Ten Things I Learned from My Father which Last a Lifetime

After almost three decades living with my father, I have realized I have learned so many things from him which are really worth enumerating. These lessons have proven very helpful for me as I made this journey in life. Although things will not work out fine for me at times, I still manage to prove on one way or another that the discipline of following these lessons I learned from him still matters everyday. Here are the Ten Things I learned from my Father which will last a Lifetime.

1. Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you.
• We all know this famous Goldern rule. My father is one follower of this.He does not want to take advantage of other person even if he knew he can. 
2. Leading by Example
• He practiced what he preached. If he tells us not to do this, he would also do the same even if it means sacrificing his pride.
3. It is better to give than to receive
• He always love sharing his blessings to his friend. 
4. Life is a gamble
• He will always try to gamble at things and I knew he is only testing the water. Then he will observe the result and come up with conclusion. This is how he became street smart. I only learn those things when he is speaking with his friends.
5. Just do it
• I used to complain doing things he always instructed me to do so especially early in the morning. But now, I am still seeking that wake up call early in the morning to face the day ahead. Just do it is all I remember speaking to myself everytime I think twice of following him.
6. Never boast
• Although he has lots of things to be proud of, he did not use that to gain attention. Instead he used it in a very appropriate manner and in appropriate situation.
7. Learn to stand on your own
• My father along with his sisters learned the early sacrifices in life at a young age. They learned to live by themselves and manage to help each other to keep their children at school.
8. Be consistent
• As a child, i learned to discipline myself the way my father taught me. I observe that his consistencies of being angry all day once you disobeyed him, early on led me to believe that I must follow his instruction and never deviate from it. This is also applicable to my child. If I did not show consistency throughout the day, she would think that i am just joking around and she can easily entice me with her naughtiness. Kids like her must see from their parent consistencies of their action because otherwise, they will not follow you and will not be disciplined.
9. Learn to have friends and Network yourself
• I am surprised even now that my father was able to learn many skills throughout his life. He can be electrician, a carpenter, a driver, a welder, a farmer, a healer and a cook. With this skills set, he was able to network himself and have many friends along the way. I also appreciate that even younger generations look up to him because he can discuss lots of manly things under the sun. He even know both Ilocano, tagalog and Bisayas.
10. Become a streetsmart guy
• Having all the skillset and the network, my father ultimately became a streetsmart guy. He knows the in and out of the metro. Even where the road leads from each streets because he was formerly taxi driver.

Happy 66th Birthday Father :)

My Daughter at Three

My daughter and wife are doing school assignment. I am surprised to see my daughter now learning to write down letters as her mother dictates her so. Just 5 months ago, we have a hard time teaching her to recognize alphabet letters. But now is very different, at the age of 3, she now can write even in air the letter shapes and most importantly write them down.

Monitoring such development of our child is really one of the most precious moment being a parent. I did not personally teach her the skills, only my wife and my mother in law patiently went to school to fetch her. The school did the most impact on her development and acquiring such skill.

This is one of the reason I refuse to become OFW. Because if I was not here with my wife and daughter, I would be crying lots not witnessing our daughters development. She would not feel my hugged after she wrote down one word, as display of my joy for her success. The nightly ritual of giving her special gift everytime she made high grades in the school will for sure matter to her. And most importantly, the discipline I as a father can instill to my child early in her development will for sure have a long term impact( I need to display myself consistenly as an authority). I dont want to sound righteous but based on my observation, having no father or mother in a child development has negative impact in most cases.

I remember that having a parent with me guiding me in school and disciplining me, really matters in my development. The simple smile I am able to brought to my mother and father after giving my grades with honorable mention noted in it really is fullfilling to me as a child. That invigorates me further. My father is not showy on appreaciating my achievement but I can sense how proud he was to me as a child by how he tells my achievement to his friends while I listen subtly. I would like to infuse the same feeling to my daughter as early as now.

Facebook post will not transcend to her of how proud I am. She needs a hug, a smile from me, a lift in my shoulder and a fairy story to further enhance her imagination. As Einstein wrote ,  'If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.'

Living in An Exponential Law

Ive already watched this video about 5 years ago and its really worth watching even now..

Law of exponent is always present in our daily lives. In fact, we are living under this law. Stated loosely, every decision we make each day has exponential effects in one way or another. Realizing this, I follow this law personally. That is, do not make decisions that you knew will have further exponential and detrimental effect to you..

For example, a single decision of going to work early will need two or more corresponding commitment. One, put an alarm clock beside you, two - dont eat too much at night so you can have better sleep and wake up earlier, three- dont watch late night shows and the list goes on to comply with just by a single decision.

And not following the commitment above will also has exponential effect. One -  you will be late, two- doing this daily and you will receive memo in the office being late, three - you will be of course more stressed not following company rules on tardiness, four- you will leave a bad impression to your employer.




