Modern

STEEL CONSTRUCTION

December 2017
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TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

 December 2017

30 in every issue
departments
6 EDITOR’S NOTE
9 STEEL INTERCHANGE
12 STEEL QUIZ
58 NEWS
66 STRUCTURALLY SOUND

resources
65 MARKETPLACE & EMPLOYMENT

columns
steelwise
16 A Shear Connection Extends
its Reach
BY LARRY S. MUIR, PE
The extended configuration of single-plate
shear connections: questions and answers.

business
22 Five-Star Experience?
BY ANNE SCARLETT
Wisdom from online rating platforms: how
architects, engineers and construction firms
can best generate and manage feedback.

features
24 Tower of Strength
BY AMBER SHOALS, PE, MARK
36 A Bridge in a Garden
BY TOM PINDER
48 Clearance is Critical
BY BO DOWSWELL, PE, PHD,
TAMARO, PE, PETER DRAKE, PE, A small yet crucial bridge in a Hawaiian state AND CURTIS SMITH
AND KEVIN MACLEOD, SE, PE park is installed quickly and with minimal When it comes to a good weld, strength
A new addition to the Virginia Military impact to the surrounding rainforest. isn’t everything.
Institute campus provides state-of the-
art physical readiness training for cadets 40 Coastal Construction
BY JOSHUA BROWN AND ERIC SULLINS
54 Hand in Glove
BY SALLY J. SMART
year-round.
Modular steel construction enables an efficient Hands are clearly important to steel
30 Inspired by Collaboration
BY SARAH JORCZAK, PE,
energy export endeavor on the Gulf Coast. fabrication and construction work—and
are also one of the most likely body parts
AND TODD KRAFT 44 Beyond Limits
BY DAVID RUBY, SE, PE
to become injured. Their safety should be a
Close collaboration between structural top priority.
engineers and architects results in an The fourth installment of the “But It
expressive structural steel-enhanced Worked in the Model!” series takes a look
ethereal experience for a new church in at a project that illustrates the limitations of
suburban Kansas City. computer-aided design and analysis.

ON THE COVER:
In the rafters of VMI’s new Corps Physical Training Facility, p. 24 (Photo: HKS)

MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION (Volume 57, Number 12) ISSN (print) 0026-8445: ISSN (online) 1945-0737. Published monthly by the American Institute of
Steel Construction (AISC), 130 E Randolph Street, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601. Subscriptions: Within the U.S.—single issues $6.00; 1 year, $44. Outside the
U.S. (Canada and Mexico)—single issues $9.00; 1 year $88. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send
address changes to MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION, 130 E Randolph Street, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601.
DISCLAIMER: AISC does not approve, disapprove, or guarantee the validity or accuracy of any data, claim, or opinion appearing under a byline or obtained or
quoted from an acknowledged source. Opinions are those of the writers and AISC is not responsible for any statement made or opinions expressed in MODERN
STEEL CONSTRUCTION. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission, except for noncommercial educational purposes
where fewer than 25 photocopies are being reproduced. The AISC and Modern Steel logos are registered trademarks of AISC. Printed on paper made
from a minimum of
4 DECEMBER 2017 10% recycled content.
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 editor’s note
Editorial Offices
130 E Randolph Street, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60601
312.670.2400
Editorial Contacts
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Scott Melnick
312.670.8314
melnick@modernsteel.com
SENIOR EDITOR
Geoff Weisenberger
312.670.8316
weisenberger@modernsteel.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Tasha O’Berski
312.670.5439
oberski@modernsteel.com
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS
Keith A. Grubb, SE, PE
I USED TO THINK THAT SOCCER REFEREES WERE THE MOST INVOLVED GROUP 312.670.8318
WHEN IT CAME TO DISSECTING OBSCURE DETAILS, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT grubb@modernsteel.com
ENGINEERS ARE JUST AS FASCINATED BY MINUTIA. PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Erika Salisbury
312.670.5427
The October 2017 Steel Quiz (you And then it got really interesting. One salisbury@modernsteel.com
can see past Steel Quizzes at www. of the engineers built a physical model GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER
modernsteel.com) featured a framing plan out of Sharpie markers and chopsticks. Kristin Hall
312.670.8313
and posed the question: “Can you spot And then loaded it with an AISC manual hall@modernsteel.com
the potential constructability issue with the to show its stability! Another decided an AISC Officers
proposed framing plan shown at right?” independent peer review was needed— CHAIR
David Zalesne
One person immediately voiced his so they modeled it with four apples (the
VICE CHAIR
opinion on the matter on a well-known columns) and four butter knives (the Jack Klimp
engineering listserv, posting that he didn’t beams). And to test the stability, they SECRETARY/GENERAL COUNSEL
think the structure would be stable once loaded it with a bottle of V8. And yes, they David B. Ratterman
the temporary bracing was removed. No, posted pictures of all their efforts. PRESIDENT
Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD
replied another engineer, it would be sta- More discussion ensued, which resulted SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
ble, but something bizarre, like a Bes- in yet another engineer building models Scott Melnick
sel function. A third engineer agreed it showing the system would be stable with VICE PRESIDENT
John Cross, PE
would be stable, but thought the deflec- three, four or even five beams.
VICE PRESIDENT
tion calculations would be extremely dif- From there, the diagrams got more Anne-Marie Eischen
ficult. (You can view the entire thread at and more technical, showing loads and VICE PRESIDENT
http://tinyurl.com/steelquiz). geometry to explain how the whole system Lawrence F. Kruth, PE
Okay, agreed yet another engineer. worked. Others created yet more detailed VICE PRESIDENT
Tabitha S. Stine, SE, PE
It might have an axial compression load 3D models, and one person ran it through
VICE PRESIDENT
associated with the framing resulting in a STAAD Pro to analyze it. Mark W. Trimble, PE
catenary (tension) load. So it might work, Finally, yet another of the dozens of VICE PRESIDENT/
NSBA MANAGING DIRECTOR
but they’d never be daring enough to posters in this exchange built a large-scale Danielle D. Kleinhans, PE, PhD
actually try it. model and loaded it with concrete blocks
Editorial Advisory Panel
Of course, not every engineer to demonstrate it would work. Caroline R. Bennett, PE, PhD,
participating in the discussion agreed. But through it all, my favorite comment University of Kansas
One thought it might deflect into a funnel came from Larry Kruth, AISC’s vice Keith R. Griesing, PE,
Hardesty and Hanover
shape, which would destroy the wall and president of engineering and research,
Steve Knitter, Geiger and Peters
ceiling finishes. after viewing the thread: “Should we let Janice Mochizuki, PE, Arup
The debate continued, with one of the them know this framing is actually in a Dylan Olson, Olson Steel
earlier posters explaining that it’s non-linear building constructed in the 1990s? It was
Advertising Contact
and recursive, the design is similar to what stable and remains so after erection.” ACCOUNT MANAGER
you sometimes see in wood roofs and it I hope this month’s Steel Quiz is just Renae Gurthet
231.995.0637
will probably be stable—unless you have as popular! renae@gurthetmedia.com
