Scott Walkowicz, PE Walkowicz Consulting Engineers

In September 2024, Scott Walkowicz, PE, from Walkowicz Consulting Engineers, presented Masonry Design and Detailing: Using Your Owner’s Money Wisely. Scott nominated the The Masonry Society (TMS) (Clayford T. Grimm, P.E. Student Scholarship – The Masonry Society) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Scott shared, “I chose The Masonry Society (TMS) because of the great work that is done by TMS and its members. I obtained my first degree, a BS in Architecture, and I then wanted to learn how to ‘engineer’ masonry. I attended Clemson University and was able to receive not only a BS in Civil Engineering, but also an MS in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on masonry and interaction with one of TMS’s Honorary Members. The Master’s level coursework and the project that I worked on were extremely valuable to me and my career. I’m very happy to help other engineering students who are seeking Master level degrees and doing research that will benefit both them and the masonry industry.”

Thank you, Scott, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the The Masonry Society (TMS) as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

SE University began the SEU Speaker Inspires program in 2015 as a way to “pay it forward”, enabling our speakers to designate a charity/organization of their choice for SE University to make a donation to help improve our world.

SE Solutions is pleased to announce the recipients of the SE Solutions + SE Impact structures scholarships at Purdue University as Kyra Fales and Hafdís Magnúsdóttir. This is the twelfth year that SE Solutions has offered the scholarships.

Kyra Fales received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in structures from Purdue University in May 2024. She also graduated with minors in Global Engineering Studies and Spanish for the Professions. She is now continuing her education at Purdue through their 4+1 program and will graduate in May 2025 with her master’s degree. During her undergraduate degree, Kyra co-oped as a bridge engineer in Indianapolis, and she will be returning there this summer to begin full-time work. Outside of school, she likes to play soccer, hike and travel. 

Hafdís Magnúsdóttir is from Iceland and received her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in Spring 2024. She is currently pursuing an M.S. degree through the 4+1 program, with expected graduation in Spring 2025. After graduation, she will be joining KPFF in Indianapolis as a structural engineer. She has gained hands-on construction experience by working for a construction company in Iceland for the past four summers. At Purdue, she served as a Resident Assistant and as a Marshall in Chi Epsilon. She was also involved in undergraduate research with the Resilient Extra-Terrestrial Habitats Institute (RETHi), a NASA-funded research group. As part of this research, she designed and built an internal structure to support a testing bladder inside a physical test model and created a 3D SolidWorks model for presentation purposes. Outside of academics, Hafdís enjoys hiking with her dogs, Max and Moose, and playing handball.

SE Solutions would like to congratulate each recipient and wish them future success in their fields of study as structural engineers.

Structural systems using open-web steel joists are popular due to their cost effectiveness, flexibility, and ease of installation. Because these systems have high strength-to-weight ratios, human-induced vibration often controls the member sizes, especially when traditional seats are used. One significant improvement is to change from traditional seats to flush-framed connections.

In the November 2024 SEU Session, Brad Davis, Ph.D., S.E., from Davis Structural Engineering, presented Vibration Analysis of Steel Joists / Concrete Floors. Brad reviewed the AISC Design Guide 11 and SJI Technical Digest 5 methods for evaluating floors for vibration and discussed recent innovations in open-web steel joist floor systems. He noted key improvements in the vibration evaluation methods and discussed research efforts regarding hybrid mass-timber / open-web steel joist systems.

Flush framed connections of steel joists to girders may not be a new concept, however, using this connection for its vibration mitigation benefits is a novel approach to vibration design. To hear Brad discuss the geometry and advantages of this type of joist connection, click below to watch this short video:

When using traditional joist seats, the joists cannot be considered continuous with the girder.  Using flush framed connections may allow for a shallower structural system, permit the system to act compositely, and increase the continuity factor and the Cg factor in the girder effective panel weight calculation.  All of these changes benefit the overall vibration performance of the structural framing system.  Flush framed connections and the equations Brad discussed are covered in AISC Design Guide 11 Section 4.1.2 and SJIs Technical Digest 5 Chapter 3.  Using these connections may be an option to reduce vibrations in your future design projects.

Andrew Walters, PE, American Engineering Testing

In December 2024, SEU welcomed Andrew Walters, PE, from American Engineering Testing, to present Guide to Understanding a Project Geotechnical Report.  Andy designated Dr. Tom Nelson Civil Engineering Memorial Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville (Civil engineering scholarship established in memory of Dr. Tom Nelson | UW-Platteville News) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Andy shared “As an alum of the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and former student of Dr. Tom Nelson, I selected the Dr. Tom Nelson Civil Engineering Memorial Scholarship because of the positive impact Dr. Nelson left on me and the ‘get your hands dirty’ way the Civil Engineering Department at UW-Platteville shaped the beginning of my career and continues to produce outstanding civil engineers.”

Thank you, Andy, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of Dr. Tom Nelson Civil Engineering Memorial Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

SE University began the SEU Speaker Inspires program in 2015 as a way to “pay it forward”, enabling our speakers to designate a charity/organization of their choice for SE University to make a donation to help improve our world.

As we enter this Thanksgiving week, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our SE Solutions community and wish everyone a joyous holiday. SE Solutions and SEU are thankful to our clients and speakers who have made it possible for us to contribute to many charitable organizations during the past year through our SEU Speaker Inspires program and to support hurricane recovery efforts in 2024.