This simple yet unnoticed law in life can make or break someone's career, health and success. :)

An Analysis of the Voters Population

The picture below will tell million votes. According here, Almost 65% `((18.44+15.9)/54=63.6%)` of the voters will be from age 18 - 49 years old.

Well the image is from James Jimenez of Comelec, we can conclude now that only less than 20 million `(7.9+7.8=15.7)`of the 54 million voters still a fan of old action movies. It was obvious from the past that those who got elected in the high position were famous during eras when action movies and matinee idol dominated the television and movie theaters i.e. Lito Lapid, Erap and Vilma Santos(I dont mean they are all bad politicians).

Six years ago, Erap won the election in manila. Im beginning to wonder that despite the large number of young voters in Manila, he still manage to won.

Furthermore, Bam Aquino whom I just known in his television show before must have won because of the youth vote. The statistics must be true. Even Angara must have affected the youth after his stint in the impeachment.

Next year 2016. I will expect that winners of the election will be chosen by the youth, otherwise, another hocus pocus have happened.

I would now suggest that Survey companies must adjust their pre election surveys/interviews according to percentage of voters in the graph. Because if youth really speaks that much, why is Binay still winning in the statistics/poll despite the negative criticisms he got?

This article from manila times discussed the statistics further..

STAAD Steel Design Reminders

When using STAAD for steel analysis and design, one must be careful for the following:
1. Geometry
2. Number of load cases
3. Load list applied in design parameter
4. Post analysis result showing displacement
5. Failure ratio must not exceed 1. Though ASD can sometimes be 1.10.
6. Check code member must be applied to all steel members.

Soil Bearing Pressure:Pipe support foundation

I am designing pipe support foundation using a spreadsheet. Since there are lots of iteration, I thought I need a quick guide of finding the optimum foundation size by a given load. And the famous :

`P/A + 6M/(bd^2)`

is really necessary.

How quickly important is this? For example, we have an allowable soil bearing capacity of 50 kpa only. This means we are only allowed to stress the soil at that limit. Given a concentrated load, and lateral load applied on top of footing and an initial sizing of footing, we can then compute the Max pressure of footing at the edge by using formula above.

Ex: `Py=60KN; Px=50KN`
        `e=3m("top of pedestal to bottom of footing")`
         `B=5m; D=4m`

Thus,
`P/A=60/(5*4)=3Kpa;  (6M)/(b*(d)^2)=(6*50*3)/(5*4^2)=11.25Kpa`
And we have maximum soil pressure of 3+11.25 = 14.25kpa only which is way below than our allowable soil bearing capacity of 50 kpa. Using my calculator to prepare an equation with variables; i can easily manipulate or optimize the footing to lessen the dimension at the same time not exceeding `50kpa`.
     

I need to divide 1 by 2

`1/2 = 0.5`

Thanks..

ok math

dsfsafsa
`P(X)=(e^-mu mu^x)/(x!)`

Geothermal Project

We are using a spreadsheet to design geothermal structural supports. Although this one is very useful, one needs to verify its result. The last time I used this was when I need to find foundation support of platform. That is, I need to tweak certain parameters of the spreadsheet because this is actually used for pipe support. This was another instances where understanding of the theory really matters. An engineer can use different spreadsheet and software and tweak it depending on his purpose as long as the theory is not violated.

But now is different. Its actually a pipe support problem. 

For the first phase, the Wellsite 19 with just 8 supports is easy. No clashes with the existing support and the design is straightforward input of the parameters. Although one footing is on top of existing support, there needs to have proper detailing.

For the second phase, we are now designing cross country pipe supports. That is, the ground elevation is in a high gradient slope. Add to that the inconvenience of having existing supports almost every other pipe nodes. 

A Mushy Evening

Already late in the evening,as I am working for my current project, I decided to check on youtube some songs to inspire me. Suddenly my wife approached me..

And it hit me to searched some mushy love songs. Then I stumbled upon this playlist titled Cruisin which I knew then is worth listening to.


I used to listen to this kind of songs even before college. When all you have for entertainment is TV, radio and playing outside. After a day of studying then, you will need time to think about your achievement and your future plans. As a boy, listening to these songs will most of the time trigger you to think of your future partner. How you will held her hand, how you will plan for your future as a couple..Realizing you have not done yet most of those daydreaming..

I believe this kind of songs must last. Because hearing them once again will make you realize what you have done successfully to achieve your dreams since learning to appreaciate them. Because these songs have once been part of your goal setting. In short, it reminds you to stick to your original plan when you were still a kid. In short, it reminds you to become who you once were..

Solar Farm In Valenzuela

Earlier, the official facebook page of Valenzuela city just announced that a new solar farm is being built in Brgy Isla Valenzuela City. It will be operational this December. I noticed that the video showing the location of the solar farm is adjacent to a river. I believe this is the Polo River if im not mistaken.