the potential for ponding issues. After a Address Changes and
little more debate, one of the engineers Subscription Concerns
opted to model the design in RISA 3D and 312.670.2400
SCOTT MELNICK subscriptions@aisc.org
declared that it would indeed work. EDITOR
Reprints
Erika Salisbury
312.670.5427
salisbury@modernsteel.com
6 DECEMBER 2017
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 If you’ve ever asked yourself “Why?” about something
related to structural steel design or construction,
Modern Steel’s monthly Steel Interchange is for you!
Send your questions or comments to solutions@aisc.org.
Note: Unless specifically noted, all AISC codes and standards mentioned
in the questions and/or answers are independent of the edition (2010 vs.
2016)—and can be found at www.aisc.org/publications.
Flexural Yield Strength of Single Angles
Section F10.1 of the 2010 AISC Specification for Struc-
tural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360-10) addresses
flexural yielding of single angles. The description pre-
ceding this section describes this limit state as “the limit
state of yielding (plastic moment).” This is confusing me
because previous sections differentiate between the plas-
tic moment, FyZx, and the yield moment, FySx, but here
they seem to be combined. What is the yield moment for
a single angle?
I understand your confusion, and hopefully I can provide an
explanation as to what is intended.
My, which is generically represented by FyS, provides the
point of “first” yield. It is defined in the symbols list as “moment
at yielding of the extreme fiber.” That is to say, yielding is only
just starting to occur at the extreme fibers of the member, but
the majority of the cross section (nominally 100%) is still elas-
tic. The plastic moment, Mp, which is generally represented as
FyZ, provides us the point of “last” yield. That is to say, yielding
has now occurred across the full cross section of the member,
reaching the point of full plasticity, after which the strength
remains constant as deformations continue.
In general, throughout Section F, when we look at the
member bending capacity associated with the limit state
of yielding, we are looking to capture the member capac-
ity where full yield is occurring and which corresponds to
Mp. However, with some of the irregular geometries, such
as single angles in F10, AISC restricts the nominal flexural
strength (the moment that can be considered) to something
less than FyZ because the shape introduces some level of
uncertainty that full plastic yield is achievable. In Section
F10.1, the “limit state of yielding (plastic moment)” phrase is
intended to convey that what we are interested in, as a limit
state, is where we are yielding most of the member cross sec-
tion (plastic behavior) and not first yield (elastic behavior).
In Equation F10-1, the Specification limits the usable plastic
capacity to 1.5My, which for angles is less than FyZ but still
far beyond the point of first yield. The commentary to F10.1
provides some additional discussion as to the origin of the
1.5 factor, if you are curious.
Susan Burmeister, PE
steel
interchange
Minimum Bend Radius
I am working on a project that involves a staircase with a
roughly helical geometry. We plan on using HSS for the
stringers. I am concerned about the effect of the bending
process on the strength of the section. Is there a mini-
mum radius to which HSS can be bent?
Rigid guidelines for a minimum bending radius are not avail-
able because it is dependent on several variables, including:
➤ Axis of curvature
➤ Cross-sectional shape of the member
➤ Wall thickness of the member
➤ Bending method used by the bender-roller
➤ The equipment limitations of the bender-roller
➤ Level of acceptable cross-sectional distortion
➤ Level of acceptable cold-working of the material
These limitations should be discussed with the bender-
roller providing the service. There is a list of bender-roller
companies at www.aisc.org/membership/bender-roller-
committee. You can also find information related to curved
members at www.aisc.org/technical-resources (click
“Curved Steel”).
If the stringer geometry is formed by cold bending, the pri-
mary structural concern is the cross-sectional distortion that
occurs during the bending operation and the effects of cold
work on the material properties.
Tolerances on the cross-sectional distortion should be
developed with significant input from the bender-roller.
Cold bending of members involves plastic straining of the
member to induce a permanent curvature. Any significant cold
working of steel will have an effect on the material proper-
ties. These changes are primarily attributed to the effects of
strain hardening and strain aging, which cause an increase
in yield stress, ultimate stress and hardness and a decrease in
ductility and toughness. In the November 1984 issue of Steel
Construction (a publication of the Australian Institute of Steel
Construction) article “Curving Structural Steel,” G. Riv-
iezzi recommended that cold working strains up to 5% can
be neglected for statically loaded members with no welded
attachments, holes or stress concentrations. For statically
loaded members with welded attachments, holes or stress con-
centrations, he recommended a maximum strain of 4%. For
members that are symmetric about the axis of curvature, the
maximum strain induced by the cold bending operation is εmax
= d/(2R), where R is the radius of curvature of the neutral axis
and d is the member depth.
Bo Dowswell, PE, PhD
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 9
 steel interchange
“Old” Steel
