What Type of Sewer Pipe is Best? Life-cycle Cost Analysis Yields Answer
In the past, many engineers have selected the type of sewer pipe for a particular project based mainly on a comparison of initial costs of concrete, steel, and other types of pipes. This...

Shanghai Tunnel Projects Spur Construction Innovations
Since underground construction in soft ground is newly developed in Shanghai, there is little experience there as compared to what is known for specific sites in other countires. Well...

Underground Plastic Pipe
Thirty-nine of the papers presented at the 1981 International Conference on Underground Plastic Pipe are included. The types of pipes examined include: thermoplastics, thermosetting plastic...

Joint Usage of Utility and Transportation Corridors
The problems and experiences of engineers working on transportation corridors are explored through 12 papers presented at a conference of the ASCE Pipeline Division. Corridors involve...

GAO Finds Massive Failure of Wastewater Treatment Plants
A year-long study by the General Accounting Office of 242 wastewater treatment plants in 10 states concluded that discharge permit violations are the norm, not the exception. The failures,...

Management Keys: Freedom to Create, Responsibility for Failure
Management policies for inventors and engineers are reviewed in this interview with Professor Dan Pletta, University Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute...

Geotechnical Research Needs
A National Science Foundation-ASCE workshop on research needs looked at, among other subfields, geotechnical engineering. The study identified a number of research needs�based on society's...

Structural Failures
A relatively few, spectacular failures of new buildings have caught the public attention. Despite the publicity, the track record of structural designers is generally outstanding. Nevertheless,...

Vacuum Sewers�� the Future for Sewage Collection�
Patented in the 19th Century, vacuum sewers are making a comeback. Vacuum is created and maintained at a central collection station and extended, through a network of collecting pipes,...

Stop the World-- I Want to Get Off!
The essays that won first and third prizes in the 1981 Essay Contest are presented. The first-prize essay, by John Huston, is entitled Stop the world�� I want to get off. It is a satire...

List of Sources and Reference Material on Pipeline Design
Sources of information and reference material on pipeline design are listed. The bibliography is compiled for engineers with limited experience in the pipeline field, and the references...

Symposium on Deep Foundations
Twenty-six case histories on the design, installation and performance of deep foundations are included. The emphasis is on testing and field data. Deep foundations are explored in cretaceous...

Roof Design: Avoid Ponding by Sloping to Drain
Roofing contractors recommend that roofs possess enough slope to permit complete drainage within 48 hours of rainfall. Otherwise ponds will form which can cause leakage and even contribute...

West Virginia Cooling Tower Collapse Caused by Premature Form Removal
The collapse of a reinforced concrete cooling tower under construction at Willow Island, W.Va. in April 1978 resulted in 51 fatalities, making it the worst construction accident in American...

New Approach to Storm Drainage Pipe Design
Using a recently developed computer program, drainage swales can be designed to provide short-term storage of stormwater. Benefits of this approach to stormwater management include reduced...

Hartford Coliseum Roof Collapse: Structural Collapse Sequence and Lessons Learned
As with all structural failures, the collapse of the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum roof has raised many questions about design and analysis procedures. The profession should learn from...

Research Needs in Hydraulics, Coastal Engineering and Irrigation
Last June an ASCE/NSF team gathered at Warrenton, Va., to prioritize research needs in civil engineering. They split the field into 10 subcategories, one of which is Hydraulics, Coastal...

Basics in Failure Analysis of Large Structures
Failure analysis procedures can usually determine the most probalbe cause of a structural failure. Then it is possible to determine why the initial design, materials selection, and fabrication...

Part Two: Basics in Failure Analysis of Large Structures
Part two of a article, with part one appearing in May, 1980. Part two begins with microscopic examination which includes the use of scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Covers...

Reducing Failures During Earthquakes
There are common building design and structural errors that result in unnecessary building failures during earthquakes. The failures are the result of design errors, changes and economies...

 

 

 

 

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