Being aware of frequent floodings in Valenzuela, I checked with DOST Nababaha.com on its flood vulnerability and heres the result.

There you go. According to this, the location is really vulnerable to flooding. Now we might think so how are they going to protect the structure from flooding?

I just wish that the solar farm owner have performed a proper due dilligence study prior to the construction of the farm. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I also believe that this map from Project NOAH must be too conservative to state that the exact location will be flooded. I supposed that the farm owner must have installed retaining wall beside the farm to protect the solar panels from the overflowing of Polo river once it rains heavy.

This is the same case with my previous blog on choosing location of new house. Although NOAH can give us details if certain area will be flooded. it is not a surefire way to say that it will really be flooded because NOAH does not capture changes in the landscape of area from time to time. It may not capture the possible flood mitigation infrastructures the local authorities may have installed.

A Tribute to My Reviewer

During College days, we always refer to books that will help us survived each semester. One of the most reliable books then was Besavilla's reviewer. I used to admire this author because I was thinking he must be super intelligent to come up with books with all the theories in it which normal student can read in 3 or more college textbooks. Then I realized he is really not the the one who made up all the questions in the book. He just compiled all the questions from the past board examination and from other textbooks.

Now 8 years after graduation and passing the board exam, I still refer to this book for my professional practice. With the advent of internet and explosions of information readily available to engineers, I still believe that having a book like this, a hardcopy, is still a must. I remember writing about why I preferred old books over new books. New books will bombard you with lots of code provisions and new formulas from the code. On the contrary, this old book will focus on the concepts, why this and that, without straying you away from what is really important. Ironically, this one is just a reviewer. And not a pure textbook about concrete concepts.

Furthermore, many young engineers tend to rely too much on softwares output without double checking the result in the theory. And this kind of reviewer textbook will help you out definitely. With my blog about Finite element in STAAD, I would not be too confident writing about that without the help of this hardcopied textbooks. Thanks so much my friend.

Since this is a tribute to this book during my innocent years, I will insert a vid of musics then that moves us..

A Blog To Follow ...and my Own summary of his

I just finished reading some of the blogs made by Jim Paredes. Almos all of them resonates to me. He observed things the way I observed them also. Although Im an engineer, and he is a creative person, I plan to take advantage of me being an engineer and relate those observations to my profession. They say its one of the easiest way to remember things. Associate everything to your character, your passion or what drives you.

Definitely, I will follow his blog hereafter.

Before writing this, I plan to have this blog titled as The Internet of Things or How Matrix Applies to our Lives or How We as People is Inside the Matrix. But I decided to change this as shown above after finishing reading JP's blog. He talked about the synchronicity of things, the way the universe conspired to help you achieve your dream. And it hooked me. I observed the same thing.

But checking back the way Internet really works especially marketing, and linking this to my past subject in my Masters degree course Matrix analysis, i observed we are really going towards inside the Matrix.

Look, dont get me wrong here. For the information of some, Matrix is mathematics. It is an array of numbers. Since its a collection of numbers in an array, we can combine two or more Matrices to come up with new Matrix. Now, imagine that we as individuals having each information on us become a numbers(symbol by the way) and then be included in the same Matrix. When we accept that realization, we can then accept that we can become part of a bigger Matrix. And operation of that Matrix is possible which displays to us like  a conspiracy of the Universe. Sounds cool right?

But thats the way even internet works, we will notice that what when we browse in the net, the browser seems to display all things related to our likings. Why? Because internet has cookies that is installed in our computer which is hidden from us and its looking up to all the history of our browsing thus we are simply giving the browser our persona in effect. Which it can then interpret as symbols in its Matrix. Now when you decide to look for things that you want. You will amazed to know that its easier to seek for what you are looking for.

Wow! A conspiracy of the universe but actually only a Matrix operation taking place...

Nevertheless, outside the internet world, I am still a firm believer of his observation also. That universe will help us as long as we be conscious to its helping hand.

APEC 2015 Traffic Impact

Yesterday November 17, a day prior to the main APEC 2015 event, the government decided to block several main roads leading to Makati or EDSA. As I sat in the bus going to a site inspection in Laguna, I can hear the bus drivers calling their fellow drivers to halt their operation going to Manila since the blockage will cause major traffic and inconvenience on their part. I knew then that I have a problem travelling back to Manila after my site inspection and meeting.

Luckily, the site manager is on its way to Rizal after the meeting. I decided to hitch a ride to avoid the traffic since their way is on the opposite side of the Laguna de Bay. That is, we will drive towards Sta Cruz Laguna then to Pagsanjan, Lumban, Pakil all the way to Jala Jala Rizal and Tikling near Ortigas Manila. It was my first time to travel on that route and failed to see the exciting sceneries beside the Laguna Lake. As an engineer, I wanted to see the changes in the landscape of each town, how Laguna lake looks like from different places surrounding it because I had this awareness that several towns adjacent to this lake are in one way or another dependent here. I can just imagine that all rainfalls coming from the mountains on our route will ultimately drain in Laguna Lake. A hydropwer project that supplies electricity in Kalayaan Laguna is also seen in our journey.

