Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook (2009, Second Edition)

by Robert Ratay (editor), chapters by Antranig M. Ouzoonian, and Najib N. Abboud, Anurag Jain, Matthys Levy

Four Weidlinger principals, who consult on high-profile structural failure investigations and testify as expert witnesses, contributed to the second edition of this definitive and comprehensive guidebook for engineers, contractors, attorneys, insurance adjusters, and other professionals. The reissue coincides with growing interest in forensic engineering as a technical field in its own right. Abboud, Jain, and Levy coauthored Chapter 8 on design errors, construction defects, and project miscommunication, describing in detail “why and how things go wrong with a structure.” Retained from the first edition and revised to reflect current procedures, including BIM, Ouzoonian’s crucial first chapter describes the design-construction process that sets the standard for best practice.

Elasto-Plastic and Damage Analysis of Plates and Shells (2008)

by Drs. George Z. Voyiadjis and Pawel Woelke

Weidlinger engineer Dr. Woelke is co-author of a book that advances the field of shell structures and creates new analytical tools to assess damage caused by multiple hazards. Motivated in part by deficiencies in analyses based on classical theory, it presents a new comprehensive theory that predicts failure and applies to a wide range of structures modeled as shells, plates, and beams. Domes, silos, storage tanks (for water, gas, oil), submarines, and airplanes, even lampposts and most stadium roofs, are shells or contain shells. Increasingly, engineers are required to predict the behavior of these structures, because they are at risk of global and/or local failure from extreme loads.

Steel Construction Annual (Stahlbau Kalender 2008)

by Marcus Rutner, et. al. “Steel Structures Subjected to Blast (Section 6)”

In collaboration with European engineers, Weidlinger research engineer Dr. Marcus Rutner authored a comprehensive review of analytical techniques for anti-terrorism protective design of steel structures. The section presents current approaches to progressive collapse, comparing GSA and Eurocode requirements. It includes discussions of facades, doors, windows, and post-blast fire protection. A key chapter focuses on design methods for enhancing critical columns to survive near-contact explosion. (Steel Construction is an annual German publication of Wiley).

Why the Wind Blows (2007)

by Matthys Levy

"This is a straightforward, fascinating and powerful users' guide to the planet, one that leaves us no doubt we need to make some pretty serious changes in our standard operating procedures, and pronto." - Bill McKibben

In two recent books, Weidlinger principal Matthys Levy wrote about structural failure and earthquakes. Compelled by the facts of recent climate change, he has completed his trilogy with a book about the weather. Levy transforms the essentially dry subject of meteorology into a series of adventure stories that share a common theme: ignorance of changing weather patterns. They constitute a persuasive argument for readers to act to alter the effects of global warming on future generations while there is still time.

Safe Rooms and Shelters: Protecting People Against Terrorist Attacks (2006)

by Robert Smilowitz, William Blewett, Pax Williams, and Michael Chipley

Weidlinger principal Robert Smilowitz is one of four authors of a newly published manual on the design of internal and standalone shelters to protect against human-made hazards, such as intentional or accidental explosions or the release of airborne toxins. As such events have occurred rarely to date, application to tornadoes and hurricanes increases the book's value. The guidelines are not intended to replace existing codes and standards, but to serve as a resource both for the experts working in this rapidly evolving field and for those who hire them.

Guidelines for Inspection and Strength Evaluation of Suspension Bridge Parallel-Wire Cables (2005)

by Ronald Mayrbaurl and Sante Camo

Two Weidlinger bridge principals with extensive bridge cable experience, Ron Mayrbaurl and Sante Camo, authored these much-needed, first-ever bridge cable inspection guidelines. More than half of the nearly 50 major suspension bridges in the U.S. are more than 50 years old. Concern about the condition of their cable systems is increasing, as is the number of inspections and evaluations being performed, which can put the structures at further risk if performed incorrectly. The manual includes complete instructions for wire sampling and testing to estimate cable strength. An accompanying CD-ROM (CRP-CD-454) contains an account of the background research and derivations of all equations.

Structural Condition Assessment (2005)

by Robert Ratay (editor), articles by Tian-Fang Jing, Antranig Ouzoonian, and Robert Smilowitz

Three Weidlinger principals contributed to this "Structural Physician's Reference" for both novice and experienced engineers. Condition assessment is a growing field that calls for engineering judgment to make use of the latest advances in measurement and testing. Antranig Ouzoonian introduces the various types of condition assessment, the reasons for them, as well as the protocols and contractual issues. Tian-Fang Jing contributes a detailed description of "Tensile Fabric Structures" and common forms of deterioration. Robert Smilowitz discusses the details of structural assessment and design to mitigate against "Vulnerability to Malevolent Explosions."

Security Planning and Design (2004)

by Joseph Demkin (editor), chapter by Peter DiMaggio

Weidlinger principal Peter DiMaggio was a main contributor to this recent guide, published by the American Institute of Architects. His chapter on "Building Hardening" presents basic concepts and techniques for protecting buildings against forced entry, ballistic attack, and bomb blasts. He concludes his detailed presentation of design issues by observing that although it is possible to increase performance under almost any loading conditions, the goal is to provide realistic, cost-effective protection and continue to promote the aesthetic ideals that characterize any great building project.

