Search engines broaden access to design information

According to Autodesk, Inc., leading search engines such as Microsoft Live Search and Google now offer the ability to search, index, and retrieve hundreds of thousands of drawings, maps, 3-D models, and other computer-aided design (CAD) documents and information. When engineers and architects using AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, or Revit software products from Autodesk create data-rich drawings, maps, and models, the complexity and file size of these designs can make them difficult to share with customers, sales and marketing professionals, and others outside of the engineering department. Therefore, many engineers and architects are choosing to make drawings, maps, and models more accessible by publishing compact, secure design web format (DWF) versions of their designs and sharing them online. Because DWF files can now be indexed and returned by leading search engines, designers can be confident that others can access and experience data-rich information online, improving collaboration and communication.
Autodesk, Inc.
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Structural design software

Bentley’s RAM International Solutions Center has released Version 11.3 of the RAM Structural System—Bentley’s modeling, analysis, and design software for structural engineers involved in the design of building structures of all types. RAM Structural System V11.3 contains several new design and usability features, including the following: the latest steel design specifications—AISC 360-05 as published in the AISC Steel Construction Manual 13th Edition—have been implemented; the requirements of the Direct Analysis Method of AISC 360-05 have been employed; an RSS Feed on the main screen provides up-to-date announcements of program releases, downloads, seminars, and training events; slab edges can now be modeled as free-form slab edges; the steel design tables for the United States have been updated to reflect the properties of the currently available steel sections as outlined in the Steel Construction Manual; the baseplate design capabilities of the Steel Column Design module have been enhanced to allow the engineer to specify square baseplates, even though smaller, rectangular baseplates may be adequate; and RAM Frame has been enhanced with new usability features.
Bentley Systems, Inc.
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Foundation repair

According to PierMagic, LLC, its DynaPier system will take piering foundation technology into the 21st century by allowing the strength and durability of piers to be placed directly underneath a footing, rather than being placed outside of it. DynaPier efficiently utilizes the piering systems’ greatest strength—it’s load-carrying capacity. The secret to the system lies in its interlocking, patent-pending DynaPier segments. The segments are comprised of high-strength concrete pre-cast in a galvanized steel sleeve, allowing corrosion resistance and superior shear strength and compressive resistance. The outer casing is filled with a concrete core and cured for maximum hardness. The DynaPier segments are hydraulically driven into the ground one at a time. After one segment is driven, another segment is connected to the foundation pier, and the process is repeated until the foundation pier hits bedrock or a dense strata of subsurface material. The foundation pier is then topped with a galvanized steel cap, and finally, the house is lifted and secured to the foundation pier.
PierMagic, LLC
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Post-tensioning updates

The Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) has announced the availability of two updated publications for companies involved in post-tensioning construction. The 2nd Edition of Specification for Seven-Wire Prestressing Steel Strand for Barrier Cable Applications provides information on the use of this type of barrier cable system. While systems utilizing other types of steel strands are not covered in the specification, information is provided for strands with varied coatings and anchorage systems. Primarily developed for parking structure applications (vehicle restraint), the guide specification can be applied to other applications using similar techniques. According to PTI, The 5th Edition of Recommendations for Stay Cable Design, Testing and Installation is the definitive resource for the design of cable-stay bridges. PTI has made several significant additions to this publication, including fatigue testing provisions, which now contain misalignment at the anchorage within the basic testing, and design provisions, where bending is now an explicit part of stay design. Along with new capacity-reduction factors, provisions, and recommendations that address high seismic demand situations, minimum design requirements for stay anchor pipes, and the limited conditions of extradosed bridges have also been added.
Post-Tensioning Institute
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Seismic base isolators for rack storage systems

Ridg-U-Rak has received two patents on its Base Isolation System used with storage racks in seismic applications. During months of testing, the Base Isolation System dissipated as much as 85 percent of the seismic energy exerted on the rack system. According to the company, the Seismic Base Isolation System reduces the effects of seismic acceleration ground forces on the rack structure, decreasing the chance of personal injury or product damage during an earthquake. The base isolation unit is positioned between the columns of an upright frame and anchored to the floor, allowing the rack structure to move during a seismic event. Extensive testing on the new system verified that the Seismic Base Isolation System meets new performance guidelines developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These new guidelines address growing concerns for public safety in retail warehouse centers located in moderate- to high-seismic zones.
Ridg-U-Rak
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