Subjects Covered in Master of Science in Civil Engineering Examination

On reviewing for the examination, one must be aware of the hierarchy of the subjects. I am beginning to further realized why the exam is scheduled in 3 days.
1. Day 1- Mathematics consisting of the following subjects:
         a. Advance Mathematics
         b. Numerical Methods
         c. Matrix Analysis of Structures

2. Day 2- Major Core Subjects
         a. Finite Element Analysis
         b. Structural Dynamics
         c. Continuum Mechanics

3. Day 3- Elective Subjects
         a. Advance Reinforced Concrete Design
         b.Prestressed Concrete Design
         c. Geotechnical Subjects - (in my case) Ground Improvement

It is really a must to review first Mathematics subject because you will not be able to understand the Day 2 subjects. On the other hand, Day 3 subjects can be reviewed separately. Most of the time, since every structural engineers are designing structures in their career, Day 3 subjects can be the least prioritized.

Why I Choose Old Books over New Books

I love reading. And since Im an engineer, I need to do self study on a lot of subjects. I realized that reading Old Classic books by known authors is still advisable FIRST than reading New Books recommended by professors. Dont get me wrong on this.

For example, most concrete design books today include Code Provisions that is normally beyond the grasp of an undergraduate student. On the other hand, older books tend to focus on the theory more than the code provisions. Thus, the absorption of Code Provisions is easier to accept because of the underlying concepts explained in older books.

Consider this new book by Fanella..

 The above book is written under new code provision..I would recommend to students reading this book by park and paulay also to further understand the theory behind the code provisions..

For sure you will thank me for this :)

Choosing Location of New House

Every Filipino family will need to invest in a house that they can call their own. Since Manila is already congested and price of house and lot is too costly, many developers are building outside Metro Manila. Places like Laguna, Cavite, Valenzuela, Sta Maria Bulacan and Pampanga are the nearest development there will be adjacent to Manila. Although the developer is expected to follow certain engineering guidelines, some locations of development may still be scrutinized further.

With the help of Project NOAH, I recommend that you check first if the location of the property is prone to flooding. For example, I am eyeing on a property in Valenzuela. 

 By looking at the beauty of the house model, you will be too excited to invest immediately. However, I suggest to look for the location at google map.

Now, google by default will not show you if this location is flood prone. You will now have to refer to Project NOAH and verify if this is prone to flooding or rather has chance of high flooding for a 100 year return period. That amount is, in a laymans term, equivalent to Ondoy.

Fortunately, the location where flooding is occurring is on the creeks or rivers near the property. Also, the developer should embank sufficient amount of backfill of soil to assure the property will not be flooded. This should be some of the information that property buyer must inquire to developer.

Earthquake in Laguna

Earlier today November 1 as we celebrate All Saint's day, there was a Magnitude 2.9 earthquake in Pagsanjan Laguna. After that, epicenter in Quezon and Mindoro followed.

If we will create a line connecting those epicenters, it will be traversing almost perpendicular to the Valley Fault System. I wonder if that means another fault line or simply each adjacent plates inside Philippines are tectonically moving. Anyway, as far as I know, I havent heard of earthquakes occurring in Laguna. THough I know based on research that there is really fault line near Laguna or approximately the Banahaw Mountains. Could this be the cause of this movement?

Last week, there was also a shaking at Mindoro while Lando was busy dumping rains on Northern part of Luzon. Lando stayed in the Philippine area of responsibility for almost a week, and such scenario have always make me conclude that strong magnetic field may have caused this kind of phenomenon to happen.

I will further do research on this..

Copy Paste from Wordpress

I just finished copying and pasting here my blogs from Wordpress. Until now, I am contemplating on which platform to continue. Do I have to use Blogger often and ditch my wordpress blog? Though I cant decide on this yet, what matters is I pursue my blogging to document the lessons I learned throughout my career and of course on how I can apply this to my daily life journey..

Earthquake Preparedness: Engineer's Thoughts

With the recent Nepal earthquake, our national government in the Philippines through PHIVOLCS just issued again the VFS(Valley Fault System) Map for information dissemination. This time it captured lots of Filipinos awareness and became a trending topic in social media. My wife who used to ignore my stories about the fault line (me being a structural engineer) immediately threatened me after hearing the news(weird lol).