I am reviewing material test reports from a fabricator.
Some of the steel was rolled as far back as 2012. Is it com-
mon to see rolling dates this old?
It is not unusual for fabricators to maintain lists of materi-
als in their stock that may have been purchased for projects
that never went forward or that were never used due to
changes or other reasons. They will use this stock material
when the opportunity arises. Steel is as good every day in
its future as it was the day it was rolled.
Section 5.2 of the AISC Code of Standard Practice for Steel
Buildings and Bridges (ANSI/AISC 303) addresses the use
of stock material. Section 5.2.2 addresses the material test
reports you are seeing and states: “Material test reports
shall be accepted as sufficient record of the quality of mate-
rials taken from stock by the fabricator. The fabricator shall
review and retain the material test reports that cover such
stock materials. However, the fabricator need not maintain
records that identify individual pieces of stock material
against individual material test reports, provided the fabri-
cator purchases stock materials that meet the requirements
for material grade and quality in the applicable ASTM
specifications.”
Carlo Lini, PE
Welds in Holes
I understand that a plug weld cannot be used to resist
tension. I have several questions related to welds in holes:
1. Is it acceptable to place a fillet weld around the
circumference of a hole to resist combined tension
and shear?
2. The diameter of the hole is ½ in. and the thickness
of the material is 3∕16 in. Is it possible to make a fillet
weld in such a small space?
3. When the welding is complete, would the fillet weld
around the edge of the hole be significantly different
than a plug weld?
Here are answers to your questions:
1. Yes. The Commentary to Section J2.3 of the Specifica-
tion states: “A fillet weld inside a hole or slot is not a
plug weld.” Section J2.2b(h) states: “Fillet welds in holes
or slots are permitted to be used to transmit shear and
resist loads perpendicular to the faying surface in lap
joints or to prevent the buckling or separation of lapped
parts and to join components of built-up members. Such
fillet welds are permitted to overlap, subject to the pro-
visions of Section J2. Fillet welds in holes or slots are
not to be considered plug or slot welds.”
2. In my experience, it is very difficult (nearly impossible)
for fabricators to make welds as small as 3∕16 in. with
equipment used to fabricate typical structural steel.
Most 3∕16-in. fillets welds usually end up being closer to a
¼-in. fillet weld when completed.
10 DECEMBER 2017
Another issue is the effectiveness of the weld,
if indeed it can be made. The Commentary states:
“Fillet welded lap joints under tension tend to open
and apply a tearing action at the root of the weld as
shown in Figure C-J2.3(b), unless restrained by a
force, F, as shown in Figure C-J2.3(a)... The use of
single-sided fillet welds in joints subject to rotation
around the toe of the weld is discouraged.” Though
fillet welds like what you describe may be effective
in resisting the relatively small forces required to
“prevent the buckling or separation of lapped parts,”
they may not be fully effective in resisting significant
tension. This may be especially true for the condition
you have described. The 3∕16-in. plate is thin and flex-
ible, and tension applied to the plate away from the
weld will result in bending and a condition similar to
C-J2.3(b).
3. You could potentially fill the entire hole with weld
metal as you would with a plug weld. The physical
weld then would be identical whether it was treated
as a fillet weld or a plug weld. The difference is in the
design approach for the weld. The effective area would
be different. The effective area of the plug weld would
be the nominal cross-sectional area of the hole in the
plane of the faying surface. The effective area of the
fillet weld would be the effective throat times the cir-
cumference of a circle.
Larry S. Muir, PE
The complete collection of Steel Interchange questions and answers is available online.
Find questions and answers related to just about any topic by using our full-text search
capability. Visit Steel Interchange online at www.modernsteel.com.
Larry Muir is director of technical assistance and Carlo Lini is senior staff engineer, both
with AISC. Susan Burmeister and Bo Dowswell are consultants to AISC.
Steel Interchange is a forum to exchange useful and practical professional ideas and
information on all phases of steel building and bridge construction. Opinions and
suggestions are welcome on any subject covered in this magazine.
The opinions expressed in Steel Interchange do not necessarily represent an official
position of the American Institute of Steel Construction and have not been reviewed. It is
recognized that the design of structures is within the scope and expertise of a competent
licensed structural engineer, architect or other licensed professional for the application of
principles to a particular structure.
If you have a question or problem that your fellow readers might help you solve, please
forward it to us. At the same time, feel free to respond to any of the questions that you
have read here. Contact Steel Interchange via AISC’s Steel Solutions Center:
866.ASK.AISC • solutions@aisc.org
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 This month’s Steel Quiz addresses camber. (Special thanks to Larry Kloiber
and Susan Burmeister for their input!) And see the News on page 58 for an
steel quiz update on the viral sensation that is the October 2017 Steel Quiz.

