tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412776490159142072012-01-19T09:02:52.702+08:00RandoM ThoughtS and AdventureS of a CiviL EngineerinG EducatoRMr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.comBlogger751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-26496406056901691572012-01-18T19:01:00.002+08:002012-01-18T19:01:55.047+08:00

I was tasked by the dean and department chair to be a "champion" for outcomes-based education (OBE). The main motivation for this is that OBE may be used in the accreditaion of engineering programs in the Philippines following the accreditation practice (ABET) in the US.  But how can I be a champion when I don't have any idea about OBE. I attended a series of seminars conducted by DLSU

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-39945125960819283842011-10-05T18:06:00.000+08:002011-10-07T17:42:39.211+08:00

A mobile is a decorative structure that is suspended so as to turn freely in the air. A mobile usually consists of pieces of rods and decorative shapes made of metal, wood, plastic or paper suspended in midair by wires, strings or ties so that the individual parts can move independently when stirred by a breeze. The principles in engineering mechanics about force systems in equilibrium can

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-7098633666754534262011-07-21T09:59:00.000+08:002011-07-21T09:59:38.071+08:00

Compression Failure of a short timber column To check the safety and serviceability of wood used as columns, posts and truss members, the compressive strength of the wooden elements must be known. "Good lumber" which is available in the Philippines are usually used but their properties ae unknown. Hence, this research was conducted. Mechanical Properties in Compression of  Commercially Available

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-45699199401029685172011-07-11T21:49:00.001+08:002011-07-21T10:00:38.046+08:00

Many low cost houses used wood as structural beams for joists in floor framing systems and for purlins in roof truss systems. When you design a beam, you must know the allowable strength properties for shear and flexure and the moduus of elasticity to check whether safety and serviceability requirements are satisfied. But when you buy wood in lumberyards in the Philippines, the wood specie is

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-68844312820595549642011-07-09T22:25:00.005+08:002011-07-21T10:01:02.384+08:00

High-strength concrete (HSC) is a highly complex and evolving construction material. Careful selection of constituent materials must be employed to successfully proportion HSC mixtures. A guide for proportioning HSC by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) is available but the guide provides only a general idea of the proportions of the various components for HSC production. Presently, batching

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-38592687308381414832011-06-06T10:03:00.000+08:002011-06-06T10:03:04.185+08:00

Beware of Tsunami (6:30 min) A tsunami is chain of fast moving waves that can be triggered by an earthquake. On Dec. 26, 2004, an earthquake generated a large tsunami hitting many countries around the Indian Ocean. Among the countries affected were Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Communities near coastal areas are highly vulnerable to tsunami. The most recent earthquake and

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-85200733687145384242011-06-02T10:13:00.000+08:002011-06-02T10:13:38.029+08:00

Quake Basics photo-video presents basic concepts and definitions related to earthquakes such as plate tectonics, types of faults, focus, epicenter, locating an epicenter,  magnitude, intensity, various types of seismic waves – body and surface waves. The presentations also shows the various hazards related to earthquakes. This is part of the "Understanding Earthquakes & Disasters" :

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-26157450179994216572011-04-08T13:21:00.002+08:002011-04-08T17:08:50.633+08:00

At the end of the school term,  I recognize the perfromance of the students in accomplishing the requirements in our Timber Design and Laboratory class through what I dubbed as the "ORETA TIMBER AWARDS." The requirements in the laboratory course are: (1) A Field Visit to a Lumber Yard, Construction Site or Timber Structures, (2) A Field Visit to the Annual WolrdBEX, (3) Design of a Wood Floor

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-51652921129622531512011-03-23T09:49:00.006+08:002011-03-23T10:05:48.394+08:00

At the 7th DLSU Bridge Building Competetion, the bridges were tested using a UTM at De La Salle University-Manila CTM Lab. Two steel bars were placed on the bridge deck. Then a steel frame was placed on top of the steel bars. The load was applied on the steel frame until failure. Date of Testing: March 19, 2011. This competetion was organized by the Civil Engineering Society and was participated

