May 10^th: Dr. Ghosh speaking at the seminar on Changes Between ASCE 7-05 and 7-10 in S.F. Bay Area…

The webinar will cover a broad range of knowledge needed to successfully plan, design and specify parking garages using precast/prestressed concrete. It will cover functional layout considerations including parking occupancy, site layout, parking layout and vertical communication. Fire rating considerations and the importance of design for an open parking garage will be discussed. The structural system design for a precast/prestressed concrete parking garage will be covered. Gravity load framing with modular precast will be reviewed. We will also review the vertical elements of the lateral force-resisting system and diaphragm considerations. We will conclude with a discussion of several design features and issues specific to parking structures, including warping of floors and drainage, flange connections and joints, expansion joints, pedestrian railing options, connection design for deformation compatibility, volume change effects, and erection issues.

The web seminar will also include three question-and-answer periods.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Cleland has thirty four years experience in structural analysis, design, research, and engineering management. He is experienced in all types of structural design including concrete, steel, masonry and prestressed concrete construction. He has provided structural design on commercial, institutional, industrial, stadium, data center, parking garage, transportation, and environmental projects. He has managed design and drafting departments of two prestressed concrete plants. He has been President of Blue Ridge Design, Inc., since 1986. He a licensed professional engineer in 22 states and the District of Columbia.

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Just Tweeted: The ICC Structural Code Change Hearings in Dallas have begun! Check out live webcast at: http://www.iccsafe.org/webcast/pages/track2.aspx

Watch for Dr. S. K. Ghosh’s testimony at the Hearings on modifications to the anchorage provisions of ACI 318 Appendix D. The proposal number is S340-12, scheduled after S207-12.

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With over a half a billion square feet of space constructed annually, tilt-up concrete construction is a common building type in engineering offices across the nation. This economical style of construction is uniquely identified by the very slender concrete walls cast horizontally and tilted into place. This web-seminar presentation revisits the historical development of the original slender wall design recommendations in the late 1970s, and reveals why ACI has recently revised their slender wall design provisions dramatically to match with concepts developed over 30 years ago. While these original concepts were based on empirical data from full-scale tests conducted in the early 1980s, only within the last eight years have we really begun to fully understand the behavior of these thin concrete members when subjected to combined axial load and large horizontal forces. The intent of the current code provisions will be discussed, some insight into their proper application will be provided, and examples of misapplications and gray-areas will be highlighted.

The web seminar will also include three question-and-answer periods.

Speaker Bio: John Lawson is a licensed Structural Engineer (CA, AZ) with over twenty-five years of experience engineering tilt-up concrete construction, and is the author of the two tilt-up design examples in the ICC/SEAOC Structural/Seismic Design Manual, and he is the recipient of the 2006 TCA Engineering Achievement Award for tilt-up design. Currently Lawson is an Assistant Professor in Architectural Engineering at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, and is a member of ACI 551, SEAOC, EERI, and TCA. John Lawson has a BS in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a MS in Structural Engineering from Stanford University.

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The events in Indonesia, Chile, and Japan have illustrated the devastating effects tsunamis can have on ocean-front structures. Proper design of critical facilities and evacuation shelters are essential for maintaining the safety of the population during the event and operation of the community after the waters have receded. This seminar provides an introduction on tsunami causes and effects, regions of high risk in the United States, the demands generated onshore, and design for the hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, and uplift forces and impact of debris on structures. Design approaches from FEMA P646, IBC, and ASCE 7 will be explored.

The web seminar will also include three question-and-answer periods.

Speaker Bio: Clay J. Naito is an associate professor of Structural Engineering and associate chair of Lehigh University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Hawaii and his graduate degrees from the University of California Berkeley. He is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania and California. His research interests include experimental and analytical evaluation of concrete structures subjected to extreme events including earthquakes and intentional blast demands. Professor Naito is Chair of the Prestressed/Precast Concrete Institute (PCI) Blast Resistance and Structural Integrity Committee and an Associate Editor of the ASCE Bridge Journal. He has received funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop innovative methods for protecting people and equipment from blast and ballistic effects. He is currently a co-investigator on the NSF research project to assess the impact of tsunami borne debris on structures. He is an associate member of the ASCE 7 Subcommittee on Tsunami Loads and Effects. He teaches courses on the design of Prestressed Concrete Structures and Blast Design of buildings and in 2008 he received the PCI Young Educator Achievement Award for outstanding service to the industry.

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8:00 AM – Noon:

Overview of the Changes from ASCE 7-05 to ASCE 7-10 with an Emphasis on Wind Design
by S. K. Ghosh, Ph.D., President, S. K. Ghosh Associates Inc.

This seminar will present a detailed overview of the substantive changes from ASCE 7-05 to ASCE 7-10. Major revisions have taken place in both the wind design and the seismic design provisions. Wind design has changed more substantially than at any time since the publication of ASCE 7-95. The reorganization of the wind provisions will be discussed and the changes to the wind maps and the corresponding changes to the load factors will be explained. In addition, the new simplified version of the general analytical procedure under Method 2, which is applicable to buildings of all heights, will be addressed.

Beyond the wind provisions, the seminar will present a fairly detailed overview of the substantive changes to the other provisions found in ASCE 7. These include the introduction of performance-based design procedures, enhancement of the general structural integrity requirements, revisions to load combinations, new live loads, and changes to snow load provisions. The discussion of the seismic changes will not be extensive, in view of the relatively low seismicity of Philadelphia.

