The Engineering Hub

Truss structures are more common than you think. But why do we use them? Beams seem to work fine right, well yes but there is a catch! The trusses are mostly used in bridges, roofs of venues, some cars and many other places. But how do they work and what is their advantage over beams? In this video, we dive deeper on truss structures and the secret to their efficiency. The video is supplemented by a scaled experiment that practically shows the advantages of the truss.

This video was sponsored by Brilliant

References:
[1] M. Carver, "Tennessee’s Survey Report for Historic Highway Bridges," Ambrose Printing Company, Nashville, Tennessee , 2008.
[2] J. M. Gere and B. J. Goodno, Mechanics of Materials, Cengage Learning, 2013.
[3] R. C. Hibbeler, Structural Analysis, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2015.

Society expects today's buildings to be watertight, which includes protection from rainwater, ground water, and water v***r. But, how exactly is this accomplished? In this video, we dive into the details of waterproofing design and construction in the context of the historical drivers of today's practices.

Thanks for watching--we make these videos for you, and if you enjoy them give us a like, subscribe, and let us know if you have any feedback!

This video was sponsored by Brilliant

References:
[1] K. K. Hirst, The Archaeology and History of Bitumen, ThoughtCo, 2019.
[2] J. Straube, Historical Development of the Building Enclosure, Building Science Digest, 2006.
[3] Miller Thomson LLP, Water Ingress Claims in British Columbia: Will Rainscreens and Building Envelope Professionals Prevent Another "Leaky Condo Crisis"?, 2016.

Our understanding of soil mechanics has drastically improved over the last 100 years. This video investigates a geotechnical foundation failure that happened as a result of lack of knowledge and poor site investigation. With our understanding of soil mechanics today we completely explain what went wrong. The failure in question is the Transcona Grain Elevator in Winnipeg, Canada that failed during its first filling in 1913. The explanation lies in understanding foundation design principles and bearing capacity which is what the video is mostly revolving around. The video attempts to explain these concepts in an intuitive and easily understandable way.

If you enjoyed the video and you feel like we deserve your support, you can check out the link below. Alternatively, clicking the like and subscribe button or writing a comment also helps a lot.

BUY ME A COFFEE LINK:
If you enjoy our work, you can buy us a coffee on the link below:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/engineeringhub

References:
[1] A. M. Puzrin, E. E. Alonso and N. M. Pinyol, Geomechanics of Failure, New York: Springer, 2010.
[2] A. Allaire, "The Failure and Righting of a Million-Bushel Grain Elevator," American Society of Civil Engineers, 1916.
[3] J. Blatz and K. Skaftfeld, "The Transcona Grain Elevator Failure: A Modern Perspective 90 Years Later," in Canadian Geotechnical Conference, Winnipeg, 2003.
[4] D. P. Coduto, M.-c. R. Yeung and W. A. Kitch, Geotechnical Engineering Principles and Practices, Pearson, 2011.
[5] G. Wichers, "Manitoba Co-operator," 26 November 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/a-peek-inside-a-brand-new-grain-elevator/. [Accessed 20 December 2022].

Retaining walls are common geotechnical engineering applications. Although they appear simple on the outside, there is a bit more that's going on behind them. This video dives deeper into the soil mechanics of retaining walls building on the previous video of introduction to geotechnical engineering. Soil mechanics is absolutely important for this video, our previous video provides a good introduction if you want to get a better understanding of this topic.

References:
[1] C. Clayton, R. Woods, A. Bond and J. Milititsky, Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, 2013.
[2] D. P. Coduto, M.-c. R. Yeung and W. A. Kitch, Geotechnical Engineering Principles and Practices, Pearson, 2011.
[3] D. P. Coduto, Foundation Design: Principles and Practices, Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2001.

Soil mechanics is at the heart of any civil engineering project. Whether the project is a building, a bridge, or a road, understanding the underlain soils is of crucial importance. This video is a series of several geotechnical videos that will investigate retaining walls, shallow foundations and piles. But before we dive into these geotechnical applications it is important to understand a few basic principles about soil mechanics. This series starts by generic introduction of soil material models. Namely, the Mohr-Coulomb model which is widely used for modeling the strength of brittle materials.

References:
[1] D. P. Coduto, M.-c. R. Yeung and W. A. Kitch, Geotechnical Engineering Principles and Practices, Pearson, 2011.

This video investigates the strength per dollar of wood and concrete in different structural applications. The investigation compares beam, plate (slab), and axial (column) elements. Further sensitivity analysis is investigated by varying the labour cost of concrete which is usually higher than wood. However, with the latest increases in the price of wood, the analysis unexpectedly swings in favor of concrete.

The contents of this video are provided for entertainment purposes only.

