5 Tips for Structural Engineers: Become the Best Version of Yourself – Ep 020

In episode 20 of The Structural Engineering Channel podcast, we talk with Stan R. Caldwell, P.E., SECB, a structural engineering consultant who primarily consults on construction litigation. After almost 50 years of managing and mentoring dozens of young structural engineers, Stan has seen firsthand the various struggles that engineers face in building successful careers. This is the first of a two-episode series in which Stan provides 5 tips for structural engineers that will help them to succeed in this high-liability profession. The next episode with Stan will focus on five tips for structural engineering managers. Engineering Quotes: Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Stan in This Episode: What led to the development of your Five Tips for Young Engineers? What do you mean by “Mind the Gap”? Your second tip for young structural engineers is to “Ensure Stability.” What does that mean? You mention that one should deliberately avoid their computer until after they have manually designed their structure. How can this be?  What do you mean by "Be a Sponge"? Is that related to learning? What do you mean by "Own Your Work"? Here Are Your Top 5 Tips for Structural Engineers: Mind the Gap A complete load path defines how your carefully calculated vertical and lateral loads are going to find their way to the foundation of your structure.  Reliable load paths are essential for all structures and their absence is one of the leading causes of failures. I recommend that every engineer track their load paths and close any gaps that they find. When tracking your load paths, don’t rely on your computer software to detect the gaps because the gaps most often occur as the system changes. It can be easily done without any calculations, and just with a trained eyeball.  When tracking your loads, think about Mother Nature. It is all about first principles. She could care less about codes and equations.  Unlike you and I, Mother Nature always chooses the path of most resistance. That is, stiffer elements will always receive proportionally more load than relatively flexible elements nearby, regardless of your design intent. Ensure Stability Young engineers have been trained in college to design 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, which can take many forms. Typically, when a structure fails due to instability, it is during construction, not after a project has gone into service. Pay attention to the stability of your structures, not just when they are completed, but also while they are under construction. Design First, Then Compute Engineers should avoid their computers until after they have manually designed their structure.  The proper way to design any structure or bridge is to first lay out the geometry and initially size all of the principal elements by hand. Your initial designs will be more accurate, and you will develop a much better understanding of structural behavior.  After you have completed an initial design, then turn on your computer, access your favorite structural engineering software, build your model, and verify or refine the design as appropriate. Over time, you will find the refinements become less as your ability to accurately design by hand increases.   Be a Sponge Being a sponge is related to mentoring and to learning in the workplace.  Mentoring is arguably the most important aspect of workpla...