PASS!

Structural Layout Vignette and Multiple Choice

PASS!

Postby introversed » Sat Mar 25, 2017 2:57 pm

SS pass on first try!

Thanks to everyone on this forum for answering my questions and commenting on my vignette.

Here are my study notes / recommendations, for those interested:

Firstly, I owe my passing grade to the Thaddeus Online Lectures. I began this exam study in January by laboring through a ballast guide, overwhelmed by the amount of math. I needed someone to explain structures to me like a five year old, and that's exactly what Thaddeus did. I completed his online series over the course of a month during my lunch hours, going through his seminar workbook with the videos in real time. Worth the investment.

-Ballast guide (the non math stuff). I made flashcards based on these.

-FEMA 454 (online PDF). Made flashcards of these too.

-AIA Buildings at Risk series (online PDF). Two of these - the hurricane wind one and the earthquake one - are the more important. There's a third one which covers general disasters (including floods, which I skipped), but I still recommend this document because it includes a comparison between the lateral resistance requirements for earthquake and wind.

-IBC Chapter 16 (Structural Systems)

Conclusions:

Like other exams, it's critical to understand the concepts of these systems. Much more important than the fine details and the numbers:

Concepts I got to know:

-Knowing how different kinds of structural members perform (beams vs. axial members). Knowing what their strong and weak suits are. How structural members can fail and how those failures are prevented.

-Questions of economy: When is a structural system cheaper? Factory labor is cheaper than field labor. Reusable formwork (identically sized concrete members). Deeper beams are cheaper than shallower beams (which have a greater weight per linear foot to compensate for being shallower)

-Concrete is much heavier than steel (when used to support identical loads).

-Steel is quick and easy to erect. Useful when you want to get it done fast, or if the weather is too severe for on-site concrete pours.

-Which structural systems are useful for which applications/uses? Get to know how to choose a structural system. The architects' studio companion has a great section on this.

-Bending moments: overturning moments vs. stabilizing moments.

-The deflection equation and its variables
Last edited by introversed on Mon Mar 27, 2017 7:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: PASS!

Postby Hopeful » Sun Mar 26, 2017 4:33 am

Congratulations!!!
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Re: PASS!

Postby corbismyhomeboy » Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:43 pm

Congratulations! :D
I'm taking your advice on this one and hoping it will lead to my last PASS as well!
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