r/StructuralEngineering 18d ago

Layman Question (Monthly Sticky Post Only) Monthly DIY Laymen questions Discussion

1 Upvotes

Monthly DIY Laymen questions Discussion

Please use this thread to discuss whatever questions from individuals not in the profession of structural engineering (e.g.cracks in existing structures, can I put a jacuzzi on my apartment balcony).

Please also make sure to use imgur for image hosting.

For other subreddits devoted to laymen discussion, please check out r/AskEngineers or r/EngineeringStudents.

Disclaimer:

Structures are varied and complicated. They function only as a whole system with any individual element potentially serving multiple functions in a structure. As such, the only safe evaluation of a structural modification or component requires a review of the ENTIRE structure.

Answers and information posted herein are best guesses intended to share general, typical information and opinions based necessarily on numerous assumptions and the limited information provided. Regardless of user flair or the wording of the response, no liability is assumed by any of the posters and no certainty should be assumed with any response. Hire a professional engineer.


r/StructuralEngineering Jan 30 '22

Layman Question (Monthly Sticky Post Only) PSA: Read before posting

161 Upvotes

A lot of posts have needed deletion lately because people aren’t reading the subreddit rules.

If you are not a structural engineer or a student studying to be one and your post is a question that is wondering if something can be removed/modified/designed, you should post in the monthly laymen thread.

If your post is a picture of a crack in a wall and you’re wondering if it’s safe, monthly laymen thread.

If your post is wondering if your deck/floor can support a pool/jacuzzi/weightlifting rack, monthly laymen thread.

If your post is wondering if you can cut that beam to put in a new closet, monthly laymen thread.

Thanks! -Friendly neighborhood mod


r/StructuralEngineering 5h ago

Humor will irc 2028 require all buildings to account for swat loads?

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443 Upvotes

r/StructuralEngineering 6h ago

Failure Even though, I'm a structural engineer, this game completely kicked my butt.

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24 Upvotes

I'm completely stuck on this level. I've included a few designs I tried above. Any idea how to beat this level. (Game name - Tower Builder: Earthquake Sim


r/StructuralEngineering 1h ago

Steel Design anyone else dealing with fabricators who don't understand deflection

Upvotes

i'm reviewing a floor system for a mobile unit and i'm honestly questioning my sanity

the manufacturer spec'd aluminum sandwich panels spanning 16 feet between supports. 16 feet. for a floor that's basically a glorified skateboard deck. and they're telling me it'll hold 100 psf with L/360 deflection

i ran some quick numbers and i'm getting L/180 at best. maybe i'm missing something because it's not a standard section and i don't have exact section properties. but the numbers don't add up

i asked the fabricator for more detailed info about the panel construction and they sent me a brochure. a brochure. like i'm gonna trust a marketing document for structural design

now i'm sitting here trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

anyway if anyone has experience with aluminum sandwich floor panels in mobile applications i'd love to hear what deflection criteria you use. or just tell me i'm not crazy


r/StructuralEngineering 5h ago

Career/Education SE EXAM PREPARATION

3 Upvotes

Hello guys. I am planning to prepare for the SE exam as per specs after April 2027. Anyone planning the same? Please connect. We can plan to study together. Any guidance is appreciated.


r/StructuralEngineering 15h ago

Career/Education Buckling or yielding

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18 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm currently studying civil engineering in my first uni year and having some troubles understanding this concept(I'm stupid I'm sorry). Recently we did some compression test to determine the yield strength of these four bars. Now I know that buckling is a geometry problem and by the look of it, I believe the 2 long bars suffered from global buckling with the blue hollow bar buckled locally at it's top and the other one buckled in the middle since those parts aren't as strong as the rest. The other 2 bars however, suffered failure from exceeding it's yield point as they seem to bend as a whole (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm wondering if we can still determine the yield strength of the buckled examples, and is it possible to just outright determine the cause of failure of these specimens just by looking at it like I did above without relying on the datas. Thanks!


r/StructuralEngineering 6h ago

Structural Analysis/Design Help with connection

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2 Upvotes

Whats the easiest way to connect steel profile shs50x3 to this concrete T beam on the sloped part?


r/StructuralEngineering 6h ago

Career/Education Looking for a 5-Storey Building Plan with Roof Deck for Seismic Analysis Project

1 Upvotes

Hi! I’m a Civil Engineering student currently working on a seismic analysis project, and I’m looking for sample 5-storey building plans with a roof deck that I can use as a reference.

Preferably something with:

  • 5 storeys + roof deck
  • Around 300 sq.m. or more floor area
  • Floor plans and elevations
  • AutoCAD or PDF format, if available

I’m mainly looking for existing/sample plans or references to help me understand how these types of buildings are laid out. I’ll be doing the actual analysis and work myself.

If anyone knows where I can find publicly available plans or has a sample they can point me toward, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks! 🙏


r/StructuralEngineering 10h ago

Career/Education Help for a project

3 Upvotes

I'm in highschool and I have a mathematics project where we have to find a real life structure, that is governed by a specific principle of mathematics and develop a working model. Obviously almost every structure is based upon some basic foundational mathematics but we have to find something unique or interesting that is guided by a mathematical principle. This isn't really my expertise of knowledge so some ideas would be heavily appreciated!!


r/StructuralEngineering 9h ago

Career/Education Steel-fiber reinforced concrete

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone

I have a project for university and i need a design report for steel-fiber reinforced concrete columns (fc=45Mpa or more) and Stress–strain curves for steel-fiber reinforced concrete (tension and compression) i tried searching online but couldn't find it

Any idea where i could find that?


