holds its Annual Business Meeting. In
the past, this was predominantly intended for the Member Organization
On Wednesday, October 11, we will have committee meetings all day Delegates, but this year we are inviting all attendees to participate, espe-
long. Whether or not you are currently a committee member, please cially Member Organization
take the time to attend one or several of these meetings to find out how board members. This will give
NCSEA committees operate to make our profession better. You might you a birds eye view of what
even consider joining one. There will be two private receptions later that is happening within the other
day: the Young Member Group Support Committee will host one for all Member Organizations, the
of the young engineers in attendance, and yours truly will host one for NCSEA committees, and the
the Delegates. In the evening, there will be a formal welcome reception NCSEA Board of Directors
for all attendees. and staff.
On Thursday, October 12, the day begins with a Delegate Interaction In addition to all of the great
Breakfast hosted by our newly formed Communications Committee. That education sessions, you will
will be followed by the keynote address presented by Martina Driscoll leave fully understanding the
and Terence Paret from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. They will value that NCSEA and your Member Organizations bring to each of
be discussing the 2011 seismic event that occurred in Mineral, Virginia, you. When I assumed the office of President last September in Orlando,
and its effect on the D.C. area. They will specifically address the impacts I mentioned that I would like for us to begin the drive for five. I was
on the National Cathedral and the Washington Monument. This will referring to 500 attendees at the Summit. I sincerely hope that you will
provide you with a chance to see seismic solutions, East Coast style. consider not only coming yourself but also bringing a friend to help
Next will be a panel discussion on how to improve ASCE/SEI 7, us reach our goal. I look forward to meeting with each of you during
Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other our time together in October. For more information on
Structures. The discussion will provide you with insight into how the the Structural Engineering Summit, see pages 34 and 35.
standard is developed and the process for making revisions. Your panel- Or, visit www.ncsea.com/meetings/annualconference
ists will be Ron Hamburger, John Hooper, and Don Scott, some of the for even more information and to register.
best minds in our industry. At the conclusion, there will be breakout
Thomas A. Grogan, Jr. is Chief Structural Engineer and Director
meetings affording you the opportunity to provide feedback directly to
of Quality at The Haskell Company in Jacksonville, FL. He is also
the engineers working on the code.
the current NCSEA President, member of the NCSEA Licensure
After lunch, we will break into three tracks, one of which has been spe-
Committee and past president of FSEA. Please feel free to reach him
cifically designed for young engineers. Seismic/wind will be the primary
via email at thomas.grogan@haskell.com.
focus of most of the afternoon sessions. Speakers include S. K. Ghosh,

Building T
he option to use structural steel For Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 341)
supplied and fabricated in foreign and possibly Prequalified Connections For Special
countries for projects constructed in And Intermediate Steel Moment Frames For Seismic
Blocks
the United States is a realistic one for Applications (ANSI/AISC 358). These American
many projects in todays market. Typically, the Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) documents
most obvious factor that is considered by the include design equations that are based on labora-
project team is the economic impact of doing tory testing of standard shapes rolled in accordance
so. However, in addition to economics, project with American Society of Testing and Materials
updates and information
teams must also consider factors that may have a International (ASTM) material specifications.
on structural materials significant impact on the project outcome, includ- Each of these AISC documents requires that
ing project-specific issues, design requirements, steel materials, shapes, bolts, and weld consum-
material substitutions, procurement, fabrication, ables be in conformance with specific listings of
and construction concerns. ASTM specifications. Although other material
specifications may be used, the burden of proof
that the alternate materials are equivalent must be
Project-Specific Issues determined by the structural Engineer-Of-Record
When considering foreign-fabricated and foreign (EOR). Legal approval of alternate materials
material-based steel, the first discussion needs to rests with the local authority having jurisdiction
be with the Client. Some Clients already have and its building official (See IBC Section 104).
experience with foreign products and, as a result, Contractually, these materials may also have to
have already developed company policies. Clients be approved by the Client.
AISC Shapes
Issues Every Structural Engineer Should Section 1 of the AISC Steel Construction Manual
includes a catalog of dimensions and properties
Consider When Using Foreign Steel for structural steel shapes. Some foreign sup-
pliers may have a limited number of available
shapes. This limitation would also need to be
may already have internal procedures and QC/ discussed with the Client as alternate shapes
By Richard M. Drake, S.E.,
QA requirements regarding items introduced by available from foreign suppliers may not match
Thomas A. Hunt, S.E., and
sourcing foreign products, such as the procure- the shapes listed as AISC shapes in the Steel
Jennifer A. Memmott, P.E.
ment of mechanical equipment, vessels, electrical Construction Manual. This may be a concern for
components, and more. In other cases, this may be Clients particularly for future retrofit designs.
the Clients first experience with using foreign-fab- However, some foreign fabricators do not have
ricated steel or materials, and detailed discussions, problems with obtaining ASTM material and
meetings, and presentations may be required. AISC shapes. AISC shapes made in accordance
An open dialogue with the Client can help avoid with ASTM materials are now manufactured in
unforeseen roadblocks. For example, depending many countries throughout the world. This topic
on the financial arrangements of the project, there should be discussed with each of the proposed
Richard M. Drake is a Senior
could be a Buy America clause that prevents the foreign bidders.
Fellow, Structural Engineering,
use of foreign-fabricated steel.
Fluor Southern California Offices, Connection Design
Aliso Viejo, CA. He can be reached Jurisdictions
Connection design must be considered. In cer-
at rick.drake@fluor.com.
Local jurisdictions may not accept foreign grade tain areas of the country, connection design is
Thomas A. Hunt is a Technical material and foreign-fabricated steel. Also, if delegated to the structural steel fabricator. If
Director, Structural Engineering, the project is within a Union jurisdiction, some a foreign fabricator does not have access to a
Fluor Southern California Offices, Unions may be reluctant or refuse to erect foreign U.S. licensed engineer who is familiar with that
Aliso Viejo, CA. He can be reached supplied or foreign-fabricated steel. particular states codes, especially in high seismic
at tom.hunt@fluor.com. areas, this may force the EOR to design all of
the connections.
Jennifer A. Memmott is a Design Design Requirements Another issue that is part of the steel calculations
Engineer, Structural Engineering,
United States building codes or Client criteria in moderate to high seismic areas, and related to the
Fluor Southern California Offices,
typically require that the design, fabrication, and steel material properties, is the requirement in AISC
Aliso Viejo, CA.
erection of structural steel for buildings and struc- 341 to use R y and R t when needed to calculate the
tures shall be in accordance with the Specification expected yield stress or expected tensile strength of a
For Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360). member or connection. These values were developed
In higher seismic regions, the design and seis- based on an AISC funded study of U.S. domestic
mic detailing of structural steel for buildings supplied mill certificates with detailed analysis to
and structures shall be in accordance with the determine the coefficient of variation. The authors
additional requirements of the Seismic Provisions are unaware of any similar studies of foreign-based
8 August 2017
steel materials and are also unaware of any cur- AISC design documents also require that cracking. If steels contain higher-than-desirable
rently accepted procedures for determining R y welding procedures and welder qualifications levels of sulfur, phosphorus, lead, or copper,
and R t of foreign-based materials. shall be in accordance with specific American these elements tend to segregate into the center
Welding Society (AWS) specifications. AWS of the solidifying weld bead which may lead to
Software
provides several prequalified welding proce- weld cracking.
Commercial CAD and engineering analysis dures that are based on a list of required items High strength bolts are normally purchased
programs typically include databases that con- and material properties that a foreign-based by the fabricator through a third party supplier
tain a limited number of country specific material may not meet. Most of the materials and shipped directly from the supplier to the job
shapes and materials. If a particular set of are based on ASTM specifications. This may site. Bolts need to go through the same material
shapes and materials available from a foreign require that structural steel welding proce- approval process as structural members. There
fabricator are not included in one of the cur- dures be qualified by testing, which can be have been historical problems with counterfeit
rently available databases, then these would very time-consuming and expensive. and out-of-specification fasteners. Because of
need to be created. Development of a database this issue, some Clients ban the use of foreign
ASTM
is time-consuming unless it is available in an manufactured bolts and bolt components.
electronic format that is compatible with the A Client may not accept foreign steel that doesnt
software platform used for the project. meet ASTM standards. Alternate material sup-
pliers would have to submit actual testing of
Procurement
all supplied materials. Many foreign material All project costs should be captured when evalu-
Material Substitutions suppliers do not perform all of the equivalent ating competitive bids. Foreign fabricated steel
The substitution of alternate materials has ASTM tests. In addition to the testing docu- can attract additional costs and possibly longer
always been addressed in the U.S. codes. ments provided for possible approval, ASTM schedules than those from local suppliers.
However, to substitute a material may be specifications also require continuous testing of
Shipping Cost
complicated and the procedure would need the material and provide very detailed require-
to start with the acceptance from the EOR ments on how often this should occur; i.e., this Since a foreign fabricator could be located half
for the specific project. is not a one-time submittal. For instance, the way around the world, it is critically impor-
AISC 360, AISC 341, and AISC 358 identify authors are unaware of any foreign material tant that the bid evaluation includes the cost
approved materials. The EOR is responsible specification that is equivalent in all respects to of shipping. A local U.S. fabricator near the
for accepting alternate materials as adequate ASTM A992. job site may have higher unit rates, but when
substitutes. AISC design requirements are It is not often understood that ASTM shipping costs are added, they may become
validated by physical testing of standard materials and AISC shapes are manufactured the low bidder.
ASTM materials. Alternate materials may around the world by many steel producers.
Tariffs
not reflect the ductility, fatigue, and fracture With the advent of adjustable rollers, nearly
resistance that are indirectly accounted for any shape can be made; it is more a matter In addition to the shipping costs, a study needs
by the physical testing. Chemical composi- of quantity required and the local supply and to be conducted to see if there are any duties
tion limits and Charpy V-Notch test results demand conditions. It should therefore not be and tariffs on the foreign fabricators imported
provide some assurance that the alternate assumed that only local material and shapes steel. In some cases, there are no duties and
materials will perform as expected. The AISC are available to the fabricator. tariffs if the project location is in a duty-free
360 Commentary outlines an extensive Most structural engineers focus on the strength zone. If not, the duties and tariffs can be as high
punch list of considerations and responsi- of the steel materials, yield stress, minimum as 30 percent. These costs, if any, also need to
bilities for the EOR if alternate materials are tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity. In be added to the pricing summary.
supplied. Note that AISC does not provide higher seismic regions, structural engineers
Bid Exceptions
acceptance criteria for these items. have the additional concerns of maximum
tensile strength, yield stress To make sure that all costs are accounted for,
to tensile strength ratio, and each bid needs to be thoroughly reviewed
minimum elongation. for exceptions or what might be part of the
In cold weather and high bidders standards. Some foreign bidders
seismic regions, structural standards differ from traditional U.S. bid-
engineers are concerned with ders. For example, some foreign bidder quote
fracture resistance which is fabrication drawings only in metric units,
intimately related to the completely exclude the supply of bolts, nuts,
chemical composition of the and washers, and quote only ASTM A36
steel materials. plate while the bid documents require ASTM
Welding engineers are A572 Grade 50 plate. Foreign bidders may
primarily concerned with also exclude all hollow sections (i.e. HSS
chemical composition and and pipe), exclude complete joint penetra-
especially the deliberately tion (CJP) welds, exclude nondestructive
added alloys in the material. examination (NDE) testing, or exclude the
Some elements added for pre-installation of stair treads in the stair
strength may contribute to stringers. It may be necessary to go back to
hot cracking while others the bidders to clarify or reject these types of
may contribute to cold exceptions or fabricator standards.

Timing of Fabricator Selection using steel base metal and weld metal materi- fabricators. The extra time required for ship-
als that are in conformance with specific ASTM ping, unpacking, and segregating mixed loads
Structural steel calculations are intimately
material specifications. Weld procedures using needs to be accounted for in the project
related to the materials and shapes used.
alternate materials may have to be qualified by schedule.
Selection of materials and shapes should be
testing, also defined in AWS specifications. Part of the reason for the extended fabrication
made before calculations are begun. If alternate
It is imperative that all Welding Procedure schedules from the foreign fabricators is that it
materials and shapes are approved as part of
Specifications (WPS) include a copy of the is common practice for them to buy the major-
the structural steel procurement process, after
proposed electrode manufacturers data sheet, ity of their steel directly from the steel mills;
the structural calculations have begun, rework
as it is likely that the WPS reviewer may not be whereas, in the U.S., the majority of the steel
may affect both project cost and schedule.
familiar with this locally manufactured product. is available from local steel service centers. If
Purchase Order/Contract Issues the project cannot accept the extended sched-
Welder Qualifications
ule of the foreign fabricator, then discussions
Many items assumed in a standard bid docu-
The Client or EOR may require that all weld- may be necessary for the procurement of steel
ment may not be specifically noted in the
ers be AWS qualified. This would need to be by means other than from the mill. This will
contract documents. For example, projects in
verified for all proposed foreign steel fabrica- likely increase the steel unit rate costs which
the U.S. are typically in English and imperial
tors or a procedure developed for accepting will need to be considered by the project team.
units and, thus, the fabrication drawings are
foreign welders.
assumed to be in English and Imperial units. Field Changes
This may not be the case if a foreign fabricators Third Party Material Testing
Steel members can be fabricated incorrectly or
software defaults to metric units. All the bid
Until the EOR has worked with and has damaged in shipping. Most U.S. fabricators
documents from foreign fabricators need to
confidence with foreign steel fabricators, spe- will immediately resupply the affected mem-
be reviewed in detail to identify items that are
cifically in their procurement of materials, bers and express ship the new pieces to the
unacceptable to the project team which may
it is strongly recommended that all foreign job site with little impact to the construction
seem standard to the fabricator.
supplied steel materials be continuously tested schedule. With a foreign fabricator, resupply
Typically, in the U.S., once the steel purchase
by an independent third party testing agency. will take more time and could impact the
order is signed, all pricing and contractual
Some Clients already have third party testing construction schedule. Field rework, although
agreements are fixed. However, in certain coun-
agencies that they have worked with and can not as efficient, may need to be considered
tries, they consider the signing of the purchase
make recommendations. Specific tests for in order to have less impact on the schedule.
order as the beginning of the negotiation for
mechanical and chemical testing need to be
further changes. It must be emphasized to the
established, as well as their frequency.
successful foreign bidder that once they sign Conclusion
the contract, no changes are permitted unless Shop Inspection
Although there may be economic reasons to
something very significant occurs and is agreed
The International Building Code (IBC) requires purchase structural steel from foreign sources,
to by the EOR.
steel fabrication shops to have a Special it may not satisfy the total needs of the proj-
Inspector or be acceptable by the local juris- ect. This article identifies several factors that
Fabrication diction after reviewing the shops QA/QC the project team needs to consider in order
document submittals. Most jurisdictions in the to properly assess the impact of the foreign
Shop fabrication drawings are typically
U.S. accept AISC shop certification as meeting purchase on the total installed cost of the
reviewed by the EOR. For projects in the
this requirement. However, if a foreign fabrica- project and when the project may be put in
U.S., it must be clearly stated in the bid docu-
tor does not have an AISC certification, project service by the Client.
ments that shop drawings are to be in English,
schedules can be impacted
use Imperial units, follow AISC detailing
while they obtain it.
practices, and that weld symbols be shown
in accordance with AWS A2.4.
Shop Certification
Construction
Clients or project specifications may not
Concerns
accept uncertified fabrication shops. If AISC Due to possible shipping size
shop certification is required, then each pro- limitations (i.e. overseas con-
posed fabricator should be verified through tainer boxes and skids), the
AISCs website of qualified shops. It should be maximum size of members
noted that many foreign fabricators currently may be restricted. This could
have AISC certification. Note that any steel result in more column and
outsourced by the fabrication shop shall also beam splices.
be AISC certified if required.
Schedules
Welding Procedures
Fabrication and delivery
AISC design documents require that welding times to the job site need
procedures and welder qualifications shall be to be discussed. Many for-
in accordance with specific AWS specifications, eign fabricators quote longer
which define prequalified weld procedures delivery times than domestic