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-47535126256444282722011-03-20T18:14:00.006+08:002011-03-20T18:26:26.231+08:00

Here is a slide show of the popsicle stick bridges that were submitted to the 7th Bridge Building Competition organized by the Civil Engineering Society at De La Salle University - Manila, Philippines. Thirty-three entries competed for the Strongest Bridge, Stiffness Champion and Best Design (Aesthetics).Congratulation to the winners: Strength Category: Winner - Bridge 21 (PLM)Stiffness Category

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-20586450777844344132011-03-19T23:23:00.011+08:002011-03-20T17:33:10.022+08:00

The winning bridge from the TIP TeamThe 7th Popsicle-Stick Bridge Building Contest organized by the Civil Engineering Society of De La Salle University was held on March 19, 2011. One of the highlights of the contest was the judging of the bridges based on aesthetic design. The criteria includes originality, innovativeness, craftmanship and practicality. The judges were lead by Engr. Mario

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-83934106653071827512011-02-01T10:26:00.007+08:002011-02-01T10:43:52.754+08:00

The National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) organized a tour of Manila Water's Lakbayan Center at Balara, Quezon City last Jan. 28, 2011. It was an educational tour wherein lectures and video presentations about Manila Water, Path of Pat Tubig (The Mascot of Manila Water), Waste Water Treatment and Manila Water's Ondoy Activities were presented. Indeed, the lectures were enlightening

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-18052639824389617692010-11-16T09:19:00.008+08:002010-11-16T09:44:42.054+08:00

The STR4 assembly is aimed to investigate and visualize the deflection of simple beams and cantilevers. In this experiment, hanger and masses are applied on the beam and the deflection at a specific point of the beam is measured by a transducer and displayed on a digital dial test indicator. One experment that we conducted using the STR4 was on simple beam deflections. Specifically, this

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-27235285312362345892010-10-25T18:58:00.009+08:002010-10-25T19:23:22.632+08:00

A new laboratory course in Theory of Structures was introduced in the DLSU BSCE curriculum. In this course, students perform laboratory experiments using TecQuipment Strucures Apparatus to investigate the behavior of simple structural members. The first equipment used was the STR2 Moment in a Beam Apparatus. In this experimental set-up, hanger and masses are applied at specific points of the

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-54107145966400462022010-08-04T21:58:00.005+08:002010-08-04T22:06:10.762+08:00

“Awareness is the first step towards action” . This is the main rationale for the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Advocacy Guide. This primer aims to raise the awareness of the primary stakeholders of schools and hospitals - the young children, teachers, parents, medical doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators, government and the public on the urgency of making schools and hospitals

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-51949965589504465012010-07-19T09:52:00.003+08:002010-07-19T09:57:13.915+08:00

Here is a useful slide presentation on Basic Principles on Seismic Design which can be downloaded from www.slideshare.net.SEISMIC_DESIGN View more presentations from leevan.

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-87553945987800795172010-06-20T20:55:00.004+08:002010-06-20T21:07:26.208+08:00

The following article can be found at the Electronic Encyclopedia of the National Research Council of the Philippines:Structural engineering is a field of specialization in civil engineering which deals in the analysis and design of structures such as houses, buildings, towers, and bridges. A structure is a system of various types of structural elements such as beams, columns, walls, trusses

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-42108221094866963302010-04-30T20:00:00.006+08:002010-04-30T20:08:45.911+08:00

The term has just ended at DLSU. To inspire my students who will soon graduate and become civil engineers, I presented recognition awards which I named Timber Awards in my class in Timber Design. The awardees were: Jonathan Salumbides (Molave Structural Engineer Award) for outstanding analytical skills in Timber Design Exams and QuizzesJet Tugado and El Rey Morales (Yakal Structural Design Award)

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-6663720658804410502010-04-15T09:48:00.014+08:002010-04-15T10:34:22.515+08:00

