The RED Letter - Red Engineering and Design

The RED Letter
Fall Quarter 2014
 RED Engineering & Design, Inc.  Structural Engineers  600 GL Wade Ave. 
ACCFO Conference update
Red Engineering & Design had the opportunity
to attend the Association of Community Colleges
Facilities Operators conference, September 17-19,
held this year in Asheville, NC.
The conference was well-attended and we met
many new people and learned more about
ACCFO and how they work. We are looking forward to being involved in North Carolina
Community college structural engineering
projects.
Raleigh, NC 27605
 (919) 833-3486
 www.redengineringdesign.com 
In this issue:
ACCFO Conference
1
Structural Technology: News you can use
1
Engineering in a Box
1
NCSEA Conference Update: A Success
2
Letter from Brian
2
Service with a “Woof”
3
Peak Steel
4
Structural Technology: News you can use
Self healing concrete. Carbon Nanotubes. Sweating rooftops.
Some of these materials sound like science fiction, yet are all currently being
developed and tested in laboratories throughout the world. Despite their
seemingly technological complexity, these materials may be on the market
sooner, rather than later. Below are brief overviews and links to learn more.
Engineering in a box
Engineering in a box
During 2014, Red Engineering & Design deviated
from our industry’s traditional marketing channels
and put together a series of videos that currently
reside on YouTube. (You can access them from
our website: www.redengineeringdesign.com;
www.brianmoskow.com; and from our monthly
e-newsletters at the bottom of the screen on the
YouTube icon.)
These are fun and informative videos aimed at refreshing basic structural engineering concepts.
Only about a minute long, topics include beams,
footings, columns, slabs, and trusses. There is
music and animation, too. We also invite you to
click on the link below to go directly to the series at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/engineerinabox.
.
Self-healing concrete
Scientists at the Delft University in the Netherlands are working on bacteria, that
when added to concrete mixtures, “repairs” cracking.
Concrete is mixed with the
bacteria and food which the
bacteria like to eat. The bacteria
is activated by water and begins
to eat the food source. The result is a chemical reaction where
calcium combines with oxygen
and carbon dioxide to form
what is, basically, limestone.
Want to learn more? Click on A cross-section of self-healing concrete. (TU Delft)
the link provided below to learn more about the properties of self-healing
concrete and how scientists will soon be bringing this alternative to your
projects.
http://www.citg.tudelft.nl/en/research/projects/self-healing-concrete/
continued on page 3
Page 1
NCSEA Conference Update: A Success
On October 9 and 10, 2014, the North Carolina Structural Engineers Association
(NCSEA) held its annual conference in Raleigh. The venue for this year’s
conference was the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The museum
has conference facilities on its fourth floor that consist of a large conference
room that can accommodate up to 150 people, a large atrium area for vendors
and where people can meet and greet, and a wide and welcoming outdoor patio
where one can enjoy fresh air.
The conference was well attended with approximately 125 structural
engineering professionals from across the state who made their way to Raleigh.
More than 20 vendors contracted for booth space and exhibits. Exhibits were
staged in the atrium and at the entry to the conference room.
Letter from
the President
Hello all –
Fall is a busy season. Holidays to celebrate, work
to be done, and plans to be made for the
upcoming year: we are all busy. And, as Red
Engineering and Design sets its goals for 2015,
we can say, unequivocally, that 2014 was a year
filled with growth—for which we are most
fortunate. We recently on-boarded three
technical professionals.
To help manage this growth, our firm is guided
by a knowledgeable and talented operations
manager, Dianne Resetco. Through her efforts,
we are able to hire the best people, provide the
best consulting, and maintain the highest
principals in structural engineering design. We
are grateful for Dianne’s compassion, diligence,
and commitment.
Spring Quarter 2014
With our growth this year, we held steadfast to
our core values—especially the importance of
being with family and friends. At Red
Engineering and Design we work hard to
achieve a family/friends/work-balance. It is
family and dear friends that see us through.
Brian Moskow, PE, leads and moderates seminar 5
Thursday’s activities included two seminars: Design and Construction of the
Nature Center, given by Chris Berg, PE, of Summit Engineering and Design,
followed by Engineering Ethics: You be the Judge, given by Arthur Schwartz,
deputy executive director and general counsel for the National Society of
Professional Engineers. Dinner, Thursday, was held in the Grand Ballroom of the
Raleigh Historic Club Building where the key note speech was given. The key
note speaker was Duke University Professor Henry Petroski, PhD. The title of his
address was “The Human Cantilever: An Enduring Structural Model.”
Friday began with a continental breakfast followed by the fourth seminar titled
Federal Center South Building 1202: Composite Concrete & Timber Floor
System.” This presentation was given by Jim Swenson, PE, SE KPFF Consulting
Engineers, Seattle, Washington. Seminar five followed with a panel discussion
named Feedback from the Field: A Dialogue with Contractors and Inspectors.