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I EnginEErs
n cold-formed steel construction, welding is a objectionable fumes. When welding galvanized
viable connection method. Prefabrication of sheet, suitable ventilation must be provided. Also,
trusses, panelization of walls, and hardware welding of sheet steels shall not be done when the
notEbook
components are all ideal applications where ambient temperature is lower than 0 F, when the
welding may be the preferred joining method. surfaces are wet, or when the welder is exposed to
Although arc welding or resistance welding may inclement weather. The parts to be joined shall be
be used to connect thin sheet steel, in build- brought into close contact to facilitate complete
ing construction the arc welding process is most fusion. The closeness of the two parts cannot be
aids for the structural
common. Arc welding is the process of fusing over-emphasized, especially for arc spot welds. If
material together by an electric arc, usually with any gap exists between the members prior to spot engineers toolbox
the addition of weld filler metal. Resistance welds welding, the strength of the weld may be substan-
are commonly used for connecting thin sheet tially reduced. Also, to obtain consistently sound
steels in the automotive or appliance industries. welds, the welding current must be controlled.
The most common weld types to connect fram-
ing members are the fillet weld and the flare
groove weld. Arc spot welds, also called puddle
Qualification
welds, are used extensively to attach deck and Prequalified Welding Procedure Specifications
panels to bar joists or hot-rolled shapes. Groove (WPS), which are exempt from WPS qualification
welds in butt joints are commonly used during tests, can be established based on the applicable
the roll-forming process to connect flat sheet of welding code provisions in AWS D1.3. A WPS
one coil to the next coil. is a written set of
The design of welded connections for cold- instructions that
formed steel construction is governed by the
North American Specification for the Design of
defines the joint
details, welding
Welding Cold-Formed Steel
Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members, AISI S100, electrodes, base
and the Structural Welding Code Sheet Steel, metals, electrical parameters, and other proce-
By Roger LaBoube, Ph.D., P.E.
AWS D1.3. AISI S100 and AWS D1.3 docu- dural variables. Any time welding is performed
ments contain requirements for groove welds, arc in accordance to AWS D1.3, a written WPS must
spot welds (puddle welds), arc seam welds, fillet be used, even for a prequalified WPS.
welds, flare groove welds, and plug welds. The When the welding parameters do not conform
AWS D1.3 welding code provides requirements to the prequalified status, the welding procedure
for prequalification of WPS (Welding Procedure must be qualified by testing. This happens, for
Specifications), qualification and preparation of instance, when a base metal other than those
WPS, fabrication of a welded connection, and given on the approved list is used, or when the
inspection of a weld. joint detail does not match one of the prequalified
details. A Procedure Qualification Record (PQR)
is used to record the actual values of the weld-
Welding Processes ing procedure test. After the welded specimens
AWS D1.3 defines welding electrodes that appro- pass the destructive tests, a qualified Welding
priately match the strength of the approved base Procedure Specification can be written. Welding Roger LaBoube is Curators
metals. The Welding Code lists the following Procedure Specifications are the responsibility of Distinguished Teaching Professor
as approved welding processes: shielded metal the manufacturer or the contractor. The required Emeritus of Civil, Architectural
arc welding (SMAW), gas metal arc welding tests, test methods, and required results are pre- and Environmental Engineering
(GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), scribed by AWS D1.3. Once a contractor has and Director of the Wei-Wen
gas tungsten arc welding Yu Center for Cold-Formed
(GTAW), and submerged Steel Structures at the Missouri
arc welding (SAW). University of Science and
Technology. Roger is active on the
American Iron and Steel Institutes
Fabrication Committee on Specifications and
AWS D1.3 stipulates that chairs the AISI Committee on
the surfaces to be welded Framing Standards. He also served
shall be smooth, uniform, on STRUCTUREs Editorial
and free of imperfections. Board. Roger can be reached at
Also, surfaces to be welded laboube@mst.edu.
and surfaces adjacent to a
weld shall be free of loose
scale, slag, rust, moisture,
grease, or other foreign
material that would prevent
proper welding or produce Typical arc spot weld deck to structural connection. Courtesy of Steel Deck Institute.
STRUCTURE magazine 13
size, and length of a weld, guidance on the determination of the weld
in addition to the bead strength, the connection design is often
shape, reinforcement, and limited by the tearing of the base steel.
undercut. Inspectors are
also responsible for con-
firming that a qualified
Safe Practices
or prequalified WPS and Annex F of AWS D1.3 summarizes safe
a qualified welder are used practices for welding. Arc welding is a safe
in performing the work. occupation when sufficient measures are taken
to protect the welder from potential hazards.
When these measures are overlooked or
Design ignored, welders can encounter such dangers
Considerations as electric shock, over-exposure to radiation,
fumes and gases, and fire and explosion; any
AISI S100 design provi- of these may result in injuries. Everyone asso-
Typical fillet welded connections. Courtesy of Don Allen at Super Stud sions apply where the ciated with the welding operation should be
Building Products. thickness of the thinnest aware of the potential hazards and ensure that
qualified a welding procedure, the proce- connected part is 316-inch or less. If the mate- safe practices are employed. Infractions should
dure can be considered qualified for its use rial thickness is greater than 316-inch, AISC be reported to the appropriate responsible
indefinitely. 360, Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, authority. For specific safety precautions refer
is to be used for weld connection design. to ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting,
The paramount difference between the and Allied Processes.
Inspection strength of a welded connection in cold- For additional information about the
AWS D1.3 requires only visual inspec- formed steel construction and a welded background and application of the AISI
tion of welded sheet steel joints. The visual connection in hot-rolled steel construction S100 equations, refer to Cold-Formed
inspection shall determine compliance with is the dominance of sheet tearing as a pos- Steel Engineers Institute TN F140-16,
contract documents. Particular emphasis sible failure mode. Although the design www.cfsei.org, and Cold-Formed Steel
shall be placed on verifying proper location, provisions in AISI S100 Chapter E2 provide Design by Yu and LaBoube.
Noteworthy news and information
Mike Mota Retires from STRUCTUREs Editorial Board

Mike Mota, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, F.ACI, F.SEI, is Emily B. Lorenz, P.E., LEED AP BD+C, will
stepping down as a member of the STRUCTURE replace Mike Mota as a concrete industry repre-
magazine Editorial Board. Mike joined the Board sentative. Emily is director of sustainability and
for his second tenure in May of 2015 as a concrete publications for the Precast/Prestressed Concrete
industry representative. Mike is the Vice President Institute in Chicago. In this role, Emily oversees
of Engineering for the Concrete Reinforcing Steel the development of all technical manuals and
Institute (CRSI), responsible for the Engineering standards for PCI, serves as Associate Editor of
Department and the development of all technical ASPIRE magazine, and is Editor-in-Chief of the
publications and standards. Mike is an active member of several ACI PCI Journal. She also is active in many technical associations. She serves
and ASCE committees, including ACI 318 and 318 sub B and sub R. as Vice Chair of the ASTM E60 committee on sustainability, and is
He is past Chair of ACI Committee 314 and past member of the a member of the American Concrete Institutes (ACI) sustainability
Board of Directors of the Concrete Industry Board of New York City/ committee (130), ACI 550 on precast concrete, the SEI sustain-
NYC ACI Chapter since 2001. ability committee, the fib (International Federation for Structural
Barry Arnold, P.E., S.E., SECB, Chair of the STRUCTURE Concrete) sustainability committee, and is a member of the U.S. TAG
magazine Editorial Board, had this to say about Mikes depar- to two ISO committees. She has a bachelors and masters degrees in
ture: Mike has served faithfully on the Editorial Board for many structural engineering from Michigan Technological University in
years, working tirelessly on concrete-themed technical and project Houghton, Michigan.
articles. Mikes commitment to providing quality articles for Barry said this about Ms. Lorenzs appointment to the Editorial Board:
STRUCTURE magazine is greatly appreciated. His dedication Emily, with her extensive background in editing technical manuals and
and commitment to the magazine and the profession are com- standards, brings a plethora of experience and expertise to the Board.
mendable, and he will be missed. She is an experienced editor and has a great passion and enthusiasm for
Regarding his tenure on the Board, Mike commented, I would writing and for the structural engineering profession. She was highly rec-
like to thank the Editorial Board of STRUCTURE and CRSI for the ommended by her peers in the concrete industry, so I have no doubt that
opportunity to represent the concrete industry since 2008. I would she will be a productive addition to the STRUCTURE magazine team.
also like to thank the readership for making this possible by their Please join STRUCTURE magazine in congratulating Mike Mota
outstanding support of STRUCTURE magazine. on his service and welcoming Emily Lorenz to the team.

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Structural L
ast months article (Structural Analysis, are becoming increasingly precise in the method
STRUCTURE, July 2017) was devoted of defining exposure areas by utilizing wall
entirely to model generation, the criti- panels (load panels). Wall panels can be used
analySiS
cal first step in an accurate analysis and for automatically generated pressures, resulting
design using the Finite Element Method (FEM). in a more precise method for applying wind
Remember, FEM is broken up into three basic steps: loads. Utilizing wall panels is a practice best
1) Modeling: A pre-processing step where used when dealing with semi-rigid diaphragms
a user defines elements, connectivity, since pressure can be added to windward walls,
discussing problems, solutions,
support conditions, and forces that leeward walls, side walls, and roofs.
idiosyncrasies, and applications represent various loading conditions. Seismic load generators are more complicated,
of various analysis methods 2) Analysis: Processing step that requires as they can either be based on equivalent lat-
little user input the user establishes eral force procedures (static load) or dynamic
a few important parameters, and the analyses such as response spectrum analysis, time
software solves a vast set of equations history analysis, or a non-linear dynamic analysis
based on the model. (Table 2). Model stiffness is very important to
3) Validation and Design: Post-processing; seismic load determination and dynamic behav-
the step of interpreting and verifying the ior of the model, and it is imperative to model
results of the analysis and then designing stiffness as accurately as possible. Similarly, the
elements based on parameters determined mass of the model is a very important element in
by the material codes one uses. determining the dynamic properties, and much
In this article, the modeling is care should be used in defining the dynamic
completed by considering loads mass. It is likely users are conservative and model
Lateral Analysis on the model, followd by a dis-
cussion of Steps 2 and 3.
dead loads are higher than the actual loads on
the structure; thus, dead load is not always the
same as the mass that should be used in deter-
mining dynamic properties. An arbitrarily high
Part 2: Right Way, Loading and Load Generators mass leads to a lower frequency and a higher
Wrong Way with Once the model is created, and the nodes and building fundamental period; this may result
elements are defined, loads must be imposed in a lower seismic force coefficient depending
Software on the structure. Self-weight dead load can be on the structural system. Much more can be
automatically generated. Other gravity loads are said about the importance of accurately model-
typically defined by manual input. However, ing mass, stiffness, and dynamic characteristics
By Samuel M. Rubenzer, P.E., S.E.
wind and seismic forces can be applied to the relative to seismic demands. However, that is a
model using load generators that are available in broad discussion that will have to be examined
many programs. The user simply defines code in future articles.
criteria based on the buildings location and the Whether seismic or wind lateral loads are
software determines the load parameters, com- determined, the applied force from the load
putes loads, and imposes those on the structure generator will either be a single load applied
Samuel M. Rubenzer is the
based on the geometric information the program to the entire building diaphragm, or a distrib-
founder of FORSE. He is a
ascertains from the modeled elements. uted load applied to the edges of the diaphragm
member of ASCE-SEI, on the
Wind load generators (Table 1) generally use (common for wind) or over the entire area of
board of directors and past
deck (or slab) edge information to determine the diaphragm (common for seismic). Users
president of SEA-WI.
overall floor dimensions. Together with the often have the option of single or distributed
He has years of experience
story height, the program can determine the forces when generating the loads and must con-
teaching other structural
area for the wind load to be applied. Programs sider the type of diaphragm before making the
engineers how to use software
programs from many different
vendors. He can be reached at Wind Load Automatic User Defined Combine with Parapets be
sam@forseconsulting.com. Generator Exposure Area? Exposure Area User Defined Defined?
ETABS yes | yes walls yes yes
areas (sim. to
IES VisualAnalysis yes yes
wall panels)
RAM Structural
yes | yes yes yes
System
RISA 3D yes | no yes yes
SCIA Engineer load panels yes yes
TEKLA Structural
wall panels yes yes
Designer
Table 1. Wind generators.
16 August 2017
selection. When using a rigid diaphragm,
either option of loading will have the same Seismic Static (ELF) Response Time History Non-linear Analysis
result. Conversely, when a semi-rigid or no ETABS yes yes yes yes
diaphragm is modeled, the only option for
loading is distributed loading. For example, IES VisualAnalysis yes yes yes
a single load on a semi-rigid diaphragm leads RAM Structural
to incorrect load distribution to lateral fram- yes yes
System
ing members, and diaphragm stresses and
deflections that are completely erroneous. RISA 3D yes yes yes
Considering all of the above, the most over-
SCIA Engineer yes yes yes yes
used feature of software programs today may
be the simple load generator that only works TEKLA Structural
effectively for simple models. Features that yes yes
Designer
are common in present-day buildings, such
Table 2. Seismic generators.
as sloped or stepped floors or roofs, sloped
walls, re-entrant corners (floor perimeters Part 1; wherein a finer mesh often provides codes require checks based on the forces
that jog in/out), and non-uniform mass better accuracy of elastic behavior. Also, plate/ and stresses in the elements of the structure.
loading, can quickly invalidate the gener- shell elements are more accurate as square However, before applying design code rules
ated load. Sometimes these nuances can be shapes, and finer meshes increase the likeli- to the structure, it is first important to have
accounted for, and the generated loads can hood that the elements are square or nearly confidence in the results.
be used, but other times users simply need square. This is especially true in complex An important aspect of validation and design
to put away the automatic load-generat- models. However, one should consider the is reviewing the data to determine whether
ing features and compute and define loads adequate convergence of the solution; that modeling and analysis gave expected results.
manually. Look at it this way you have is, if the limited increase in accuracy of the The initial step in this review can be check-
two options: model using a more refined mesh outweighs ing the nodal reactions in comparison with
1) Manually determine the loads for the processing speed needed to achieve those the applied loads on the structure. This may
a structure using software with results. In general, the recommended maxi- seem like an elementary check, but it is very
good element modeling features mum element mesh size would be the span important. Often errors occur when users
that accurately represent the real distance divided by ten and the minimum assume their loads are applied in a manner in
structure, or plate size should be no less than the thickness which the program is not meant to be used.
2) Automatically generate loads using of the element being modeled. Of course, In addition to load generation errors, another
software having poor element these are guidelines that must be re-evaluated example would be whether self-weight is auto-
modeling features that are not an for unique situations. matically calculated and applied, and, if it is
accurate representation of the real Other settings to be considered for analysis applied, whether it is applied to dead loads
structure. or processing pertain to P-delta effects. The and/or effective mass. Other examples of load-
Most engineers would choose Option 1. P-delta effect accounts for the fact that gravity ing errors can occur when modeling openings
Using software that can accurately deter- loads increase lateral deformations, increas- in floors and walls of plate/shell elements.
mine the vertical and lateral load distribution ing element shears and moments, and adds When programs perform auto-meshing rou-
through an indeterminate structure with to the overturning moment of the building, tines and remove plate/shell elements where
potentially semi-rigid diaphragms, element becoming an important feature in the overall the opening occurs, the program also removes
stiffness modification factors, and pinned or structural performance, its lateral instability, the load that would have been applied to that
fixed-end conditions, all the way down to and in element design. In the first few itera- area. This, of course, leads to unconserva-
fixed, spring, or pinned supports to repre- tions of the lateral analysis of a building, it tive results. There are very few programs that
sent foundations, are much more valuable. is possible that considering P-delta effects account for this missing load automatically,
Choose software programs by their ability to will lead to an unstable structure. Therefore, so the user must often address this manually.
create an accurate model and analyze com- member sizes may need to be refined through Another great method to review the valid-
plex sets of equations, not for load generation an iterative process without the P-delta effect ity of the results, which is less quantitative
features that will quickly become invalid included until reasonable sizes are deter- and more qualitative, would be to animate
with minor complexities of the structure. mined, and a stiffer structure is established. deflection results of the lateral load cases and
In all cases, the option to consider P-delta in load combinations. The ability to amplify the
the analysis should be revisited once initial results can help in determining whether the
Model Analysis Processing sizes are determined. structure is behaving as anticipated, or if there
The analysis step of the finite element method is something new that was not expected. At
is mostly the software crunching the num- times, the unexpected animation is due to a
bers and very little is done manually by the
Validation and Design modeling error that can quickly be observed
user. A user needs to pay attention to a few Once the modeling is complete and the and repaired. In more complicated structures,
general setting options that affect the model analysis has been performed, it is then however, the modeling approach may need to
and are typically located under analysis or time to turn to the final step of the finite be changed. When observing the animation,
processing menus in the program. An example element method validation and design. there is an opportunity to understand which
of these settings is auto-meshing, discussed in With each different material, different design element is more critical than expected, how

to improve lateral efficiency, where checks of the projects produced
Individual elements deflected.
to increase the stiffness of a single by the office. Unfortunately,
element or multiple elements, or these quality assurance mea-
whether to add a new lateral frame sures are often based mostly or
in a particular area of the structure. entirely on manual calculations,
Furthermore, it is vital to verify report reviews, and drawing
the analysis results before perform- reviews. Senior engineers need
ing code checks. If code checks are to be well versed in the software
performed too early, there could be tools to review the models as
an over-emphasis on getting the well, so younger engineers are
model to simply pass code. During not left alone in the process of
this rush to circumvent the process Overall structure deflected. creating, analyzing, verifying,
and not verify analysis results, a crit- and designing. Also, this respon-
ical aspect or underlying problem sibility to understand software
with the structure may be missed. may be expanded beyond junior
Unfortunately, the results of these and senior engineers to the engi-
scenarios are all too common. It neering project managers and
is important to resist the tempta- business owners. How can some-
tion of a combined analysis and one manage design teams, create
design. Be sure to separate them expectations, define deliverables,
into distinct steps in the process. and manage the risks to organiza-
Once there is confidence in the tions without understanding the
analysis results, then the process tools that are becoming critical
of design and code checking may to completing design tasks for
begin. Take time to review the many or all of the projects that
softwares implementation of the go through engineering firms?
code provisions to understand Utilize these software tools for
and agree with the design pro- lateral analysis and continue to
cess; only then should the program progress in understanding, max-
be used to design and check the imizing their responsible use.
demand (analysis results) versus Remember to always uphold
element capacity as defined by the the integrity of structural engi-
code. As mentioned earlier, this neering by accurately modeling,
is the appropriate time to apply analyzing, reviewing results, and
conservative measures based on designing with software. As the
engineering judgment. author, C.S. Lewis, states,
Finally, have the finite element We all want progress. But progress
method checked by a colleague Animate deflected shape for overall and individual elements to confirm results. means getting nearer to the place
with strong experience with the where you want to be. And if you
method. All of the steps modeling, analy- of reality to provide a safe, efficient, and effec- have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward
sis and validation, and design should be tive design or is it compromising? There was does not get you any nearer. If you are on
verified. In todays structural engineering a time, before finite element methods and the wrong road, progress means doing an
firms, a quality review process should be software tools became available, when there about-turn and walking back to the right
as focused on the finite element software was little choice but to over-simplify a design road; in that case, the man who turns back
programs as it is with the drawings that the problem. Today, however, many software soonest is the most progressive man.
company sends out. tools are readily available, and an FEM solu- It is essential to continue to make progress
tion should be considered for all substantial with the use of software. If at any point the
structures. When using these tools, ensure profession becomes overly reliant on soft-
Conclusion the model accurately represents structures ware for the wrong reasons or realize software
It is very important that all engineers in an by examining beyond basic idealized settings. is being used without truly understanding
organization truly understand the software There is a point of diminishing returns when both the capabilities and the limitations, then
tools used within the company. Recognize more complex modeling yields the same structural engineers may have to go back and
the balance between idealized, simple mod- design solution, a good point to approach learn or re-learn until what software can
eling that saves time (and budget) and more in modeling. do is fully grasped. C.S. Lewis also said, It is
complex modeling that may be a better rep- Also, junior engineers are generally the sav- not your business to succeed, but to do right.
resentation of the actual building. This takes a viest with software and are typically the ones Moreover, by doing right, success will follow.
thorough understanding of building elements creating the models, analyzing, and designing. Do right and build these models for lateral
and more time to implement into the model. They are the doers within most companies. analysis with integrity, by modeling and ana-
At each step on the path of modeling, analyz- However, senior engineers some of whom lyzing structures to represent the real structure
ing, and designing, answer the question: does rarely use software products are the ones accurately, and providing safe and reliable
this item provide an accurate representation doing the reviews and the quality control designs for building owners and occupants.

