Roger LaBoube, PhD, P.E.
Missouri University of Science & Technology

In September 2016, Roger LaBoube, P.E., from Missouri University of Science & Technology, gave a talk on Design Aids and Design Examples for Cold-Formed Steel. He chose the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (http://www.lls.org/) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Roger shared his story about why he chose the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: “On June 7, 2003, our daughter Jennifer married Russ. The wedding was a wonderful family event and Karen and I were both extremely happy for Jennifer and Russ. Four short months later, Russ was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma Stage 4B. After 10 months of treatments, Russ’ Hodgkins was forced into remission. Obviously, Karen and I were elated to learn of this news. However, in June 2005, Russ was diagnosed with leukemia. Following more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, the leukemia is now in remission. I chose to support LLS to honor both Russ and Jennifer for their fighting spirit and to help others who are also fighting so hard to defeat their cancer. Our family has benefited first hand from both the research and the patient services of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.”

Thank you, Roger, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 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.

(Note: due to a mistake in the Jan. 31st, 2017 edition of SE Dynamics, you may have been redirected to this page.  For the article on DESK ORGANIZATION, please click go to https://findyourengineer.com/2017/01/27/desk-organization-for-maximum-productivity/)

When I was a senior in high school, I received a small scholarship from “The Optimist Club” of Northwest Indiana (www.optimist.org).  I don’t recall the amount, but every little bit helped with paying for college.  In addition to receiving a little money, I also received a small desk plaque with “The Optimist Creed” on it.  32 years later, I still have the plaque on my desk.

I’ve now made the commitment to read this every morning when I come into the office.  I believe reading these words each day can help make it a better day.  Why don’t you join me to see if it makes the day a little better for you and those around you.

(Note: For a printable version of this in 8.5 x 11, click here.)

“Promise Yourself…

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”

Annie Kao, P.E.
Simpson Strong-Tie

In August 2016, Annie Kao, P.E., from Simpson Strong-Tie, gave a talk on Effective Communication Skills for Workplace Conversations and Meetings. She chose the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) Foundation (http://seaosc.org/page-18108) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Annie chose this organization because it “supports structural engineering research and scholarships to students majoring in structural engineering.”

Thank you, Annie, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California Foundation 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.

Are you using the most accurate design method when you utilize Force Transfer Around Openings (FTAO) in your wood shear wall design? In the past, a variety of design techniques have been used to determine a rational analysis for wood shear walls, but recent research sheds some light on which methods are the most accurate for this type of design.

In the July 2016 SE University Core Session, Karyn Beebe, PE, LEED-AP, from APA – The Engineered Wood Association, covered Advancements in Force Transfer Around Openings for Wood Framed Shear Walls. During her presentation, Karyn highlighted recent results from research completed in a partnership between APA, University of British Columbia, and USDA Forest Products Laboratory. This research examined the internal forces generated during full-scale testing of a variety of walls with code-allowable openings of various sizes, and compared those forces with various design techniques and computer analytics that mimic testing data. The results proved to be very useful to determine which design methods would be most accurate for design engineers to implement in their FTAO wall designs.

As shown in the following table, a summary was created for 8 different wall configurations for FTAO, and compared the measured internal forces with the predicted forces from 4 different design techniques: The Drag Strut and Cantilever Beam Techniques, both developed by Zeno Martin, the Diekmann Technique, and the SEAOC/Thompson Technique. The first column shows the measured strap forces around the openings and the remainder of columns give the percent error in the predicted strap forces for the 4 methods. As you can see, the blocks highlighted yellow show an unconservative design (less than 100%), while the green blocks show an overly conservative design (greater than 300%). In most cases, the Diekmann and SEAOC/Thompson Techniques were useful in determining accurate strap forces. One outlier would be for Wall 6, which was a C-shaped panel, where the Drag Strut Technique was the best predicted response of strap forces.

Click on the picture for an enlarged view

As a design engineer, this information can be used to identify which design techniques would result in the most efficient design for our clients, depending on which type of shear wall is being used on any given project. To learn more about this recent research, Karyn provided a link to a full set of testing results that can be viewed on the APA website’s Resource Library. Registration is required to access the file, but there is no charge to register and access other documents in the Resource Library.

Karyn Beebe, P.E.
APA – The Engineered Wood Association

In July 2016, Karyn Beebe, P.E., from APA – The Engineered Wood Association, gave a talk on Advancements in Force Transfer Around Openings for Wood Framed Shear Walls. She chose Purdue University Lyles School of Civil Engineering (www.engineering.purdue.edu/CE) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Karyn said the following about this organization, “The Civil Engineering Department at Purdue University provided me with an excellent education covering a broad base which prepared me technically for the workforce as well as the PE while offering a supportive community through the guidance of the professors, the Co-operative Education program, and Women in Engineering.”

Thank you, Karyn, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of Purdue University Lyles School of Civil Engineering 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.

Carol Post, P.E., S.E.
Thornton Tomasetti

In June 2016, Carol Post, P.E., S.E., from Thornton Tomasetti gave a talk on Best Practices to Improve Structural Construction Documents for SE University. She chose The Epilepsy Foundation (www.epilepsy.com) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Carol said the following about this charity, “Epilepsy can be a very challenging disease for those who are afflicted with it. Thanks to ongoing research many have had their quality of life improved and sometimes even returned to normal. Further research, thanks to donations like this, can keep the hope alive.”

