Typical Engineer Story

  Image by https://rakanjayahardware.com/ S caffolding, falsework, shoring, bracing, and underpinning are just a few of the many examples of temporary structures that are commonly required in construction projects. The provision of structural support, the guaranteeing of worker safety, and the facilitation of the construction process are all important functions in building projects. Temporary structures that are either inadequately built or incorrectly installed have the potential to fail catastrophically, which may result in the destruction of property, personal injury, or even death. In this article, we will discuss the best procedures for designing and putting up temporary structures on construction sites. Design Principles Initially, the protection of everyone involved in the construction process and the general public should be the focus of every design. When thinking about safety, it's important to keep in mind things like how stable the structure is, how reliable the ma...

Image by  Residential Slope Stabilization | South Hadley, MA (wellnesscapes.com) In geotechnical engineering, the method of slices is a foundational technique for analysing the stability of slopes. The factor of safety is determined by slicing the soil mass along a potential failure surface into a series of vertical slices and calculating the forces operating on each slice. The factor of safety (FS) quantifies the margin of safety against slope failure. It is the ratio between the shear strength and the shear stress necessary to maintain equilibrium. The process of slicing involves three essential steps: The failure surface is a hypothetical surface along which the soil material may slide as a result of external forces like gravity or seepage. The failure surface is selected based on engineering judgement and field observations. Division of the soil mass into segments: The soil mass is divided into equal or variable-width vertical slices. The size and number of slices are determine...

Image by beodom.com Geotechnical engineers may encounter a variety of obstacles when constructing ground-floor foundations in regions with elevated water tables. If the soil is inundated with water due to high water levels, the slab may experience settling, uplift, and buckling. This article discusses the steps geotechnical engineers can take to resolve these issues while ensuring the stability and durability of ground-level structures in such circumstances. To address the difficulties posed by high water tables, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive site evaluation. Identifying the soil type and its properties, such as unit weight (), coefficient of permeability (k), and compressibility (Cc), is required. Determine the water table level and any other geological or soil conditions that may effect the stability of the slab. To determine the most effective remediation strategy, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of all site conditions. The next step, following a thorou...

  Malaysia has been experiencing significant growth in the construction industry over the past few years because of the development of massive infrastructure projects, commercial buildings, and residential properties across the country. Nevertheless, the recent development of BIM in the Malaysian building industry has further accelerated the progress in the sector. A digital tool that enables architects, contractors, engineers and owners to work harmoniously on a project, generating a virtual visual of the building, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has become increasingly prevalent in the industry. It permits the production of a three-dimensional representation of the building’s design and helps to avoid expensive and time-consuming rework. BIM involves creating and managing digital representations of buildings’ physical and functional characteristics. This is a cooperative approach that allows designers, technicians, builders, and proprietors to collaborate to create a compreh...

Image by https://malaysiagazette.com/ As a geotechnical engineer, determining the correct factor of safety (FoS) for a rock slope is essential for ensuring its stability. FoS is a measure of the slope's resistance to forces acting upon it and is calculated by comparing the slope's resistance to forces acting upon it. When designing and evaluating rock slopes, geotechnical engineers take into account a number of factors, including the geology and geomorphology of the slope, the properties of the rock mass, and the potential for degradation and erosion. Therefore, engineers frequently collaborate with geologists to produce a more accurate representation of the slope by combining their knowledge and judgement. The strength and deformation properties of the rock mass have a significant effect on the FoS of a rock slope. These two parameters have a substantial effect on the FoS. There are a number of methods for determining these properties, including laboratory testing and in-situ...

When I originally considered taking the Professional Competency Examination (PCE), I wasn't sure if it was the best choice for me because of the vast syllabus covered.  The list goes on. PCE is Malaysia's second-tier examination for professional qualification to become a registered Professional Engineer With a Practising Certificate. The test consists of two examinations, Common Paper and Technical Paper, each of which lasts around three hours. However, if you believe that your years of experience will benefit you in this exam, think again. Unlike the first tier, which emphasises accumulated experience and report preparation, this time you must thoroughly research the topics — similar to the college level of education you had — and come up with a good answer for the multiple-choice questions and essays. In contrast to undergraduate exams, which are presented in several papers throughout the semester, these exams are delivered in two papers and represent a considerable differenc...