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egardless of your familiarity with have to guard against losing the high ground and
Quality Based Selection (QBS), make sure they always hold the truth paramount,
there are certain basics of business which means walking away from situations where
issues
that all engineers should understand, deception is rewarded. The procurement of our
even if you are not in management. Structural services based on a comparison of prices alone,
engineering is a professional service business. The rather than in combination with qualifications
overwhelming majority of structural engineers are and a defined scope of work, fosters a climate
compensated based on the amount of time spent where dishonest behavior can flourish.
issues affecting the structural
on a clients project. If you are a business owner, Dishonesty in the form of excessive self-pro-
you know that each and every proposal starts out motion, deceptive staffing of the project, both in engineering profession
with the question How much time will the project number and skill of personnel, the exclusionary
take? Complex projects involve project managers, language in proposals such as overly-limiting site
design engineers, and CAD operators, plus others. visits, excessive use of performance specifications,
To develop a proposal, hours are estimated and and reducing QA/QC are examples of what can
multiplied by billing rates and a total fee is com- occur in competitive bid procurement systems.
puted. The more definitive the scope of services, The owner is best served when the structural
the greater the accuracy of the fee estimate. engineer provides all of the services necessary to
Unfortunately, engineering businesses are being design the structure and observe its construction
asked, more and more, to furnish lump-sum fees to the extent the engineer can attest that the intent
based on very little information. This in and of of contract documents was generally followed.
itself can lead to problems, but combine it with Alabamas Board of Licensure for Professional
the practice of clients requesting proposals from Engineers requires that its licensees respond
multiple firms for price comparison, and it is easy only to solicita-
to see that the more uninformed or unscrupulous tions that employ
can often be the more successful. Besides the fact QBS, regardless of
that qualified firms that offer fair fees are often whether the client The Ethics of Procurement
the immediate victims of the process, the long- is a public agency
term ramifications of poor structural engineering or a private party.
can result in jeopardizing the health, safety, and Engineers are forbidden from participating in
By Marc S. Barter, P.E., S.E.,
welfare of the public, not to mention the grief a bidding process. Radical as it may seem to
SECB
and headaches that accompany poor construction some, the Federal Government requires the use
documents during the construction phase. of QBS through the application of the Brooks
Engineering is a think- Act, realizing that the
ing profession. The client best overall value for the
is purchasing the engi- Engineers have to guard public is the selection of
neers ability to solve the against losing the high the most qualified firm
problem using the brain. paid a fair and reason-
Drawings, specifications, ground and make sure able fee. The Alabama
and even calculations are they always hold the truth Board, together with the
tools of conveyance of Federal Government, Marc S. Barter (mbarter@
what the engineer thinks paramount, which means believes that services barterse.com), is the President
and how a solution was walking away from situations that directly deal with of Barter & Associates, Inc., a
developed. Selecting the life and death should not structural engineering consulting
best brains with the most where deception be subject to the same firm in Mobile, Alabama. He is a
experience will result in is rewarded. procurement rules that Past President of NCSEA and in
the best solution. Does apply to the purchase of his second term as a member of the
it really make sense for pencils or butter. Alabama Board of Licensure for
clients to select their engineers based on whether If the public selected their medical professionals Professional Engineers and Land
the fee for the project is 1% of the construction through bidding for services, health care might be a Surveyors.
cost, 0.9%, or even 0.5%? Unfortunately, the few dollars cheaper, but mortuaries would prosper.
answer is often no if your client is the owner, Imagine you are on trial for a serious crime. Of
but yes if the client is an architect or an inter- course, you are innocent, and your significant other
mediary who sees the structural engineers fee brings in your attorney, the low bidder. What kind
coming out of his or her pocket. Money can be of chance do you think you have to be home at
a powerful motivator that obscures reality and Christmas? No society would want its health or
blurs the vision. freedom jeopardized by such an absurd procure-
Engineers historically have enjoyed a high level ment system as applied to these professions. Well,
of trustworthiness, as polled by Gallup, fourth how much sense does it make for the low bidder
behind doctors and one position in front of to be the designer of an arena that seats 10,000
dentists. The fundamental canon of every set people, a high-rise building, a long span bridge,
of ethics rules for engineers is truth. Engineers or even a child daycare facility or nursing home?
STRUCTURE magazine 21
With the exception of If so, the family better like
Alabama, licensing boards beans and rice. Isnt that
have been largely mute how the structural engi-
on the subject of procure- neer is selected on a large
ment in the private sector. number of projects, some
Many boards reinforce the rather complex? Given
mini-Brooks laws that their that the client may know
states have adopted, but are the engineer, understands
very cautious in their pos- what the deliverables are,
ture on procurement as it and hopes the services pro-
relates to private transac- vided keep everyone out of
tions, for a good reason. court, are the services pro-
In 1978, the United States vided really appropriate or
Supreme Court struck just minimal?
down the NSPE ethics Ethical practice should
rule that prohibited engi- not have to be mandated
neers from bidding their by licensing boards or
services. According to the professional societies. Any
United States, the NSPE engineer should understand
rule violated the Sherman that prior to providing a fee,
Antitrust Act. NSPE, someone has to develop a
through its attorneys, scope of services, and if fees
unsuccessfully argued that from multiple firms are to
the practice of engineering be compared, then every
correlated closely with the participating firm should
health and safety of the be basing their fee on the
public and, therefore, its Engineering is a thinking profession. same scope of services and
apparent violation of the assigning similarly qualified
Act should be permitted The client is purchasing the engineers personnel. Procurement
under the Rule of Reason ability to solve the problem using the brain. procedures that result in
argument. In a split deci- price comparisons without
sion, the court stated, measuring qualifications
Exceptions to the Sherman Antitrust Act to legislators the benefit of QBS, as a rule, and defining the scope of service invite
for potentially dangerous goods and services state licensing boards, with one exception, unethical behavior. Even if the licensing law
would be tantamount to repeal of the statute. do not opine on the application of QBS does not prohibit participation, the instinct
In our complex economy, the number of in private transactions. Alabamas licensing for self-preservation should dictate caution.
items that may cause serious harm is endless board is alone in that regard. Too many times, in these situations, the
automobiles, drugs. and ruled against In states without specific ethics rules low fee is the wrong fee provided by the
NSPE. The Court stated that bidding was addressing procurement, is the practicing wrong firm.
not required, but that it was unlawful to structural engineer bound by any ethical It is very difficult in some segments of the
reduce competition. duty not to bid engineering services? Why structural engineering business community
When viewing QBS through the licens- should it be unethical in some jurisdic- to adhere to QBS without the cover of a
ing lens, an important distinction should tions to bid engineering, but not others? legal mandate. In fact, an engineering firms
be understood. NSPE does not enjoy the What possible good can come from engi- refusal to participate in price comparisons
same legal rights as a State. According to neers offering competitive prices without a will likely end any chance of working with
the Cornell University Law School, Legal defined scope of work? In exercises where certain clients. The ethical engineer looking
Information Institute, Under the state- structural engineers were asked to provide a to play on a level playing field has a difficult
action doctrine elucidated in Parker v. Brown, fee for a project where the only information time but must attempt to shape the process
317 U.S. 341 (1943), state and municipal provided is the location of the building, the such that all participants are treated fairly,
authorities are immune from federal anti- size of the building, and cost of the build- including the owner. This may mean walking
trust lawsuits for actions taken pursuant to ing, the proposed fees varied by over 200%. away from a project. Ethical behavior can
a clearly expressed state policy that, when Is the owners interest served in this system; be expensive and good feelings cannot be
legislated, had foreseeable anticompetitive if so, how? The client is purchasing a service deposited, but there is an indisputable ben-
effects. When a state approves and regulates he/she does not understand, in a quantity efit from practicing an honorable profession,
certain conduct, even if it is anticompetitive they did not specify, furnished by individu- and an obligation to protect that profession
under FTC or DOJ standards, the federal als they do not know anything about. The so that future practitioners are not viewed as
government must respect the decision of the only metric that seems to matter is cost. a commodity. Therefore, the next time you
state. Given the litigious nature of society, Would anyone enter a grocery store and bid are asked to compete for a project based on
the current attitudes regarding regula- their grocery needs with the only instruc- price, decide if you are offering engineering
tion, and the difficulty in demonstrating tions being to feed my family for a week? or just butter.

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Structural C
onstruction Science and Engineering, Building designers routinely stipulate within
Inc., an architectural and engineering construction documents the well-known code
firm, has investigated several low slope minimum in 12 design slope for low slope roofs
DeSign
roof applications with water stains, pond- and exterior deck applications. This practice, on
ing, framing damage on the lower side of the roof span, the surface, appears to eliminate the code require-
and structural collapse. Further examination typi- ment to investigate a susceptible bay. Additionally,
cally reveals a relatively level surface when compared common practice is to specify or accept mini-
to other roof locations (Figure 1). A similar occur- mum building code deflection ratios for low slope
design issues for
rence is often found in exterior deck applications. applications. However, many building design-
structural engineers (Figure 2). In studying this potentially problem- ers apparently fail to give due consideration to
atic issue, two building code parameters were footnote e in IBC Table 1604.3 which states
identified that contribute to low slope roof and in part; The above deflections do not ensure
deck serviceability issues. This article examines against ponding
susceptible bays with respect to the in 12 A code defined deflection ratio is a function
design slope and code permitted deflection ratios. of the span and is therefore not influenced
Part 2 will identify design and construction practices by material characteristics and design load
that contribute to serviceability issues. variables. Each deflection ratio defines the
deflection limits that are commonly approached
as structural members are optimized for cost.
Background Bender and Woeste recognized this relationship
The 2015 International Building Code (IBC) and showed a beam member installed to a
identifies ponding instability as a design con- in 12 slope that deflects to a code permitted
sideration for snow and rain loads. The 2010 deflection ratio results in an average slope less
edition of the Minimum Design Loads for than in 12. They also noted the average
Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE 7-10), slope is further reduced when a long-term creep
deflection component is introduced.
The Bender and Woeste (2011) study
in 12 Design Slope and Water Drainage validates the authors field observations
for serviceability complaints and water
retention associated with low slope roof
referenced by the IBC, defines ponding as the and deck applications. The deflection curve was
Part 1 retention of water due solely to the deflection approximated using the properties of a circle to
of relative flat roofs. The standard requires verify the average slope was independent of the
By Scott D. Coffman, P.E., SECB
susceptible bays be investigated to ensure span and remained unchanged for a specified
adequate member stiffness is present to pre- deflection ratio. Additionally, the lower end of
vent progressive deflection. Specifically, Bays the deflection curve was noted to be relatively
with a roof slope less than in./ft. shall be flat, which explained potential causes of observed
designated as susceptible bays. Roof surfaces ponding. In the authors companys study, sur-
with a slope of at least inch per foot (1.19) faces with a design slope of inch per foot or
Scott Coffman is a Forensic toward points of free drainage need not be con- less should be considered as a susceptible bay.
Engineer with Construction sidered a susceptible bay. The phrase toward Specifically:
Science and Engineering, Inc. points of free drainage is critical because it 1) The average slope of the deflected member
in Westminster, SC. He can gives meaning to what is meant by a slope of is less than inch per foot; and,
be reached at scottcoffman@ inch per foot. The same principle may be 2) At and near the lower reaction,
constructionscience.org. applied to exterior decks, although decks are the deflected member is relatively
not specifically identified within ASCE 7-10. horizontal or flat.
Figure 1. Evidence of ponding on the roof. Figure 2. Ponding water on deck.
24 August 2017
12 12
1/4
1/4
Y1
Average Y3
Slope Y2
Y4
L/2 L/2
SPAN (L) SPAN (L)
Figure 3. Deflected shape of beam with uniform load. Figure 4. Average slope of deflected member
Figure 3 visually depicts the downward position and code permitted deflection ratio at forensic investigations. The vertical differ-
movement of a beam member subject to load the mid-span. The average slope from the center ence between a in 12 plane and the L/180
and vulnerability to ponding at the low end. of the members deflected shape to the low-end deflection curve was calculated for spans of
support is 0.117 inches per foot, a slope less than ten feet to forty feet in 2-foot increments. The
1
8 in 12 or nearly flat. When a member initially deflected shape crosses the horizontal datum
Average Slope Example installed to a in 12 design slope deflects and in the region of L/16, creating negative slope
The average slope for the performance of a approaches the total load L/180 code permit- and a bowl at the low end. A bowl natu-
member installed to a in 12 design slope ted deflection ratio, the average slope becomes rally retains water and restricts free drainage
and permitted to deflect to a code permitted less than 18 in 12. The calculated 0.117 in 12 or water discharge. Ponding or water retention
L/180 ratio is illustrated by the following average slope is constant for any span designed should be expected toward the low end of a
example: to the L/180 deflection ratio. plane designed to a in 12 slope.
Member Span: 25 feet ASCE 7-10 explicitly identifies member
Roof Total Load Deflection Limit: stiffness as a means to control progressive Long-Term Creep
L/180 deflection of a susceptible bay. Design pro-
Right Support Datum Elevation: fessionals typically specify a more limiting Effects and Example
0.00 inches deflection ratio than required by the building Structural materials susceptible to long-
Left Support Elevation: 6.25 inches code for the application to achieve a stiffer term creep intensify the deflection curve.
(Y1) member. As expected, the average slope The IBC estimates the creep component of
Midpoint Elevation: 3.13 inches (Y2) approaches the in 12 design slope for a long-term deflection to be half the immedi-
Member Total Load Deflection stiffer member or a higher deflection design ate dead load deflection or a 1.5 factor. The
(L/180): 1.67 inches (Y3) ratio. However, a beam element subject to creep deflection component may approach
Distance from datum to deflected gravity load deflects, and the average slope the initial dead load deflection, a 2.0 factor
member: 1.43 inches (Y4) remains less than the designed in 12 design for wood products. The 2014 Truss Plate
The average slope is the slope of a line slope. Therefore, a beam element installed Institute Standard (TPI) recommends the
from the low-end support to the point of with in 12 slope requires a susceptible 2.0 factor where the building designer does
maximum deflection for a member. For a bay analysis based on ASCE 7-10, since all not specify adjustment factors for service-
simply supported beam member subjected members deflect under load. ability. The 1.5 building code factor was
to a uniform load, the average slope is from applied by the author for a best case sce-
the center of the span to the low-end support. Deflection Curve nario to study the effects of creep deflection.
In this example, the right support is the low Continuing the previous example, the
end and point of free drainage. at the Lower End initial dead load deflection is taken as the dif-
Figure 4 shows the original member slope and The lower end of the deflection curve is also a ference between the roof s total load (L/180)
deflected shape. The distance from a level datum typical location for ponding, water stains, and and roof s live load (L/240) deflection ratios.
to the deflected member is 1716 inches (Y4); damaged framing members (Figure 5). This This calculates to 0.42 inches (1.67 1.25)
the difference between the members original opinion is based on observations made during for a 25-foot span. The long-term creep
12
1/4
Y1
Average Y3'
Slope Y2
L/16
12 Y4'
1/4 DETAIL "A" DETAIL "A"
Y1 Average
Slope
L/2 L/2
L/2 L/2
SPAN (L)
SPAN (L)
Figure 5. A typical location for ponding. Figure 6. The average slope of the member with creep.

2017 ClarkDietrich Building Systems
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1/4
L/6
DETAIL "B" DETAIL "B"
Average
Slope
L/2 L/2
L
INTRODUCING DRIFT
Figure 7. Increased bowl is caused by member creep. FASTCLIP SLIDE CLIP.
component is 0.21 inches ( * 0.42). The support to the point of maximum member
center of the deflected member is 1.25 inches deflection. A combination of increased Need a deection solution that
(Y4) above the right end support (3.13 member stiffness and design slope that results also accommodates horizontal
1.67 0.21). The average slope from the in a surface with an average slope of at least drift? Drift FastClip allows 2-inch
center of the member deflection curve to inch per foot towards points of free drainage vertical and lateral deection,
the support is 0.10 inches, or essentially no should eliminate susceptible bays.
and works with FastClip screws
slope, and remains constant for any span
(Figure 6, page 25). for friction-free sliding. Get
Although the average slope with a creep
Summary and Conclusions more details and data at
ADVERTISEMENTFor Advertiser Information, visit www.STRUCTUREmag.org

deflection component remains positive, The building code establishes the mini- clarkdietrich.com.
albeit small, the low end of the member mum parameters for building design. A
deflection curve remains of particular member or system that satisfies each code
interest. The deflected shape crosses the parameter may create a less than ideal
horizontal datum in the region of L/6, condition when multiple minimum code
creating a larger bowl area for ponding parameters are combined. The combination
(Figure 7). As the dead load becomes a of the inch per foot design slope and a
greater percentage of the total load, creep maximum permitted deflection ratio cre-
deflection increases and the bowl effect ates such a condition for free drainage. The
becomes more pronounced at the low end. code, however, does recognize this potential
It is imperative that deflection calculations condition in IBC Table 1604.3 footnote
include material long-term creep effects e and instructs a building designer to
when compared to the ordinary live and investigate applications with insufficient
total load code permitted deflection ratios. slope or camber for ponding.
Building designers, contractors, and per-
haps code officials have come to believe a
Potential Design Solutions roof or exterior deck surface designed to the
Potential solutions to mitigate low slope inch per foot slope is satisfactory because
serviceability issues are limited. ASCE 7-10 it meets building code intent. However,
indirectly promotes a more stringent deflec- member deflection creates an average slope
tion ratio to prevent progressive deflection. that limits free drainage and contributes to
The ASCE solution is imperfect because stiffer ponding toward the low end.
members increase the cost and the average Members optimized to a code permitted
slope remains less than in 12. A member deflection ratio further reduce the average slope
or plane designed to an average slope of and may create a negative slope or a bowl at
inch per foot is one method to mitigate the low end that limits or prevents free drain-
ponding and resultant material damage. For age. The condition is exacerbated for materials
a simply supported beam member subjected susceptible to creep deflection. Beam elements
to a uniform load, the average slope line is designed or installed to the inch per foot
2017 ClarkDietrich Building Systems
from the point of maximum deflection at the slope should be considered a susceptible bay.
center of the span to the low-end support. In the absence of code performance limits
A more practical solution is a combination of for low slope roofs, a building designer should
increased slope and member stiffness. Design consider implementing a more stringent total
tools currently available afford a quick and load deflection ratio, increase the minimum
efficient means for a designer to calculate the slope for positive drainage, design to an aver-
average slope of a member; the average slope age slope of in 12, or a combination of each. clarkdietrich.com
being the slope of a line from the low-end The practice should also be extended to decks.

