Free PE: Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam Questions and Answers

PE Civil: Structural. A rectangular spread footing is 6 ft wide (B) by 8 ft long (L). The column transmits a service axial load of 180 kips, which includes the weight of the footing and soil above it, together with a service moment of 120 ft-kips acting about the axis parallel to the 6 ft dimension, so the eccentricity lies along the 8 ft length. Assume the footing remains in full contact with the soil. The maximum soil bearing pressure (ksf) is most nearly: (Enter your answer to the nearest tenth.)

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PE Civil: Structural. A 16 in. by 16 in. tied reinforced concrete column is reinforced with six No. 9 bars (A_st = 6.00 in.^2). The concrete has f'c = 5 ksi and the bars have fy = 60 ksi. The column is subject to axial load only. Using ACI 318 strength design, the maximum design axial compressive strength, φPn,max (kips), is most nearly:

• AA. 740
• BB. 925
• CC. 1,140
• DD. 1,420

PE Civil: Structural. A simply supported steel beam spans 20 ft. It carries a uniformly distributed load of 1.5 kips/ft over its full length and a concentrated load of 10 kips located 5 ft from the left support. The beam's self-weight is included in the distributed load. The maximum bending moment (ft-kips) is most nearly:

• AA. 75
• BB. 94
• CC. 102
• DD. 113

PE Civil: Structural. A 30 ft long steel bar (A = 2.0 in.^2, E = 29,000 ksi, α = 6.5 x 10^-6 per °F) is fixed to a rigid support at one end. The other end is installed with a 0.10 in. gap to a second rigid abutment. The bar is then heated uniformly by 70°F. Assume the abutment does not move and the bar does not buckle. The axial compressive force in the bar (kips) is most nearly:

• AA. 5.1
• BB. 10.3
• CC. 26.4
• DD. 42.5

PE Civil: Structural. W16x40 beams were ordered to ASTM A992 for a floor system. A review of the mill test reports found that four heats of steel were supplied. ASTM A992 requires a yield strength of 50 to 65 ksi, a minimum tensile strength of 65 ksi, and a maximum yield-to-tensile ratio of 0.85. Which heat does NOT conform to the specification?

• AA. Fy = 54 ksi, Fu = 68 ksi
• BB. Fy = 58 ksi, Fu = 66 ksi
• CC. Fy = 51 ksi, Fu = 67 ksi
• DD. Fy = 62 ksi, Fu = 75 ksi

PE Civil: Structural. A statement of special inspections is being prepared for a two-story office building. A steel support frame for suspended mechanical equipment will be attached to the underside of a concrete slab using adhesive anchors installed in drilled holes oriented vertically upward. The weight of the equipment will place sustained tension on the anchors. The anchors have an evaluation report that permits their use in cracked concrete. Which level of special inspection should the engineer of record specify for installation of these anchors?

• AA. Periodic inspection of installation, covering at least 25 percent of the anchors at each connection location
• BB. Periodic inspection of hole diameter, hole cleaning and embedment at the first anchor installed at each location
• CC. Continuous inspection of the installation of every anchor, in accordance with the evaluation report
• DD. No special inspection, provided the manufacturer's printed installation instructions are kept at the work location

PE Civil: Structural. A rectangular timber beam has actual dimensions of 3.5 in. wide by 11.25 in. deep (I = 415 in.^4). At a given section the internal shear force is 4,200 lb. The shear stress (psi) at a point 2.0 in. above the neutral axis is most nearly:

• AA. 53
• BB. 107
• CC. 140
• DD. 160

PE Civil: Structural. A simply supported reinforced concrete beam has b = 12 in., d = 21.5 in., and A_s = 3.00 in.^2 of tension reinforcement. The concrete strength is f'c = 4,000 psi and the reinforcement yield strength is f_y = 60,000 psi. The section is tension-controlled. Using ACI 318-19, the design flexural strength, φM_n (ft-kips), is most nearly:

• AA. 188
• BB. 261
• CC. 289
• DD. 323

PE Civil: Structural. A crane bridge applies two wheel loads of 24 kips and 12 kips, spaced 8 ft apart, to a simply supported runway girder with a 40 ft span. Neglect impact and girder self-weight. The maximum vertical support reaction (kips) as the wheels move across the span is most nearly:

• AA. 28.8
• BB. 30.0
• CC. 33.6
• DD. 36.0

PE Civil: Structural. Each beam below has constant EI and length L. Match each loading case to the expression for its maximum deflection. Each item may be used once. Targets: Target 1: Simply supported beam with a uniformly distributed load w over the full span Target 2: Simply supported beam with a single concentrated load P at midspan Target 3: Cantilever beam with a concentrated load P at the free end Target 4: Cantilever beam with a uniformly distributed load w over the full length Items: Item A: PL^3/(3EI) Item B: 5wL^4/(384EI) Item C: wL^4/(8EI) Item D: PL^3/(48EI)

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