2025 HSS SUMMIT
Session
Software Solutions Transforming HSS Connection Design
Description:
Providing proper connection design is critical not only to a structure’s overall performance, but also to its cost-effective construction. With several limit states to consider, the use of software can greatly assist in designing HSS connections efficiently. Updated for 2025, this presentation provides an overview of commercially available software for performing HSS connection design for both the delegated steel connection engineer as well as EORs who need to confirm wall thickness is adequate for their delegated steel connections.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze a variety of HSS connection software programs, including FEA options.
- Identify common software HSS design capabilities and limitations.
- Examine considerations to minimize costly connections.
- Generate an HSS connection design to confirm adequate wall thickness for delegated steel connections with STI’s HSS Connex program.
PDH credits: 1.0
Speaker:
Sam Rubenzer, P.E., S.E., HSS Technical Consultant, Steel Tube Institute
About Sam:
Sam has over 25 years of experience in structural engineering. Early in his career, he worked as a structural engineer in a typical office on a wide variety of structures in several states. Sam then spent 5 years at a software company providing training to structural engineers on how to use structural engineering design tools.
Sam is a technical consultant to the Steel Tube Institute, and started FORSE Consulting in January of 2010, where he continues to assist other structural engineers with designs on a variety of projects, building types, and uses of software programs from TEKLA, Bentley, RISA, CSI, IES, etc. Sam has been a speaker at several national structural engineering conferences on the use of software programs for our industry. Sam was presented with the NCSEA Educator Award in 2024.
Sam has an M.B.A. from Marquette University and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Sam is a licensed structural engineer (SE) in the state of Illinois and a professional engineer (PE) in many of the Midwestern states.