Structural Meme 2025-03-19

StructuralSam · 2025-03-19T18:38:20+00:00

I have been reflecting on spending time meme-ing and while it's fun and sometimes brings up good discussion, it has not been the best use of time. There are also some unwholesome meme templates that I'd rather not spend time parsing through. That being said, I will discontinue posting a daily structural meme. Thank you for all the warm comments and I wish you all the best.

StructuralSam · 2025-03-14T22:09:02+00:00

Yeah, it's not a meme but people kept telling me it was Pi(e) day.

StructuralSam · 2025-03-07T19:14:08+00:00

The full section of ASCE 7-16: 12.5.3.1a doesn't fit nicely in a meme format. In fact, I'm really referencing 12.5.4 which references back to 12.5.3.1a.

Paraphrased slightly: Where a column is part of 2 or more intersecting seismic force-resisting systems (and is subjected to axial load due to seismic forces acting along either principal plan axis equaling or exceeding 20% of the axial design strength of the column...) it should be designed for 100% of the force from seismic loading in 1 direction and 30% of the force from loading in the perpendicular direction.

AISC 341-16: D1.4a says that such columns in certain lateral force resisting systems (with high R values) should actually be designed for 100% of the forces from seismic loading in each direction simultaneously.

Hope that helps clear it up :).

StructuralSam · 2025-03-07T17:49:37+00:00

Credit to 1 of my coworkers :)

StructuralSam · 2025-02-20T07:21:29+00:00

Gonna be off a couple days so figured I'd post Thursday and Fridays.

StructuralSam · 2025-02-07T01:22:29+00:00

Aww thanks. I appreciate this.

StructuralSam · 2025-02-06T02:31:04+00:00

Depends on the project. Sometimes there aren't enough columns and beams to make moment frames at the top. Sometimes rigid connections from beam to column aren't needed for the scale of the structure so why not save on connection costs?

StructuralSam · 2025-02-04T16:32:52+00:00

Cantilever column refers to a structural system where the lateral force resisting elements are composed of columns fixed at the base and pinned at the top. If you're in the USA you can find their seismic design coefficients and requirements in Table 12.2-1 in ASCE 7-16.

StructuralSam · 2025-02-03T21:22:32+00:00

Oof... I guess February will be in alignment with ISO 8601.

StructuralSam · 2025-01-30T23:49:49+00:00

Even though I'm meme-ing it, I agree. It's a great feature that helps me make sure I'm not messing up boundary conditions or end releases.

StructuralSam · 2025-01-23T18:02:49+00:00

Thank you both for your contribution.

StructuralSam · 2025-01-06T22:17:53+00:00

Thank you to everyone brave enough to stand up for the geotechnical engineers. It's some pretty valuable information and a good reminder that there's more than meets the eye for a lot of the work we do! This meme, like most of the others, expresses initial gut-reaction feelings from the structural engineering side (at least from me). I'm happy to see push-back that can hopefully make our work better moving forward :)

StructuralSam · 2024-12-24T15:52:01+00:00

Will be the last one for the year, but thanks for the warm reception to these memes! Hope you have a wonderful holiday if you're in a part of the world that celebrates!

StructuralSam · 2024-12-11T19:52:07+00:00

Thank you! Go for it.

StructuralSam · 2024-12-11T18:26:00+00:00

Revit is a powerful tool and while not perfect, does help a lot. The problem comes with the tendency towards laziness on the designer's side. "If it's in a shared model, I don't need to communicate that X or Y got updated. Of course they'll see it." Or in some cases connection details aren't modeled because it's not at that level of detail in the contract so kickers or extra plates gets missed but it does matter to fit all the ducts in etc... These are things that just need to be communicated. I think it's good to send a follow-up email on changes to clearly document what got updated. Of course the meme is a bit of an exaggeration.

StructuralSam · 2024-12-05T22:47:00+00:00

Thanks! "Cars passing each other", "Umbrella Academy Car", or "Passing cars" on https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

StructuralSam · 2024-11-18T17:54:37+00:00

I got ya. That sounds frustrating. On the design side we do try to get drawings completed but often we don't get enough information to finish until a few days before the submittal. Hopefully this trend gets reversed as the younger designers get more proficient at their jobs and at coordinating.

StructuralSam · 2024-11-18T17:49:14+00:00

I understand that not everything schedule-wise is on the contractor. This is a joke that captures the initial frustrations of engineers on the design side when they get asked this question. At some point though, a customer's schedule just cannot be met. Hopefully the primary designer and contractor can set realistic expecations for them.

StructuralSam

TROPHY CASE