Reference: https://www.structuremag.org/?p=10099
By Stan R. Caldwell, P.E.
An excellent article for young structural engineers. Please click the link above to read the entire article.
Summary:
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Mind the Gap - Always track your load paths and close any gaps you find. Reliable load paths are essential for all structures, and their absence is one of the leading causes of failures…
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Ensure Stability - You have been trained to size beams and columns accurately, but the devil is not there – it is in the details. Structures rarely fail because beams or columns are substantially undersized. More often, failure is due to unanticipated loads, inadequate load paths, inadequate connections, or instability – especially instability, which can take many forms…
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Design First, Then Compute - You should deliberately avoid your computer until after you have manually designed your structure…
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Be a Sponge - …formal mentoring is not always available, so be proactive and absorb knowledge like a sponge. Start asking questions of those around you from the moment you walk in the door. While “how” questions are obviously necessary, “why” questions usually yield better learning opportunities…
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Own Your Work - Hopefully, you have one or more mentors and your work is being regularly reviewed – that is, after all, the way the system is supposed to work…