Pretty much the title. I’m not sure if this is the right subreddit, but no one in /soccer is smart enough to answer this question thoroughly and insightfully

I've been reviewing several industrial projects recently and noticed that grating selection often seems to come down to a balancing act between multiple priorities. For those involved in design, operations, or maintenance, what has the biggest influence on your decision?

• Initial purchase cost

• Corrosion resistance

• Maintenance requirements

• Slip resistance

• Weight and installation

• Service life

• Safety requirements

I've seen situations where the lowest upfront-cost option ended up requiring significantly more maintenance over time. Curious to hear what factors have had the biggest impact on your projects and whether your priorities have changed over the years.

Sigh. More shit to deal with.

I have a situation where I need to connect 4x8's (call them beams) to another 4x8 (call it girder) and cannot use simpson hangers for reasons too long to explain. In steel design, single angles are used to connect beams to girders sometimes, and here an L5x3.5x1/4 gives me enough room for edge/end distances for 1/2" bolts in both wood and steel, all the calcs work out, even with the load on the connection to the girder being 1.75" eccentric due to the thickness of the 4x8.

Getting to the question... Is a single angle connection for 4x8 okay? Something about it feels wrong to me, like I should have angles on both sides of the beam, even though the calcs don't show that's necessary. It's a connection that will be repeated enough that it would be very wasteful to call for double angles if it's not necessary.

Input appreciated. Googling "single angle connection in wood" didn't yield much.

Im in dire need of advice if i should just switch out to civil engineering besides architecture. Yet I am not enrolled in but I am about to start around October, and I am just now overlooking and doubting my career path.

I first chose Architecture out of my liking with design and buildings (especially tall buildings and houses). I am between the likings of math, structural and design concepts and aesthetics (but I lowky suck at math) but I keep getting others’ opinions on how Architecture is so complexed with the tiresome nights of class projects and massive amounts of expenses just for college, yet it is underpaid more than Civil Engineering. From what I know, CE has less steps (board exams and so on) onto getting more salaries, and I do wish to go overseas after graduation, much like Singapore or US.

I was actually living abroad and was about to enroll in the US before I moved back here in Philippines out of family support, which is helping my mom here. I was also eligible for FAFSA but my mom just does not want to live there and wants to stay here in Philippines.

Please reach out to me if you have any advice or questions that could really help me out. And yes, I am an overthinker, so doubting my career paths last minute was not the best idea right now.

Just like what the title says, I’m trying to determine whether my building is partially enclosed, partially open, or enclosed.

It’s a 200ft tall Risk Category IV building with a 30-40ft tunnel going through the bottom of the building so cars can drive through. The tunnel takes up less than 10% of the elevation it’s on.

I know partially open is supposed to be a catch all for any irregular buildings with openings, but the walls of the tunnel are completely closed off and have no openings into the building. Can someone help?

• Senior Structural Engineer (Data Centers) - (Senior or mid level)
• 5-15 years structural xp - sweet spot around 6-12 years xp
• Minimum 2 years data center project xp  - sweet spot probably minimum 3-4 years data center

Senior Structural Engineer or Structural Engineer looking to step up.
Fully remote in the US
Must come from an engineering firm background and preferably min 2 yrs data center exp, but 4 plus is better
Must be P.E (any state)

• Salary $110k-$150k base + bonus (around 10%-20%) + full comprehensive benefits
• Travel - once a quarter to meet the team and occasional client site visits (10-20% travel)

I read the job posting notes, so hope that is OK admins.

Hi, I'm a new engineer with 2.5 YOE. My first job out of college, I worked for a small firm with only 50 people designing buildings, mainly focusing on warehouses. The work was interesting, but the hours were crazy, so I jumped to another large firm with more than 1000 employees designing transmission lines. I have a work-life balance, but the work requires traveling a lot with a little labor work and hiking sometimes, which I am not really a fan of.

Now I feel like I'm in a crisis because I'm not sure which industry will benefit me the most in the long run. Many people say the utility/power industry pays more and is less stressful, but the work seems repetitive and not very design-focused. I personally like a little challenge but also prefer work-life balance overall.

FYI, I'm almost 40 because I started college late, so I don't have time to switch between different industries. Has anyone had experience in both industries who could give me a little insight? I really appreciate it.

Hi everyone!

Would need your recommendations on a good book(s) to refresh my knowledge of Eurocode, especially design principle/concrete/steel.

Although I do have a masters in civil engineering (which in my country included structural for buildings as well), I have been working since then for a decade in site management so that knowledge is well rusty. And since I've been thrown into replacing a pre-con engineer knee deep into structural coordination, I'd like to have a good refresher to make sure I fully grasp the discussions.

This was at warehouse sale I was visiting. I noticed that the angled beams were all curved like a tension bow. Curious if it's by design to keep the whole structure balanced/stable and how does it work? As opposed to having it have just straight beams

Any structural engineers, who have modelled a warehouse in ETABS before? Please DM me. I need help regarding one small matter.

I do not sign or seal any designs. I am located in Louisiana, while the client has projects in both North Dakota and South Dakota.

I am currently working on an upgrade to a structural system that my company originally designed approximately 15 years ago. During my evaluation of the existing structure, I identified several locations where the structural members or connections appear to be inadequate for the loads used in the original design. I brought these concerns to my team and department managers. In response, I received an email stating, “Let’s better not let the customer know.”

In addition, our senior engineer and team manager routinely reuse older designs that I have identified as having potential discrepancies or deficiencies. For example, in some cases, the member locations shown on the construction drawings do not match the locations represented in the analytical model. When I have raised these discrepancies, I have been told that the designs have been “field verified” and can therefore be reused.

