Practical Engineering: Calculating Loads on Beams and Headers

www.jlconline.com: Most builders install built-up dimension lumber headers over standard window and door openings without worrying about the loads. You just put in the same-size double 2×10 or 2×12 headers throughout the house — not only will they carry standard residential loads, but they also automatically keep the window and door heads at a uniform height. You can’t beat sawn lumber for most small window headers, but as spans and loads increase, stronger materials are a better choice. Sawn lumber limits design potential and in some cases just doesn’t work. LVL (laminated veneer lumber), glulams, and PSL (parallel strand lumbers) are all good alternatives for longer-span and heavily loaded beams.

Effects of Recoil Forces From Large Scale Pyrotechnics on Entertainment Structures

Protocol: IN THE SPRING OF 2018, I was working on a pyrotechnics design for a large stadium tour and the usual questions were being asked: Where will the pyrotechnics devices be located? How high will the product go? What are the safety distances required? These are all standard questions for every pyrotechnic design. This project however posed some additional questions since the pyrotechnics were to be mounted high in the structure on horizontal spans, such as: How much does the gear weigh? How much recoil is generated by the functioning devices? The first question was easy to answer, but the question about recoil forces was not as easy, and required some experimentation to understand.