1 Camber is typically induced in members 4 Which of the following are not well suited for camber?
a. after bolt holes for member connections have been a. Crane beams b. Spandrel beams
made to the member c. Cantilevered beams d. All of the above
b. before bolt holes for member connections have been
5 When determining the amount of beam camber needed,
made to the member
it is common practice to specify a camber equivalent to
2 In order to avoid damage, the heat used to camber ____ of the estimated simple-span deflections resulting
members should not exceed from the dead load.
a. 1,100 °F b. 1,200 °F a. 90% b. 80%
c. 1,300 °F d. 1,400 °F c. 70% d. No reduction
3 Looking at Figure 1, if heat is applied to the top side 6 Over-cambering a beam could result in
of the beam, this will induce a final camber in which a. vibration issues
direction? b. exposed studs
a. Up c. reduction in beam strength
b. Down d. all of the above
Heat applied to
top side of beam 7 Cambering is clearly a better option for addressing
deflection compared to shoring. However, for cases
where beam shoring is required, the EOR should
carefully consider the increased potential for ________.
Figure 1
TURN TO PAGE 14 FOR THE ANSWERS.

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 steel quiz ANSWERS

1 a. After bolt holes for member connections have 5 b. 80%. AISC Design Guide 3: Serviceability Design
been made to the member. It is more difficult to run Considerations for Steel Buildings (available at www.aisc.
a cambered beam through a fabricator's automated org/dg) presents the 80% to account for end connection
process for creating bolt holes. partial restraint. The magnitude of design camber
will depend on several factors, including the framing
2 c. 1,300 °F. Between 1,100 °F and 1,200 °F is the condition and the method of screeding the concrete.
typical recommended temperature range for cambering
Most engineers design for 80% and require the contractor
common structural steels. The Specification for
to supply extra concrete and screed level. Some design-
Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360, available
build contractors design for 100% and require flexible bar
at www.aisc.org/specifications) Section M2.1
screeds be used to screed a uniform slab thickness.
conservatively limits the temperature of heated steels
to 1,100 °F for ASTM A514 and ASTM A852 steels 6 b. Exposed studs.
and 1,200 °F for other steels. The goal is to keep
the steel temperature to less than the phase change
7 Slab cracking. Allowing the dead load deflection to
occur after the concrete has set will more likely result
temperature, which starts at approximately 1,300 °F.
in slab cracks. This slab cracking may occur over the
Because it is difficult to accurately measure the steel
girders and can be addressed by providing negative
temperature, the 1,200 °F limit allows local temperature
reinforcement. This will make the cracking more
variations without exceeding 1,300 °F for typical steels.
distributed and less noticeable.
3 b. Down.
4 d. All of the above. Camber is generally not
recommended for these situations and should be
carefully considered. It would be a good idea to consult
with the contractor before doing so. Anyone is welcome to submit questions and answers for the Steel Quiz. If you
are interested in submitting one question or an entire quiz, contact AISC’s
Steel Solutions Center at 866.ASK.AISC or at solutions@aisc.org.