Social media suddenly became a bulletin board full of prayers for the Philippines. I hope we begin to think realistically and do not just rely too much on Faith alone. This may not be the perfect suggestions, but here are my thoughts:

1. Luckily, most high rise building in the metro are designed according to NSCP (the national structural code of the Philippines). Thus, no immediate worries of possible distraction when earthquake comes. However, some were not designed according to the latest Code which considers ductility of the frame.

2. Although these buildings may withstand extreme earthquake, the other scenario which may result due to this earthquake is what matters most:
3. Access to food, electricity and clean water will be hard because such magnitude of earthquake may divide roads and detroy electric posts and can even caused fires.
4. Our municipality in valenzuela recently launched its 3S centers in times of disasters like this. Other cities especially those lying near the valley fault system should follow the same. Again, careful planning from the urban planners usually architect and in coordination with engineers should drive this endeavour.
5. Now as individual family effort, we should at least have a week storage of food or other source of electricity in our house say a generator. Although you need to make effort storing diesel fuel for that. Basically, the way we prepared for typhoons is also the same with earthquake preparedness but for this case instead of rainfall as our enemy, it’s the destruction of our house debris falling down on us.
6. Just my thought, I have been fond of correlating earthquake occurrence with the moon rotation. Most sites said that large earthquakes occurred during full moon window. We may observe that large storm also usually occurs after a large earthquake. In short, we cant help but wander that there are external forces linked to this events.
7. Now, if you are afraid your house will be destroyed for such event, please consider consulting a structural engineer before you build house in order to ensure your house will sustain such devastating force from mother nature.

..I will think further on some preparation for this large event..

Discipline, Discipline, Discipline

As i sat down on my chair to start my day's work, I remember what I read yesterday about discipline at work. It said not to concentrate on your computer for an hour before doing any work and an hour before leaving the work in the afternoon. I guess it really is helpful. I avoided the temptation of  clicking on lots of email correspondence and internet sites which normally take our concentration away from the urgent matters to handle.

Now, going back to urgent matter. It has been a disciplined habit to write down all urgent tasks for the day and even write down previous urgent task yesterday which I was not able to performed. And guess what? It was a long list of item again!

My approach here is proven correct and tested. After writing down the lists, I will create dotted points beside those urgent items to separate the most urgent matters at hand. This easier said than done. You need to check if your urgent taks is really the urgent one. That needs coordination with your immediate boss and you should do this early in the morning as stated here.

After that, work your way on those pressing items and think with this phrase " Begin with the End in mind"..Think of the final result of this task and step by step determine how you can accomplish the task in timely manner..

I have been doing this exercise of discipline since I started working and it really helps..

Random Lessons Learnt in Construction

As we progress on construction for a project, lots of incompetency arises that were not brought into light during bid evaluation of the winning constructor. I guess, as a designer, we should check first their capacity, their pool of manpowers and their skills to verify if later on during construction they will comply to designers expectation. However, also as a designer, and we dont have the minds of the client choosing the winner, we should be well prepared to handle those challenging tasks of pleasing the client while the constructor causes delay by not following proper procedure as dictated by designer. Thats where the good Project Manager comes in.

Thankfully, I had lots of guidance from more senior engineer to handle such task prioritizing everything during construction.

For younger engineers, its really helpful to be employed in a company with established standards and will help you be more organized with decision making. For example, submittals like construction materials will require certain ASTM standards for compliance which is usually stated in the specifications. Having skills sets of knowing what to ask from the contractor and how to ask it with conviction, is really a great confidence builder as designer and checker.

Excel Addict

I saw this book titled Microsoft Excel Addict..I guess this can be a good way to start becoming a good excel user. being an engineer, you should be good at using spreadsheet like excel.

Tips on Checking Steel Structure Shopdrawing

Will be checking steel fabrication shopdrawing. Not having such experience before, I opted to ask my supervisor how it shall be done. At the back of my mind, using logic and common sense, every shopdrawings for structural must all be dependent on architectural drawings. Luckily, I was right again.

The drawings indicated T.O.S (Top of Steel) elevation. It striked me that such values in the drawing requires architectural confirmation of elevation. But how is it confirmed? I guess the thickness of roofing and also type of purlins used shall be determined. However, the construction moves where contractor proposes lots of alternatives to saves money. And this, ideally, must be captured also in the shopdrawing. But it will be too late to ask for the final drawings. Thus, a proper disclaimer I guess shall cover the designer of possible changes in the construction. Construction manager on site must inform the designer immediately of those changes.

The least that structural engineer must do in the shopdrawing is to check the sizes indicated in the shopdrawing against the approved schedule and plan. And the connection of the framing must be followed.

Fortunately, I have dual monitors used in the office. I would open the shopdrawing PDF in the other monitor while the CAD drawing of our For Construction Drawings in the other. Reviewing side by side the two drawings is easier.

For a very complicated drawing, I would print first the drawings and using highlighter, would highlight structural sizes according to their sizes using different colors. In that manner, you will have an overall view of changes of structural sizes in the drawing.

