July 22 Webinar | Outside the Manual: Designing Atypical HSS Connections Beyond Standard Guidelines

Description

2026 Mastering HSS Connections Series
Title: Outside the Manual: Designing Atypical HSS Connections Beyond Standard Guidelines
Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. CT
Format: Live Webinar
Level: Advanced, Technical, Engineer, Fabricator

Structural Sections (HSS) are widely used in structural design, but some connection types fall outside the scope of the AISC Steel Construction Manual and various design guides. This presentation will focus on these atypical HSS connections and provide a detailed exploration of unique connection scenarios, such as laterally offset configurations. Attendees will learn how to navigate special design considerations, optimize for economy, and translate calculation results into practical detailing solutions.

Learning Objectives

• Identify what is in the current AISC Manual for HSS connections.
• Understand where to look for guidance on connections that are not expressly covered by the Manual.
• Adapt current resources to atypical connections.

Speaker – Brad Fletcher – Atlas Tube
Brad Fletcher, S.E., is the senior sales engineer at Atlas Tube. In this role, Brad leverages his over 34 years of experience in engineering design and the steel industry to provide technical expertise on the use of steel hollow structural sections (HSS) and pipe piling products to design engineers, detailers, fabricators and architects.

A registered structural engineer in the state of Illinois, Brad has held senior positions at leading architecture and engineering firms, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Sargent & Lundy; and Halvorson and Partners. For the past 19 years, while working at Tata Steel (formerly known as Corus) and now with Atlas Tube, Brad has focused his efforts on serving as a liaison between structural designers and the steel industry.

Brad holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE, MSCE) from Purdue University. He is active in many industry groups, including the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) and ASTM International. Brad participates in several industry committees such as the Technical Committees responsible for the AISC Specification, the HSS Committee of the Steel Tube Institute, the CISC Education and Research Committee, the CSA S16 Technical Committee, the AISC Committee on Research, the AISC Sustainability Committee and the NCSEA Sustainability Committee.

Professional Development Hours
Each participant can earn 1.0 PDH or 1.0 LU/HSW and receive a certificate of completion from the Steel Tube Institute (STI). To receive a certificate from STI, you must login to the webinar via your unique registration link, attend the webinar in its entirety, and complete both poll questions.

Any participant that holds a PE license in Florida, Maryland, New York and/or North Carolina is required to complete a quiz for your PDH. Architects must complete the quiz for their LU/HSW and send their AIA number to sfontaine@steeltubeinstitute.org to have attendance reported to AIA. The quiz widget is available along the bottom row of the ON24 dashboard.

Registration Types & Fees

• HSS Professional Member
  • Individual: Registration is free with your individual membership.
  • Group: Registration is free with your group membership.
• Non-Member
  • Individual: $95 for individual registration.
  • Group: Only available with an HSS Professional Group Membership.

Individual registration provides a unique link for one login and is eligible for one PDH certificate upon successfully completing the webinar requirements.

Group registration, only available for HSS Professional Group Members, allows multiple attendees to view the webinar in one room or multiple people from the same office to view individually.

• The office contact for the HSS Professional Group Membership will receive a separate email with instructions for group viewing. 
• If viewing in one room, multiple PDH certificates may be issued provided the poll questions are completed by the group leader during the webinar, the group completes quiz together immediately following the webinar, and the attendee list is submitted within 48 hours of the webinar conclusion. All attendees on the list must have attended the webinar for its entirety.
• To view individually, each person will need to register individually.

AIA CES Provider statement
The Steel Tube Institute is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 50111160, expiration 12/31/2026. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES (cessupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.