*SAFETY FIRST: Are our schools and hospitals safe? What can be done to make schools and hospitals safer? Safety is a human concern – this concern must be taken more decisively by school and hospital communities given that they are in the business of caring for the young and in preserving lives. It is a concern that must be taken seriously and strive continually to achieve at all times especially

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-70042527591245883672010-03-17T08:33:00.007+08:002010-03-17T08:54:31.561+08:00

Thirteen entries from DLSU competed in the Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Contest hosted by The Civil Engineering Society (CES). Unfortunately, no entry made it in the winning bridges. The DLSU bridges were also good and well-made. Bridge no. 18 actually garnered the largest load of 111 kg with a displacement of about 25.5 mm, but it was too heavy at 1138 g making a score of only 3.82. DLSU

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-3810191860713686372010-03-02T09:20:00.011+08:002010-03-02T09:58:34.803+08:00

In the recent DLSU-CES Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Contest held last Feb. 13, 2010, 31 bridges were tested for the Strength Category. A Universal Testing Machine (UTM) was used to test the bridge. Two 14 mm rebars spaced at a specified distance, were placed on the bridge deck. Then a hollow “cage” was placed on the rebars, on which the load from the UTM was transferred. A displacement

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-32867244665448809842010-02-22T20:58:00.008+08:002010-03-02T09:55:05.481+08:00

The De La Salle University Civil Engineering Society (CES) hosted the Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Contest 2010. The bridge entries were judged last Feb. 13, 2010. There were 31 entries from various schools: DLSU, TIP-Manila, PLM, FEATI, DHVTSU, Mapua and FEU-EAC. In the Design Category, the bridges were judged based on the following criteria:Creativity and Innovativeness in the design and

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-57088084160922718322010-01-19T09:21:00.017+08:002010-01-19T13:15:45.924+08:00

Who will be this year's ASEP Struct-Whiz Champion? Will there be a Struct Wizard among the participants of the 4th ASEP Struct-Whiz Challenge? The champions of the past 3 competitions came from UPLB, DLSU-Manila and TIP-QC. Whose school will reign supreme in the 2010 edition? The Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP) is inviting undergraduate civil engineering students to

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-39030074786331063092010-01-13T14:22:00.006+08:002010-01-13T15:43:51.070+08:00

The Civil Engineering Society of De La Salle University-Manila is again inviting civil engineering students from Philippine CE schools to join the Bridge Building Contest. The challenge is to create a popsicle truss bridge which will span a given distance subject to the bridge specifications or limitations in weight, heigth, width and length. The rules can be viewed in the slide show embedded

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-54206053768713423582009-12-17T08:15:00.008+08:002011-07-21T10:01:35.847+08:00

"The study investigated five types of steel beam-to-column connections. The global rotational spring stiffness values of these connections were determined through laboratory testing and these values were used in the semi-rigid structural analysis where a rotational spring was introduced at the ends of the beams near the connection to the columns. A comparison between the semi-rigid elastic

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-29129125743578798002009-11-08T17:22:00.006+08:002009-11-08T22:16:26.946+08:00

When I was a visiting scientist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, I remember my host Prof. Kazuhiko Kawashima telling me about ROSE School - The Centre for Post-Graduate Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology . It was my first time to hear about it. He was a visiting professor at ROSE School and he taught Seismic Design of Highway Bridges. I browsed

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-18753063293791406352009-10-28T12:47:00.005+08:002009-10-28T13:20:37.748+08:00

Dr. Jerry Velasquez, my classmate at Nagoya University (Japan) in the Master's and Doctoral programs is now the senior regional coordinator of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), based in Bangkok, Thailand. One of his mission is to promote Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the Philippines and other developing countries to address the threats to life and property by

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-35684547613114613062009-10-12T17:26:00.006+08:002009-10-12T17:33:49.568+08:00