Minutes of the Meeting

As a designer coordinating with client and contractor, one should learn how to take minutes of the meeting even for personal use. But most of the time, as a representative of company you are working in, you should take down notes during meeting so that your Project Manager will learn the discussion even hes's not around.

The following tips may be useful:

1. Make sure to read the agenda of the meeting before it starts then ready yourself on all possible question the contractor or client may ask in the meeting related to the agenda.

2. since you may not be aware for all the item listed, forward the agenda to concerned discipline lead for them to answer the agenda or update you with the latest information.

3. Learn to anticipate. One agenda may affect other agenda or other issue on the project. Brainstorm in your head possible scenarios for each answer to agenda.

Design and Build In Compliance to Structural Code: Preparing for Big One Earthquake

As stated here , the current fear for the coming of BIG ONE in the metro deserves further clarification.

If your house is designed and build following the NSCP(National Structural Code of the Philippines), then you should not fear that it will be destroyed when earthquake of that magnitude comes. Take note of the word design and build. Design is made by Architect and Engineer while Build is handed over to Contractor "building" the design made by the architects and structural engineer. These two words are necessary to claim that your house is fully compliant to code.

With due respect to some contractor, there are instances wherein although the house is designed according to code, non compliance by the contractor were committed just to save money. Thus, the client is advise to hire separate construction manager on site to assure the quality of construction is in compliant to design made by engineer who we can assumes to follow the code.

Whats happening lately is that people are looking at the map provided by PHIVOLCS and check their distance on it. For us, structural engineer, its just part of the equation. Why? In following structural code, we can design the structure whatever distance you are from the fault line. Thus, distance is really just part of the equation. What matters is the inclusion of the whole earthquake parameter in the design of the structure.

Whats alarming is that one person may be thinking seeing his house too far away from the fault line than others is already a safe reassurance. This is wrong. A house designed by structural engineer which is 10m away from the fault line is safer than a house built by non-engineers 20m away from the fault line. Thats the truth!

Finite Element Modeling in STAAD

Today's technology have propelled the advancement of computation which used to be so complicated say 20 years back. High specification computers make it easier for engineers to perform complex analysis like Finite Element Modeling.

I saw this video presenting check of steel connection using Finite element software. Luckily, for engineer used in STAAD, you can also do the same checking if you understand the theory behind the finite element and of course the in and out of the software.

I checked this sample video where an isolated footing was analyzed using manual calculation and clearly matches result with Finite element modeling. Note however to us engineers of the familiar G.I.G.O..Garbarge in garbage out..We should be checking our parameters on the model first prior to accepting the result of the software.

Link to NSCP Wind Load and Earthquake Provision Explained

Though he may not be aware of this, I would like to refer to this blog for explanation of NSCP wind loading and earthquake analysis provision.

The approach is similar to textbook where he explains with sample problems which makes it easier to understand for young engineers.

I have met Dr. Aquino in UP Diliman and I can consider him as expert on his field. So for those reading my posts, please also refer to his blog for further information.

Housing Code Vol 3 NSCP yet to release

Last week, ASEP held its 17th International Convention in Ortigas. One topic of the said event was the possible release of new volume of NSCP ( National Structural Code of the Philippines) Vol 3. This will cover the Housing Code. Philippines, being a seismic region, and a former US colony, follows UBC code and other American code which consequently impose a stringent requirement on design especially in seismic design. For a light loaded structure like simple house, designers are bound to follow the strict requirement of NSCP volume 1 based from American standards.

I dont want to sound "all-knowing' but this was the common debate among young designers. Now that the Housing Code will be released hopefully next year, it will definitely sheds lights on some gray areas the young engineers are always asking. For example, does the housing code will allow a less than 300 minimum column dimension for house? How about less than 250 mm beam dimension?

It will be recalled that the earthquake provision in NSCP states the minimum column of 300 while 250mm for beam. Lets find out once the Volume 3 is released.

Update:

When I did this blog, I am referring to a personal copy of my NSCP bought in ASEP labeled First Printing. It turned out that this is already outdated because our office copy is already in Fourth Printing.

I discovered that this version (Fourth Printing) already included the Volume 3 of NSCP specifically on section 421.6.1.1 stating.." The shortest cross sectional dimension, measured on a straight line passing through the geometric centroid, shall not be less than 300mm except for buildings or structures regulated by NSCP Volume III and BP 220."

Thus, its already stated that NSCP now allows less than 300mm column dimension. However, further provision shall be expected clarifying this when Volume III is released.

Best in Class Awardee

For the second time, I received again a Best in Class Award from my employer. It is very surprising to receive yet another award since I knew I just do what I need to do in order to accomplish our team's goal, the company goal and represent the company in front of the client.

I owe this award to my mentor who is also a Best in class awardee herself, and patiently guided me despite her busy schedule.

