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PDD Structures Content

PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:20 am
by artistg90
I failed PDD back in May and am getting back on the horse to finish my last test. Previously I studied Ballast 4.0/5.0, and Jennys/Caroline notes. When I took the test I noticed there were a lot of structural questions I did not feel I was prepared for. Do you guys have any recommendations for a good book or study material to review for structures? Thanks for the help!!

Re: PDD Structures Content

PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:09 am
by kerzzo
I am taking this one soon.
I have been watching Black spectacle videos and also reading some of the Ching books along with Brightwood 5.0 guideline..I have not taken this test before, and I know there will be actual calculations to do, so I have been trying to understand shear and moment diagrams at most...and of course, moment of inertia questions.

Re: PDD Structures Content

PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:11 am
by artistg90
How are the Brightwood study guides?

Re: PDD Structures Content

PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 3:30 pm
by kerzzo
they are okay, they cover the basis. obviously the 5.0 guideline from NCARB also grabs questions form all sources including the Structures for Architects book which in my mind it's a lot of material to cover...i think I am finding that the Kapplan 4.0 helps and the Nalsa 4.0 flash cards, too.

Re: PDD Structures Content

PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 12:44 pm
by Zanno
-Thaddeus videos
-FEMA for wind/seismic (has diagrams!)
-talk to your Structural Engineer

Re: PDD Structures Content

PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 11:25 am
by tmston2
artistg90 wrote:I failed PDD back in May and am getting back on the horse to finish my last test. Previously I studied Ballast 4.0/5.0, and Jennys/Caroline notes. When I took the test I noticed there were a lot of structural questions I did not feel I was prepared for. Do you guys have any recommendations for a good book or study material to review for structures? Thanks for the help!!

I have taken this exam 3 times already and failed all 3, last one through me for a loop, but i digress,
IMHO, the structures of 50 is way more relaxed than 40, if you have a good overall concept of the following you do well:
-beam action
-section modulus
- shearing / moment
- basic moment and shear diagrams for diff beam connections
ex. cantilever, fixed, pinned, roller
-modulus of E
- diff between stress & strain
- basic wind force
-drift & issues and cause's
- basic seismic design
-causes, how it relates to diff materials, how to minimize impact
- building periods
- you may get one easy question on slenderness ratio so understand it but i wouldn't spend any longer than a few minutes on it, seriously doubt if you get more than 2
- understand typical structural systems and their spans, ex.. conc. systems, waffle slab, one way, two way, rigid frames, steel eccentric , concentric, moment resisting
-load paths,
- diff wood sizes and members as far as lumber, boards, timber, lvl's, glulams, osb vs plywood etc
- understand what reinforcing bar
- knw your basic truss, howe, fink, scissor
- retaining walls
-soils and soil pressures
- basic understanding of connections for conc, steel, wood,
I wouldn't waste my time with anything else