Josh Canova, PE, New Millenium

Gerald McKenzie, PE, Vulcraft

In June 2024, SEU welcomed Josh Canova, PE, from New Millenium, and Gerald McKenzie, PE, from Vulcraft, to present Concentrated and Non-Uniform Loading on Steel Deck.  Josh and Gerald have designated One More Child (https://onemorechild.org/) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Josh shared, “As a husband and father who is not only blessed with a family but blessed to be able to provide for my family, I wanted to choose an organization that supports and cares for those who have had a tougher go at things and find themselves in difficult situations. One More Child is a faith-based organization that serves the most vulnerable in our society by supporting children in need, combatting human trafficking, and providing support for single moms or families in need.”

Thank you, Josh and Gerald, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of One More Child as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

SEU began the SEU Speaker Inspires program in 2015 as a way to “pay it forward”, enabling our speakers to designate a charity/organization of their choice for SEU to make a donation to help improve our world.

Matt Timmers, SE, John A. Martin & Associates

In May 2024, SEU welcomed Matt Timmers, SE, from John A. Martin & Associates, to present Mass Timber Structural Design.  Matt has designated Surfrider Foundation (surfrider.org) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Matt shared, “The Surfrider Foundation is best known for their advocacy for ocean health, a cause near and dear to my heart and central to global climate change issues. Their mission includes commitment to broad global sustainability goals, including the reduction of plastic waste, ensuring equitable access to coastline, and protecting the health of both coastal and inland water systems. For all these reasons I support their mission and chose them as my SEU Speaker Inspire organization.”

Thank you, Matt, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of Surfrider Foundation as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

SEU began the SEU Speaker Inspires program in 2015 as a way to “pay it forward”, enabling our speakers to designate a charity/organization of their choice for SEU to make a donation to help improve our world.

Masonry wall openings are a common location for diagonal cracks which can result from improperly detailed lintels.  Steel lintels can be properly detailed to span openings in masonry walls, but would a masonry lintel be more efficient?

In the September 2024 SEU session, Scott Walkowicz, PE, from Walkowicz Consulting Engineers, presented Masonry Design and Detailing: Using Your Owner’s Money Wisely.  Scott discussed the structural performance benefits and building improvements achieved through the use of masonry, as both a structure and an outer envelope.  He identified ways to reduce cost and minimize material waste in masonry design and detailing.  He also examined masonry details to create functional, durable, and constructable masonry assemblies.

Scott recommends using masonry lintels in masonry walls, as opposed to steel lintels.  Steel lintels can cause many issues in masonry walls and are rarely needed.  Differential movement is among the most problematic issues when using steel lintels in masonry walls. Also, in the event the steel lintel is accidentally or erroneously restrained, very large forces can develop in the steel and cause significant cracking in the masonry wall.  Masonry lintels provide a more cohesive design and can be designed to resist significant forces.  As you can see below, an efficient masonry lintel design requires minimal reinforcement to span short distances.  When necessary, reinforcement can be added to increase the capacity of masonry lintels carrying significant forces.  However, engineers should consider their typical lintel schedules to be sure efficient reinforcing is specified to minimize the overall project cost.

Masonry lintels also contribute to stronger walls.  As you can see below, several control joints are necessary in the wall using steel lintels.  These joints reduce the capacity of the wall, increase the chance of differential movement between the lintel and the wall, and increase the chance of cracks in the masonry.  Replacing the steel lintels with masonry bond beams and lintels create strong wall action, as shown in the finite element model on the slide below.  This wall is more efficient and results in a better product.

As a best practice, engineers should eliminate steel lintel schedules as typical details on their masonry projects and replace them with an efficient typical masonry lintel schedule.  When required for heavy loads, additional masonry lintel details are capable of carrying significant loads and should be designed for specific loading conditions.  Efficient masonry lintels used throughout a masonry project will reduce the overall cost for the owner and minimize problems typically created by steel lintels.

The cost of masonry construction can vary widely, in part due to inefficient designs which can drive up the labor costs on a structural project.  There are many strategies which can reduce unnecessary costs in masonry construction, but are you aware of common inefficiencies engineers specify which are responsible for some of these added costs?

In the September 2024 SEU session, Scott Walkowicz, PE, from Walkowicz Consulting Engineers, presented Masonry Design and Detailing: Using Your Owner’s Money Wisely.  Scott discussed the structural performance benefits and building improvements achieved through the use of masonry, as both a structure and an outer envelope.  He identified ways to reduce cost and minimize material waste in masonry design and detailing.  He also examined masonry details to create functional, durable, and constructable masonry assemblies.

Scott covered a number of useful tips to reduce the cost of masonry construction.  One common inefficiency which drives up the cost of masonry construction is the unnecessary use of confinement ties in masonry walls or pilasters.  Scott noted that confinement ties are only required by code in masonry columns and wall segments in which the primary steel is required to resist compressive loads.  Many times typical masonry details are shown to include confinement ties in wall segments (commonly called piers) and pilasters when engineers assume that piers and pilasters are columns within a wall. However, pilasters are considered thickened walls and not columns and wall segments are simply wall segments.  Thus, confining ties would only be required when the primary reinforcement is analytically needed to resist compression forces.  As you can see in the slides below, Scott notes common details for what would and would not qualify as columns in masonry construction.

Confinement ties do add to the material costs of a project, but especially drive up the labor costs due to the extra time spent placing and tying off this additional reinforcement.  In most cases, confinement ties are not needed in walls or pilasters, unless the engineers has included them in their analysis to resist axial loads.  Engineers should often review their typical masonry details to be sure they are practical and efficient, and meet code requirements.  Typical details which include unnecessary reinforcement should be revised to reduce project costs.