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Software Continues to Evolve
NEW OFFERINGS, ADD-ONS, AND UPGRADES ASSIST
ENGINEERS IN MEETING TODAYS CHALLENGES
By Larry Kahaner
C
ompanies that provide software for the engineering and are now seeing an increased demand for unique material and geo-
construction industry are continually updating their offer- metric designs as architects and owners are seizing opportunities to
ings to keep pace with what structural engineers want and, stand out with their structures. Dlubal caters to this exact scenario.
most important, to keep up with code changes. We provide solutions for the structural engineer who is faced with
At Dlubal Software, Inc. (www.dlubal.com/en-us), CEO Amy complex structural geometry or in need of structural design of not
Heilig says that the latest addition to their 3D finite element analysis only steel and concrete, but also glass, CLT, aluminum, timber, fabrics,
software, RFEM, is the RF-CUTTING-PATTERN add-on module. and cables. (See ad on page 30.)
We are beyond excited to offer this to engineers who specialize in the Benjamin Follett, U.S. Product & Marketing Manager, for SCIA
design of membrane and tensile structures, as the software market for Inc. (www.scia.net/en), would like SEs to know about SCIA Engineer
this type of application is extremely slim. RF-CUTTING-PATTERN 17. For the U.S. market specifically, we updated all the steel codes
generates and organizes cutting patterns for membrane structures to the newest versions; that is the 2016 AISC code and 2016 AISI
taking into account curved geometry, compensations, and overlaps code for cold form steel. The updates include new formulas, new
with the minimum energy theory flattening process. references notations, and terminology.
She adds: This new module can be used in conjunction with He adds: There also are improvements to the design and workflow
RF-FORM-FINDING which determines the membranes pre-stressed of composite slabs, such as creating automatic load combinations.
shape used in the initial state for further static analysis. The supporting We have also added diaphragms. Simplified diaphragms, rigid dia-
structure for the membrane can then undergo a full analysis design phragms, flexible diaphragms, and semi-rigid diaphragms all have
per AISC, ACI, NDS, and ADM. A complete structural solution for been requested by our users. These users want to simplify a building
fabric, cable, and tensile membrane structures can now be achieved or perhaps dont want to go through the full slab design when they
with the single design program, RFEM. are not doing a concrete slab.
A recent company project is the Brock Commons, an 18-story mass Says Follett: As far as BIM is concerned, we have a new link directly
timber, hybrid student residence currently under construction at the with Revit, so it is support for the newest version SCIA 17 and the
University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and designed newest version of Revit 2018. It was more of a maintenance release
by Dlubal Customer, Fast + Epp. When completed in the summer of for us, a bug-fixing release.
2017, it will be the tallest mass timber hybrid building in the world at We also improved our interoperability with a cloud BIM tool that
174 feet high, Heilig says. The structure is comprised of 16 floors of we call BIM+. BIM+ is a free online BIM server. The goal of BIM+
five-ply cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels, a concrete transfer for us at the Nemetschek Group is to have all our software utilize this
slab at level 2, and a steel-framed roof. The structural analysis for the online, cloud-based server to exchange models with other Nemetschek
CLT components was completed using Dlubals RFEM in conjunc- software, he concludes.
tion with the RF-LAMINATE add-on module. Cold-formed steel design, and especially the AISI North
As far as trends are concerned, Heilig says that design engineers American Specification, can be a little foreign to most engineers,
remain steadily busy which in turn correlates to an increased demand says Clif Melcher, CFS Product Manager at Simpson Strong-Tie
for a high performing structural analysis and design software. We (www.simpson.com). CFS Designer software by Simpson Strong-
have seen a surge in cross-laminated timber (CLT) interest, as mas- Tie can simplify and automate the design and engineering of CFS
sive timber continues to be heavily marketed throughout the U.S. structures, and provide great time-saving solutions, he says.
and Canada. RFEM remains the top choice for timber engineers Many CFS engineers may know CFS Designer by its original name,
for comprehensive CLT analysis and design per the 2015 NDS, in LGBEAMER. Simpson Strong-Tie has upgraded the software and
addition to member design per the NDS and CSA. We continue to taken it to the next level. Similar to LGBEAMER, CFS Designer
see steel and concrete design dominate the structural engineering can automate common design components, including wall studs,
market, and this probably wont change anytime soon. However, we beams, columns, wall openings, x-braced and sheathed shear walls,

floor joists, and rafters. In addition, it includes the latest codes and StructurePoint is formerly the Engineering Software Group of
features a Stacked Wall Design tool that automates the design of up to the Portland Cement Association (PCA), and it continues to
eight stories of load-bearing CFS stud framing. A new, user-friendly develop and enhance the full range of advanced software and
interface as well as organizational and file management tools have been engineering services to model, analyze, and design reinforced
added. The software also has automated the selection of bridging and concrete structures, notes Lee. Recent focus in the Middle and
curtain-wall rigid and slip connectors, Melcher notes. the Far East, where concrete design software is in high demand,
StructurePoints software (www.structurepoint.org) suite includes has kept our team busy as we adapt to various business paradigms.
features which emphasize the solution of intricate scenarios or niche StructurePoint has been supporting and growing alongside the
cases in reinforced concrete design, says the companys Resource global market by meeting the needs of engineers in six continents
Manager, Dana Lee. Our team routinely posts technical notes on our and over 50 countries. While we provide our products and services
website to aid users in accessing the full range of capabilities built into as an essential tool to academic institutions and engineering firms
the software for specific, frequently-encountered cases. Most recently, internationally, we continue to ensure the stability and growth of
we have addressed the effective flexural stiffness for calculation of the our local and national user-base.
critical buckling load of individual columns, as well as concrete type Lee concludes: With the experience and legacy gained over 60
classification based on unit density. These technical notes, among years as PCAs engineering software group, structural engineers
many others, use the latest American (ACI 318-14) concrete codes continue to trust StructurePoint to extend knowledgeable support
and provide multiple options for solutions to fit a range of projects. via consulting engineering services. Engineers everywhere value
These can be found on the Resources page of our website, along with StructurePoint as a gateway to the vast resources and knowledge
various technically-focused tools to aid engineers in completing their base of the cement and concrete industry. The promise of rising
most demanding projects. infrastructure spending in the U.S. economy is creating energy,
Lee would also like SEs to know that their software manuals for excitement, and new opportunities for engineering firms to create
each of the programs within the suite are now easily accessible on proposals and feasibility studies. Clients experiencing this trend
their website in multiple formats. The online versions feature simple are tapping into StructurePoints concrete industry experience
headings and easy navigation, including search and filters to efficiently to relieve heavy workloads, augment their staff, and advise on
access resources such as methods for a solution and dynamic design all of their concrete project estimates, preliminary designs, and
examples. The manuals are also available as PDF files. comparative studies. (See ad on page 32.)
continued on page 33
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National Council of Structural Engineers Associations
2017 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SUMMIT
OCTOBER 1114, 2017 WASHINGTON HILTON WASHINGTON, D.C.
NCSEA invites the best of the structural engineering field to join us in Washington D.C. as we celebrate 25 years of
bringing together structural engineers. The 2017 Structural Engineering Summit features education sessions specific to
structural engineering, including 3 specialized panels and an entire track dedicated to young engineers. Flip to NCSEA
News, pages 62-63, for more information on this years Summit!
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11
8:00-5:00 NCSEA Committee Meetings All Attendees Welcome (See the schedule on www.ncsea.com)
4:30-5:30 Young Member Reception Young Members & NCSEA Board of Directors Only
4:30-5:30 Delegate Reception Delegates & NCSEA Board of Directors Only
5:30-7:00 Welcome Reception All Attendees Welcome
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
7:00-9:00 Delegate Interaction Breakfast Delegates, SEA Leadership & NCSEA Board of Directors Only
8:00-9:00 All Attendee Breakfast
9:00-10:00 Keynote: Shaking Up DC - The Insiders Story
Martina Driscoll, P.E., Principal & Unit Manager, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates and
Terrence Paret, Senior Principal, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
10:00-10:30 Break on the Trade Show Floor
10:30-12:30 ASCE Panel on How to Improve ASCE 7
Ron Hamburger, P.E., S.E., SECB; John Hooper, P.E., S.E. and
Don Scott, S.E.; ASCE/SEI 7 Committee Leadership
12:30-1:30 Lunch on the Trade Show Floor
1:302:30 Concurrent Sessions
Track A Seismic Design of Diaphragms by the Provisions of ASCE 7-16
S. K. Ghosh, Ph.D., S.K. Ghosh Associates, Inc.
Track B NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions
Kevin Moore, C.E., P.E., S.E., Senior Principal, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. and
Charles A. Kircher, Ph.D., P.E., Kircher & Associates
Young Engineer Track
Young Member Mentor Roundtable
Seth Thomas, P.E., S.E., Chair of the NCSEA Young Member Group Support Committee
2:00-5:00 SEA Executive Director Roundtable SEA Executive Directors & SEA Leadership Welcome
Track A SEAOC Wind Design Manual - An Overview
Emily Guglielmo, P.E., S.E., Martin/Martin, Inc and Steve Kerr, S.E., Josephson, Werdowatz & Associates
Track B Solar Photovoltaic Systems in ASCE 7-16
Joseph H. Cain, P.E., Director of Codes & Standards, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
Wind Design Considerations for Joist/Joist Girder Structures
Tim Holtermann, P.E., Canam-Buildings
3:30-4:00 Break
Track A Assessment of Performance-Based Seismic Design Methods in ASCE 41 for New Steel Buildings
John Harris, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., research structural engineer in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
of the Engineering Laboratory (EL), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Track B You Cant Just Delegate Everything Away to Others with Deferred Submittals
Ben Nelson, P.E., Martin/Martin, Inc.

Register now on www.ncsea.com to save $100!
YMGSC-Basics of Shear Wall Design
Moderated by Seth Thomas, P.E., S.E., Chair of the NCSEA Young Member Group Support Committee
5:00 - 6:30 Trade Show Reception
Network with the companies providing structural engineering products and software!
7:00 A Celebration of Structural Engineering at the National Building Museum
Join CSI for a unique celebration of structural engineering, including dinner,
champagne, cocktails, & live music.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13
7:00-9:00 Breakfast on Trade Show Floor All Attendees Welcome
8:00-9:50 Delegate Collaboration Session Delegates, SEA Leadership & NCSEA Board of Directors Only
8:00-9:50 Product Presentations All Attendees Welcome
These brief presentations will provide more information on products or software from our exhibitors.
Track A Cracking Within Existing Concrete Masonry Walls: When Are Calculations Required?
Jose Busquets, P.E., Bracken Engineering
Track B Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3)
Nick Sherrow-Groves, P.E., ARUP and Angie Sommer, S.E., ZFA Structural Engineers
Track A Tall Wood Buildings in the U.S. A Codes and Standards Update
Lori Koch, P.E., American Wood Council
Track B Networking Strategies: Even Introverted Engineers Can Network Effectively!
Jennifer Anderson, Career Coach
12:00-1:00 Lunch on the Trade Show Floor
Track A State of the Practice: Blast Design of Building Facades and Structural Systems
Cliff Jones, P.E., S.E., Project Engineer, Protection Engineering Consultants
Track B Shhh...Its No Secret! Ideas to Help Grow Your Firms Clientele and Advance Your Career
Jana Monforte, Associate and Director of Marketing/Business Development, Wallace Engineering, and
Sarah Appleton, P.E., S.E., Principal, Wallace Engineering
Track A The Structural Innovations of the New Mercedes Benz Stadium
Erleen Hatfield, P.E., S.E., AIA, Buro Happold
Track B Contract Negotiation as a Tool for Managing Project Risk
Gail Kelley, P.E., Esq., LEED AP
3:00-3:30 Break
Track A Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Structures for Mitigation of Progressive Collapse
Aldo McKay, P.E., Protection Engineering Consultants
Track B Applied Business Mechanics Understanding Your Accounting & Financial Systems
John Tawresey, S.E., F.TMS, F.SEI, Chief Financial Officer, KPFF Consulting Engineers
6:00-7:00 Awards Banquet Reception
7:00-10:00 Awards Banquet
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14
8:00-9:00 Breakfast All Attendees Welcome
9:00-12:00 Annual Business Meeting Open to All Attendees
REVITALIZATION
OF THE HANCOCK
OBSERVATORY
By John Peronto, S.E., P.E., SECB, LEED AP
and Christian DeFazio, P.E., LEED AP
I
n early 2013, Thornton Tomasetti
(TT) partnered with colleagues at
Montparnasse 56 (M56), who had
recently purchased the 94 th-floor
observatory in Chicagos iconic John
Hancock Tower, with a plan to modern-
ize and revitalize the experience for its
visitors. The M56 plan involved gutting
and modernizing the interior space and
installing a unique attraction that would
add an adventure element experience for
guests. The concept of tilting patrons
outside the footprint of the tower was
pitched by M56 as a way to provide a
one-of-a-kind thrill, taking full advan-
tage of the Hancock Towers height and
spectacular views of Chicago.
Key Challenges
Designing and constructing a fixed-tilted
exterior curtain wall is no easy task, so
taking that concept to the next level and
developing an operable exterior wall with
the ability to safely hold observatory patrons
was a complex challenge. A steel-framed
operable wall skeleton was developed to pro-
vide a robust and durable system that would
HANCOCKS
be capable of operation 7 days a week. A
steel frame provides excellent fatigue resis-
TILT
tance and element ductility, as well as a clear
load path. Integrated into the steel frame
were structural glass components.
The powered actuation system was also a
direct part of the structures load path, so
full-scale static load proof testing was done
on the actuators to ensure their published
load carrying capabilities. Ergonomics and
patron experience required evaluation to
test the concepts of thrill and comfort.
For this challenge, TT fabricated a full-
scale mockup of a single bay of the Tilt.
This mockup was utilized by surveying the
experiences of both a random sampling of
TT and M56 staff to evaluate the comfort
of the geometry, vertical hand railing, tilt
angle, tilt speed, and tilt motion profiles.

which were posted down to the existing W18 floor beams, comprise
this rigid base platform.
Hydraulic actuators, with 4-inch diameter bores and 2.5-inch diam-
eter rods, are located at three locations overhead and are aligned in
plan with the three lower L-Frame points of rotation. These actuators
are capable of resisting forces over 40,000 pounds and are digitally
controlled with the ability to be programmed for different motion
profiles and push-pull speeds. A hydraulic pumping system was
installed in the mechanical space of the tower core area, which serves
to power the Tilt actuation system. Overhead end-stops comprised
of steel plates and rubber buffers were mounted to the underside of
the existing spandrel beam to prevent over rotation of the L-frame.
These stops are engaged by steel armatures, which are welded to
the top of the L-frame, contacting them if the frame were to rotate
beyond 30 degrees.
With the cyclical nature of the Tilt mechanism, a detailed fatigue
analysis was conducted utilizing both AISC design approaches and
Hancocks tilt. ASME fatigue design approaches like those developed by Shigley.
Special detailing and testing requirements for welded connections and
The final and very important challenge of maintaining the integrity
their base metals were also developed to be in accordance with AISCs
of the world-famous architecture was also addressed by designing
fracture critical detailing requirements and AWS D1.1 requirements
the Tilt structures geometry to mimic the existing exterior wall
for cyclically loaded structures.
expression.
Mechanism and Components Wind Tunnel Testing Program

At a height of 1030 feet above grade, actual wind loads for the design
The Tilt system is a mechanized steel and glass structure that is com-
of Tilt would be much greater than those required by the Chicago
prised of three main components:
3-Dimensional Steel L-Frame
Rigid Steel Platform at the Base
Overhead Actuation System
The 3-D steel frame structure of the Tilt is 27 feet wide and 7 feet
tall and can hold eight patrons at a time, one in each module. The
geometry of this frame fits in one complete bay of the Hancock
Tower and can rotate 30 degrees outward from the face of the towers
exterior. A 30-degree angle was determined to be a point where the
majority of patrons would have their center of gravity outside the exte-
rior face of the tower while
maintaining a reasonable
clear height for patron
modules, as this height is
controlled by rotational
clearance of the L-frame
and the existing structure
of the building. Rotational
joints are located at three
points along the base of the
L-frame and are comprised
of PTFE spherical bearings
with custom machined
AISI 4140 quenched and
tempered hollow sleeve
bolts, each containing
an internal ASTM A320
L7 high-strength bolt for
redundancy. These three
locations serve as the rota-
tional frames anchorage
to the rigid steel platform
at the base. W8 and W6
PTFE rotational joints and redundant pins. wide-flange beam members, Tilt mockup.

Tilt system. Tilt in use.
Building Code and are greatly influenced by the surrounding tall connections and implemented by M56. Each quarter, component
building topography. The Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory and member connections are inspected and maintained, as required,
at the University of Western Ontario was engaged to address this issue to ensure that the Tilts condition is in general conformance with the
and conduct a High-Frequency Pressure Integration test (HFPI) at original design intent. All inspections conducted by M56 are per-
a scale of 1:200 of the top of the Hancock Tower, with the Tilt both formed in conformance with AISC, AWS, and ASTM requirements
open and closed. These loads were then utilized for the design of for cyclically loaded structures.
the Tilt structural steel frame, actuation system, and structural glass
elements. Wind climate data was also utilized to better understand
daily and weekly operational wind speeds, and corresponding wind
The Tilt Experience
pressures, that the Tilt would experience regularly. The Tilt system is an understandable, robust, and regu-
larly maintained structural steel and glass mechanism
that has been offering Chicagoans, and its visitors,
Structural Glass a safe but unique and exhilarating experience in the
The glass elements of the Tilt are assemblies of 38-inch thick fully- much loved John Hancock Tower.
tempered glass panels with DuPont SentryGlas laminate inner layers.
The front elements are comprised of three glass panels and two John Peronto, S.E., P.E., SECB, LEED AP, is an Associate
laminate inner layers, and the side and overhead elements are com- Principal with Thornton Tomasetti. John designed the mechanized
prised of two glass panels and one laminate inner layer. The design Tilt structure, for which he is a Patent Inventor. He can be
of these assemblies was based on the results of the wind tunnel test reached at JPeronto@ThorntonTomasetti.com.
wind pressures, and considering the glass panel assembly as a Glass
Christian DeFazio, P.E., LEED AP, is a Senior Project Engineer
Walkway in accordance with ASTM E2751-11. All panels are con-
with Thornton Tomasetti and served as the Project Manager of
tinuously supported along their edges and were analyzed in both SJ
Tilt through construction. He can be reached at CDeFazio@
MEPLA and ABAQUS to evaluate their performance. The finite
ThorntonTomasetti.com.
element analyses indicated that only two 38-inch thick glass panels
with a single SentryGlas inner layer were required for the front main
elements; however, the third layer was kept at these locations as a
redundant layer for added safety. Project Team
Owner: Montparnasse 56 USA
Inspection and Maintenance Program Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
As the Tilt is a machine in addition to being a structure, a required Contractor: Cupples
regular Quarterly Inspection Program was developed for the steel
Actuation system and overhead end-stops. BLWTL HFPI test model.

