This post was co-written by Simpson Engineer Randy Shackelford and AWC Engineer Phil Line. The 2015 International Building Code references a newly updated 2015 Edition of the American Wood Council Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic standard (SDPWS). The updated SDPWS contains new provisions for design of high aspect ratio shear walls. For wood … Continue reading “New Treatment of Shear Wall Aspect Ratios in the 2015 SDPWS”
I started off doing a four-part series on how connectors, fasteners, concrete anchors and cold-formed steel products are tested and load rated. I realized that holdown testing and evaluation is quite a bit different than wood connector testing, so there was an additional post on holdowns. We have done several posts on concrete anchor testing … Continue reading “Anchor Testing for Light-Frame Construction”
All of us here at Simpson Strong-Tie hope you had a happy and successful 2014. It seems that the folks at the International Code Council had a good year. True to their plan, the 2015 editions of the International Codes were published during the summer so that they are ready for adoption in 2015. Simpson … Continue reading “Here Come 2015 IBC Changes!”
Two weeks ago, I had the chance to present to the Young Members Group of the Structural Engineering Association of Metro Washington on the topic of Multi-Story Light-Frame Shear Wall Design. With all of the large firms in the D.C. area, it wasn’t a big surprise to find out that only about one-third of the … Continue reading “Wood Shear Wall Design Example”
For the first time, ACI 318 – 11 includes a design provision for adhesive anchors in concrete. Previously, adhesive anchors were designed according to provisions found in both ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) AC308 and ACI 318 – 08. A relatively new standard, ACI 355.4, must be used to qualify adhesive anchors in concrete. This new … Continue reading “Changes Made to ACI 318 With Respect to Adhesives Anchors in Concrete: What Engineers Need to Know”
I attended the SEAOC Convention in Santa Fe last year, and briefly mentioned it in this blog post. It was the first convention I had attended. I knew the presentations would be top notch based on the topics and knowing many of the speakers, but I had no idea how much Ashraf Habibullah and the … Continue reading “Structural Engineering, Shamu, and Calzones”
In April’s post about the Omega Factor, one commenter asked of the 1.2 increase allowed by ASCE 12.4.3.3, “Why do they allow a stress increase for allowable combinations? Seems unconservative for steel now that they have essentially balanced the ASD capacity with LRFD.” To be honest, I have never spent much time analyzing which design … Continue reading “Are the Load Combinations Balanced?”
Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings in moderate- to high-seismic areas can be a disaster in waiting. These types of structures have very little of the ductility required of structures to prevent loss of life or business disruption in a seismic event. (Consult our Structural Engineering Blog post “Building Drift – Do You Check It?” for a discussion … Continue reading “Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Buildings: Seismic Retrofit”
In February 2007 I had the opportunity to volunteer for a Soft-Story Sidewalk Survey for the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection. The purpose of the survey was to inventory buildings in San Francisco that appeared superficially to have soft or weak first stories. The volunteers were given a list of addresses to review and … Continue reading “Soft-Story Retrofits”
In my previous life as a building designer, I occasionally saw some creative installations of Simpson Strong-Tie products. These usually came in the form of an RFI where the contractor was asking for forgiveness for a misinstallation. However, this week’s post pays tribute to the creativity and ingenuity of our customers. The following photos are … Continue reading “Vote For Your Favorite “Creative Use of Our Product” Photo For A Chance To Win!”