Why Buildings Stand Up (2002, Second Edition)

by Mario Salvadori

"A delightful book." - Library Journal

The first of a popular series by Columbia University professor and Weidlinger principal Mario Salvadori, this book is required reading for science lovers everywhere. They learn that engineering is a fascinating business and that structural principles are easy to understand when they are presented with enthusiasm by a master teacher. A great travelogue as well, it illustrates its points with descriptions of the Pyramids, the Hagia Sophia, Brunelleschi’s Duomo, and the Eiffel Tower. The most recent edition incorporates recent advances in science and technology -- improved materials, seismic analysis, computer-aided design -- that affect the planning and construction of buildings today.

Why Buildings Fall Down (2002, Second Edition)

by Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori

Although modern technologies and new materials have greatly decreased the number of structural failures in recent times, buildings continue to topple and fall. For this companion volume to Why Buildings Stand Up, Matthys Levy teams up with his former teacher and Weidlinger co-principal Mario Salvadori to take general readers and professional engineers on a spellbinding journey through the history of architectural and structural disasters. Their subjects range from the destruction of the Parthenon to the aftermath of major earthquakes in San Francisco and Armenia, to the collapse of the Hyatt Regency ballroom walkways in Kansas City, one of America's worst structural disasters.

Structural Dynamics for Structural Engineers (2000)

by Gary C. Hart and Kevin Wong

Weidlinger principal Gary Hart wrote this book from the frontiers of earthquake prediction and analysis and with the future of engineering in mind. It evolved from a UCLA evening course for practicing structural engineers that he began teaching in the early 1970s, when more accurate recordings of earthquake ground and building motion first became available. It focuses on the effort to understand and to make more realistic computer models of the response of buildings to hurricane winds, earthquakes, and other extreme loads. The book analyzes structures made of conventional and high-tech fiber composites and includes modeling of viscous dampers, base isolators, and other protective systems.

Engineering the City (2000)

by Matthys Levy and Richard Panchyk

"Future engineers, math enthusiasts, and students seeking ideas for science projects will all be fascinated by this book." Booklist

Where does garbage go? What happens when someone flushes a toilet? How is a tunnel built under water? Weidlinger principal Matthys Levy has written a lively narrative with Richard Panchyk that introduces middle school children and general readers to the mysteries of urban infrastructure. The authors explore the anchors of our familiar world, both exposed (roads, railroads, bridges, airports, telephone wires, and power lines) and hidden (sewers, plumbing pipes, tunnels, canals, wires, and cables). They use easy-to understand projects, experiments, and construction diagrams to illustrate how underground structures, in particular, are built, how they work, and how they affect the environment of a city and its nearby districts.

Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis (2000, 2009)

by Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori

The mysterious, sometimes destructive, forces that roil our planet are the subject of this fascinating book. How can the "solid" earth shake and break up? Will we ever be able to predict accurately the timing and location of an earthquake or volcano? Can a structure be built to withstand these forces? To make the physical nature of these volatile phenomena easier to understand, Weidlinger principals Mario Salvadori and Matthys Levy have invented a series of games and experiments for young readers, who will be delighted and challenged by this book. Projects make use of everyday materials and settings, such as bricks in a bathtub, rolling pins on the floor, and cereal boxes (fashioned into seismographs). The book, profusely illustrated with line drawings and diagrams, has been revised and updated to include recent events and is a companion to Engineering the City. It was first published as Earthquake Games in 2000.

Why the Earth Quakes (1997)

by Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori

"At last an inviting book on earthquakes." – San Francisco Chronicle

"An earthquake and volcano primer... a most readable book." - Los Angeles Times

Weidlinger authors Mario Salvadori and Matthys Levy, who have designed many buildings in high-risk earthquake zones, turn their lively and expert attention to earthquakes, tracing their history from Earth’s beginnings to recent developments in seismic technology. Stories of the worst natural disasters of all time – in Lisbon, San Francisco, and Alaska, and at Vesuvius, Krakatau, and Mount St. Helen – set the stage for an exploration of the nature of earthquakes and volcanoes, the prediction of their behavior and effects, and the measures we can take to protect ourselves from their destructive potential.

1997 Design of Reinforced Masonry Structures

by Gregg E. Brandow, Gary C. Hart, and Ajit Virdee

Reinforced masonry has a long history in California as a construction material. It performed well during all recent California earthquakes, and code provisions for design methods and criteria continue to evolve. This book, based on the 1997 Uniform Building Code, was developd by the authors who include Weidlinger principal Gary Hart and the Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada for use in formal classroom teaching and as a professional reference. It benefitted from the responses of students in classes and seminars taught by the authors.

Seismic Design of Masonry Using the 1997 UBC

by Chukwuma G. Ekwueme and Joe Uzarski

Weidlinger principal Chukwuma Ekwueme was co-author of this manual, based on the 1997 Uniform Building Code, which focuses on the structural design of reinforced-masonry elements in regions of moderate, high, and very high seismicity. They include California, large portions of Nevada and Alaska, the western third of Oregon and Washington, and parts of Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Hawaii. Three building types were used in the examples to illustrate the effects on different wall types. Each example is first solved using working stress design and then again using strength design. Collector elements, lintel beams, load-bearing pilasters ,and crack control joints are also considered.

Journal of Tall and Special Buildings

by Gary Hart (editor)

The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings publishes detailed articles on innovative structural engineering and construction practices, new materials, and analysis methods that are of direct interest to structural engineers who design tall and special buildings. Weidlinger principal Gary Hart, who has been editor of the journal since its inception more than two decades ago, tries to balance papers by design engineers and researchers so as to be useful to both groups. The problems and their solutions are international in character and require a knowledge of several traditional disciplines. A tall building is defined as equal to or greater than 160 feet in height, or at least 6 stories. A special structure has unique architectural or structural characteristics.