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By Katherine Flesh
VERTICAL S
et to be the United Kingdoms second tallest building next
to the Shard skyscraper, 22 Bishopsgate is a 62-story, 912-
foot (278-meter) glass-clad tower that will sit at the center
of a cluster of high rises in Londons Financial District. PLP
Architecture conceptually designed the building, featuring 120,000
VILLAGE
square meters (nearly 1.3 million square feet) of office space, retail
shops, fitness centers, educational facilities, restaurants, and an
open viewing terrace and observatory, in a bid to create the citys
first vertical village. WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff (WSP) was retained
to manage the structural modeling and design, as well as provide
multi-discipline engineering services to ensure sustainability, achieve
a BREEAM excellent rating, and be the first in London to adopt
the WELL Building Standard promoting the health and well-being
of the buildings 12,000 occupants.
The 1.5 Billion (approximately $1.9 Billion US) project required
that 22 Bishopsgate be built on the site of a previously unfin-
ished building, the Pinnacle, where the foundation, basement,
and partially constructed core (called the stump) of this struc-
ture remained. The new tower needed to incorporate the former
Pinnacles foundation and three stories of basement structures. In
addition to the site constraints amid several high-rise buildings, a
tight timeline, and budget requirements, The challenge was to
marry the superstructure, which did not correspond to where the
foundations were, explained WSP structural engineer Diego Padilla
Philipps. The project team used Bentley Systems RAM Structural
System and RAM Concept to provide WSP an integrated BIM
solution to structurally design an efficient building that would be
larger than, and completely different from, the Pinnacle design.
Recycling the Foundation

Working cooperatively with local structural specialists, WSP
chose to demolish the seven-story Pinnacle stump and analyze
the interaction between the new design and the existing basement
and foundation structural elements to determine what could be
salvaged. Said Philipps, We used RAM Concept to analyze the
complicated geometry and export the spring reactions for the piles
from the geotechnical analysis, and tried to make them compat-
ible and interpret how the foundation was going to work. Since
the core footprint of 22 Bishopsgate is larger than the Pinnacle,
the team determined that if they added new raft and pile caps to
adapt the existing supports to transfer the structures weight, they
could establish the additional foundation capacity for the bigger
building while still using 100 percent of the former Pinnacles
foundation. Saving and reusing the existing foundation not only
reduced costs but also minimized impact to the environment on
this multi-use tower project.
Innovative Solutions
Because the footprints for the two buildings did not match, the
team decided that the basement was the best place for the sub-
structure load transfer structures. Using RAM Concept, WSP
STRUCTURE magazine
analyzed and modeled the three basement floors beams, and facilitated seamless collaboration and
to determine how to build around and through information mobility with the client to meet the
them to optimize the transfers. On the north side projects changing demands.
of the structure, the project team designed three Furthermore, the team conducted up to 70 itera-
columns to support the 62 stories. WSP designed tions to achieve the required design. With each
a raft to spread the loads for the three columns into iteration taking one or two engineers a week to
the existing foundations. However, the raft could model, WSP used Revit integrated with RAM,
not support the loads, so the project team used through Bentleys Integrated Structural Modeler,
A-frames to distribute the weight appropriately. to produce drawings and models simultaneously.
Due to the waste management strategy imple- This integrated approach accelerated the struc-
mentation on the south side of the structure, the tural design process, reducing engineering and
team could not use a vertical column going down modeling time from 70 to 43 weeks, a reduction
to the foundation. WSP needed to incorporate an of nearly 40 percent.
inclined column on this side of the structure, with
high-strength cables to tie the column to the core.
Similar to the basement transfers, the superstruc-
Interoperable Technology
ture also required some elements to be transferred Drives Design
using inclined columns. However, while the base-
Using Bentleys interoperable applications for sche-
ments inclined column was tied to the core, the
matics through to construction design provided
superstructure did not lend itself to this type of
efficient and economical solutions within the tight
support because the high-strength cables would
time frame, as well as ensured strict compliance
interfere with the services running through the
with European regulatory codes. The final design
openings at these levels. To resist the lateral forces
for 22 Bishopsgate was a structural steel frame that
generated by an inclination spanning 50 stories
was 15 percent lighter than the Pinnacle design,
high, WSP used RAM Structural System to analyze 22 Bishopsgate Tower.
with an efficient shape housing 30 percent more
and design a horizontal transfer system where the The technology allowed floor space and designed to achieve an excellent
floor plates behaved horizontally. for an efficient building BREEAM rating and promote the health and well-
Having columns at different positions throughout
design. We achieved 100 being of its occupants.
the superstructure, without corresponding founda-
percent re-use of existing
tions in the substructure, required WSP to design
foundations, 50 percent
concrete walls all the way around to transfer the Fast Facts
loads. The integrated software solution WSP used re-use of the existing
basement, and 30 percent 22 Bishopsgate is set to be London Financial
resulted in an innovative design solution that sal-
more building space than Districts tallest building and the citys first verti-
vaged the existing basement structure.
the previous scheme. cal village designed to promote the health and
Andrew Woodward, well-being of its occupants.
BIM Advancements Director, WSP Parsons WSP used RAM to design the structural system of
Brinckerhoff the multi-use tower, incorporating existing struc-
To design the floors and determine the opti-
tural elements from the previous
mal shape of the overall structure, WSP linked
Pinnacle building.
RAM Structural System with Fabsec and Revit. 22 Bishopsgate is one of
The final design was 15 percent
Stated Philipps, At some point in the design of those rare projects that truly
lighter and 30 percent larger than
the project, it was requested that we transfer all showcases the ingenuity
the original Pinnacle design.
the elements to Fabsec... so we integrated RAM of the engineers to deal
with Fabsec. The team used RAM Structural with difficult site conditions Katherine Flesh is the Director of Analytical
System to analyze the steel frame for the floors and demanding program Modeling that leads the marketing strategy and
and exported all the elements to Fabsec for requirements to develop positioning for Bentleys Bridge, Offshore, Pipe Stress,
design. Linking the two technologies allowed a truly innovative solution. Site Optimization and Structural products. She can
for the integrated design of the steel-plated floor Using innovative technology be reached at katherine.flesh@bentley.com.
enabled WSP to consider
over 50 alternate designs,
and address complex 3D
geometric irregularities and
construction conditions to
meet the demands of this
amazing project.
Raoul Karp, Vice
President, Analytical
Modeling Product
Development,
New A frame. Bentley Systems Horizontal trusses to resist push and pull.

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are trademarks of USG Corporation or its affiliates.
P
erched on a bluff along the shore of Puget Sound, Howarth About the time that this bridge was built, weathering steel was very pop-
Park is a heavily wooded and frequently used public park ular for bridges and other structures throughout the country. However,
in Everett, Washington. With its spectacular views of the some issues were starting to come to light and, in 1989, the Federal
Sound and small beach at the waters edge, the park is very Highway Administration (FHWA) published a Technical Advisory,
popular. However, like most of the eastern shore of Puget Sound Uncoated Weathering Steel in Structures, which presented guidelines for
north of Seattle, the actual beachfront is cut off from the uplands by the proper use of weathering steel. This document outlines several situ-
the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad line. The public ations in which weathering steel is not recommended. Unfortunately,
must cross a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks and descend several of these situations could exactly describe the Howarth Park
down to the beach level on a wooden stair tower to access the beach. pedestrian bridge. FHWA guidelines include: 1) weathering steel should
not be used where the atmo-
sphere is wet for long periods
The Existing of time; 2), weathering steel
Bridge should not be used in a marine
environment; and 3) weather-
The existing pedestrian
ing steel should not be used
bridge is a nine-foot tall,
where site conditions dont
eight-foot wide, two-span
allow rapid drying, or where
steel box truss structure that
detailing may cause trapping
spans 49 feet from the hillside
of water on the steel surface.
abutment to its center steel
All of these conditions exist
support tower, and then 80
at the site of this structure,
feet across the BNSF tracks.
located on a bluff overlooking
This bridge, built in 1987
the Puget Sound.
to replace an earlier timber
bridge, was constructed
entirely of weathering steel The Existing
tubular sections. It was
designed and built by a large
Conditions
national bridge design-build The owner was concerned
firm and was constructed about the condition of the
economically, with small, bridge, as some excessive
thin-walled hollow structural corrosion of the truss mem-
sections (HSS). Many of the bers had been observed near
HSS truss members were 18- the hillside abutment. That
or 316-thick. It is likely that end of the bridge is shielded
weathering steel was chosen from the drying action of
for its natural weather pro- the wind by surrounding
tection and low maintenance trees and vegetation as well
attributes. as the abutment itself. KPFF
was requested to perform an
assessment of the integrity
Weathering Steel of the existing bridge. It
Weathering steel is often was decided that a survey
referred to by the trade name of remaining steel thick-
of Cor-Ten, or Corten as ness should be conducted
originally produced by the on representative members
By Greg Schindler, S.E. and Sara Roberts, S.E.
US Steel Corp. It is available throughout the structure.
in various ASTM standards, Bridge walkway with new FRP decking. This was based on visual
including A588 and A847 observation of the members
(for pipe and tubes shapes), and has a special chemical makeup that and the knowledge that the original thickness of the steel members
causes the surface to develop a protective oxide patina that can reduce was thin. Mayes Testing Engineers conducted ultrasonic testing of
or eliminate the need for a protective coating. Initially, this patina the HSS section thicknesses of selected members of all parts of the
develops similarly to corrosion of normal carbon steel. However, once bridge structure.
the patina stabilizes, it forms a dense barrier between the base metal The primary members of the box truss the chords, diagonals, and
and the external elements. Some additional corrosion continues over cross beams all were found to have minimal loss of section. The
the life of the structure but at a very slow rate. Thus, the patina protects protective patina seemed to be performing as intended. The walk-
the steel from the atmosphere. The successful use of weathering steel ing surface of the bridge consisted of 3x12 timbers laid across three
depends on several factors, but key among them is one crucial design HSS 4x3x18-inch longitudinal stringers, which in turn rested on HSS
concept the steel must be allowed to dry fully between wettings. If 5x3x316 cross beams at the truss bottom chord panel points. When
the steel is used in conditions that cause it to stay wet for long periods some of the timbers were removed to test the HSS stringer members,
of time, the oxidation process continues beyond the protective patina it was discovered that many had corroded so badly that large holes
stage, and detrimental corrosion will develop. were present on the top faces. This was the result of a design detail
Bridge during repair. New FRP deck framing.
that allowed the wood members to prohibit drying of the steel surface. welded to the tops of the existing cross beams and the FRP Cs
Also, the timbers were bolted to the stringers with bolts tapped into were bolted to these.
the steel tubes. This allowed water to make its way into the tubes, The only members of the existing primary steel box truss that
corroding them from the inside. In addition, there was a lot of sand were replaced with new weathering steel were a few lower chord
trapped in the joints between the timber walking surface members. diagonals and cross beams near the abutment end of the pedes-
The foot traffic from the beach delivered a continuous supply of trian bridge. These members, as well as strategic portions of the
chloride-laden beach sand to the steel surface. As a result of this dis- existing steel structure where there was a possibility of continu-
covery, the bridge was immediately closed to the public and a design ous wet conditions, were coated with a high-performance paint
commenced to replace the degraded members. system. In keeping with current common practice, the overall
approach was to paint weathering steel in portions of the bridge
where excessive moisture or inadequate air flow was likely.
Repair Design The chosen FRP decking has a T section with small spaces at
Several types of decking were investigated as options to replace the walking surface. This shape is often used near pools and
the timbers, and it was determined that Fiberglass Reinforced other places where people walk barefoot. It was chosen for the
Plastic (FRP) T-bar pultruded grating would provide the best Howarth Park project to minimize the possibility of pedestrians
alternative as it is weather resistant, non-corroding, and light- dropping small items through the cracks onto the active railroad
weight. The open cross-section allows unrestricted air flow to lines below. Also, to minimize the buildup of sand on the remain-
the steel truss members. Initially, the repair design intended to ing steel cross beams and diagonals below the deck, flat sheets
replace the corroded stringers with new weathering steel HSS of -inch FRP were installed above those members as sloped
sections. During discussions with the FRP grating supplier, sand shields to shed the sand that falls through the grating.
Fibergrate Composite Structures, it became apparent that a better Another benefit of using FRP members to replace existing
long-term solution would be to use FRP structural members for members is that FRP is lightweight, an important factor for an
the stringers. The three HSS 4x3 deck stringers were replaced existing structure with little reserve capacity. The repair approach
with four stringers of 6-inch by 38-inch double FRP C-shapes, decreased the weight imposed on the structure, as well as the
also provided by Fibergrate. New weathering steel tabs were seismic mass.
continued on page 47
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An additional consideration in choosing
light weight FRP members to replace
existing ones is that the Howarth Park
pedestrian bridge is in a remote loca-
tion, with limited access. The remote
site meant that the contractor, Forma
Construction, was required to hand-carry
all construction materials and equipment
to the site. Very little field welding was
required in the new design, and the FRP
Typical corrosion in steel
members were connected with stainless
stringers. steel bolts or self-tapping screws. The
sand shields were connected with stain-
less steel gauge metal clips normally used for wood construction. The
entire project was accomplished with hand tools.
The FRP supplier produced shop drawings for the members, similar
to steel fabrication drawings. Once construction started, the process Completed project.
went smoothly. The biggest challenge on the project turned out to
be the lengthy process of getting approvals from the railroad to work Project Team
over a highly trafficked, active railway.
Owner: City of Everett Parks and Recreation
Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers, Seattle, WA
Conclusion Testing Agency: Mayes Testing Engineers, Inc., a Terracon
Company, Lynnwood, WA
Over the course of its 30 years, a majority of the Howarth Park
Contractor: Forma Construction, Olympia and Seattle, WA
pedestrian bridge weathering steel members performed as intended
FRP Structural Sections: Fibergrate Composite Structures
with regard to corrosion, despite being located in a marine envi-
ronment. Only where detailing or natural shielding of the bridge
prevented adequate drying of the steel
did the steel corrosion continue to a
DO YOU VALUE INTEGRITY?

dangerous state. With weathering
steel, proper design and detailing to
allow air circulation and thus drying
cycles is essential. The choice to replace
some weathering steel members with At Fibergrate, we do.
FRP members allowed for efficient
design and construction. Typically,
FRP is used in caustic environments

such as chemical plants or proxim-
ity to salt water, but the use of FRP
structural members for this pedestrian
bridge repair enabled the work to be KNOW FRP. KNOW EXPERIENCE. KNOW FIBERGRATE.
completed effi ciently with corro- Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic 50+ years manufacturing Engineering services
sion-resistant materials. The bridge and supplying FRP solutions
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Greg Schindler, S.E., is an Associate

at KPFF, Seattle. He is also a Past
President of NCSEA and is a member
of the STRUCTURE magazine
Editorial Board. Greg can be contacted
at greg.schindler@kpff.com. Dont compromise your integrity.
Sara Roberts, S.E., is a Principal at
Specify Fibergrate FRP today.
KPFF, Seattle. Sara can be contacted To learn more, visit www.fibergrate.com
at sara.roberts@kpff.com. 800.527.4043 | info@fibergrate.com

Historic G
ustav Lindenthal, a leading pro-
ponent of continuous bridges,
finished his Sciotoville Bridge
structures
(STRUCTURE, May 2017)
in August 1917. In late 1922, a call went
out to the largest and best-known engi-
neers of the country to design three bridges
(the Burnside, Ross Island, and Sellwood)
significant structures of the past
across the Willamette River in Portland,
Oregon. A group consisting of Ira Hedrick
and Robert Kremers (Kremers was the local
connection and had previously worked as
an Engineer for the City) was awarded
the contract to design the three bridges.
Hedrick had been in partnership with J. A. Ross Island Bridge. Courtesy of HAER.
L. Waddell up to 1907 when he went on
his own. When announced, the local newspaper in the Engineering News-Record, to which the
wrote, under the headline Good Team to Build Strong & McNaughton Trust Co. had called
Bridges, By awarding the contract for engineer- my attention in their telegrams, I thought the
ing on the Burnside and Ross Island bridges to matter important enough to assist you with any
Hedrick and Kremers, the county commissioners professional advice I could give. The telegrams
have lived up to their pledge to cover all that needs to be said at present in a
employ a local engineer and business way.
Ross Island Bridge