Earthquake in Sabah

Earlier this morning, there was an earthquake in Sabah Malaysia..which is just outside the ring of fire..I wonder what cause this big one. If Sabah is outside ring of fire, then there must be something else causing it to move. I wish this event has nothing to do with the BIG one.

This article sheds light on what causes the movement earlier.

Rainy Season in the Philippines

We have been experiencing continuous rains for the past weeks brought by typhoons like Egay and now Falcon. Clearly, this is the evidence of rainy season coming down in the Philippines. I wish we do not experience the same Yolanda or Ondoy this year.

I remember creating a report on Davao River and simulating the effects of rainfall gathered from PAGASA. This is more like Project Noah of myself. I wish to apply this knowledge on other part of Philippines..

Journey to Exam

To date, I am able to have greater overview of the subjects Im about to take this coming semester than it was last January when I started this blog. I realized its really very efficient having devoted time to study anything and to have something to look forward to at the end of the year. It really forces someone like me to understand the subject in fear of failing the examination.

There will be 3 days of exam. First day is more on Mathematics, Second day is the applied mathematics subject while the Third day is the Design subjects which focuses on Structural engineering subjects already. To date, I realize that Mathematics subjet is really required to understand and go deeper on the Applied Matheatics subjects. ON the other hand, Im bit relaxed on the DEsign part because Ive been designing for 6 years already and should not be difficult for me.

Falcon in the Metro: Its effect in La Mesa Dam

I live in northern part of Metro Manila and during this rainy season, I always need to monitor the level of dams like La Mesa in Quezon City. Today, it was reported by GMA news that its near the spilling level shown below:

This dam which is a spillway dam, has no gates I believe. That is, if its already full, the water will only have to spill over downstream creating floods in Valenzuela and Quezon City. Water is transferred in Tullahan river all the way to Manila Bay I believe. Its been a problem since I was young and yearly this always happen. I think the government should start constructing another dam somewhere downstream to further control the water and avoid flooding us in Valenzuela.

During Habagat wayback 2013, I remember NLEX in Tullahan river were flooded after La Mesa dam continuously overflows. Consequently, when this happens, Mcarthur highway along Marulas is surely overly flooded and lots of houses will be surely in danger. These was the scenarios we, living in Valenzuela would not want to happen again.

Flood Alert

As stated on my previous blog regarding effect of La Mesa dam overflowing, it is now in the news that Malabon residents were alerted for possible evacuation...

FLood forecasting exercise

I do not want to sound all-knowing, yet through this blog, I will try to document the 5 day weather forecast from @earth.nullschool.net and relate this with the possible water level rise in Marikina River and also Tullahan..

See below weather forecast by earth.nullschool.net from today until after 4 days:

   

Note that this simulation from the above website is just computer made, the parameters are bound to change every hour or so..I do this exercise for curiosity only..

We will observe that the typhoon is continuously going westward to Taiwan and the wind also pulls the monsoon rain which will definitely bring continuous rains until weekend perhaps. It was reported earlier by PAGASA.

Also, at this hour, La mesa dam is already on verge of spilling level..and if this scenario persists, for sure the La mesa dam will continue to overflow until weekend. of course not, we all know that although monsoon is continuous, rains may not dropped continously. But the definite scenario is that flooding will persist until weekend.

Base on this trend, I believe Marikina river will definitely rises up until it reach critical level such that evacuation of people near it will be ordered by local government.

With this continuous rains, slope failures may be happening since the soil gets saturated due to continuous moisture it takes from the rains.

These are all possible scenarios which always happen yearly..I will update this blog for documentation purpose.

Again, I dont want to send wrong information here..Just my way of documenting everything..pardon the technical errors where it occurs.

Rainfall Return Period

I have a feeling that this continuous rains brought by 3 successive typhoon which pulls the southwest monsoon will break another record of rainfall return period. PAGASA is surely closely monitoring this event..

Definitely, a one day event of historical return period may not yet equalled or exceeded. But the cumulative rainfall for say 5 days or even one month rain may be exceeded on their record..Lets find out..

Jessica Soho Antique Episode on Large Fish Prior to Storm

Last Sunday July 12,2015, Jessica soho featured an episode of large fish captured in Antique.

(Photo from FB antique)

Scientist told during the interview that fishes like this only came out when salinity level of the sea is changed. Some speculated that this event is a sign that something big will happen.

. I believe its sudden appearance has something to tell for us. Antique I remember has one of the deepest sea elevation in the Philippines. Coming out of such animal must have some definite reason other than the salinity level as observed by the scientist. .