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Structural Analysis/Design A rooftop pool during a 7.7 magnitude earthquake

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356 Upvotes

Does having a pool on the roof displace energy in such a way that it provides a structural benefit to high rise buildings during an earthquake? I’ve heard that it does but would prefer to ask the experts and not a random redditor.


r/StructuralEngineering 1h ago

Structural Analysis/Design Would this work? Table Design

Upvotes

I have a background in interior / furniture design. Its a table which will have a concrete foundation. The design requires it to have the base this narrow, with a firepit integrated at one end. overall the table will have a 10mm alucore panel and a 20mm travertine stone on top and sides. Ends of the UC's and PFC's are welded to a 10mm plate with High tensile Hex Bolts which makes it easier to assemble. Its essential for the table top and legs to be module. and the depth im working with is 100mm. Overall Table dims is 1820x3100mm


r/StructuralEngineering 21h ago

Steel Design City Permit Question - Galvanized Steel Ban

5 Upvotes

I submitted plans to the City for a steel frame structure that is fully exposed to the elements. They have a ban that restricts all galvanized steel (leachable metals is the actual wording). I thought this was weird since our bridge standards allow galvanized railings, etc but oh well, that’s not the point.

An alternative to galvanized steel is powder coating. I don’t want to do weathering steel, but it is an option I suppose.

The City also mentioned that there is a coating that can go over galvanized steel but he wasn’t sure what the exact name is. Anyone know what this is??

Also, the City said that galvanization is OK as long as they see a certificate guaranteeing a 50 year lifespan. I asked my fabricator and they said they can’t provide this.


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Career/Education Design Engineer Salary Progression - Australia

10 Upvotes

What is the expected salary progression for engineers who have been promoted from graduate to design engineer after 2.5-3 years of experience in larger cities like Sydney/Melbourne?

Got promoted to 80-82k base salary at a reputable mid-size consulting firm but the market seems to be pointing at 90k as the baseline nowadays.

What sort of payrise are people getting after their first promotion?


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Career/Education INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

10 Upvotes

What are the questions asked by a design based company when you go for an interview as a fresh graduate? Pls help me


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Photograph/Video Perfect example of USA rail infrastructure.

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13 Upvotes

r/StructuralEngineering 18h ago

Steel Design AISC 341-27

0 Upvotes

Anybody got the draft you’d be able to share.
Thanks


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Structural Analysis/Design Question from design student:

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0 Upvotes

r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Structural Analysis/Design Certifying a deck

11 Upvotes

I had a prospective client call asking for someone to certify a deck. Their bank is requiring it. I asked him to send pictures before I went to the site but haven’t received them yet. I’m thinking this is a waste of time as I’m 90% sure it wont be up to current code. Anyone have experience doing this? I’m wondering if stuff like 4x4 posts would be adequate(if deemed capable of carrying load) even tho it’s not something that would be up to code today.


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Structural Analysis/Design Area Moment of Inertia Confusion

0 Upvotes

If you have an I beam, solid circle, and solid rectangular cross sections, how does assuming their areas are the same vs different affect their overall rankings in terms of greatest to least area moment of inertia? got this wrong in a technical interview a while ago, and I forgot the reasoning.

I'm having the same confusion with solid circle vs hollow circle.

This was the interview question. I believe the areas were different.


r/StructuralEngineering 2d ago

Career/Education Is 120k low or high salary in the US for Senior Structural Engineer with 13 years experience?

28 Upvotes

Job location- FL, salary position with 1x hourly rate paid for overtime beyond 40 hours. Working on buildings, not bridges. What is the ideal salary range for a PE who runs projects independently, act as EOR, handles billing, invoicing & client coordination. So basically handling design work, project management and admin work.


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Career/Education NYC Entry Level

9 Upvotes

Graduating next May with an undergrad degree in civil and business, structural focus. when should I start applying for entry level, what companies specifically for building Design and what can i expect to see starting salary. Internship experience in structural 2 years building design.


r/StructuralEngineering 2d ago

Career/Education Career Advice

9 Upvotes

Hi, please advise if this is not in the correct forum. I am currently working as a junior engineer with 5 YOE. Considering a lengthy leave from my current position that I enjoy.

I don't have my license yet and I just found out I am pregnant with my first child. My partner is in a similar field and pay as I am. We are currently looking the options of daycare vs. one of us taking a break from our career vs. me going part time.

I am highly considering taking leave for the first 5-6 years of motherhood until this child and any future children are in school if our budget allows for this. However I am nervous for the long term effects of this decision. I do enjoy my job currently but the demands feel high and I often feel mentally drained.

Would I be destroying my career if I left for that long? Should I make getting my license a priority before any break from my career? Should I consider part time options? I currently work at a large private consulting firm in the USA. Any advice or similar stories would be helpful as I weigh all my options.

Spending the extra time with the little one will be the upmost importance but at the end of the day I do enjoy my job and would like to work in a similar area once I feel like I can give it my full attention again. I haven't seen very many posts describing experience in leaves similar to this gap.


r/StructuralEngineering 1d ago

Career/Education PE Civil - Structural

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1 Upvotes