at the same time have secured Hedricks design for the Ross Island Bridge was
the services of an engineer of for six reinforced concrete arches of 267 feet span
wide experience with large rising to 135 feet above the river, joined on each
structures of the kind proposed side by approaches of the girder and post type
By Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist. and of high reputation. and with a total length of 4,122 feet, including
M.ASCE, D.Eng., P.E., P.L.S. By early 1924, Hedrick and Kremers had a fill 400 feet long.
designed concrete bridges for Ross Island and Lindenthals report came out on July 7, 1924,
Burnside, and planned to reuse parts of the exist- with the Oregonian headline, Dr. G. Lindenthal
ing Burnside Bridge to build the Sellwood Bridge. to Build Bridges, County Board Ousts Hedrick
Bids were called for in March for the Ross Island. and Kremers from Job, Change in plans urged,
Three bids were received with the Pacific Bridge Revised Structures for Sellwood and Ross Island Are
Company coming in low at $414,000, well below Considered by Engineer. The paper then printed
the second bidder, the Missouri Valley Bridge excerpts from Lindenthals report, calling him
& Company. On the Ross Island Bridge, only the worlds greatest engineer. After indicating
one bid came within the estimate. Hedrick and that Hedrick and Kremers would receive another
Kremers recommended that the bids should be $25,000 for their work, it reported Lindenthal
Dr. Frank Griggs, Jr. specializes rejected and the work re-advertised. had been awarded a contract for a major redesign
in the restoration of historic The Commission voted to accept the tainted of the Ross Island Bridge as well as the other two
bridges, having restored many 19th bids, which resulted in political turmoil. A bridges. His contract was for $119,000 for the
Century cast and wrought iron recall election was held, and three members three designs and supervision of construction, and
bridges. He was formerly Director of the County Commission were removed was signed on July 11, 1924. On November 4,
of Historic Bridge Programs for from office for gross irregularities in the bid- 1924, the County voters approved an additional
Clough, Harbour & Associates ding on the bridge. A new board was elected. $500,000 for the bridges.
LLP in Albany, NY, and is now an This new Board had little trust in the team of In his report, Lindenthal told the board that
Independent Consulting Engineer. Hedrick and Kremers and began looking for an there were four conditions to ensure a bridge was
Dr. Griggs can be reached at engineer of national reputation to advise them appropriate and adequate. They were Location,
fgriggsjr@verizon.net. on the designs of the bridges. They contacted Traffic Capacity, Structural Character, and, for
Lindenthal, who initially did not want to get a city bridge, the Architectural Features, in the
involved in what was becoming a political free order named. Lindenthal stated, regarding the
for all. He eventually relented and wrote, Just Ross Island Bridge, I recommend that the plans
for the record, I beg to enclose copies of tele- for this bridge be entirely redesigned for the fol-
grams received and sent in the matter of the lowing reasons:
proposed examination of plans for the three 1) It is doubtful whether the bridge on the
bridges named therein. I confess that I first present plans could be built within the
felt disinclined to undertake this long trip in amount appropriated for it.
the midst of pressing engagements, but after 2) The borings in the river bottom indicate
reading the account of your bridge situation an irregular stratification of sand and
48 August 2017
gravel which, in my judgment, does The central span was 535 feet with the Pomeroy, Inc. It opened December 1, 1926,
not offer sufficient security against two 321-foot flanking spans on each side. at the cost of just less than $2,000,000.
the uneven settlement of the pier Simple girder deck spans formed the long It was completely rehabbed in 2002 at
foundations proposed to be sunk by approach viaducts on each side of the river. the cost of $12,500,000. A cable-stayed
the air process. A slight settlement The central three spans were continuous bridge just upstream, the Tilikum Bridge,
which would not endanger a low over four supports. The outer flanking spans was opened in 2015.
structure may be enough to seriously were simply supported trusses, 321 feet Lindenthals Sellwood bridge, built at
endanger high piers and high concrete long. The total length of the bridge was the same time, was a continuous bridge
arches which require a greater degree 3,649 feet with a deck width of 43 feet. The over four spans. The two interior spans
of safety for their foundation. No fixed bearing was on the right side of the were 300 feet long, and the flanking spans
chances should be taken with the central span with the others being expan- were 246 feet long. It carried two lanes
foundations for high concrete arches. sion bearings. The bridge was on a vertical plus a sidewalk over the Willamette River.
3) The axis of the bridge should, if curve with the grade on the approach spans Its cost was $541,000. It was replaced in
possible, be on a straight line and on each side being 2.5%. The four flanking 2016. These two bridges, plus the Burnside
for better appearance, the hump in spans were built on falsework. Bridge (a bascule span) were the last bridges
the roadway over the river hold be Each half of the long center span was built Lindenthal worked on, even though he con-
taken out. For that purpose, the clear out as a cantilever and connected at the tinued to promote his Hudson River Bridge
height over the channel should be center by a pin. Under dead and full live until his death in 1935.
reduced 135 feet to about 80 feet I load, they acted as two determinate canti- In the July 1932 issue of Civil Engineering
am informed that an act of Congress levers, similar to the Queensboro Bridge. Magazine, Lindenthal wrote an article
authorizing such lowered height In fact, some commentators called this an entitled, Bridges with Continuous Girders,
will be necessary, but that it can be inverted Queensboro as it also didnt have Reviewing Half a Century of Experience in
obtained without much delay when a suspended span. Under unbalanced live American Practice. In it, he gave a summary of
desired by the people. load, the bridge acted as a fully continu- his efforts over the years to promote continu-
A notice to contractors on the completely ous bridge, and the member loading was ous truss bridges. He was 82 years old at that
redesigned Ross Island Bridge went out on determined using elastic methods. The steel time and still contributing to the literature
April 25, 1925, and bids were due back by was fabricated by the American Bridge of bridge building. Lindenthal was rightfully
May 18, 1925. Company and was erected by Booth and called the Dean of American Bridge Builders.
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Professional issues issues affecting the structural engineering profession
Compensation, Overtime, and the Gender Pay Gap

Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee Survey Results
By Angie Sommer, S.E. and Nick Sherrow-Groves, P.E.
I
n Part 1 of this series (STRUCTURE, April 2017), the results
of the 2016 SE3 Study focused on overall career satisfaction,
development, and advancement. This article highlights survey
findings regarding compensation, overtime, and the gender pay
gap. A full report that includes findings on work-life balance, flexibility
benefits, and caregiving can be found at SE3project.org/full-report.
Compensation
Respondents overall indicated that pay and compensation were the
top reasons that they had considered leaving the structural engineer-
ing profession or leading reasons why they had left the profession.
When asked to rate their satisfaction with pay/compensation, 20%
of the respondents reported being unsatisfied or very unsatisfied. Figure 1. Average income vs. years of experience (all respondents).
The average income of all respondents currently practicing struc-
tural engineering is $106,800 per year. Pay data were received from For comparison, nationwide data, collected by the U.S. Bureau of
1,955 respondents. Because nearly half of the respondents were from Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2015, show that the mean annual wage
California, where the cost of living is higher than in most other parts for a civil engineer in the architecture, engineering, and related
of the country, income data for this group is noted separately. The services category was $88,820 (in California, the mean annual wage
average income of all of the respondents from California is $117,600 was $100,980) (BLS, 2016b). The BLS calculates annual wages
per year. by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a year-round, full-time
As a snapshot of income during the careers of respondents, the average figure of 2,080 hours. For those occupations where there is not an
income of a structural engineer with five years of experience is $78,900 hourly wage published, the annual wage is directly calculated from
per year (in California, the average is $89,000). The average income the reported survey data. The BLS does not report information on
of a structural engineer with 15 years of experience is $110,600 per structural engineers specifically.
year (in California, the average is $118,700). Pay data of the survey In comparison with the average income of all practicing survey
respondents is also shown in Figures 1 and 2. For this survey, income respondents to the mean annual wages reported by the BLS, SE3
is defined as gross annual income, including bonuses. Note that the survey respondents reported approximately 20% higher income than
data includes part-time employees who work fewer than 40 hours the BLS data, some of which is likely due to the inclusion of bonuses
per week, which accounted for 110 respondents (6%). in the SE3 survey responses. Additionally, SE3 data may be more
Considering only full-time employees residing in metropolitan cities, highly weighted by California responses than BLS data.
respondents in California reported income 21% higher than those A 2013 Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) survey reported the
living outside California. However, when income is normalized to average salary of respondents to be $85,500 per year, based on 728
cost of living data (as reported by the Council for Community and responses from throughout the United States (Leong et al., 2013).
Economic Research, http://coli.org), respondents in California make This average salary also excluded bonuses and is therefore noted to
7% less than those outside California. be a similar finding to BLS data, especially considering inflation.
Figure 2. Average income by position title. Figure 3. Compensation for overtime.

Gender Pay Gap
A significant pay gap was reported between genders. Out of 1,401
men and 553 women who provided pay data, women reported
making $27,500 per year less than men, on average, which amounts
to women making approximately 75% of the salaries of their male
colleagues. When controlling for years of experience and full-time
employment, men still reported making significantly more money
than women.
For example, for full-time employees, men with 14-17 years of
experience made $7,900 per year more than women, and men with
18-20 years of experience made $41,200 per year more than women,
as shown in Figure 4.
When broken down by position, a similar trend persisted, though
the gender pay gap widened significantly starting at the senior engi-
neer/project manager level. A $9,000 pay gap was present for senior
engineers/project managers, a $12,000 pay gap was present for associ-
Figure 4. Income vs. years of experience (full-time only).
ates/shareholders, and a $52,000 pay gap was present for principals/
owners, as shown in Figure 5. Further analyses were performed based
on a variety of factors (location, position, full-time employment, firm
size, with/without children), and in all cases, the gender pay gap was
found to exist.
Additionally, because nearly half of respondents were from California,
the gender pay gap within this state was also reviewed. The pay gap
was found to be less pronounced in California as compared to the
overall data set, but it was still present.
The 2013 SEI survey found that the average annual salary for women
was 78% of that reported by men. Similar to the SE3 data, the pay
gap widened as the number of years of experience increased.
Angie Sommer is an associate at ZFA Structural Engineers in

Figure 5. Average income by title and gender.
San Francisco, California. She is the primary author of the 2016
SEAONC SE3 Survey Report and is the 2016-17 co-chair of the
SEAONC SE3 Committee. She can be reached at angies@zfa.com.
Hours Worked and Overtime
Nick Sherrow-Groves is a senior engineer at the San Francisco office of
Employees who work extra hours are more likely to consider leaving
Arup. He is the 2016-17 co-chair of the SEAONC SE3 Committee
the profession. For each additional hour worked per week over 40, the
and can be reached at nick.sherrow-groves@arup.com.
odds of an employee considering leaving the profession were found to
be 4% higher. This points to a tendency for
people to burn out when their workload
is consistently over 40 hours per week.
Additionally, satisfaction with pay and ben- Connect Steel to Steel without
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Interestingly, those who reported being
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T
here are three aspects of field Quality the conformance of the construction with the
Assurance for construction projects: structural design intent, bridging the gap left
Inspection by the Building Official, between the Building Officials responsibility
Special Inspection by the owners for conformance with the building code and
InSIghtS special inspection agency, and Structural

Observation performed by the Engineer of
Record (EOR) or his/her designee. All three of
these functions are important and non-redun-
the Special Inspectors more focused attention
on the elements of the structure. The structural
observer would be looking for continuity of
load path, conformance to structural details,
new trends, new techniques
dant. As the scale and complexity of a project appropriate usage of typical details, and arrange-
and current industry issues increases, the more important it becomes that ment of reinforcing, anchors, and connections,
all three functions are provided. all with the benefit of the understanding of the
By definition, the Building Official is charged engineering behind the design.
with the administration and enforcement of the The requirement for situational structural
building code. As part of their responsibility, observation has been in the IBC from its incep-
they will make various inspections related to tion, as well as in the previous model building
foundations, floor slabs, and framing (usu- codes. Section 1704.6 of the 2015 IBC code
ally wood) in addition to other non-structural requires a registered design professional, typically
inspections as defined in Chapter 1 Section the EOR or an appropriate designee, to perform
110 of the International Building Code (IBC). structural observation only in high wind or seis-
The Building Officials inspections are not for mic loading situations. Structural observation
the purpose of counting reinforcing bars or is not mandated by code for any other condi-
confirming weld tions regardless of structure size, height, use, or
sizes, but rather occupancy. For example, a high-rise building
Structural Observation
are more con- in New York City does not require structural
cerned about the observation, while it would be required for a
overall compli- two-story office building in San Francisco.
ance of the work Many engineers believe that structural obser-
Confirming Your Intentions with, and as required by, the Building Code. vation is warranted in many structures beyond
Many Building Officials delegate or rely on those in high seismic or wind situations. Having
and the Interpretation by other professionals (the EOR) and inspectors the engineer who is familiar with the structural
Others (the Special Inspector) to provide confirmation design look at the construction, in addition to the
that the completed structure is in compliance special inspectors, is beneficial for any structure,
By Greg Robinson, S.E., P.E., with the building code and approved construc- especially large, tall, high occupancy, or other
SECB and Greg Schindler, tion drawings. important facilities. Many reputable engineering
P.E., S.E. Special Inspection is a detailed inspection of firms realize that it is in their best interest, as well
individual members, components, and framing as the owners, to have a larger presence at the
systems assembled by the contractor using the construction site. They promote the observation
approved construction drawings as a reference. of the structure by their staff, regardless of the
The Special Inspector is a qualified person who code requirements. The engineer who designed
Greg Robinson is a Principal with has knowledge and expertise that will ensure that the structure can often find issues that may not
LBYD, Inc. in Birmingham, AL. the constructed items conform to the construc- be recognized by the contractor or the inspectors.
He is the Chair of the NCSEA tion drawings. The Special Inspector is limited In 2016, the Structural Engineers Association
Code Advisory Subcommittee on to interpreting the drawings and is testing and of Northern California published Guidelines for
Special Inspections and Quality inspecting only those items speci-
Assurance and is a Past President fied in the Statement of Special
of NCSEA. Greg can be contacted Inspections. Further, the Special
at grobinson@lbyd.com. Inspector provides detailed verifi-
cation of the quality, quantity, and
Greg Schindler is an Associate
placement of critical structural ele-
with KPFF Consulting Engineers
ments such as structural materials,
in Seattle, WA. He is a member
fasteners, reinforcement, welds,
of the NCSEA Code Advisory
and more.
Subcommittee on Special
Structural Observation is
Inspections and Quality Assurance,
defined in the IBC as the visual
is also a Past President of NCSEA,
observation of the structural
and serves on the Editorial Board
system by a Registered Design
of STRUCTURE magazine.
Professional (the EOR) for
Greg can be contacted at
general conformance with the
greg.schindler@kpff.com.
construction documents. More
importantly, this is the opportu-
nity for the EOR to determine
52 August 2017
Special Inspection and Structural Observation 1) The structure is classified as Risk to have Structural Observations
in Accordance with the 2013 California Category IV. anywhere in the country. High-
Building Code. This document provides an 2) The structure is a high-rise building. rise buildings are defined as those
excellent overview of both inspection and 3) When so designated by the registered buildings taller than 75 feet.
observation, and includes the following design professional responsible for the Both the EOR and Building Official have
explanation: structural design. the option to specify when Structural
Structural Observation focuses on the build- 4) When such observation is specifically Observations are required.
ings structural system, rather than on the required by the building official. The last point is significant. Previously, the
use of particular materials or processes. It is 1704.6.2 Structural observations for seismic EOR had limited control over when Structural
typically performed by the engineer-of-record, resistance. Structural observations shall be pro- Observations were required on a project.
is non-continuous, and uses visual means vided for those structures assigned to Seismic Design NCSEA worked with several Building Officials
only to determine if the construction is in Category D, E, or F where one or more of the at the recent code hearings. Those individu-
general conformance with the intent of the following conditions exist: als in the discussion agreed that the option for
plans and specifications. In contrast, special 1) The structure is classified as Risk either the EOR or Building Official to specify
inspections are comprehensive, systematic, Category III. Structural Observation was a good and neces-
and detailed, with a focus on materials, 2) The structure is assigned to Seismic sary code provision. The structural panel at the
workmanship, and processes. Design Category E, is classified as Risk code hearing agreed.
During the current code update cycle for the Category I or II, and is greater than two Structural Observations bridge an important
2018 IBC, the Special Inspection and Quality stories above the grade plane. gap between what the Building Official and the
Assurance Subcommittee of the Code Advisory 1704.6.3 Structural observations for wind Special Inspector review. Even the best draw-
Committee of NCSEA proposed a change to resistance. Structural observations shall be ings can be misinterpreted and may not convey
the Structural Observation requirements that provided for those structures sited where Vult is the importance or critical nature of a portion
would expand the types of projects that would 130 mph or greater and where the structure is of the design. Structural Observations provide
require Structural Observation. The anticipated classified as Risk Category III. an opportunity for the EOR to confirm their
IBC 2018 code language is as follows: The key differences are as follows: design intentions and proper interpretations
1704.6.1 Structural observations for structures. Structural Observation was only of the drawings. The EOR,
Structural observations shall be provided for those required for high wind or seismic using their best judgment, can
structures where one or more the following condi- areas. Now all high-rise and Risk now specify when to require
tions exist: Category IV structures are required Structural Observations.
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Structural licenSure issues related to the regulation of structural engineering practice
Second Order Effects and Structural Licensure

By Timothy M. Gilbert, P.E., S.E. SECB
T
he NCSEA Structural Licensure that tax changes can influence behavior, not structural licensure are concerned with
Committee, like many of us, occa- merely affect revenue. If structural licensure other potential second order effects. The
sionally takes stock to reflect and provisions are passed in a jurisdiction, the potential for increased fees, a possible lim-
make resolutions for the future. effects will extend beyond limiting who may ited availability of service providers, and a
Over the past few years, the Committee perform structural engineering and this reduction in the number seeking to practice
has advocated for structural licensure in is why the NCSEA Structural Licensure are sometimes cited as reasons for opposing
various ways: articles, newsletters, member Committee supports its implementation. structural licensure.
surveys, presentations, and communication Saving lives is the most significant second These conceptual second order effects
with other organizations. Though structural order effect of structural licensure. By estab- center around the idea that structural
licensure has yet to be established in many lishing a standard specifically developed licensure is an obstruction to business
jurisdictions, NCSEA continues to believe its for structural engineering, the practice, as practices. This contention parallels debate
implementation would offer better protec- related to significant structures, would be held decades ago about the establishment
tion to the public and ultimately save lives. limited to individuals who have demon- of licensure for engineers. Research has
These reflections led to the conclusion that strated the requisite qualifications. shown that the passage of licensure for
the second order effects of the Committees Increasing complexity of both current engineers did not result in these adverse
actions are worth the investment of our time designs and building codes combine to effects (http://goo.gl/rNzgL9). The
and, in the coming years, continual support compound their effects, yielding circum- NCSEA Structural Licensure Committee
of the mission: stances where the testing protocols to obtain contends that, like engineering licensure,
The Licensing Committee works with the an engineering license do not align with structural licensure would not have these
Member Organizations to influence states structural engineering practice as applied adverse effects. Those who practice capa-
to adopt consistent licensing laws and rules to complex design. Partly in recognition bly and responsibly are likely to have few
in the interest of public safety, especially of this discrepancy, NCEES created the concerns with attaining structural licen-
relating to licensure of structural engineers. 16-hour Structural Exam. In the instances sure and would contribute to a competitive
Second-order effects are a typical consid- where a structural design has the potential marketplace.
eration in structural analysis. It recognizes for significant impact on the public, the To further allay concerns, the Committee
that, as structures deflect under loads, Committee favors a requirement that the advocates for a robust grandfathering
deformations can cause the initial loads to engineer has demonstrated sufficient profi- provision that would allow currently
induce further stresses into the structure. ciency in structural engineering. Structural qualified structural engineers to con-
These induced stresses are the second order licensure would provide a means for engi- tinue practicing while providing a path
forces and moments arising from the struc- neers to demonstrate proficiency in the forward for younger engineers based on
tures initial response to first order loads. In subject to the public. the NCEES 16 hour Structural Exam. The
a stable structure, the second order effects One might ask what evidence supports rationale for such a transition mechanism
are self-limiting the second order deflec- this assertion. In a recent incident, one has been well reviewed in past editions of
tions are small enough that they do not worker was killed and 20 were injured when STRUCTURE magazine.
continue to amplify. Unstable structures a Jacksonville, Florida parking garage col- As with structural analysis, a careful con-
exhibit a different behavior; second order lapsed while it was under construction. sideration of second order effects is prudent
deflections are large enough to induce even Investigations revealed that the design was in many endeavors. In the case of structural
larger forces, leading to greater and greater inadequate. Some columns did not have suf- licensure, we believe that the
deflections and ultimately to collapse. ficient strength to support the dead weight lives saved by second order
Second order effects are not merely a struc- of the structure alone, without any live or effects are why it deserves the
tural concern. These effects arise in a wide environmental loads. OSHA has a thorough professions support as well.
variety of endeavors. In a simple example, discussion of the investigation available
Timothy M. Gilbert is a Project Specialist
a decision to save money for vacation has for review (http://goo.gl/IvNUoI). The
for TimkenSteel in Canton, OH. He is
first order effects leading to less disposable Florida Board of Professional Engineers
also the current Past-President for SEAoO
income. Having less disposable income, a determined that the structural engineer of
and chairs its Structural Licensure
person or family might choose to go for record bears a significant responsibility for
Committee. He may be reached at
walks in the evening rather than out to the accident (http://goo.gl/iIv07j). Had
tgilbert.pe@gmail.com.
dinner, leading to the second order effect structural licensure been established there,
of losing weight. Similarly, legislation can it is much less likely that this tragedy would
also have second-order effects that stretch have taken place. This is an update to an article, by the same
beyond the laws strict wording. It is com- Saving lives is a second order effect author, that originally appeared in the
monly noted by legislators and economists with positive results. Some opponents of February 2015 SEAoO Newsletter.