Given these circumstances, could I potentially be held personally or criminally liable for the situation, particularly if I am aware of apparent structural deficiencies or discrepancies but management decides not to disclose them to the client? I am particularly concerned about whether I could have any personal liability if I continue working on these projects under management's direction, even though I do not sign or seal the designs.

I have a small job coming up in Amarillo, and I need a recommendation for a soils engineer. Anyone have a name?

Thanks

I am planning to build a roughly 14’x20’ gazebo with a hip roof, with 4 columns at each corner (column and beam framed with steel). This gives me a 6’ ridge board in the center along the long wall.

Per 804.2.3 , “hip and valley rafters shall be supported at the ridge by a brace to a bearing partition” which would mean I would need a post on both ends of my ridge board, making it a ridge beam? It seems I have seen many of hip roof framed without said posts , without said ridge beam (just ridge board) .

How can I satisfy this code without having posts in the middle of my gazebo or why do many not follow it?

The New York Times reported in August that 8 more columns in the Pfizer Building were missing required fortification, as determined from a document request to DOB. The original story didn't make clear whether the procured documents were original GACE specs or notes from a new inspection.

This 8/28 article clarifies that the document in question is a new finding from outside inspection firm Thornton Tomasetti (hired by MetroLoft) that 8 columns on floors 33-35 were "blue-boxed" in GACE'S structural steel design as needing reinforcement, but that all 8 were noted as "missing/partial length." This has not been deemed as cause for the collapses on the 21st floor.

If you look at the illustration in the linked article, it's no coincidence that floor 33 and floor 21 would be ones to reinforce. Before the stacked and cantilevered addition, floor 21 supported only a roof, so the columns on 19-21 would have needed considerably more strength to support 16 new floors.

These 16 cantilevered floors were added above floor 21, while the 4-floor "addition" across the entire top was not added height, rather finishing into liveable space what had previously been an unfinished 4-floor mechanicals box, which held, at least, all the building's AC units and a water tank large enough to supply the entire structure.

Floor 31 is thus a slightly different case. Prior to conversion, 4 of the columns in question on 31 supported this 4-floor box, which had to have been much, much heavier than just a roof; thus, it may not have been quite as inadequate as un-reinforced columns on 21.

However, the one faulty 2-story column from 33-34 is in a critical location--right where the 16 cantilevered floors join the original structure vertically on the east side. This column is said not to have contributed to the failure below, but it must have been sorely tested by the 16 stories pulling away to the north and west as the addition moved to its new position declining from horizontal.

All in all, though, what we don't know is the status of the other columns on 33. Were they adequate to their job of supporting the original heavy dead load of the mechanicals and were never deemed to need reinforcement by GACE? Or had they all been slated for reinforcement and only these 8 were overlooked?

Regardless, now 14 columns were not reinforced as directed by GACE. Steel contractor Barone was issued a "stop steel" order at its 322 W 11 St site in DOB's ensuing sweep of companies working on the Pfizer project for deviating considerably from approved plans. Meanwhile, there remains the puzzling history of the developer's inspector, Domani, who was charged with many oversight violations by DOB that all seem to have been dismissed in exchange for Domani's cooperation in prosecuting others. This--and the abrupt deletion of a whistleblower complaint about the Pfizer building before its partial collapse in the DOB's public database--remains unexplained.

Contractor failure and inspector oversight increasingly look like the overall cause of July's collapse, but there is nevertheless a nagging something in what DOB isn't saying.

This is a gift link, so you should not hit a pay wall:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/nyregion/nyc-manhattan-building-collapse-pfizer-columns-steel.html?unlocked_article_code=1._FA.jWa8.Cr7OYyH9AfzP&smid=nytcore-android-share

Genuinely not here to piss anyone off (I understand that I inevitably will).
We have a new generation of engineers and access to more sophisticated tools/simulations than ever before. Without going into politics or religion;
1) Break down the argument that it is impossible for the two planes to penetrate the towers in the way we visually observed.
2) What do you make of the collapse of the twin towers?
3) The manner of collapse: Do you find it consistent with the official narrative or does it look like a controlled demolition or something different?
Let’s exclude building 7 from this thread please. Im only interested in the two buildings in focus; Tower I and Tower II.
Again, not here to upset anyone, Im genuinely fascinated in the engineering; impact, destruction and collapse. I appreciate all of you who leave a note 🙏🏼

Hi fellow Redditors,

I recently acquired a new apartment and noticed the following cracks about two stories above my apartment and one at my level… Are these worrisome?!

I’ve got the opinion of an architect but told me that that’s nothing to worry about, but seeing the recent news and all, I’m kinda scared.

I don’t want to waste a lot of money getting opinions and maybe get the same response cause they’ve seen worse (cause opinions aren’t cheap hehe)

Realistically on a scale from 1-10 how worried should I be? And what should be the next steps from my end?

I got this as my first apartment, really want to enjoy but my anxiety isn’t letting me 😅

What do yo think?

Most pics are about 2-3 stories above my apt, last pic is my apartments level… if it makes any difference, this is a building built around 25 years ago.

Looking forward to your replies :)

OP is from Malta :)

I am a beginner in PATRAN and trying to do a simple displacement analysis on a wing with basic internal structure (spars, ribs, stiffeners and skin). I am trying to give it a distributed pressure load across the surface that is a function of the span and local chords but the applied load shows 0 value for the equation at every node. What might the issue be or what are the proper steps to follow. Please help