Slope Stability Program
This article includes an entire computer program, written in BASIC computer language. The program is a simplified version of programs which have been written for large computer systems....

The Structural Fuse: An Inelastic Approach to Earthquake-Resistant Design of Buildings
An alternative to the empirical approach to earthquake-resistant design of buildings is proposed and illustrated with a design example. Instead of strengthening every member to resist...

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,...

A Home for the Navy's Trident Subs
On 7,000 acres near Seattle, Washington, sits the largest military base constructed in the U.S. since World War II. The Navy's multimillion-dollar Trident project, a combination...

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...

A Probability-Based Load Criterion for Structural Design
Load factors and load combinations are explored which are compatible with the loads in the proposed 1981 revision of American National Standard A58 (Minimum Design Loads for Buildings...

Dallas College Features Load-Bearing Brick Cavity Walls
A unique concept in masonry design and construction was developed for the Brookhaven College campus in Dallas, Texas. Centering on the use of prefabricated reinforced brick panels and...

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,...

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...

Long Span Roof Structures
The papers included in these proceedings treat a wide range of technical topics related to long span roof structures including new structural concepts, structural stability, the effects...

Drilled Piers and Caissons
Drilled piers, also called drilled caissons, drilled shafts, bored piles, and cast-in-situ piles, have recently undergone a period of growth in their use as foundation bearing elements,...

A Guide for the Field Testing of Bridges
The history and present use of bridge testing are reviewed. The benefits of bridge testing include safety and reliability, the money saved by not constructing a new bridge, the improvement...

Structural Analysis and Design of Nuclear Plant Facilities
A broad engineering design philosophy and summary is presented as a guide for the safe design of nuclear structures. The manual does not aim to provide specific criteria which are detailed...

Tall Building Criteria and Loading
Prepared by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat of ASCE. This report examines the loads to which tall buildings are subjected so that engineers...

Dynamic Response of Structures
Experimentation, Observation, Prediction and Control
Sixty-eight papers that comprise the proceedings of the second conference on the dynamic response of structures are included. The structures explored include bridges, tall buildings, dams,...

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...

Pile Field Support Prefabricated Plants Floated into Place
A unique pile support system, combined with earth dikes and superflooding inside an earth drydock to found floating, prefabricated plant structures on the piles, is estimated to have saved...

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...

 

 

 

 

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