Articles

by Kim Olson, PE – HSS Consulting Engineer, Steel Tube Institute _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Weld design is not exempt from the numerous differences between wide-flange (WF) and hollow structural section (HSS) connection design. Unlike open sections where welding is possible on both sides of the flanges and web, the interior of HSS sections commonly used in building Read more…

by Jeffrey A. Packer Bahen/Tanenbaum Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FE Analysis for Research Finite element (FE) analysis has been used as a tool for research on structural steel connections since the 1970s. As the speed of computers and the size of problems they can handle has grown exponentially with Read more…

Kim Olson, PE – HSS Consulting Engineer, Steel Tube Institute In January, we presented an article that just scratched the surface of the discussion of alternate specifications to A500 that are applicable to large diameter round sections. The response generated a few important questions, so we decided to take a deeper dive into this topic. Read more…

by Jeffrey A. Packer Bahen/Tanenbaum Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada _____________________________________________________________________________________ Around the world, there is a movement toward “high-performance” or high-strength materials in structural engineering. In the steel construction sector, this has been more evident with plate and wide-flange sections, but hollow section manufacturers are now in the process of raising Read more…

Kim Olson, PE – HSS Consulting Engineer, Steel Tube Institute As the construction market continues to boom, it seems that the desire for larger pipe and tube sections continues to grow as well. Availability of these sections should be a concern if you are considering specifying them. We have identified a few items that may Read more…

Kim Olson, PE HSS Technical Consultant Steel Tube Institute Recently, we presented two webinars detailing the provisions of Chapter K in AISC 360-16 and how those changes affect HSS connection design. Attendees were invited to pose their questions, and we have included answers to the most common ones here. Q: Can we see the derivation Read more…

by Jeffrey A. Packer Bahen/Tanenbaum Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Tubular steel sections are commonly used as cantilevered structural members to support electricity distribution lines, cellular phone equipment, road and highway signs, lighting and luminaires, traffic signals, advertising boards, and in a host of similar monopole applications (Figure 1). The structural Read more…

Mustafa Mahamid, PhD, SE, PE, P.Eng, F.ASCE, F.SEI FORSE Consulting Technical Consultant to the Steel Tube Institute Hollow Structural Sections (HSS) can be utilized as beam, column, brace and truss members within a structure. As with any steel member, the design of the connections is critical to the performance of the member and the entire Read more…

Mike Manor, PE, MLSE FORSE Consulting Technical Consultant to the Steel Tube Institute Introduction Hollow structural sections (HSS) are commonly used in buildings as columns to support compression forces from floor and roof loads. HSS members start as a hot-rolled steel plate which is then cold-formed into round, square or rectangular tube shapes with the Read more…

by Jeffrey A. Packer Bahen/Tanenbaum Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Single-story frames can be fabricated by welding round or square/rectangular HSS together, typically with a pitched roof, forming so-called Knee connections as illustrated in Figure 1. Such frames are used in light construction, such as with greenhouses, and as portal frames Read more…