Aluminum and steel are some of the most common metals in the world, yet they are often misunderstood when it comes to strength and corrosion capabilities. In this video we review the following misconceptions:

00:06 - Steel is not stronger than aluminum
01:15 - Strength per weight
03:04 - Aluminum can corrode
04:11 - Steel can resist corrosion

To support our channel, you can buy us a coffee here:
buymeacoffee.com/EngineeringHub

References:
[1] European Committee for Standardization, Eurocode 3: Design of Steel Structures, 1993 (2005).
[2] CSA Group, S157-17 - Strength Design in Aluminum, 2017.
[3] M. C. J. H. P. Sensharma, "Effect of Welded Properties on Aluminum Structures," 2010.
[4] J. Davis, "Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys," 2001.
[5] Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Handbook of Steel Construction 11th ed., 2016 (2017).

The strength of wood beams and columns is an important parameter that governs the design of structures. In this video, we investigate how strong wood actually is and why we use lower values during design. As one of the main and most important construction materials, understanding wood is absolutely crucial. The video also touches on and explains size-effects as an important design consideration. Furthermore, a statistical explanation is provided for the strength value used in design manuals around the world.

BUY ME A COFFEE LINK:
If you enjoy our work, you can buy us a coffee on the link below:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/engineeringhub

References:
[1] J. Dinwoodie, Timber: Its nature and behaviour, London: BRE, 2000.
[2] Canadian Wood Council, Wood Design Manual, Canadian Wood Council, 2017.
[3] J. Porteous and A. Kermani, Structural Timber Design to Eurocode 5, Blackwell Publishing, 2007.
[4] Z. Bazant, Scaling of Structural Strength, London: Elsevier, 2005.

When slender beams get loaded they tend to get unstable by buckling laterally. This video investigates this critical weakness of beams also known as lateral-torsional buckling. We dive into the root causes and factors that influence this phenomenon. Furthermore, we replicated this behavior ourselves with an experimental setup that confirmed our theoretical predictions.

This video was sponsored by Brilliant!

References:
[1] G. C. Andrews, Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics, Nelson Education, 2013.
[2] Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Handbook of Steel Construction - 11th Edition, 2016, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, 2016.
[3] J. M. Gere and B. J. Goodno, Mechanics of Materials, Cengage Learning, 2013.
[4] G. Kulak and G. Grondin, Limit States Design in Structural Steel, Toronto: Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, 2006.
[5] S. P. Timoshenko and J. M. Gere, Theory of Elastic Stability, McGraw-Hill, 1963.
[6] M. L. Gambhir, Stability Analysis and Design of Structures, Berlin: Springer, 2004.

There are many structural shapes and for the most part, they all have at least one feature that is more advantages compared to the other shapes. Deciding on which one is the best structural shape is not straight forward (and probably not possible) since being able to resist high loads is only the beginning of the analysis. In this video, we (attempt to) analyze and rank the most common structural shapes. Our analysis takes a fixed area to compare various shapes in terms of bending, buckling, torsion, symmetry, and workability.

This video was sponsored by Brilliant!

In the video, we investigate timber posts and their carrying capacity. The video starts with an explanation of the general failure modes of columns. Further emphasis is cast on buckling and the Euler critical buckling formula. The buckling formula is investigated and explained with simple and intuitive examples. The video concludes with the calculation of the carrying capacity as per the design codes and compares that with the analytical capacity obtained for a perfect column.

This video was sponsored by Brilliant!

References:
[1] J. M. Gere and B. J. Goodno, Mechanics of Materials, Cengage Learning, 2013.
[2] J. Dinwoodie, Timber: Its nature and behaviour, London: BRE, 2000.
[3] Canadian Wood Council, Wood Design Manual, Canadian Wood Council, 2017.
[4] J. Porteous and A. Kermani, Structural Timber Design to Eurocode 5, Blackwell Publishing, 2007.

Since the 1970s, tanks have been equipped with the so-called explosive reactive armor (ERA). This armor consists of a C4 explosive sandwiched between two plates. When the armor is hit by a missile the explosive is activated and the outer plate is pushed outward towards the projectile. This action scatters the incoming projectile and prevents pe*******on of the tank's main armor. This reactive armor is very effective against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high-explosive squash head (HESH) rounds that otherwise have very devastating effects.

BUY ME A COFFEE LINK:
If you enjoy our work, you can buy us a coffee on the link below:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/engineeringhub

This video explains the clever design solution that engineers employ in the design of high-rise buildings. Usually, high-rise structures resist lateral loads via steel frames, shear cores, or braced steel beams. Sometimes, these systems are not enough and engineers have to resort to other options. The video starts with a generic description of the forces experienced by a skyscraper with the main focus cast on wind loads. Furthermore, the video discusses the aerodynamic features of a building and tricks that reduce the applied wind loads. Lastly, the video explains the use of a tuned mass damper that damps out particular frequencies of the building resulting in a decreased sway of the building.

