Soil engineering, also known as geotechnical engineering, is a foundational discipline within civil engineering that deals with the behavior of earth materials and their interaction with constructed facilities. For civil engineering students, selecting a meaningful project topic in soil engineering can be both challenging and rewarding. This guide presents a comprehensive collection of soil engineering […]
Introduction to Seismic Pounding in Buildings Seismic pounding is one of the most damaging yet often overlooked phenomena in earthquake engineering. It occurs when adjacent buildings or structural blocks vibrate out of phase during an earthquake and collide into one another. These collisions can produce large impact forces, localize structural damage at the points of
The concept of a submerged floating tunnel (SFT), also known as the Archimedes Bridge, represents one of the most innovative approaches to crossing deep and wide water bodies. Unlike conventional immersed tunnels that rest on the seabed or bored tunnels that must pass through the ground beneath the water, an SFT uses the fundamental principle
When a building fire occurs, the structural integrity of steel-framed components becomes the foremost concern for engineers, building owners, and construction professionals. Understanding how to properly evaluate fire-damaged structural steel is essential for making informed repair or replacement decisions that balance safety, cost, and schedule. This article provides a comprehensive overview of post-fire structural steel
Understanding Freeze-Thaw Damage in Building Enclosures: Causes, Assessment, and Repair Strategies Water is one of the most persistent threats to building durability, and when it combines with freezing temperatures, the results can be structurally significant. Freeze-thaw damage in building enclosures is a well-documented phenomenon that affects materials ranging from porous masonry and concrete to seemingly
When Hurricane Ian made landfall in late September 2022, it became the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida since 1935. The storm devastated Lee County, causing catastrophic damage to the Sanibel Causeway, the 4.8-kilometer (three-mile) bridge system connecting Sanibel Island to mainland Florida. The causeway’s destruction severed the only road access for residents, businesses, and emergency
Structural design pressure ratings for windows, doors, and curtain walls are typically validated through laboratory testing. However, building projects often require fenestration configurations that differ from tested baseline assemblies, making full retesting for every variation both cost-prohibitive and time-consuming. The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) has developed a consensus-based engineering analysis procedure under AAMA
Historic churches and civic buildings built during the nineteenth century across the United States commonly feature wood framed roof trusses supported by mass masonry exterior walls. These structures, designed using empirical building traditions rather than modern engineering mechanics, often contain latent structural deficiencies that emerge over decades of service. Understanding the failure modes specific to
Structural engineers working on low-carbon civic buildings face a critical challenge: achieving dramatic embodied carbon reductions without compromising structural performance, safety, or serviceability. San Mateo County’s County Office Building 3 (COB3), designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and currently under construction in Silicon Valley, provides a compelling case study in hybrid mass timber structural
When a fire destroyed the historic Eugene Civic Stadium in Oregon, the community saw an opportunity not just to rebuild but to reimagine what a civic sports facility could deliver. The result is Civic Park, a multi-phase redevelopment project anchored by a 3,716-square-meter (40,000-square-foot) field house built on a pre-engineered steel structure. For building professionals
