For most light construction, rules of thumb are good
enough
Secrets of
Structural
Engineering
JLC - APRIL 1989
I like to think I am a mature adult and
that criticism just washes off, but I
thought for months about a letter published
last summer in The Journal (see:
"Too Many Specialists" 6/88, p. 5). In
it, a reader suggested that since everyone
with a decent education can handle
algebra, a few formulas might be
more useful than the rules of thumb I
presented for designing cantilever
decks. I apologize for oversimplifying;
here is my confession.
How We Calculate
We structural engineers don't really
know quite what we are doing. We try
to make buildings safe and sound, but
we have