The panel consisted of Rob Burlington from SteelFab, Justin Myers from United
Forming, Eric Perkinson from Brasfield & Gorrie, Wayne Hoose from UTL, Inc.,
and Jim Larson from SEAA. The panel was moderated by our own Brian Moskow,
PE, and principal-in-charge at Red Engineering & Design.
Seminar six, Advancement in the Design and Construction of Precast Concrete
Members for Buildings, was given by Sami Rizkalla, PhD, PE, North Carolina State
University Constructed Facilities Laboratory. And, last but not least, seminar
seven was given by Thomas Murray, PhD, PE, from Virginia Tech University,
Page 2
With this in mind, I wish our clients, friends, and
families a happy and successful conclusion to
2014 and may your holidays be filled with
laughter and good cheer.
(NCSEA Conference Update: A Success, continued)
titled Floor Vibrations: Recent Research and
New Design Guidelines.
The conference concluded at 4:30 PM with
plans already in-the-works for the 2015
conference. We will keep you updated with the
time and place.
Note: A special thank you
to the North Carolina
Museum of Natural
Sciences. It was a wonderful venue and the space
was excellent. The museum is a “must see”
when in Raleigh. It has
NCMONS
something for all ages and is a great place for a family
outing. Lots to look at and, more importantly, lots to
learn!
(Structural Technology: News you can use – continued from page 1)
Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs)
CNTs are tubular cylinders of carbon atoms that have extraordinary properties
ranging from 200 times the strength and 5 times the elasticity of steel to 15
times the thermal conductivity of copper. Better yet, CNTs are highly resistant to
environmental and physical degradation.
For example, when CNTs are added to concrete, there is no need for re-bar. This
way, concrete can be formed into differing shapes due to the exceptional tensile
strength. Imagine the time saved during construction not having to use rebar.
Want to learn more? http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=25561.php
Spring Quarter 2014
Stephen Wise, EI, and Turks
Service with a “woof”
O, what a handsome dog!
Red Engineering and Design has been fortunate
to have a service-dog-in-training in our office
since mid-summer. His name is Turks and all we
want to do is pet him and love on him, but…um
…er….we can’t do that.
During the first part of his training as a service
dog, Turks is being fostered. As such, he
accompanies one of our staff members to work
every day. At eleven months old, Turks is on his
way to becoming a guide dog for the visually
impaired. This means that he is learning how to
be patient and quiet in all types of settings.
While Red staff members really want to pet him
and play with him, they are helping to train him,
too, by following certain guidelines in concert
with Turks’ fostering regime. At the end of the
foster period, he will go on to guide dog training
school. We surely will be sad to see Turks go,
but we know he is going to make some very
fortunate person a wonderful service dog!
For more information on how you can foster a
service dog for the visually impaired, log on to
www.guidedog.org.
The Shimizu TRY 2004 Pyramid
The Shimizu TRY 2004 Pyramid over Tokyo Bay will most likely need concrete
mixed with CNTs. As designed, the structure is 12 times higher than the Great
Pyramid at Giza and slated to house 750,000 people. If constructed, it would be
the largest man-made structure, ever. (Anarchytects)
Sweating rooftops
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)—referred to as PNIPAM—is a microgel polymer and
is known as an intelligent soft nanomaterial. Using PNIPAM, researchers at Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed a type of matting that
is used on rooftops to extract heat.
When it rains, the
PNIPAM matting soaks
up water like a sponge.
In sunshine, the matting releases moisture
on its surface and
evaporates. The matting operates similarly
like how people sweat,
evaporating in an effort
to move heat away
PNIPAM roof material (Rotzetter ACC)
from the body. Further,
the matting is just millimeters thick and can save up to sixty percent of airconditioning costs in the summer months.
Want to learn more? Click on the link, below.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-10/03/sweating-buildings-cooldown
Page 3
Red Engineering & Design is a structural engineering firm located
in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Our services include:
 Structural Consulting
 Project Administration
 Structural Steel Detailing
 Structural Analysis and Design
 Construction Administration
 Welder Certification and Weld Inspection
Contact us:
919.833.3486
info@redengineeringdesign.com
Red Engineering & Design would like to thank
Peak Steel (Apex, NC) for their Engineering-in-aBox sponsorship. Advancing understanding of
structural design and its components is a mutual
goal.
Learn more about Peak Steel by logging onto
their website:
www.peaksteel.com
Tweet us:
@RedEandD
Join us on the Web:
www.rededngineeringdesign.com
www.brianmoskow.com
Red Engineering & Design, Inc.
600 GL Wade Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27605