Poverty can be history if everybody helps in even a small way to alleviate it. There are many ways of eradicating or reducing poverty. Civil engineers, in particular, can contribute in building a better future of our society through the three of their majors tasks: Design, Construct and Maintain. KHRPN (Kahirapan) is a video by Joenel Galupino of De La Salle University, Manila - an entry to the

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-10182765677160318522009-09-27T23:02:00.009+08:002009-09-28T00:21:45.122+08:00

The main theme of the 33rd IABSE Symposium at Bangkok (Sept. 9-11, 2009) is "Sustainable Infrastructure." The International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineers (IABSE) recognizes the important role of structural engineers in ensuring sustainability in their creations to ensure that energy and natural resources are still available for the future generations. The keynote lecture on "

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-54119325685515789182009-09-19T21:08:00.006+08:002009-09-19T21:23:25.350+08:00

The general consensus the world over is that online degrees are not as acceptable as their regular counterparts, but that perception is slowly changing as the face of academia itself undergoes a significant change. Today, even doctoral programs are being offered online and are accepted in all kinds of job settings as equal to those degrees that have been earned in traditional classrooms.The

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-18700339930734254872009-08-31T20:01:00.006+08:002011-07-21T10:02:15.671+08:00

Engr. Alden Balili, my graduate thesis advisee did a research on the application of genetic algorithms (GA) in the optimum design of reinforced concrete (RC) space frames considering seismic provisions of the code. The process of GA and its application to the optimization of space frames is in the figure below. Initially, the sizes of the beams and columns of the space frame are randomly selected

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-6890331316452375292009-08-13T09:26:00.014+08:002009-08-13T09:54:54.513+08:00

Experiments have shown that as the depth of the beam increases, the intensity of shear stress decreases especially in lightly reinforced beams. This phenomenon is referred to as “size effect”. Shear strength is not constant as given by some design codes like the ACI. To understand size effect, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for RC beams without stirrups which fail under

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-44843274861751565872009-07-27T19:47:00.005+08:002009-07-27T19:57:52.440+08:00

"A 13-story under construction apartment building in Shanghai's Lotus Riverside complex fell to its side on June 27, 2009. During construction, a 4.6-meter-deep underground garage was dug on the south side of the building while a mound of soil heaped up to 10 meters high was located on the other side. This caused a difference in pressure on two sites of the building, which resulted in the

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-56310742738868698062009-07-15T09:28:00.007+08:002010-07-17T11:44:38.599+08:00

On July 16, 1990, an earthquake with magnitude 7.8 struck central Luzon. The human consequences were severe - at least 1200 people were killed and more the 3000 injured. Major destruction occured in Baguio City where hotels and school buildings collapsed like pancakes and Dagupan city where extensive liquefaction caused settlement of buildings and bridges. What lessons can we learn from this

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-62676069603652123142009-07-09T10:34:00.009+08:002009-07-09T10:55:49.816+08:00

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are information – processing systems whose architecture mimic the biological system of the brain. Recently, civil engineers have utilized ANN for various applications especially in the modeling of civil engineering systems. In my case, I developed an ANN model for predicting the confined compressive strength and strain of a circular reinforced concrete column. The

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-81729240964320354772009-06-23T22:42:00.008+08:002009-06-25T14:36:32.225+08:00

What will the world might look like if there were no engineers like civil engineers, electronic engineers, mechanical engineers, etc. You may download from the website of Agilent Technologies' Educators Corner a poster or screensaver on "The World Without Engineers." Here is my favorite - The World Without Computer Engineers. Indeed, the advancements and innovations in computers have changed our

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-24646264323751356912009-06-13T11:24:00.004+08:002009-06-13T11:46:07.949+08:00

Take a look at at the amazing ways civil engineers overcome the challenges of creating and maintaining our infrastructure for us, and for future generations. This video, "The Little DVD of Civilisation", which was created by the Institution of Civil Engineers promotes the importance of how civil engineers build the quality of life like supplying clean and safe drinking water in Ethiopia, reducing

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-47441645665817951962009-06-04T10:32:00.008+08:002009-06-15T14:12:50.469+08:00

