Design Reviews

Our engineering team lives in a world of constant production and revisions. We have a lot of projects that are in flux, and it is so important to get feedback and visualize what the requirements and end results are. One of the things we have set up in our processes is...

Engineered Failure

It’s one thing to conduct failure analysis with FEA software. But scenarios with catastrophic outcomes such as death need to be validated often times in the field. Recently, we conducted an experiment to validate our calculations of a pipe failing at high...

Designing Distribution Systems

If you have not been out to Odessa, TX, then you are missing out on some of the large oil field structures. We love not only designing and analyzing loads and structure integrity, but also seeing things up close to understand the nuances of how equipment performs in...

Large Tongs Project

Many years ago, I designed a set of tongs capable of lifting a billet of steel weighing 60,000 pounds. The trick to these tongs was a mechanism allowing no one to be around when they were clamping and un-clamping on billets of steel. The mechanism looked like a ball...

Analyzing a Drilling Rig

I wanted to share a bit about a recent project on a large structure we analyzed. The drilling rig above had some parameters that we had taken a look at with the following load conditions: 325 kips for pipe setback weight 450 kips for rotary table load 150 kips for...

Happy Holidays

Nothing says, “Happy Holidays” like Harley Davidson motorcycle parts! Well, at least for me. With the year winding down, I like to reminisce. All the hard work and great people I have been able to connect with go through my mind. Right near the beginning...