    Image by Freepik Concerns have been voiced regarding potential employment losses in the creative sector due to the rising reliance on artificial intelligence (AI). While it is true that some employment may be replaced by automation, it is crucial to note that not all creative positions are at risk of being mechanised. Jobs that involve human creativity and intuition are unlikely to be replaced by computers anytime soon due to the nature of creative activities that AI cannot imitate. As long as unique and original works that appeal to human desires and needs are produced, there will be a demand for creative jobs in the future. As long as people continue to create important works of art, there will be a viable and thriving creative sector. Businesses must adapt to changing market conditions by adopting cutting-edge technologies and software into their workflows. This will allow them to remain competitive and respond rapidly to market changes. Companies that lag behind their ...

With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in civil engineering, some tasks can be automated to improve efficiency and accuracy while also benefiting the environment. Although technology will not be able to replace human employees, its function is projected to expand as machines become more advanced. AI is anticipated to play a big role in many everyday applications in the future, from self-driving cars to precision agriculture. Project management is one area in civil engineering where AI can have a substantial impact. Engineers must consider numerous critical elements when interpreting complicated designs in building projects, including work sequence and time. This can be difficult for people to keep track of, resulting in costly errors and delays. Engineers can avoid these issues by utilising AI technologies to monitor and control construction projects. Automated monitoring systems can be set to detect possible delays and other issues early, allowing them to be corrected b...

In construction industry, it involves architect, engineer, quantity surveyor, project manager, landscape architect, acoustician, and the list goes on. Architects are the main professionals who will first deal with the clients. After obtaining the basic ideas or problems, the architect will submit a brief solution for the client’s consideration. Prior to getting client's approval, architect provides a detail solution by getting input from other professionals to materialise the building construction.  An architect's dream is an engineer's nightmare has become a well-known perception in the construction industry. However, is there any merit or truth in such perception? Is it true that creativity is only for architects, while engineers only provide solutions to ensure architectural creativity is safe to build? Architect akin to an artist. The first phase is the sketching phase of the fundamental creative ideas and translating the client’s intent via the artistic shape, space an...

  Courtesy of THB Maintenance Sdn Bhd In tropical regions with rainfall stands as the crucial factors to starting the landslide mechanism, a proper surface drainage is important to avert any unwanted incidents. I only focusing on the surface runoff and the role of cascading drain to channel the runoff safely to designated discharged point. A rainfall on a steep slopes will run as surface runoff with lower probability for the water to infiltrate into the soil. This necessitate the introduction of cascading drain to collect the water from the berm or slope drain. The design of cascading drain is basically allowing the hydraulic jump, an abrupt changes from supercritical to subcritical flow that will reduce the water flow rate and act as an energy dissipater. The effectiveness of hydraulic jump depends on the input of the rainfall volumes and flow rate in which failure to do so will resulted to  flood and nuisance to the public.  ...

A case of slope failure which occurred in Tanjung Bungah, Pulau Pinang was Engineers' worst nightmare especially if it involves the death of civilians. The Principle Engineer of a Civil & Structural Consulting firm which I decline to name committed of nearly 15 negligent acts, attributed to the slope failure. I'm particularly more interested as to why an experienced professional engineer commit to such gross negligence. Circular No. 004, Supervision of Construction Works, Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) clearly reinforces the need of qualified person (Professional Engineers with Practicing Certificate) or any person duly authorised by him undertakes the supervision of works. Meanwhile, the temporary works which are mainly contractor's responsibility shall be given similar due respect as to the design of permanent works by Professional Engineers. This is stipulated in Guideline No. 001: The Role and Responsibility of Professional Engineers for Tempora...

OBSESSION IN COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SOFTWARES APPLICATION FOR PROBLEMS SOLVING by Muhammad Azmir In the old days, engineers relied on an intuitive and highly developed sense of structural behaviour. As time passes, the invention of computer software is sought to expedite the problem solving processes and to cater for the current design complexity. In typical small talk between two consulting engineers, the prime subjects normally will be the ongoing projects and the software they use. I'm not a gainst the usage of any commercial softwares, be it ESTEEM, ORION, TEKLA, STAAD PRO, PLAXIS, just to name a few. In this new era, it is inevitable and unavoidable for engineers to incorporate the softwares to achieve the desired outcomes. The underpinning issue is in regard to quality software operators vs quality engineers. Quality software operators are the one that understand the steps to produce the results as stipulated in the manuals. By attending any short courses, any in...