What precautions should you do to protect people from harm and reduce damages to property in case an earthquake occurs? Test your knowledge on earthquake preparedness and safety by visiting http://www.dropcoverholdon.org/ and play "Beat the Quake." In this game, you are challenged to make your home a safe place during an earthquake. You click on each object shown in the room and you choose an

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-6888155809134028732009-05-29T19:42:00.005+08:002009-05-29T22:29:41.235+08:00

On Shaky Ground (5:55 min). This is a presentation of various types of earthquake geotechnical hazards and their effects on structures. These hazards include ground ruptures, soil liquefaction and land slides. Since a geotechnical hazard can cause a serious effect on a community, reducing the impact of these hazards must be addressed. This video is part of the "Understanding Earthquakes and

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-33894359950394790152009-05-22T07:20:00.006+08:002009-05-22T07:49:45.726+08:00

Bridge superstructures and substructures have been damaged in recent earthquakes like the 1994 Northridge earthquake and 1995 Hyogeken-Nanbu earthquake in Japan. Bridges are Falling Down ( 5:52 min) is a photo-video presentation that shows the different types of damages in bridges and some retrofitting techniques. This video is part of the "Understanding Earthquakes and Disasters:

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-63825868066597513642009-05-16T09:52:00.007+08:002009-05-22T07:50:01.780+08:00

In past earthquakes, many buildings have collapsed or were damaged due to ground shaking or foundation failures. The presentation shows the common types of failures of buildings like soft stories, short columns, torsion, poor detailing and ductility in reinforced concrete columns and beams, and irregular structures. The importance of seismic retrofitting and strengthening of existing structures

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-76266259910649652792009-05-09T13:09:00.005+08:002009-05-22T07:48:58.097+08:00

The key to reducing the impact of earthquake hazards is disaster preparedness and mitigation. Since the Philippines is an earthquake country, it is important to prepare against seismic hazards. This video poses some questions and tips to consider with regards to design and construction of structures, seismic assessment and retrofitting and community disaster preparedness. PHIVOLCS tips before,

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-82040261226027813032009-04-27T09:07:00.011+08:002009-05-10T21:23:16.485+08:00

In the laboratory course on Computer Methods in Civil Engineering at DLSU-Manila, aside from computer applications in civil engineering, I required the students to create game applications related to civil engineering. The randon number generator function is a very useful function in game simulations. These game applications may be used to review the students on their understanding of the

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-17795101645570998122009-04-19T22:36:00.005+08:002009-04-19T22:50:49.309+08:00

Bridges are important structures in infrastructure projects such as highways, elevated expressways, flyovers and water crossings. The effective and efficient design of bridges requires a good understanding of bridge engineering principles and usage of modern computing tools. The objectives of the seminar are (a) To provide an overview of the theoretical and practical background on analysis &

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-39782862787575707352009-04-11T11:52:00.009+08:002009-04-11T14:05:16.212+08:00

Innovative approaches in teaching can be introduced in the classroom using the computer. In the author’s laboratory class on Computer Methods in Civil Engineering, students develop simple computer software applications and computer-based games on topics related to civil engineering using Visual Basic. By creating their own software applications, the students demonstrate their creativity and

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-81293143851402677612009-04-01T09:49:00.011+08:002009-04-02T14:13:30.701+08:00

Prof. Emeritus Per Tveit, Dr. Ing. of Agder University, Norway, visited De La Salle University, Manila a few years ago to share his knowledge and expertise about Network Arches. "When I was a student over 50 years ago, I got the idea of the network arch. Optimal network arches are arch bridges where some hangers cross other hangers at least twice. When the arches are less than 18 m apart, the tie

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-68243892393814623272009-03-23T19:56:00.005+08:002009-03-23T20:01:12.911+08:00

I just viewed this very interesting 3D simulation of the airplane crashing into the World Trade Center twin towers.

