Shear Pleasure

Depending on the house’s construction, there may or may not be a cripple wall. This feature is a short wall about 36″ high between the foundation and the first-floor framing that is commonly found on late-19th-century houses on the West Coast, especially row houses. The cripple wall is the weakest part of the house, usually relying on nothing more than diagonal bracing to keep it from collapsing into a parallelogram.

Diagonal reinforcement at the special shear wall.

The lateral load-resisting system consists of a building frame with special reinforced concrete shear walls. To provide optimum flexibility, shear walls are primarily located at elevator and stair cores and the short ends of the building. Due to the concentrated high lateral forces, shear walls are 12 inches to 26 inches thick and heavily reinforc...ed.

Wall and Column Kickers

Kickers aren't being used so much in construction today, a lot of new construction engineers are learning methods that can be more risky whereas taking a little extra time and setting a template (kicker) against each column/wall can pay back in dividends when saving re-work.

Periodic inspection for base isolation

Seismic isolation, commonly referred to as base isolation, is a design concept based on the premise that a structure can be substantially decoupled from potentially damaging earthquake motions.

Top 10 Myths in Concrete Construction

Get a candid look at ten popular, but mistaken ideas that still exist in concrete construction. Using examples, interviews, and demonstrations, this revealing video exposes and explains the most common misconceptions associated with the cement and concrete industry. The video is designed as an educational training tool for workers of all experience levels

Common Brickwork Defects

Cracking can occur in brickwork for a number of reasons:

- Ground movement leading to foundation failure

- Rapid change in load leading to disproportionate settlement

- Mobile ground water undermining foundations

- Thermal movement

- Wall rotation due to lateral instability

- Excessive lateral loads on walls

- Accident

Rainwater Harvesting

Where there is no surface water, where groundwater is deep or inaccessible due to hard ground conditions, or where it is too salty, acidic or otherwise unpleasant or unfit to drink, another source must be sought. In areas that have regular rainfall, the most appropriate alternative is the collection of rainwater, called ‘rainwater harvesting’.

Flat slab Post Tension

Flat slab Post Tension

Rusty Rebar—Is It A Problem?

Reinforcing bar and mesh often arrives on site with some rust on it. This is quite normal: hot-rolled bars and coil have a layer of what's called mill-scale on the surface when they leave the mill. This mill-scale provides a protective layer in the right conditions but if stored externally or if the steel has been handled, this mill-scale may be disturbed leading to light rusting.

What is the difference between a beam and a column?

If you keep it horizontally it is called a Beam which carries the loads by bending, simply called flexure.

Fracture critical bridge inspection

Pack Rust

Cross section loss of a steel girder due to pack rust corrosion is another defect that can be found in an FC bridge inspection. The pack rust occurs between two mating surfaces and is a volume of rust formed over the original steel. The pack rust may create localized distortion, and possibly cracking and loss of cross section.

Modern Mapping of Conditions

One of the most recently developed pieces of GPR equipment emerging in today’s market is the multi-array (fitted with multiple antennae) bridge inspection unit (BIU). Although typically linked to bridge inspections, this device can map the arrangement and condition of any horizontal structure, providing specific information on reinforcement cover depth, delamination, voiding, and relative moisture content. Its use does not have to be limited to concrete either. The technology allows for scanning through asphalt and other masonry types, such as brick and stone pavers; however, it was specifically developed with structural health assessments in mind.

The Difference Between Curing and Drying Concrete

The terms curing and drying are frequently used interchangeably with regard to the moisture condition of new concrete slabs. The following definitions clarify these terms.