Thank you, Carol, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of The Epilepsy Foundation 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.

Does your office have a system in place to ensure coordination between disciplines is addressed early and often throughout the design process? Are you frustrated by always having the same RFIs and Change Orders on your projects? The design process is just that – a process. However, many times we are met with the same issues that crop up over and over again. What can we do as the engineer-of-record to be proactive in the design process to alleviate the headaches of change orders and RFIs?

In the June 2016 core session of SE University, Carol Post, PE, SE, from Thornton Tomasetti, and Cathleen Jacinto, PE, SE, of FORSE Consulting and SE University, gave a talk on Best Practices to Improve Structural Construction Documents. During the presentation, Cathleen gave some suggestions to improve design team communication and coordination of bid documents and how to avoid some common pitfalls. Some common pitfalls she covered included:

• Edge of Slab
• Exterior Walls
• Mechanical Equipment
• Elevators
• Stairs
• Connection Design

As most of these items are typically determined late in the design process, it is inevitable that some information is not clear at bid time, and RFIs and Change Orders are the result. In the following video, Cathleen reviews the use of coordination checklists to address the most common modifications that result from the late selection of stairs and elevator equipment.

Using coordination checklists can be an effective tool to ensure these items are addressed early and communication continues throughout design, so that the engineer can make the most accurate assumptions to aid in preparation of bid documents. SE University clients have access to several design coordination checklists through the SEU Resource Center which may help to minimize changes during construction administration. To access these checklists, login to your SEU Resource Center, and follow the Innovation Hub to Helpful Tips and Resource Information.

For additional information about each of these checklists individually, please see the following blog posts:

Coordination Checklist for Stair Design

Coordination Checklist for Elevator Design

In an effort to “Pay It Forward,” SE University is happy to announce our “SEU Speaker Inspires” program in which our speakers can designate a charity/organization of their choice for SE University to make a donation to help improve our world.

Sam Rubenzer, P.E., S.E.
FORSE Consulting

In May 2016, Sam Rubenzer, P.E., S.E., from FORSE Consulting gave a talk on Masonry Analysis and Design with FEA Software for SE University. He chose Engineering Ministries International (www.emiworld.org/donate.php) for the donation of the month.

Sam said the following about Engineering Ministries International, “EMI is willing to take on a very important role in restoring hope to poor and desolate areas of the world. The work that I was fortunate enough to be involved with at EMI was challenging as we attempted to use state of the art analysis and design tools, while anticipating the limited construction methods and techniques in these remote and impoverished areas. EMI is true to their vision of ‘designing a world of hope for the physically and spiritually poor’ and I am grateful to be able to support them.”

Thank you, Sam, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of Engineering Ministries International as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

by Jenny Schultz

Are you confident in your familiarity with the finite element software your office uses to design masonry building components? Do you know what the program design defaults are within your software and how to make changes when necessary? With software programs being frequently updated, it is important to stay up-to-date on the changes and features available to any programs you routinely use, and be informed of what is available in other programs on the market.

In May 2016, Sam Rubenzer, PE, SE, with FORSE Consulting, gave a presentation on Masonry Analysis and Design with FEA Software for SE University. While Sam’s entire presentation gave great insight into the utilization of FEA software to gain a greater understanding of the behavior of masonry building elements, he also specifically addressed the capabilities of various commercial software programs typically used by structural engineers to design masonry walls. Each program uses different features to help design engineers accurately model masonry elements, and while these features are continually being updated and changed, Sam’s overview shows what is currently available. Although not intended to be an all-inclusive review of each software program, Sam does point out key features that are useful specifically in masonry wall elements.

Typically, it is important to know how to modify the stiffness of masonry wall elements, and where the programs allow the engineer to make changes for cracked or uncracked walls. Horizontal or torsional bending may need to be considered in some masonry walls. Also, the ability to modify element connection releases is important, as well as the program’s ability to perform wall optimization or consider partial grouting. In the following 6 minute video, Sam demonstrates many of these topics and their applications in each of the following programs:

• RISA 3D
• SCIA Engineer
• TEKLA Structural Designer
• Ram Structural System

In an effort to “Pay It Forward,” SE University is happy to announce our “SEU Speaker Inspires” program in which our speakers can designate a charity/organization of their choice for SE University to make a donation to help improve our world.

Otto J. Schwarz, P.E., S.E.
Ryan Biggs | Clark Davis

In April 2016, Otto J. Schwarz, P.E., S.E., from Ryan Biggs | Clark Davis gave a talk on Evaluation and Repair of Precast and Post-Tensioned Concrete Parking Structures for SE University. He chose the North Carolina State University Department of Civil Engineering (www.ce.ncsu.edu) for the donation of the month, as he received a great deal from this program in pursuit of his master’s degree.

In remembering his time spent in the NC State Department of Civil Engineering, Otto recalled, “The type of experience provided at their Constructed Facilities Laboratory is extremely valuable for young engineers pursuing a career in Structural Engineering or materials science. Also, I owe an immense amount to Dr. Mike Lemming for providing an in-depth, practical, and functional knowledge of concrete chemistry and physical properties.”

Thank you, Otto, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the North Carolina State University Department of Civil Engineering as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!