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-67477128206002143552009-03-18T22:49:00.006+08:002009-03-18T22:58:05.343+08:00

Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Competitions have become a popular activity for students here and abroad. This blogsite had many visitors who "googled" about popsicle stick bridges. Here is a slide show of the popsicle stick bridges that competed in the 5th DLSU Bridge Building Contest.

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-59138884412306741692009-03-13T09:35:00.014+08:002009-03-14T06:55:50.227+08:00

If you want to develop children's creativity, patience and imagination, give them a Lego or MegaBloks. Lego or MegaBloks consist of colorful interlocking plastic bricks, beams, axles and minifigures which can be assembled and connected in many ways to contstruct various types of objects such as vehicles, buildings and even working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-38125510894187211752009-03-07T16:47:00.005+08:002009-03-07T19:57:30.731+08:00

One of the challenges to an engineering professor here in the Philippines is choosing the main textbook of his courses. Before I recommend a textbook as the main reference, I first go around bookstores specifically National Bookstore or Goodwill bookstore to check what textbooks are available. Recently, I noticed the lack of textbooks in civil engineering in commercial bookstores. What you will

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-4416769413208908512009-02-28T08:02:00.009+08:002009-03-04T14:41:30.415+08:00

The Department of Civil Engineering (De La Salle University-Manila) will introduce a laboratory component in the undergraduate courses in the Theory of Structures and the TecQuipment’s (TQ) structures teaching apparatus will be used. Among the TQ apparatus purchased were for Frames (Deflections and Reactions), Beams Deflections, Pin-jointed Frameworks, Shear center, Unsymmetrical Bending, Beam

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-28714393162877373162009-02-19T10:24:00.011+08:002009-02-19T11:57:15.129+08:00

I would like to feature two popsicle stick bridges submitted by my undergraduate students at the 5th DLSU-CES Bridge Building Competition. Bridge No. 09 by Morgan Say and Jet Tugado is a Warren-type truss bridge. It actually ranked no. 4 in both the Strength and Design category. The bridge has the properties, L = 626 mm, W = 1073 g (quite heavy). It's deflection at P = 10 kg was only 3.2 mm but

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-5479486155407065802009-02-14T08:20:00.034+08:002009-02-15T19:55:08.906+08:00

In the strength category of the 5th DLSU-CES Bridge Building Competition, the bridges with weight W were subjected to two-point loads using a UTM (Read the blog on bridge testing). The values of P and D at failure were noted to get the Strength rating S=P/(D*W). The bridge with the largest S wins the competition. The value of S depends on the stiffness (P/D) of the bridge and the weight W. The

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-86611336838289190862009-02-10T09:18:00.014+08:002009-02-10T10:13:09.356+08:00

In the recently concluded 5th DLSU-CES Bridge Building Competition last 7 Feb 2009, the bridges made from popsicle sticks competed for the Best Bridge Design based on the following criteria: Creativity and Innovativeness in the design and form: 30%Application of bridge design principles: 30%Practicality and implementability: 20%Neat and well-polished bridge: 20%Four judges examined and evaluated

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-13401063181659252722009-02-07T20:50:00.009+08:002009-02-09T07:46:50.715+08:00

The 5th DLSU Bridge Building Contest was held on Feb 7, 2009. Seventeen bridges made from popsicle stick bridges were submitted from various engineering schools - Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trades (DHVCAT), Technological Institute of the Philippines (Manila and QC), FEATI University, Far Eastern University (FEU) , Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), University of the East (

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-4751758157039592152009-01-30T08:42:00.005+08:002009-01-30T08:52:59.766+08:00

At DLSU-Manila, we hold a forum promoting the various specializations in civil engineering - Hydraulics and Water Resources (HWR), Transportation Engineering (TRE), Construction Technology and Management (CTM), Geotechnical Engineering (GTE) and Structural Engineering (STE). I was tasked to present the STE specialization. To introduce the STE specialization, I created a short video using Power

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-67342696637472051522009-01-22T09:51:00.006+08:002009-01-22T10:12:23.106+08:00

Here is another film made by No Strings for programmes in South East Asia and funded by Trocaire. The movie is about Badu and the Little Girl who experienced an earthquake. It is a movie on earthquake preparedness and response. Watch this with your kids.This video was accessed at http://cogssdpe.ning.com/.