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM:

CRSI Concept: A Feasibility Design Tool for Reinforced Concrete
by Mike Mota, Ph.D., P.E., Atlantic Region Manager, Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI)

RC Concept is a web-based tool developed by CRSI for preliminary design purposes of different types of common concrete floor systems. The software is simple to use and allows users to quickly determine rebar quantities and perform cost comparisons between systems.

Update on the Seismic Design and Construction of Steel Reinforced Concrete Structures
by Attila Beres, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Structural Engineering Consultant, Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI)

This seminar covers recent ACI 318 code developments related to seismic design and construction of RC structures. The presentation attempts to clarify often misunderstood basic principles to novel technologies addressing the design of lateral force-resisting systems.

Please register early. If we do not have sufficient enrollment within three working days of the seminar date, we may cancel the seminar. We won’t do this unless it’s absolutely necessary, but it is possible (and, of course, if that happens then all paid attendees will receive registration refunds).

This seminar will present a detailed and comprehensive overview of the substantive changes from ASCE 7-05 to ASCE 7-10. Major revisions have taken place in both the wind design and the seismic design provisions. Wind design has changed more substantially than any time since the publication of ASCE 7-95. The reorganization of the wind provisions will be discussed and the changes to the wind maps and the corresponding changes to the load factors will be explained. In addition, the new simplified version of the general analytical procedure under Method 2, which is applicable to buildings of all heights, will be addressed.

Explanation of the new seismic maps will be presented and how they affect seismic design results will be discussed. There are many other significant changes to the ASCE 7 seismic provisions (Chapters 11, 12, 21 and 22), such as changes to Table 12.2-1 (the R-values table) and new provisions for wall anchorage, that will be discussed.

In addition to covering changes to the wind and seismic provisions, the seminar will also present a detailed and fairly comprehensive overview of the substantive changes to the other provisions found in ASCE 7. These include the introduction of performance-based design procedures, enhancement of the general structural integrity requirements, revisions to load combinations, new live loads, and changes to snow load provisions.

Speakers: S. K. Ghosh, Ph.D. & Susan Dowty, S.E.

Please register early. If we do not have sufficient enrollment within three working days of the seminar date, we may cancel the seminar. We won’t do this unless it’s absolutely necessary, but it is possible (and, of course, if that happens then all paid attendees will receive registration refunds).

This seminar provides an introduction to blast loads, their effects, the analysis methods used and the performance-based design requirements that guide blast-resistant design. Due to the heightened potential for intentional high-explosive detonations in or adjacent to the buildings we work and live in, many government nonmilitary and military structures in the United States are required to consider blast demands as part of the design process. Until relatively recently, mitigation of this threat was the nearly exclusive domain of a handful of elite firms and individuals. Also, highly specialized techniques and tools were typically utilized. This seminar will address the subject in an easy-to-understand manner because it is helpful for each member of the design team to understand how blast loads are considered during the design process.

The web seminar will also include three question-and-answer periods.

Speaker Bio: Clay J. Naito is an associate professor of Structural Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Hawaii and his graduate degree from the University of California Berkeley. He is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania and California. His research interests include experimental and analytical evaluation of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures subjected to extreme events including earthquakes and intentional blast loads. Professor Naito is Chair of the Prestressed/Precast Concrete Institute (PCI) Blast Resistance and Structural Integrity Committee and an Associate Editor of the ASCE Bridge Journal. He has received funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Science Foundation to develop innovative methods for protecting people and equipment from blast and ballistic effects. He teaches courses on the design of Prestressed Concrete Structures and Blast Design of Buildings. In 2008, he received the PCI Young Educator Achievement Award for outstanding service to the industry.

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Why is ASCE 7 wind design so confusing? Why are there so many methods? Why do they keep changing? What’s the difference between the all-heights method, directional procedure, envelope procedure and the alternate all-heights method? What is the new simplification of the all-heights method all about in ASCE 7-10? These are some of the questions that will be answered during this web seminar, Simplified Wind Design by IBC/ASCE 7 with Examples. In addition, the design wind loads for the same building will be determined using the following three methods:

The web seminar will also include three question-and-answer periods.

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April 19, 2012; 9 am – 11 am Pacific Time

Speaker: David Bonowitz, S.E.

Existing Buildings provisions continue to evolve. This seminar will cover the major changes to IBC Chapter 34 made in the 2009 edition, along with the refinements made in 2012. The presentation will explain the changes in organization and terminology, as well as the practical and philosophical issues behind them. It will also include a comparison of IBC Chapter 34 with the Work Area Method of the IEBC. Examples will illustrate the intent of the code, the remaining gray areas, and some common misapplications.

The web seminar will also include three question-and-answer periods.

Speaker Bio:

David Bonowitz: David Bonowitz is a Structural Engineer with twenty-five years of diverse earthquake engineering experience, including consulting to city, state, and federal agencies. Bonowitz chairs the Existing Buildings committee of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations, through which he develops and coordinates code changes on behalf of the nationwide engineering community. He is a Fellow Member of SEAONC and SEAOC and past-chair of the SEAONC Existing Buildings and Seismology Committees.

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