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LegaL PersPectives discussion of legal issues of interest to structural engineers
A Further Look at Consent to Assignment Agreements

By Gail S. Kelley, P.E., Esq.
C
onsent to Assignment for engi- which is one of the contracts referred to in the to Assignment until the owner is arranging
neers, also referred to as an Assignment of Agreements, Licenses, Permits the construction loan; this may be weeks or
Acknowledgement and Consent or and Contracts (the Assignment) between even months after the design agreement was
a will-serve letter, is usually drafted Borrower and _____ (Lender), hereby signed. However, some design agreements
by the bank providing construction financing acknowledges and consents to the terms of contain a simple, one-paragraph statement
for a project. A typical consent requires the engi- the Assignment. of consent, using language such as:
neer to agree that the bank can exercise the rights If, as is usual, the engineer does not know the Engineer agrees that if Developer defaults under
it has acquired through an assignment from terms of the Assignment, it is not reasonable the provisions of this Agreement, Engineer shall,
the owner; among these rights will be the right to expect the engineer to sign a document stat- if requested, continue to perform its obligations
to assume the design agreement if the owner ing that it agrees to the terms. The engineer under this Agreement for Lender. Lender shall
defaults on the construction loan. Prior articles is agreeing to the assignment of the design agree in writing to perform all obligations of
(June and July 2017, STRUCTURE magazine) agreement; the above provision should be Developer after the date Lender succeeds to
looked at key concerns with respect to consent edited as follows: Developers rights and obligations.
agreements, specifically whether the lender is hereby acknowledges and consents to assign- As written, the above provision only requires
required to pay outstanding amounts due to the ment of the design agreement. the lender to pay the engineer for services
engineer, whether the lender has the right to use provided after the lender assumes the agree-
the plans and specifications if it does not assume ment; the lender has no obligation to pay any
the design agreement, and what information or
Collateral Assignment outstanding amounts owed to the engineer.
certifications the lender is entitled to. This article Often, the consent will state that the design At a minimum, the above provision should
looks at some of the other provisions commonly agreement is being used as collateral for the be edited as follows:
found in these agreements. loan. There may, for example, be a provision ...Lender shall agree in writing to perform
stating: all obligations of Developer including pay-
As a condition to Lender making the Loan to ment of all outstanding amounts due to
The Assignment Borrower, Lender has required that Borrower Engineer.
When the owner is a public or quasi-public collaterally assign the Contract to Lender pur- The language in AIA B101 can also be used
entity such as a city or a water district, the suant to the Assignment of Contracts made as a guide. Before 1987, the AIA owner-archi-
document that the engineer is asked to sign by Borrower for the benefit of Lender (the tect agreements prohibited assignment of the
may include the actual assignment. In such Assignment). agreement without the consent of the other
cases, the form may start with an introductory The assignment may, in fact, be called a party. However, the 1987 and subsequent
paragraph such as: Collateral Assignment. This does not create versions of these agreements have included
THIS ASSIGNMENT OF ENGINEERS an obligation on the engineer or affect the an exception for assignments to the lender, in
CONTRACT AND ENGINEERS engineers rights, however. Even when the recognition of the fact that such assignments
AGREEMENT AND CONSENT TO assignment is not specifically referred to are common.
ASSIGNMENT (this Assignment) is as a Collateral Assignment, it is likely that Section 10.3 of AIA B101-2017 states:
made as of _____ by and between _____ the lender is considering the design agree- ...Neither the Owner nor the Architect shall
(Borrower) and _____ (Engineer) for ment as collateral. Lenders generally want assign this Agreement without the written con-
the benefit of _____ (Lender). a security interest in all of the project assets sent of the other, except that the Owner may
In such cases, the document creates obliga- as collateral for the financing; this includes assign this Agreement to a lender providing
tions for both the owner (the borrower) and not just the physical assets of the project but financing for the Project if the lender agrees
the engineer, so both parties must sign it. also the design agreements, construction con- to assume the Owners rights and obligations
Typically, however, if the owner is a private tracts, supply agreements, and easements. under this Agreement, including any pay-
entity, the engineer will not be provided with The Assignment itself will generally contain ments due to the Architect by the Owner prior
the assignment; it is simply asked to acknowl- wording such as: to the assignment.
edge that the assignment must occur before FOR VALUE RECEIVED, and as additional Thus, the owner can assign the agreement
the loan is closed. In most cases, the lender security for the Loan, Borrower hereby trans- to its lender without obtaining the A/Es con-
will require that the contractor, the architect, fers, assigns and grants a security interest in sent, provided the lender assumes all of the
and other key consultants also agree that their favor of Lender, in all of the rights of Borrower owners obligations, including outstanding
contracts can be assigned and may list all in its contract with _____ (Engineer) dated payments. If the lender requires the A/E to
of the contracts to be assigned in a single _____. execute (sign) a consent agreement, 10.4 of
document. The consent may then include B101 includes the further provision:
wording such as: If the Owner requests the Architect to execute
The undersigned, as Engineer under the agree-
Design Agreement consents reasonably required to facilitate
ment dated _____ (the Agreement) between Since each lender has its own form, an engi- assignment to a lender, the Architect shall
_____ (Borrower) and the undersigned, neer is typically not asked to sign a Consent execute all such consents that are consistent

with this Agreement, provided the proposed to argue that it has relied on the consent to The consent is being signed as a courtesy
consent is submitted to the Architect for review its detriment, thus giving it rights against to the engineers client, not as an inducement
at least 14 days prior to execution. the engineer that it would not otherwise to the lender.
Section 10.4 makes it clear that the A/E is have. However, the language is standard in Disclaimer: The information in this article is for
not required to execute a consent that would consent agreements and is generally con- educational purposes only and is not legal advice.
require the A/E to do more than what is sidered to be just an acknowledgment that Readers should not act or refrain from acting based
required under the design agreement. the engineers consent is a condition of the on this article without seeking appropriate legal
loan. In contrast, the engineer should not or other professional advice as to their particular
agree to provisions that suggest the consent circumstances.
Conclusion is being signed as an inducement to the
Gail S. Kelley is a LEED AP as well as a
A Consent to Assignment will often state that lender, as the word induce provides the
professional engineer and licensed attorney
the engineers consent is a condition to the lender a much stronger basis to argue that
in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
loan. The typical wording is: it has relied on the consent to its detriment.
She is the author of Construction Law: An
Engineer acknowledges that Lender is relying Provisions such as the following should
Introduction for Engineers, Architects, and
on this Consent as a condition of extending be deleted:
Contractors, published by Wiley & Sons.
the Loan. Engineer is executing this Consent of
Ms. Kelley can be reached at Gail. Kelley.
If the owner defaults on the loan, this state- Engineer to induce Lender to advance funds
Esq@gmail.com.
ment could theoretically allow the lender under the Loan Agreement.
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continued on next page

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business issues CASE BuSinESS PrACtiCES
Would You Accept This Indemnification Clause?
By Ed Schwieter, P.E., S.E.
I
ndemnification clauses are the number one or if you do not sign this, your competitor understand if it included a reciprocal indem-
source of problems in contracts for profes- will. However, do Clients expect engineers to nification and read:
sional services. Structural engineers are pay as little attention to engineering services as Each party to this Agreement shall indem-
frequently presented with very one-sided they expect engineers to pay toward onerous nify and hold harmless, but without duty to
contracts drafted by their Clients attorney, who and inappropriate contract language? Engineers defend, the other party (including its owners,
may not understand contracting for design pro- should be just as conversant with contract pro- affiliates and subsidiaries), its officers, direc-
fessional services or merely wishes to maximize visions as they are with design criteria and tors, shareholders, successors, and employees
the contractual benefits for the Client. These engineering analysis. (the Indemnitees) from and against liability,
contracts may contain an indemnification clause The problem phrases in the indemnification actions, causes of actions, complaints, costs, and
like this (real) one: clause are many, including: expenses, including those for bodily injury, per-
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Consultant 1) An expansive duty to defend. The duty sonal injury, sickness, disease, death, or property
shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Client to defend against third party claims is not damage, to the extent arising out of or as a result
(including its owners, affiliates and subsidiaries), required under common law. The duty to of the negligent performance of their duties.
its officers, directors, agents, shareholders, succes- defend can only arise through contractually Neither party shall be obligated to indemnify
sors and employees (the Indemnitees) from and assumed obligations and, therefore, third the other party in any manner whatsoever for
against any and all claims, liability, actions, causes party claims defense costs are not covered by the other partys own negligence.
of actions, complaints, costs, expenses (including professional liability insurance. Assistance with contract review and negotia-
prejudgment interest), and demands whatsoever, 2) Extreme language like any and all and tion are available through professional liability
in law or in equity, including without limitation without limitation. Extreme language is con- insurance brokers, your professional liability
those for bodily injury, personal injury, sickness, sidered to be too broad and open-ended to be insurance carriers, and the engineers attor-
disease, death or property damage (including but included in fair and balanced contracts. These ney. There are many other resources available,
not limited to the Construction Work itself), arising extreme words may expand the indemnification including books written by attorneys on design
out of, or alleged to arise out of, or as a result of, to include other damages that might otherwise professional contracts and by professional lia-
or alleged to be the result of the performance of the be excluded. bility insurance carriers and brokers on their
Services. Consultant, at Consultants sole expense, 3) Does not require liability to be estab- websites. Good resources include:
shall promptly dispose of all such claims, defend lished. The words alleged to arise out Contract Guide for Design Professionals
all lawsuits filed against Client on the account of expands the indemnification clause to written by J. Kent Holland, Jr. and
thereof, pay all judgments rendered against Client include situations where liability has not been published by Zurich (available for free
in such lawsuits (including any prejudgment inter- established. download at http://bit.ly/2tpQFYl
est assessed against any Indemnitee), and reimburse 4) Does not limit liability to the extent the DPIC Companies Guide to Better
Client in cash upon demand for all reasonable Consultant is responsible. The indemnifica- Contracts (out of print)
expenses incurred by Client on the account thereof tion should be limited to losses to the extent Another option is to counter the Clients
including, but not limited to, attorney fees, expert arising out of negligent performance of the contract with one written by an industry asso-
witness fees, and court costs. Consultant shall services. This establishes the proportionality ciation, which are typically written from a more
indemnify Client and hold Client harmless from of liability for claims since often several parties balanced perspective. Such contracts are offered
the above-referenced claims regardless of whether are negligent to varying degrees. by CASE, EJCDC, AIA, ConsensusDOCS,
such claim is caused or alleged to be caused in part 5) Requires immediate reimbursement and DBIA. The contracts from CASE, EJCDC,
by any joint or concurrent negligent act (either of attorney fees. The cost of defending and AIA tend to be best suited for structural
active or passive) or omission by an Indemnitee; starts well before mediations or trial and any engineers and require the least amount of
provided however, that Consultant shall not be determination of fault. The immediate reim- changes and additional negotiations as they
obligated to indemnify for those claims to the bursement required under the duty to defend are fair and balanced.
extent that the same is proximately caused by the requires paying attorney fees in advance, even Some engineers just sign the uninsurable
sole negligence or willful misconduct of Client or when liability is not eventually established. and unreasonable contract offered by the
Clients agents, servants or, independent contractors 6) Requires indemnification of Client even Client. This is a disservice to themselves
who are directly responsible to Client, excluding if they are negligent. The indemnification and the engineering industry, and sets a
Consultant. Notwithstanding anything to the con- clause as written obligates indemnification bad precedent that other engineers have to
trary contained herein, Client at its option shall except when the Clients sole negligence work hard to change and overcome. Dont
have the right to participate in the defense of any is established. What if the Client is partially ignore the contractual terms offered in
claims asserted against it, approve the selection of liable? If the consultants actions contributed client-written contracts.
counsel and approve the terms of any settlements 1% to the damages, the client would not be
made in its name or on its behalf. solely negligent, and yet the indemnification Ed Schwieter is Vice President at Schaefer
Would you sign the contract offered with this clause would require the Client to be held Structural Engineers, Cincinnati, Ohio.
clause? I would not and you should not! The entirely harmless. He can be reached at ed.schwieter@
Client may tell you that the contract clause is The indemnification clause would be schaefer-inc.com.
non-negotiable, or everyone else accepts it, insurable, fairer, and far simpler and easy to

award winners and outstanding projects Spotlight
2017 ASCE Structural and SEI Awards
T
he Structural Engineering Institute Dennis L. Tewksbury Award and design of composite steel/concrete floor
(SEI) is proud to congratulate The 2017 Tewksbury Award was presented and roof systems in steel building structures.
the winners of the 2017 ASCE to Robert E. Bachman, P.E., S.E., F.SEI,
Ernest E. Howard Award
Structural and SEI Awards: M.ASCE. Mr. Bachman has been one of the
The 2017 Ernest E. Howard Award was given
most effective liaisons among the many civil
to John W. van de Lindt, Ph.D., F.ASCE.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING engineering professional organizations. He
Dr. van de Lindt is a globally recognized
INSTITUTE AWARDS was chair of the SEI Codes and Standards
expert in wood engineering. His research over
Activities Division Executive Committee and
the past decade has pushed the boundary
2017 Chapter of the Year Award served on the SEI Board of Governors.
of performance-based engineering for wood
The 2017 SEI Chapter of the Year Award
Walter P. Moore, Jr. Award frame structures. He has greatly advanced
was given to the SEI Illinois Chapter. The
The 2017 Walter P. Moore, Jr. Award was the engineering communitys understand-
SEI Illinois Chapter has focused on creat-
given to Andrew S. Whittaker, Ph.D., P.E., ing of wood building system performance to
ing professional development activities and
S.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE. Dr. Whittaker has made extreme natural hazards.
networking opportunities for structural engi-
fundamental contributions in earthquake and
neers in the ASCE Illinois Section. They offer Moisseiff Award
blast engineering of buildings, bridges, and
a Biennial Lecture Series bringing national The 2017 Moisseiff Award was presented
mission critical infrastructure. A hallmark of
speakers to the Chicagoland audience. to Daniel M. Dowden, Ph.D., P.E.,
his work is quickly moving research results
Chapter dinner meetings often highlight S.E., M.ASCE; Patricia Clayton, Ph.D.,
into design practice through codes, standards,
local projects. A.M.ASCE; Chao-Hsien Li; Jeffrey Berman,
and guidelines.
Ph.D., A.M.ASCE; Michel Bruneau, Ph.D.,
2017 Graduate Student Chapter of the Year
SEI Presidents Award P.Eng., P.E., F.ASCE; Laura N. Lowes,
SEI presented the 2017 Graduate Student
The 2017 SEI Presidents Award was given Ph.D., A.M.ASCE; and Keh-Chyuan
Chapter award to the University of Texas,
to Ashraf Habibullah, P.E., M.ASCE, Tsai, Ph.D., for the paper titled Full-Scale
Arlington Graduate Student Chapter. The
for his many contributions to SEI and the Pseudodynamic Testing of Self-Centering
chapter offers software training sessions, struc-
profession. Mr. Habibullah is being hon- Steel Plate Shear Walls, published in the
tural workshops, and site tours of existing
ored primarily for his passionate advocacy January 2016 issue of the Journal of Structural
structures and buildings under construction.
in promoting the Vision for the Future of Engineering.
The chapters activities help students broaden
Structural Engineering: A Case for Change.
their educational experience and prepare for Nathan M. Newmark Medal
Mr. Habibullah has been a strong advocate
the transition to a professional career in struc- The 2017 Nathan M. Newmark Medal was
for strategic initiatives through the SEI
tural engineering. awarded to Xilin Lu, Ph.D., M.ASCE. Dr.
Futures Fund and exemplifies the Structural
Lu has made numerous significant contribu-
W. Gene Corley Award Engineers role as Leader and Innovator.
tions to structural engineering, particularly
The 2017 W. Gene Corley Award was given
focusing on earthquake resistant design and
to Donald Dusenberry, P.E., SECB, F.SEI, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL
testing of structures. Through shake table tests
F.ASCE, for his many years of service to the ENGINEERING STRUCTURAL AWARDS
and theoretical analysis, his research results
Institute and the profession of structural
and devices have been successfully applied in
engineering in nearly every possible capac- Jack E. Cermak Award
many major projects.
ity. He is a former President of the SEI The 2017 Jack E. Cermak Award was given to
Board of Governors, served on numerous Xinzhong Chen, Ph.D., M.ASCE. Dr. Chen Raymond C. Reese Research Prize
SEI standards, technical and administrative is one of the leading authorities in bridge The 2017 Raymond C. Reese Prize was pre-
committees, and was key to the develop- and building aerodynamics. His research sented to Yongchao Yang, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE;
ment of the Vision for the Future of Structural interests include modeling and simulation Shunlong Li, Ph.D., Aff.M.ASCE; Satish
Engineering: A Case for Change, which laid out of wind load effects on dynamically sensitive Nagarajaiah, Ph.D., F.SEI, M.ASCE; Hui
a bold set of strategic initiatives to transform structures, nonlinear aerodynamics and non- Li, Ph.D., Aff.M.ASCE; and Peng Zhou,
the profession. stationary wind load effects, reliability- and for their paper titled Real-time Output-
performance-based design of structures to Only Identification of Time-Varying Cable
Gene Wilhoite Innovations in
extreme wind loading, probabilistic fatigue, Tension from Accelerations via Complexity
Transmission Line Engineering Award
and extreme response of large wind turbines. Pursuit, published in the January 2016 issue
The 2017 Gene Wilhoite Award was presented
of the Journal of Structural Engineering.
to Ronald J. Carrington, P.E., M.ASCE. Shortridge Hardesty Award
Mr. Carrington is an industry expert with The 2017 Shortridge Hardesty Award was
over 30 years of experience in the engineering given to W. Samuel Easterling, Ph.D., P.E.,
of power delivery projects and has worked F.SEI, M.ASCE, for his outstanding contri- Visit the SEI website at www.asce.org/
extensively with SEI committees that have butions to the field of steel and composite structural-engineering/structural-
developed publications and information for steel/concrete structures. His primary field engineering-awards to submit a
transmission line engineers. of study is the development, testing, analysis, nomination for the 2018 awards.