UNLOCKING THE VALUE OF SLIM RIVER by Muhammad Azmir Whenever people talk about Slim River, especially the outsiders, the scope of contexts will only evolve around the “slimming remarks” and the jam along the PLUS highway. As expected, nothing special can be discussed by them about Slim River’s town compared to the infamous Tanjong Malim. As to my best knowledge, Slim River has a lot of untapped values. It has a perfect ecosystem for business people to invest and to create more attractions for  higher return. Reliable infrastructures, strategic location, untapped skilled workers from Giat MARA and Vocational College, vast land, tourism attraction and local talents, are list of invaluable assets. The setting up of Econsave mall and the Summit Hotel was the turning point that lifted the familiar dull backdrop, creating more jobs to the communities. It goes without saying that the initial development creates the ripples, spreading to the locals by forming a business ec...

Interesting by looking at the speed of the amendment move by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). To be fair, they should include LAM/PAM as part of the crucial stakeholders before tabling the OSHA amendment. By the way, creating another rule of law to regulate the architectural practice will be redundant and thus creating more pressure to the practice as the Architects Act 1967 is more than suffice to safeguard the interest of the public. The same goes t o engineers under Engineers Act 1967. In the aspect concerning professional demeanor, it would be unrealistic to justify such move that undermine the professionals' credibility in construction industries. A knee-jerk reaction is not a professional way to harmonise the construction issues and well-being . Listen to the voice of professionals. By Muhammad Azmir

Back then in 2015, there were some, well sort of uproars in regard to restriction of “Engr.” abbreviation before the graduate engineers’ name. The privilege of “Engr.” originated under the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) and definitely became as the beacon for engineering graduates to submit their membership registration. The restriction was due to the Board of Engineers Malaysia ( BEM) argument that such abbreviation will be misconstrued by the publics as “Professional Engineer”. Professional Engineer is the highest testament for any engineers in Malaysia in pursuing their career or establishing their own consultancy practice. Since its inception, the primary goal of having the Professional Engineer “licensure” is to provide engineering services in full-scale and in accordance to Engineer’s Act 1967. In 2015, the Engineer’s Act 1967 was amended to enhance the quality of engineers and in quest for the liberalisation of engineering services. The action has resulted t...

Sculptor and engineer Arthur Ganson talks about his work — kinetic art that explores deep philosophical ideas and is gee-whiz fun to look at.

A Daily Dose of Architecture: Book Review: Tom Kundig: Works : Tom Kundig: Works by Tom Kundig Princeton Architectural Press, 2015 Hardcover, 300 pages With each book that Seattle architect Tom Ku...

Courtesy of Ram-Tech Construction Inc “Taichi” terminology was a norm word used by Malaysian as the act of shifting the blame / responsibilities to other individual or parties. Construction industry comprises of many teams from different fields. Some may have already known or works together while others are just total strangers. I would like to emphasize the four (4) primary players, the Architects, Civil & Structural Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and the Contractors. Architect will lead the team players and acts as the front line towards the respective clients. For design and build contracts, the contractors will be the pay master and appoint their own teams while the conventional contracts process appoint the team players separately. Good coordination is a must for the client to achieve their target and cost. Now, how would the “Taichi” fits into the picture? When one issue crop up and jeopardize the time frame and cost, all team players will scramble to issue thei...

Image Courtesy of life975.com I still remember the very first day that I had reported to duty as Design Engineer in a small Engineering Consulting Firm. My superior simply handed over a sketched structural key plan and instructed me to perform the structural analysis and design. I did as he requested. Well, as many of the typical fresh graduate traits, I design strictly as what I had learned in the university. However, the nagging feeling of uncertainty struck me. Although I manage to design according to the codes, I am still unsure if the design was workable or not on site. Then, I refer my work to my superior. Mind you, he has more than 15 years of experience in structural engineering. Only two (2) things he looks at, the load and the sizing / reinforcement of the beams and columns. Within a minute his verdicts was: my design is not workable based on his "judgement" . I was instructed to review my design. So, how to develop the so-called engineering judgement...

On April 18, 2015, The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) held the 56th Annual Dinner at Sime Darby Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur. The prime interest would be on the keynote on "Liberalisation of Engineering Services - The Wings For Engineers to Soar" by IEM President Dato' Ir. Lim Chow Hock. So, what is it in the keynote speech that would benefit us, the typical engineer :). Will liberalisation bring forth more invaluable opportunities or will it open the floodgate of foreign engineers to our small market? Some small players already spooked by the liberalisation of engineering services as they fear it will crowd the market and perhaps leave them out of business. To be fair, such perceived fears are understandable since the local players trying to protect their business and the influx of foreign engineering services may start of the bloody competition war. On the bright side, the local engineering firms also have the golden opportunities to export th...