The long awaited day long blizzard for December 26, 2012 was generally a bust for the Cleveland area. Expecting up to 16 inches of snow, and then, blowing and drifting snow from prolonged wind gusts over 35 MPH children of… Read More
Author Archives: Jerry Prugar
Why Celebrate Christmas? (2012)
Celebrate Christmas Take heart, dear Christian, celebrate, this season is for you; Not for the merchants, or the great, the famous or the strong, But ’tis to you, the lonely ones, the wounded and the weak, To sinners, poor… Read More
What Causes Caulking to Be Squeezed Out of a Brick Wall?
Have you ever seen the soft joint sealant (sometimes called caulking) squeezed out a joint in a brick wall? (See photo above). As a structural engineer, I have noticed this innumerable times. Now you know what we dull engineers do… Read More
Peak Wind vs Maximum Wind – What’s the Difference?
Weather records commonly show two different values for the measurement of wind speeds (see photograph above). What are the two different measurements and why are there two different values? The two values are commonly called the “maximum speed” and… Read More
“Thank” is a Transitive Verb
One of my many pet peeves regarding the English language is hearing someone, after they have avoided some disaster, say, “We are thankful.” I usually address the television asking, “To whom are you thankful?” This is first a grammatical issue. “Thank”… Read More
Self-Healing Concrete?
Cracking is probably the most troublesome issue for concrete. But cracking may less of an issue in the future. A university in the Netherlands has developed a healing agent for concrete. It is an agent with limestone producing bacteria and… Read More
High Winds & Prolonged Rainfall in Northeast Ohio – October 29-30, 2012 – Part 2
On-going high winds and prolonged rainfall in Northeast Ohio finally came to an end on the afternoon of October 30 after beginning late on the afternoon of October 29, 2012. Local television and radio news media have reported damage from… Read More
High Winds & Prolonged Rainfall in Northeast Ohio – October 29-30, 2012
On-going high winds and prolonged rainfall began late yesterday afternoon and continues in Northeast Ohio on the morning of October 30, 2012 (11:00 AM). Local television and radio news media have reported damage from storms throughout Northeast Ohio. Winds… Read More