References:

[1] ACI SP-97, "Analysis and Design of High-Rise Concrete Buildings," USA, 1989.
[2] D. Bennett, Skyscrapers: Form & Function, New York: Simon & Schuster Ltd., 1995.
[3] M. H. Günel and H. E. Ilgin, Tall Buildings Structural Systems and Aerodynamic Form, New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 2014.
[4] H. T. Breukelman, J. Robinson and J. Kottelenberg, "Tuned mass dampers under excessive structural excitation," Motioneer-ing Inc., Guelph, Ontario, 2003.
[5] N. Eddy, "Popular Mechanics," 19 July 2005. [Online]. Available: https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a266/1612252/. [Accessed February 2022].

This video explains the reason why stirrups are installed in concrete beams. The video begins with a generic explanation of the bending and shear loads that beams are usually subjected to. Beams have different mechanisms for resisting these types of loads. Each load causes different types of stress whose combination presents a unique challenge. The explanation concludes with the crack development process and principle stresses that are key for the propagation of the crack.

BUY ME A COFFEE LINK:
If you enjoy our work, you can buy us a coffee on the link below:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/engineeringhub

References:
[1] ASCE-ACI Committee 426, "The Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Members," Journal of Structural Division, vol. 99, pp. 1091-1187, 1973.
[2] S. Brzev and J. Pao, "Shear Design of Beams and One-Way Slabs," in Reinforced Concrete A Practical Approach, Toronto, Prentice Hall, 2009, pp. 260-315.
[3] J. M. Gere and B. J. Goodno, Mechanics of Materials, Cengage Learning, 2013.
[4] N. E. Dowling, "7 Yielding and Fracture under Combined Stresses," in Mechanical Behaviour of Materials: Engineering Methods for Deformation, Fracture, and Fatigue, London, Pearson Education Limited, 2013, pp. 275-333.

This video investigates critical failure modes in concrete anchors. Concrete anchors can fail in a number of ways; during design, engineers have to check all possible failure scenarios and ensure that they will not occur. The design process involves a number of parameters that need to be carefully considered and optimized. The most important of these parameters include: embedment, bolt diameter, edge distance, and prying.

The design considerations in this video are based on the Canadian Standard Association (CSA) A23.3 Design of concrete structures, 2019.

BUY ME A COFFEE LINK:
If you enjoy our work, you can buy us a coffee on the link below:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/engineeringhub

This video investigates the mechanics of hydrostatic forces and how the dams resist these forces. The emphasis is set on arch and gravity dams as the most common types of dams. A quick investigation is performed on the Three-Gorges Dam as well as the Mullaperiyar Dam in India.

BUY ME A COFFEE LINK:
If you enjoy our work, you can buy us a coffee on the link below:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/engineeringhub

This video explains the major weakness of the "I-shape". The main topics covered in this video deal with local and global buckling as well as torsional problems around I-beams. We compare different shapes of beams and analyze their behavior under eccentric loads. The inability of the I-beam to carry torsional loads is illustrated through a numerical example.

BUY ME A COFFEE LINK:
If you enjoy our work, you can consider buying us a coffee on the link below:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/engineeringhub

References:

[1] R. Beardmore, "Torsion," 2005. [Online]. Available: https://roymech.org/Useful_Tables/Torsion.html.
[2] A. F. Hughes, D. C. Iles and A. S. Malik, Design of Steel Beams in Torsion, Ascot: The Steel Construction Institute, 2011.
[3] B. J. G. James M Gere, Mechanics of Materials, Stamford, Conn., 2009.
[4] A.F.F. Dynamics Laboratory, Beam Torsion: Stress Analysis Manual, 1986.

Earthquakes can be so destructive to structures and societies. This video explains what we have learned about them and how engineers deal with the enormous seismic forces.

Background music: www.bensounds.com
Stock footage: pexels.com and pixabay.com

Content references:
[1] R. Villaverde, Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering, London: CRC Press, 2009.
[2] Structural Engineering Institute, ASCE 7: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, Reston: American Society of Civil Engineers, 2003.
[3] A. K. Chopra, Dynamics of Structures, Prentice Hall, 2012.
[4] Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Encyclopedia Britannica," Britannica, 12 8 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.britannica.com/event/San-Francisco-earthquake-of-1989. [Accessed 27 September 2021].
[5] Wikipedia, "Great Hanshin earthquake," Wikipedia, [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hanshin_earthquake -casualties-5. [Accessed 15 September 2021].
[6] A. R. Kolbe, R. A. Hutson, H. S. E. Trzcinski, B. Miles, N. Levitz, M. Puccio, L. James, J. R. Noel and R. Muggah, "Mortality, crime and access to basic needs before and after the Haiti earthquake: a random survey of Port-au-Prince households," Medicine, Conflict and Survival, vol. 4, no. 26, pp. 281-297, 2010.
[7] European Committee for Standardization, Eurocode 8: Design of structures for earthquake resistance - Part 1: General rules, seismic actions and rules for buildings, European Committee for Standardization, 2004.