Structural Investigation of House Near West(Marikina) Valley Fault Line

I have recently investigated a two storey house near Marikina Fault line. This fault line, can generate magnitude 7.2 earthquake according to MMEIRS. As structural engineer, we are required to refer to NSCP in designing house for earthquake prone region like Philippines. I discovered upon looking at the as built drawings that the beam size is only 150 x  300mm. I was surprised how little the beam was. Luckily, upon looking at the analysis, this beam will not carry sufficient amount of earthquake and will mostly carry gravity load of slab weight and occupant weight. The slab thickness will also contribute to additional strength of the beam. However, I will not design beam like that in order to save money.

The columns or post is luckily satisying the code provision of minimum dimension. The main problem is the beams which are supposed to carry earthquake loads. The main beams are all sized 200mm width and the reinforcements are not sufficient. On this cases, a more tedious analysis of the structure is required like setting up rigid end offset manually in the software to reduce moment carried by the beam,  live load reduction if applicable and also reducing super imposed dead weight according to actual condition.

I would like to suggest to clients and readers that they keep design callculations submitted by structural engineers so that in the future, everyone looking at the plan will have ready references on the assumptions made by the engineer on record. This is normally practiced in building construction. Unfortunately, this is often neglected in residential construction..

Typhoon in Philippines - Lando/Koppu

Earlier, Typhoon Koppu a.k.a Lando here in the Philippines have made landfall. Several news have forecasted it will be a super typhoon and it will even dumped more than 40 inches of rain or more than 1 meter.

Also, I observed that last night several rivers up North luzon already started increasing water level just before Koppu's landfall. Thus, I am thinking the forecast above could be true.

Earlier in the afternoon, PAGASA also said that Angat dam had already increased water level.

Unfortunately, according to earth.nullschool.net..the typhoon will last for almost a week.That will surely be a disaster if it continue damping heavy rainfall in the metro.

 

Seminar on Detailed Structural Investigation

Last week, ASEP held another seminar regarding detailed structural investigation. I am very eager to attend here but my schedule does not allow me to. Though I have substantial knowledge on the topics (see below later), attending such seminar is a must for structural engineers. I am outlining the topics and will try to typed out everything I know about them:

1. Objectives of Structural Investigation
   1. Here in the Philippines, the main scare regarding the coming of the Big One or the Magnitude 7.2 earthquake from Marikina Valley Fault line prompted all concerned building owners to check the adequacy of their structure to withstand such shaking. Not only that, some buildings were designed using the old NSCP codes. Thus, analysis of the structure using the latest Code must be implemented. Its a separate topic below.
2. Data Gathering
   1. For structural engineers, data gathering like the measurement of structural sizes of the beams and columns are very important. Also, the number of rebars installed on the structural members will be the input in the structural investigation and will be the basis of the adequacy of the building.
3. Destructive Testing Procedures
   1. Topic number 4 below is always the first priority and not the destructive testing. However, certain datas like number and sizes of rebars are difficult to determine on site thus the need for destructive testing. Again, it will depend on the significance of the investigation if destructive testing will be required. We personally do not recommend this. With this, building owners are encouraged to keep their building structural plans to make sure that datas like rebar size and columns are known.
4. Non DEstructive testing procedures
   1. This is the first major step in the investigation. Rebar scanning or detection is one type of nondestructive testing.
5. Engineering Evaluation
   1. After all datas are gathered, analysis of the building will be done and evaluation will follow.
6. Effects of fire in strength of concrete and structural fire loads
7. Target Seismic Performance LEvel
   1. This kind of topic always leads me to think about performance based analysis  which is a more technically advance topic.
8. Earthquake Parameter response spectrum and time history
   1. The NSCP has what we call design response spectrum which all structure must be designed with. Parameters like building period, distance to fault line and soil type where building rests are all required to formulate this response spectrum(graph). Time history is a more detailed analysis wherein the building will be subjected to known earthquake acceleration and investigation of the response is required. I believe that deep understanding of structural dynamics is required here.
9. NSCP
   1. The code that every structural engineers use in the Philippines to design structure to withstand earthquake.
10. Retrofitting Techniques
    1. After analysis of the structure in the investigation is finished, proper retroffiting techniques will be recommended. As a rule of thumb, structures designed prior to year 2000 has tendency to fail with the current code provision. Note that this is my personal experience only because the code used then was NSCP 1994 I believe. Please check.
11. Crack Repair
    1. Building failure is normally reflected through the occurences of cracks. However, most people are not aware, that structural engineers actually design most structural members to crack but with certain allowable size only. The idea of designing members to crack is to follow ductile failure rather than brittle failure which is indicated in the code. Again, most cracks we see in structure are non-structural. Structural engineers are required to see if cracks are structural failure in nature.
12. Alternative Strengthening of RC structures using Fiber Reinforced polymers
    1. This technology were already used before but needs further discussion since its avery popular way of retrofitting technique.
13. Retrofitting the building performance using dampers/base isolation.
    1. This technology is also very popular in Japan because they experience earthquake almost everyday.