What is Structural Engineer?

 Just like the topic of the blog suggests, the columns float. Well, not literally. It's just that these types of columns do not follow the typical path of load transfer in a building. The columns are in-fact rested on a beam or slab. So, they look as if those columns are suspended or hanged.  A floating column. Principle of a Floating Column. Well, the question then goes. Why do one need a column like that, isn't the simple geometry base plan enough for a building? The answer would be NO as per the Architects. What these columns give them is free reign over a room layout or any space in particular. Imagine a 3X3 grid column, a typical plan would consist of 4 small rooms, but if you remove the centre column you get one huge hall. I think I pretty much explained why Architects like it. They love it. But as the quote goes, " An Architect's Dream is an Engineer's Nightmare ". It's not exactly a nightmare, not the floating columns at least. But it's not typ...

Ritz, not Rizz and Eigen Vector are two ways of solving a Modal Analysis problem. It is what ETABS use while doing the Modal Analysis. Today's blog will be about the difference between these two. EIGEN-VECTOR : It determines the undamped free-vibration mode shapes and frequencies of the system. What free-vibration means in our term is that there is no external loads acting on it for any period of time, just the initial conditions. The idea of bending a ruler and allowing it to reverberate. The natural modes obtained through this provide an excellent insight into the behaviour of the structure.  But remember, it's the free-vibration response while the structures will be under various different loads. What should be done then? Here comes the Ritz Vector. RITZ-VECTOR : Research has indicated that the natural free-vibration mode shapes are not the best basis for a mode-superposition analysis of structures subjected to dynamic loading : Wilson, Yuan and Dickens, 1982. I stole this l...