2017 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SUMMIT
October 11-14, 2017 | Washington Hilton | Washington, D.C.
The 2017 Structural Engineering Summit is only two months away! And theres only
News form the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations
one month left to save $100 on your registration (fees increase on September 7th).
Designed by structural engineers for practicing structural engineers, the Summit hosts all
you need to advance your career and the profession. An array of educational sessions
are available each day along with several social & networking events, and the NCSEA
Committee and Annual Business Meetings. The complete schedule for the NCSEA
Committee meetings will be available on www.ncsea.com. For an overview of the full
schedule for the Structural Engineering Summit, see pages 34 and 35.
Were also glad to announce that this year were hosting the largest Trade Show in
NCSEA history! Over 50 exhibitors will be lining the aisles featuring their products
and software; make sure to visit their booths during the several events happening on the
Trade Show floor. In addition to the Trade Show, several of our exhibitors will be holding
brief educational sessions on their products. These Product Presentations run on Friday,
October 13th from 89:50am.
The Summit serves as a vehicle to educate not only everyday Structural Engineers, but
it also serves to educate leadership within the organization. Along with sessions on manuals, seismic provisions, codes,
and improving your business, the Summit also offers dedicated sessions for SEA Delegates, Executives Directors, and
other SEA leadership. These sessions are meant to bring SEA leadership together to promote a sense of community and
to provide the opportunity to learn from others in the same position.
This years Host hotel is the Washington Hilton. Located in the epicenter
of vibrant neighborhoods and only blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro,
it is convenient for those who wish to explore in their free time. The
NCSEA Summit rate starts at $239 per night and the block is selling
quickly! Visit www.ncsea.com to reserve your room before it is too late!
2017 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SUMMIT SPONSORS

P LATINUM
A Celebration of Structural Engineering at the National Building Museum
Join Computers and Structures, Inc. on Thursday evening at the National Building
Museum for a unique celebration of the structural engineering profession, including
full dinner, champagne, finely crafted cocktails, and live music. Come celebrate the
immeasurable contributions of the structural engineering
NCSEA News
profession to all generations, and the ways in which structural

engineers are essential to the progress of humanity! Come
mingle and unwind with your fellow conference attendees
as you take in the stunning architecture of Americas leading cultural institution
devoted to interpreting the history of architecture, engineering, and design.
S ILVER
B RONZE
Interested in becoming an exhibitor or sponsor for the
2017 Summit? Visit www.ncsea.com for more infomation!

NCSEA News
New! Young Engineers Track Panel on How to Improve ASCE 7
Brand new to the 2017 Structural Engineering Following the keynote on Thursday,
Summit, this Thursday afternoon track is dedicated to October 12, representatives from the
educating Young Engineers. ASCE/SEI 7 Committee will conduct a
Young Member Mentor Roundtable workshop with a goal to collect constructive
This session, restricted to Young Engineer attendees, feedback on how to make the loading
will facilitate interaction between young engineers standard more effective and efficient to
and leaders in the field in a highly interactive use. Led by Ron Hamburger, P.E., S.E.,
speed-dating format. SECB; John Hooper, P.E., S.E., and Don
Wind Design Considerations for Joist/ Scott, S.E., these presentations will discuss
Joist Girder Structures the standards development and adoption
This session highlights key updates to Technical processes; the mission of the standard; and,
Digest No 6, Design of Steel Joist Roofs to Resist Uplift the new digital platform format that will
Loads, and will explain how to communicate the be available for the 2016 edition. Ideas
design requirements of the ASCE/SEI 7-10 wind and suggestions from participants will be reported back
provisions for open web steel joists and joist girders. during the workshop conclusion.
YMGSC Basics of Shear Wall Design
2017 Summit Keynote:
Most young engineers graduate with minimal
education in material-specific design with masonry, Shaking Up DC The Insiders Story
News from the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations

wood, and lateral systems, which can take years of Martina Driscoll, P.E., Principal & Unit Manager,
experience to understand. This session will help Wiss, Janney, Elstner
to tackle shear wall design addressing multiple Associates
materials and the coinciding codes.
Terrence Paret,
Join the NCSEA Board at the Young Member Senior Principal, Wiss,
Reception on Wednesday, October 11; all attendees Janney, Elstner Associates
under 35 are welcome!
Upcoming NCSEA Webinars

August 29, 2017 Wind Loads on Non-Building Structures for the Practicing Engineer
Emily Guglielmo, P.E., S.E.
This session will focus on wind loads on non-building structures, including equipment, walls, signs, and
towers. The session will discuss ASCE 7 wind load provisions for non-building structures and how to
correctly apply them through examples. An in-depth exploration for engineering commonly encountered
situations that are not directly addressed in the code will follow.
September 12, 2017 ASCE 7-16 Wind: How it Affects the Practicing Engineer
Donald R. Scott, S.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE
ASCE 7-16 will include several significant changes to the wind loading provisions which will impact
the practicing engineer. This session will provide an in-depth discussion of the most important changes
and discuss the impacts to a structural engineers design.
October 24, 2017 Understanding and Interpreting Geotechnical Reports

Trent Parkhill, P.E.
The goal of this webinar is to help structural engineers better understand geotechnical reports, focusing
on recommendations that can be misunderstood. Areas covered will include topics such as what is the
right exploration program, lateral earth pressures, uncertainty in settlement estimates, the relationship
between bearing pressures, and more.
Two exclusive annual plans are available to NCSEA corporate members & SEA members only. The Live & Recorded
Webinar Subscription Plan with access to all live webinars and the entire recorded webinar library, hosting over 180
webinars, or the Live Webinar Subscription Plan. Visit www.ncsea.com to purchase your subscription today!
Visit www.ncsea.com to register and read the full description of each webinar.
1.5 hours of continuing education. Approved for CE credit in all 50 states.

Top 5 Reasons to Attend
1) Expand your knowledge at technical sessions
on transmission line and substation structures
and foundations.
ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION 2) Earn professional development hours (PDHs)
The Newsletter of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE
& SUBSTATION STRUCTURES by attending technical sessions and workshops.

CONFERENCE 2018
3) Network with global leaders and colleagues working
with high-voltage transmission structures around
Atlanta, Georgia
the world.
November 48
4) Connect with exhibitors showcasing state-of-the-art
products, services, and solutions for your transmission
Dedicated to Strengthening line and substation projects.
our Critical Infrastructure
5) Discover Southern hospitality and enjoy over 100+ live
entertainment venues.
Electrical Transmission
& Substation Structures Exhibits & Sponsorships
Conference 2018 Increase your companys visibility and reach hundreds of indus-
try professionals at this important specialty conference. Contact
Bob Nickerson at renicker@flash.net or 817-319-8779, or Sean
Call for Abstracts and Sessions Scully at sscully@asce.org or 703-295-6154, for exhibiting and
sponsorship opportunities.
The State-of-the-Industry Forum for Questions? Contact Debbie Smith dsmith@asce.org or
Transmission and Substation Engineers 703-295-6095. Submit your sessions at www.etsconference.org.
Discover Technical Knowledge
Hear Project Case Studies
Find Real-World Solutions Dedicated to Strengthening
Visit Vendors and Learn about their Products
and Services our Critical Infrastructure
The SEI/ASCE Electrical Transmission & Substation Structures
Conference is recognized as the must-attend conference that Abstracts & Session Proposals
focuses specifically on transmission line and substation structure
and foundation construction issues. This event for utilities, due September 12, 2017
suppliers, contractors, and consultants offers an ideal setting
for learning and networking.
Structural Columns
Call for New Members

Minimum Design Load Standard ASCE 7
The revision cycle for ASCE 7-16 Minimum Design Loads committee. Practicing engineers, researchers, building officials,
and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures is contractors, and construction product representatives are all
starting in September 2017. The committee will be seeking needed and welcome. Individuals with broad knowledge of
new members in the summer of 2017 to begin work on the structural engineering or limited focus on a particular practice
next edition of the standard. Ronald O. Hamburger, S.E., area or expertise such as hydrology, climate, or seismology can
P.E., SECB, F.SEI, Senior Principal at Simpson Gumpertz make significant contributions.
Heger will chair the 2022 cycle. In this next cycle, the chair If you are interested in applying for the committee, please
will pursue practical means to simplify the standard from submit an application at www.asce.org/codes-and-standards/
the users perspective, while assuring that it remains a state- standards-committee-application-form by Sept. 30, 2017. On
of-art design loading standard. He will also hope to engage the online form, select SEI from Institute drop down and then
the profession at large in the standards development pro- Minimum Design Loads (ASCE/SEI 7). Carefully indicate
cess, including many younger engineers. Young professional the category of membership for which you are applying (Voting
interested in serving on ASCE 7 committees may apply to or Associate) for each of the main or subcommittees. Associate
participate in the SEI CSAD-YP program, a funded oppor- members can be accepted until balloting begins. Eligible regula-
tunity. In addition to younger professionals, anyone with tory members can qualify for travel reimbursement per ASCE
a strong desire to contribute to further development of the Travel Policy. Contact Jennifer Goupil at jgoupil@asce.org or
ASCE 7 standard is welcome to apply for membership on the 571-421-3998 with questions.

Structural Columns
ASCE 7 Hazard Tool
Free BETA access thru 8/31/17
The ASCE 7 Hazard Tool provides a single destination for
the quick, reliable lookup of key design parameters specified
in ASCE 7-10 and 7-16. Easy-to-use mapping features allow
instant retrieval of hazard data for a specific location including
seismic, wind, rain, flood, snow, ice, and tsunami. Generate
and download design load PDF reports to include in engineer-
ing proposals. Individual and Corporate subscriptions will be
available. Get started today and try the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool
at http://asce7hazardtool.online. For more information,
contact asce7tools@asce.org or learn about other ASCE 7
products at www.asce.org/asce7.
2018 Ammann Fellowship ASCE Week Las Vegas

Call for Nominations
The O. H. Ammann Research Fellowship in Structural
Engineering is awarded annually to a member or members of
ASCE or SEI for the purpose of encouraging the creation of
new knowledge in the field of structural design and construc-
The Newsletter of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE

tion. All members or applicants for membership are eligible.
Applicants will submit a description of their research, an essay ASCE Week will be held September 24 29, 2017, at the
about why they chose to become a structural engineer and their Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa & Casino in Las Vegas. Register
academic transcripts. and save up to $1,100 when you register for two seminars or
This fellowship award is at least $5,000 and can be up to $10,000. save up to $450 when you register for one seminar. Earn up to
The deadline for 2018 Ammann applications is November 1, 2017. 42 PDHs in one week. Choose from 11 seminars and be part
For more information and to fill out the on-line application of a private Hoover Dam tour, all while earning the PDHs
visit the SEI website at www.asce.org/structural-engineering/ you need for license renewal. View the schedule and register at
ammann-research-fellowship. www.asce.org/event/2017/asce-week.
SEI Local Activities

Oregon State University Graduate Student Chapter
Welcome to the new SEI Grad Student Chapter (GSC) at Oregon State University chaired by Cody Beairsto, with Faculty
Advisor Dr. Thomas Miller. Their mission is to promote structural engineering and SEI/ASCE to OSU students and connect
them with industry and professional structural engineers. For more information, contact the chair at beairstc@oregonstate.edu.
Get Involved in Local SEI Activities

Join your local SEI Chapter, Graduate Student Chapter (GSC), or Structural Technical Groups (STG) to connect with colleagues, take
advantage of local opportunities for lifelong learning, and advance structural engineering in your area. If there is not an SEI Chapter,
GSC, or STG in your area, review the simple steps to form an SEI Chapter at www.asce.org/structural-engineering/sei-local-groups.
Local Chapters serve member technical and professional needs. SEI GSCs prepare students for a successful career transition. SEI
supports Chapters with opportunities to learn about new initiatives and best practices, and network with other leaders includ-
ing annual funded SEI Local Leader Conference, technical tour, and training. SEI Chapters receive Chapter logo/branding,
complimentary webinar, and more.
Errata
SEI posts up-to-date errata information for our publications at www.asce.org/SEI. Click on Publications on our menu, and
select Errata. If you have any errata that you would like to submit, please email it to Jon Esslinger at jesslinger@asce.org.

Structural Forum opinions on topics of current importance to structural engineers
When Good Engineering Ideas Go Wrong

By Jeremy Herauf
F
or centuries, engineers have come It took almost 50 years and a costly study
up with great new ideas and lever- to finally design a span that engineers felt
Nipigon River Bridge
aged them to build stronger, better, confident about. Designer Leon Moisseiff came The Nipigon River Bridge is an integral
lighter, longer, taller, and more up with a plan for a solid, rigid suspension part of the Trans-Canada Highway, a criti-
beautiful bridges. bridge that many believed was ideally suited cal roadway that moves traffic, including vital
Throughout history, some design and proce- for the challenging location. deliveries, across the continent.
dural innovations have gone wrong, leading Despite all the great engineering minds that The first vehicular bridge at the location was
to serious structural problems, failures, col- reviewed the bridge plan, they failed to see that opened in 1937, replacing an earlier railroad
lapses, and even deaths. Many bridges that all the factors that made the bridge strong and bridge. It was replaced in 1974 and again
seemed like great ideas on the drawing board stable also made it too rigid to withstand the in 2013 when higher traffic volume neces-
and in the planning process failed during extreme winds that would batter it day after day. sitated it. The 2013 replacement is a pair
construction or soon thereafter. This article While under construction, workers of innovative cable-stayed structures, novel
examines engineering and design concepts, noticed that the bridge shook in unprec- because they were the first bridges of this
and construction procedures, that led to edented ways whenever the wind blew. It type constructed in a cold-weather climate.
these problems. was so extreme, they nicknamed the bridge The first of the twin bridges opened in late
Galloping Gertie. Surprisingly, Moisseiff November 2015. It was forced to close less
and the on-site engineers dismissed the than two months later when an expansion
Tacoma Narrows Bridge shaking, assuming the issue would resolve joint shifted more than two feet after a winter
The first bridge across the Puget Sound in itself once construction was complete. storm. The closure led to a major failure
Washington was proposed in 1889 when Work continued, and the bridge opened on in the Canadian roadway system. It forced
the Northern Pacific Railway was looking July 1, 1940. traffic to detour hundreds of miles south
for ways to speed travel from Tacoma to the Just over five months later, on November 7, into the United States, leading to a state of
Kitsap Peninsula. A simple trestle bridge was the bridge collapsed under 42 mile-per-hour emergency.
considered but never built because engineers winds, due to aeroelastic flutter. The bridge was partially re-opened to traf-
determined that it would not hold up to the It took ten years for a lighter, more flexible fic using a temporary fix several days later.
extreme winds and tides it would have to bridge to be completed. The replacement However, it took until September of that
endure. Also, they could not find an engi- structure still stands today and serves as the year for officials to determine the cause of
neering solution to span the extreme distance westbound lanes of the current pair of bridges the fissure. The immediate reason for the
across the sound. that cross the Puget Sound. break was attributed to a simple failure of
the bolts that connected the bearings to the
bridge girders. The bigger issue was that the
shoe plates, which connected the two com-
ponents, were too flexible. When stressed by
extreme cold, the plates twisted and pried
out the bolts. Also, bearings that should
have been flexible and mitigated this issue
failed and were unable to rotate. To fix the
problem, a new linkage system was designed
and implemented that allowed for greater
flexibility during periods of thermal expan-
sion and contraction.
In the end, a bridge design that was effective
in more temperate climates was not adequate
for the cold of an extreme Canadian winter.
Quebec Bridge
The Quebec Bridge failed not once, but
twice, during construction because of
engineering and construction errors on the
Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, 1940. breakthrough bridge designs.
Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and
construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA,
CASE, SEI, C 3 Ink, or the STRUCTURE magazine Editorial Board.
monitoring and man- management are necessary when develop-
aging the development ing record-breaking structures. Just because
of this novel design. something works on a small scale does not
Once the investigation mean it will work on a larger one.
into the collapse was
completed, work began
on a replacement bridge.
Conclusion
The new design would Innovative bridge design and engineering
be an even more massive are constantly improving the capacity and
cantilever structure with function of critical structures.
a broad center span. The biggest lesson designers and engineers
Once again, engineers can learn from the bridge failures outlined
raised concerns, this here is that it is important to be cautious
time over the weight and pay attention to signs something could
and size of the center be wrong with a cutting-edge structure or
span that was to be building technique. Numbers, measure-
Pont de Qubec Bridge collapse, 1907.
raised into place by a ments, and physical clues often indicate
The first time anyone thought of connecting new type of hoisting device. The novel tech- something is wrong. Paying attention to
Lvis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence nique was used to speed construction. Sure them allows for innovation to continue
River to Quebec City on the north was back enough, the hoists failed, and the span fell while keeping workers and the general
in 1852, but no one came up with a solu- into the river, killing 13 workers. It still sits at population safe.
tion to bridging the chasm. Options were the bottom of the St. Lawrence River today.
explored in 1867, 1882 and 1884. Another center span had to be built, which
Finally, near the turn of the 20th century, was difficult because it was hard to source Jeremy Herauf is the President of Bridge
a record-length cantilever bridge structure steel during World War I. The bridge finally Masters, Inc., a company with over 40
was decided on for the site. Edward Hoare opened in 1919, and remains the longest years of experience installing and repairing
was selected as the chief engineer for the cantilevered bridge in the world. bridge utilities. He can be reached at
project even though he had never worked on This innovative structure brought home info@bridgemastersinc.com.
a similar type of bridge on such a large scale. the fact that careful calculations and project
Several people assisted in engineer-
ing this ambitious project. The design
and construction phases were chaotic
because no one on the team could
agree on the correct load calculations
to support the span. In the end, the
recommendations of the engineering
team were overruled by a govern-
ment agency. Work on the structure
continued.

As early as 1904, when the bridge was
almost half completed, engineers con-
firmed that the bridge itself weighed
far more than its carrying capacity.
They apparently ignored this, as con-
struction kept going through 1907.
In the summer of that year, the team
began noticing stretching and contort-
ing of important structural elements.
Some engineers claimed that they
were installed in this condition and Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, OR
the issues were once again ignored.
Soon after, the southern and central
sections of the bridge suffered a cata- SUPPORTING
INNOVATION
strophic collapse, tumbling into the
river in less than 15 seconds. Of the Seattle San Francisco Boise
86 workers on the bridge at the time, Tacoma Los Angeles St. Louis
75 were killed and the rest seriously IN ARCHITECTURE Lacey
Portland
Long Beach
Pasadena
Chicago
Louisville
injured. It is the worlds worst bridge Eugene Irvine New York
KPFF is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
construction disaster and was offi- www.kpff.com Sacramento San Diego
cially blamed on engineers not closely

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What are Hollow Structural Sections (HSS) and their advantages?

What are Hollow Structural Sections (HSS) and their advantages?

What are some of the structural failures discussed in the article?

What are some of the structural failures discussed in the article?

STRUCTURE A Joint Publication of NCSEA | CASE | SEI

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Figure 1. Evidence of ponding on the roof. Figure 2. Ponding water on deck.