Codes and Standards
Lawrence Novak, SE, SECB, F.ACI, F.SEI, LEED AP
Director of Structural Engineering
July 20, 2015
1
“Standardization, as a check on fools and
rascals or set up as an intellectual
assembly line, has served well in the
engineering world.”
• Hardy Cross, 1952
Definition of Structural Engineering
“Structural Engineering is the art of
• molding materials we do not really understand
• into shapes we cannot really analyze,
• so as to withstand forces we cannot really assess,
• in such a way that the public does not really suspect”
- Eric Brown (1967)
The Building Universe
All Buildings
4 to 15 floors
(6%)
1 to 3 floors
(93%)
> 15 floors
(1%)
4
ACI 318 Mission
Develop and Maintain
Building Code Requirements
for Structural Concrete
5
US Structural Concrete Codes
8.5 x 11 in.
# of Pages
Combined Code &
Commentary
6 x 9 in.
NACU
2014
2011
Code Edition
Committee 318 Membership
Engineers/Architects
19
45%
Academics
13
30%
Contractors
3
8%
Industry
5
12%
Government
2
5%
42 Members 100%
7
ACI Adoption Procedure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
• Subcommittees Vote
• Main Committee 318 Vote
• Technical Activities Committee (TAC) Review
• Standards Board Review
• Publication in Concrete International
• Public Review & Discussion
• Publication of Discussions, Committee Response & Amendments
• Publication of Updated ACI 318 Standard
8
Final Step
Adoption in
General Building Code
Through Model Code
- IBC 2015
9
Adoption of Codes & Standards
Local Jurisdiction/Authority
General Building Code
ACI 318
Other Design
Other
Standards (Ex: AISC)
Standards (Ex:
ASCE SEI 7)
ASTM Test
Methods
ASTM
Specifications
10
Codes
Increasing rigor
in the review
process
Standards
Guides,
Handbooks
Committee
Reports
Technical Papers, Journal
Articles, etc.
Modified Hanson Pyramid
Codes and Standards
12
Embrace (and Expect) the Unknown
Never Stop Learning
“It is potentially dangerous to mix codes
without a complete understanding of how
design criteria are determined.”
- LCN
14
15
16
17
18
Embrace (and Expect) the Unknown
Never Stop Learning
“We learn wisdom from failure
much more than from success.
We often discover what will do,
by finding out what will not do;
and probably he who never made a mistake
never made a discovery.”
- Samuel Smiles (1812-1904)
Get Involved
Participate in Codes, Societies, Universities, etc..
Licensure
1919 Boston Molasses Flood
1919 Boston Molasses Flood
1919 Boston Molasses Flood
It is Never About the Structure –
It is About the People who use it
It is Never About the Structure –
It is About the People who use it
Design / Build to a Higher Standard
- Building Safe & Sustainable Communities
It is Never About the Structure –
It is About the People who use it
Design / Build to a Higher Standard
- The Best American jobs are only done once
Never Make it More Complicated
than Needed
“Making something simple
is the hardest thing to do”
Never Make it More Complicated than Needed
• One Test is Worth a Thousand Opinions
Never Make it More Complicated than Needed
• One Test is Worth a Thousand Opinions
• Everyone trusts a TEST
• Except the one who performed it
Never Make it More Complicated than Needed
• One Test is Worth a Thousand Opinions
• Everyone trusts a TEST
• Except the one who performed it
• No one trusts an ANALYSIS
• Except the one who performed it
Never Make it More Complicated than Needed
“Strength is essential and otherwise unimportant”
-Hardy Cross
Don’t Get Caught Up in the Numbers
Limit as x  8 of 1 / ( x – 8 ) =
8
Tutored Math - Explained to the student the
following calculus problem:
Don’t Get Caught Up in the Numbers
Limit as x  8 of 1 / ( x – 8 ) =
8
Tutored Math - Explained to the student the
following calculus problem:
Then gave the student the following
problem as a test:
Limit as x  5 of
1 / ( x – 5 ) = ??
Don’t Get Caught Up in the Numbers
Limit as x  8 of 1 / ( x – 8 ) =
8
Tutored Math - Explained to the student the
following calculus problem:
Limit as x  5 of
1/(x–5)=
5
Then gave the student the following
problem as a test:
Seismic Risk Analysis
0.48
0.46
UBC Zone 2A Type Sc
Period of
Podium
0.44
0.42
0.40
0.38
Burj Dubai Tow er Site Specific - Irvine
UBC Zone 1 Type Sc
Burj Dubai Mall Site Specific - Azm
0.36
Period of
Tower
0.34
Spectral Acceleration, g
0.32
0.30
0.28
0.26
0.24
0.22
0.20
0.18
0.16
0.14
0.12
0.10
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0.00
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
Period (seconds)
Burj Dubai
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.5
10.0
Effect of Confinement – Ductility
Seismic Design / Detailing
Stress
Confined
Unconfined
Strain
37
Seismic Structural Design
Concepts
Force
Demand
Reduction due to ductility
Nominal capacity
Design
Period
38
Strong Column – Weak Beam: Why?
Strong Beam;
Weak Column
Strong Column;
Weak Beam
39
Strong Column – Weak Beam: Why?
Strong Beam;
Weak Column
Strong Column;
Weak Beam
40
Strong Column – Weak Beam: Why?
Strong Beam;
Weak Column
Strong Column;
Weak Beam
41
Strong Column – Weak Beam: Why?
Strong Beam;
Weak Column
Strong Column;
Weak Beam
42
Strong Column – Weak Beam: Why?
Strong Beam;
Weak Column
Strong Column;
Weak Beam
43
Strong Column – Weak Beam: Why?
• Min. flexural strength
– ∑Mnc ≥ (6/5)∑Mnb,
otherwise, non-participating
Strong Beam;
Weak Column 
limited ductility
Strong Column;
Weak Beam 
Distributed Ductility
44
What do engineers really accomplish?:
“Engineering does not tell men
what they should want or why
they want it.
Rather it recognizes a need and
tries to meet it.”
• Hardy Cross, 1952