Loads

Unbearable Conditions

What to do when bearing capacity is insufficient

Load Duration Is a Wood Design Tradition

What is it, where did it come from, and how is it used?

Design Load Reductions & Risk

A spring Wisconsin snowstorm demonstrates how a building design practice may lead to higher risk.

This Isn’t Your Father’s Truss Bridge

An unusual design project gives this CM international exposure.

Put Out the Design Fire Before it Starts

Getting information up front on sprinkler systems can ease the design process.

Looking on the Bright Side

Finding opportunity in the growing solar panel market.

Not Your Typical Truss Job

An unusual project with an uncommon shape presented the kind of design challenge truss technicians don’t see every day.
 

Puddle Problems

A little forethought can prevent the potential overstress that occurs when deflection leads to rooftop ponding.

The Best Way Forward is a Solid Path Downward

A best practice for building designers: find a friend to check your load paths.

Lumber Design Values

No matter the species, component manufacturers (CMs) purchase and rely on the accuracy and reliability of many different lumber design properties, including: bending (Fb); shear parallel to grain (Fv), compression perpendicular to grain (Fc^), compression parallel to grain (Fc), tension parallel to grain (Ft), and modulus of elasticity (E and Emin).