Steel is actually one of my favorite structural materials. For some reason, the design outlined by AISC just seems much more straightforward compared to other materials (e.g. concrete). Perhaps I just had a really good professor in college… (thanks Professor Uang!) Anyways, if you are planning to take the PE or the SE but have […]
PPI Discount/Promo Code
If you are interested in getting the Structural Engineering Reference Manual and/or the 16-Hour SE Practice Exam for Buildings (both published by PPI), I got some good news.
Wood Design Shortcut – Beam Stability Factor (and Column Stability Factor)
Introduction If you have studied or have done some wood design, you certainly have came across the “beam stability factor”. It looks something like this ((NDS Equation 3.3–6): Now, I am not going to go into details about all the variables; I mainly just wanted to talk about the final CL factor. As you already […]
Three “Seismic Design Requirements” Flow Charts: The Quickest & Easiest Way To Learn The Design Values In “ASCE 7 Chapter 11 & 12”
While studying the ASCE 7 Chapter 11 & 12, do you frequently get lost in its”wall of text“? No problem, we are here to help! Ian has created and shared three very valuable flow charts (you can download them below). By following along while studying, you will gain a much better understanding of many of the seismic design requirements […]
13 Things You Need to Know About “Seismic Design Criteria” (ASCE 7 Chapter 11)
Since I’ve been practicing structural engineering in California, I’ve kind of taken my experience with seismic design for granted. Not only it’s something that we do nearly every single day, it’s also required in order to get the PE license (CA has an additional 4-hour seismic portion on top of the regular NCEES 8-hour exam for the PE […]
Retaining Wall Design on the SE Exam – Overview
Note from Andy: In this post, Ian gives a very detailed overview for the design of retaining walls. If this topic is not one of the things that you come across regularly, you should definitely check it out!
Introducing New Writer – Ian Riley
Note from Andy: I am very excited to announce that Ian Riley (“TehMightyEngineer” from EngineerBoards.com) will be contributing periodically to help adding more technical information to Structural Engineer HQ! Ian has had a wide range of structural engineering experiences under his belt. In this post, he will introduce himself and will talk about why he is helping […]
Determine the Capacity of a Reinforced Concrete Beam with Tension Reinforcement
In the last post, I talk about how to determine the required reinforcing for a rectangular beam. To elaborate more on the same topic, I am going to show you how to actually calculate out the capacity (using my handy dandy flowchart). This most likely is just a refresher for many of you but it […]
Reinforced Concrete Design (with Flowchart) – Concrete Beam with Tension Reinforcement Only
Have you heard of Mu/4d? That’s something I learned at work from one of my bosses who has been a licensed SE since 1984! It’s basically a quick way to check your numbers for concrete flexure (which I will show you later in the post). Apparently that’s how engineers used to do quick checks – […]
How to study for the SE exam?
OK, now that you have decided to take the exam and have just paid your registration (or exam) fees. It’s time to start studying! I hear you scream: “But the exam is months away!” “Is it enough if I just take a course…?” “I think I should be studying but I am really not sure […]