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-90567822772971371492009-01-16T09:26:00.003+08:002009-01-16T09:31:18.874+08:00

The Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (ASEP) on its 47th year is hosting the 14th ASEP International Convention with the theme, “Structural Engineering: Coping with the Global Crisis” on May 21-22, 2009. In this regard, you are invited to submit an abstract and full paper (later) for presentation during the convention. Topics of papers on structural engineering which

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-35765241713818425272009-01-14T21:28:00.008+08:002009-05-22T07:50:59.994+08:00

One of the videos in "Understanding Earthquakes and Disasters: Photo-Video Presentations for Public Awareness and Education" is entitled "Disasters and Development." Natural disasters occur if society is highly vulnerable to the hazards. When a disaster occurs, the development and the economy of the country and local community is affected. As a country develops, the population increases and more

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-85961421922966208822009-01-09T08:04:00.010+08:002009-01-14T07:58:38.849+08:00

I joined a social network - Coalition for Global School Safety & Disaster Prevention Education and learned of the various initiatives around the world in promoting disaster awareness to the public especailly in schools through the world wide web. I found interesting videos created by No Strings, a group of puppeteers who use colorful and engaging adventure films to teach life-saving messages to

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-72689861644260663912009-01-04T09:37:00.007+08:002009-01-04T09:48:42.418+08:00

Today, there is an increasing demand for engineers to focus their efforts on the protection and preservation of the environment. The civil engineering community, which includes structural engineers, plays a major role in maintaining the balance and harmony between the built and existing natural environment. The built environment, which includes infrastructures such as residential houses,

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-39120029827499950312008-12-22T23:19:00.008+08:002008-12-22T23:41:25.532+08:00

In my computer laboratory class on "Structural Engineering Computer Methods", the students use Structural Analysis software like GRASP, ETABS and SAP2000. Learning to use the software is not the end itself but learning concepts on structural analysis is the primary objective of the course. To achive this objective, I wrote "Understanding 2D Structural Analysis" - an exploratory-type of

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-23238245628770664402008-12-13T15:38:00.012+08:002008-12-14T09:10:39.993+08:00

Using a structural analysis software like Graphical Rapid Analysis of Structures Program (GRASP ) developed by the Asian Center for Computations and Software (ACECOMS) can help popsicle stick bridge builders in designing their bridges. The behaviour of bridges depends on how and where the loads will be applied. For example, if two concentrated loads will be applied to test a bridge with a truss

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-30751822575073459682008-12-04T09:18:00.009+08:002009-01-22T10:41:14.507+08:00

London Bridge is a nursery rhyme where various concepts in structural engineering may be introduced. Obviously, the concept of structural engineering failures is described in this song - London Bridge is falling down. Structural failure this time is described in relation to different types of construction materials. The behavior and strength of various structural engineering materials and members

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-61116713377231693452008-11-30T17:00:00.015+08:002009-01-22T10:40:37.089+08:00

Remember the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf? This is a story where kids will learn the importance of designing structures against external forces such as wind due to typhoons and hurricanes. The big bad wolf wants to eat the pigs. And to do that he must be able to destroy each pig’s house by blowing on the house. The big bad wolf represents external wind forces that a house

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-10370570530601465562008-11-26T07:42:00.015+08:002008-12-04T09:58:04.615+08:00

Popsicle stick bridge building competitions usually choose the winner based on the strength/weight ratio. Usually loads are applied at the mid span of the bridge by placing incremental weights. The load at failure (P) is then determined and divided by the bridge weight (W) to get the bridge performance. In the DLSU CES Bridge Building Competition, a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) is used to test

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-57617777115439536762008-11-21T18:54:00.024+08:002009-01-22T10:39:58.781+08:00

