2025 HSS SUMMIT
Session
Bending the Limits: How Distortion Shapes HSS Design
Description:
The bending and forming of Hollow Structural Steel (HSS) members have transformed modern architecture and structural engineering by enabling innovative and dynamic designs. While HSS is an ideal choice for curved structural members due to superior aesthetics, uniformity, and torsional strength, each shape—round, square, and rectangular—brings distinct considerations when specifying a rolled HSS member. Cross-sectional distortion arising from the rolling process dramatically impacts the successful realization of designed connections, reducing alignment accuracy, weld quality, and overall structural integrity. In this session, attendees will explore the specific distortion mechanisms affecting each HSS shape, and how these distortions influence both structural performance and constructability. Practical strategies to mitigate distortions will be discussed in detail throughout the presentation. Engineers, architects, and designers will leave with a deeper understanding of how to proactively address distortion concerns to ensure the successful execution and longevity of their curved HSS projects.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the impact of cross-sectional distortion on the structural performance and connection reliability of curved Hollow Structural Steel (HSS) members.
- Evaluate practical strategies to mitigate distortion during the bending and fabrication process, and assess their effectiveness for improving structural and aesthetic outcomes.
- Differentiate between the curving mechanics and resulting distortion characteristics of round, square, and rectangular HSS sections when subjected to cold roller bending.
- Interpret the relationship between HSS member dimensions, bending radius, and the degree of cross-sectional distortion that occurs during cold rolling operations.
PDH credits: 1.0
Speaker:
Ken Pecho, Engineering and Technical Operations Lead, Chicago Metal Rolled Products
About Ken:
Ken Pecho is acting lead of Engineering & Technical Operations at Chicago Metal Rolled Products. He has his master’s in industrial engineering from Illinois Tech and has been working at Chicago Metal for nearly 20 years. Ken has worked on many high-profile award-winning projects like: The Sphere, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, & St. Nicholas National Shrine at Ground Zero to name a few. Ken plays an active role in the structural steel industry and has participated in many round table events and has given many technical presentations on the bending and rolling of structural steel members. Ken also contributed and assisted in the creation of AISC Design Guide 33: Curved Member Design.