You may be wondering why Humpty Dumpty fell from the wall if he has legs and hands. Well this is because of his shape which is very unstable. When he sat on the wall, he is not anymore supported by his legs and a little push will make him roll and thus he fell from the wall. If Humpty Dumpty is an inverted triangle, he will be more unstable. He will stand on the tip of the triangle and he has to

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-56692370957434371652008-11-18T20:48:00.030+08:002009-01-22T10:40:21.623+08:00

Remember the nursery rhymes and songs your parents have read and sung for you just to put you to sleep? You or your parents may have not realized that when you were babies, you were unconsciously introduced to basic concepts of Structural Engineering whenever these nursery songs are played. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall All the king’s horses and All the king’s men

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-70582935997274220222008-11-14T09:30:00.016+08:002008-11-15T18:10:54.908+08:00

Computers and multimedia equipment have become popular tools in public presentations. In most conferences or seminars, a multimedia projector has become a common equipment. Recognizing this fact, the use of multimedia may be used for effective public awareness and education. However, there is a lack of multimedia software or presentations that are readily available for public use. It is for this

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-23450803649687058962008-11-07T09:03:00.028+08:002008-12-14T08:23:08.787+08:00

I built my first popsicle stick bridge about 12 years ago when I was introduced to the bridge building contest organized by the students of the DLSU Civil Engineering Society (CES). My bridge was a through truss bridge. A through truss bridge derives its strength from the arrangement and strength of the truss elements. The load is transferred from the bridge deck to the truss elements and then

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-58511015119159427352008-11-05T09:41:00.014+08:002008-12-04T09:59:37.196+08:00

Reducing building vibrations due to wind and earthquakes in tall buildings is one problem that must be addressed by structural engineers. There are various ways of doing this. One method is by installing passive and active dampers. When I visited Taipei 101 in 2007, I was introduced to “Damper Baby,” – the name given to one of the dampers installed at the currently world’s tallest building.

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-81558453295807684812008-11-01T19:31:00.003+08:002008-11-08T15:23:52.534+08:00

I reached level 89 of Taipei 101 last June 2007 using the world's fastest elevator with a top speed of 1010 m/min (63 km/h or 37.5 mph) The ride from B1 to the observation deck at level 89 was comfortable and took only 39 seconds. The elevators installed by Toshiba contain pressure control systems which adjust the atmosphere inside to prevent ear-popping. Taipei 101 is currently the official

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-39442866143321434222008-10-25T09:43:00.001+08:002008-11-08T15:23:37.858+08:00

Concept designs of skyscrapers that will solve the problem of the future – the need for housing, work and entertainment place for a growing population in a limited space – have been proposed. In Discovery Channel’s “Engineering the Impossible,” the concept and challenges in designing and building a 2,755 ft tall and 170 story Millenium Tower to be built at the middle of the ocean in Hong Kong in

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-3778020164360366372008-10-19T10:45:00.005+08:002008-12-04T09:58:48.137+08:00

I have met two professors in civil engineering who possessed utmost enthusiasm and passion in teaching. The first one was Joedec, the late Prof. Jose Ma. De Castro of the University of the Philippines College of Engineering. JoeDec was my professor when I was pursuing my BSCE undergraduate course at UP Diliman. He was my professor in the Structural Engineering series subjects – CE53, CE54, CE55

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641277649015914207.post-28168179153573589712008-10-09T08:15:00.002+08:002008-11-08T15:21:26.695+08:00

In 2007, the Department of Civil Engineering of De La Salle University – Manila (DLSU-M) turned 20. In SY 1987 – 1988, through the initiative of Dr. Romeo A. Estanero and Dr. Angel Lazaro III, Dean of the College of Engineering then, the BSCE program was revived to produce qualified, specialized and research-oriented professional civil engineers. The DLSU-M BSCE curriculum pioneered the offering

Mr. DigShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10672741426838158693noreply@blogger.com4