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 steelwise
A SHEAR
CONNECTION
EXTENDS ITS REACH
BY LARRY S. MUIR, PE
THE EXTENDED CONFIGURATION of the single-plate
shear connection is growing in popularity and use.
Designers like the ability to use a shear plate for “tight”
framing conditions; fabricators find the connections to be sim-
ple and economical; and erectors generally love them due to
ease of access and simplicity of erection. Here, we’ll address
some common questions related to the use of these connections
and provide some additional guidance.
Does this connection have a history of acceptable perfor-
mance? Yes. No one tracks the use of various connection con-
figurations, so the number of extended single-plate shear connec-
tions in service cannot be quantified. However, the use of these
connections certainly predates the formal procedure presented in
the AISC Steel Construction Manual (available at www.aisc.org/
manual). The extended configuration of the single-plate shear
connection first appeared in the 13th Edition of the Manual. At
this point, over a decade has passed since the 13th Edition was
published (the 15th Edition was released recently) and I know
similar connections were used for at least a decade prior to 13th
Edition. Earlier editions of the Manual also show pictorially what
look to be extended single-plate shear connections, though no
design procedure was presented.
Item 6 under the Design Checks shown in Part 10 of
the Manual states: “Ensure that the supported beam is
braced at points of support.” What exactly does this mean
and why is it required? Section F1.(b) of the AISC Specifica-
tion for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360, available at
www.aisc.org/specifications) states: “The provisions in this
Larry Muir (muir@aisc.org)
is AISC’s director of technical
assistance.
16 DECEMBER 2017
The extended configuration of
single-plate shear connections:
questions and answers.
chapter are based on the assumption that points of support
for beams and girders are restrained against rotation about
their longitudinal axis.” The design procedure assumes that
this restraint need not be provided by the single-plate shear
connection. Many beams encountered in practice are continu-
ously braced. In such cases, the torsional strength and stiffness
of the end connection are immaterial.
The brace must satisfy the requirements of Appendix 6 of
the Specification and should be evaluated relative to the beam,
not the extended single-plate shear connection. Part 2 of the
Manual states: “In general, adequate lateral bracing is provided
to the compression flange of a simple-span beam by the con-
nections of infill beams, joists, concrete slabs, metal deck, con-
crete slabs on metal deck and similar framing elements.” If such
elements can be considered to provide continuous bracing rela-
tive to the design of the beam, then Item 6 can be assumed to
be satisfied.
Are the checks in the 14th Edition Manual, under the
heading “Requirement for Stabilizer Plates,” intended to
ensure that Item 6 is satisfied? No. Both sufficient strength
and stiffness must exist at points of support in order to apply
the provisions in of Chapter F of the Specification. The stabilizer
plate checks shown in the Manual only consider strength. In
fact, the derivation of these checks—presented in the Second
Quarter 2011 Engineering Journal article “On the Need for
Stiffeners for and the Effect of Lap Eccentricity on Extended
Shear Tabs” (www.aisc.org/ej)—assume that a slab is present.
It should also be noted that these checks, though conservative,
will rarely govern. In fact, the stabilizer plate check does not
appear in the 15th Edition Manual.
The AISC Design Example addressing this connec-
tion has been revised several times. The determination of
the flexural strength of the plate, as shown in the Design
Example, has sometimes been based on a plastic section
modulus and sometimes based on an elastic section mod-
ulus. Which is correct? The plastic section should be used.
The design procedure was developed to use the plastic section
modulus of the plate (see the Second Quarter 2009 Engineering
Journal article “Design of Unstiffened Extended Single-Plate
Shear Connections,” available at www.aisc.org/ej). The confu-
sion arose from the fact that rather than writing new proce-
dures to address the stability of the plate, it was decided that we
would simply reference the procedures described for double-
coped beams. These procedures were based on work by Cheng
and Yura, which was developed at a time when the use of the
elastic section modulus was still very common (see “Local Web
Buckling of Coped Beams” in the August 1986 issue of ASCE’s
Journal of Structural Engineering). However, in the 13th Edition
Manual, the range of cope dimensions was extended by employ-
ing a general flexural buckling check. Though this check as-
sumed a plastic distribution of stress for consistency with the
other checks, it was applied with the elastic section modulus
(see the Third Quarter 2017 Engineering Journal article “A Di-
rect Method for Obtaining the Plate Buckling Coefficient for
Double Coped Beams,” available at www.aisc.org/ej).
In the meantime, the Specification provisions of F11 address-
ing the flexural strength of rectangular bars were added. In the
15th Edition Manual, the design procedures for copes based on
the elastic model are replaced with procedures based on the
F11 provisions being modified to account for the boundary
conditions at either end of the cope or extended single-plate
connection. Not only will this eliminate a source of potential
confusion, but it will also ensure that the potential for lateral- or prohibit its use. The Manual cannot address every condition
torsional buckling of the plate is properly considered. that might be encountered in practice.
The Manual includes a figure (Figure 10.2, at right) If the end of the beam is not braced, is the design pro-
showing a column as the support and states: “The design cedure in Part 10 still applicable? No. The design proce-
procedure for extended single-plate shear connections per- dure assumes that the end of the beam is braced. The beam
mits the column to be designed for an axial force without can be braced by an actual brace or by the slab, deck or other
eccentricity. In some cases, economy may be gained by con- suitable means. The cope checks in Part 9 of the Manual also
sidering alternative design procedures that allow the trans- assume that the cope is braced at both ends of the cope. This
fer of some moment into the column.” Can extended single- has always been the case and has been clarified in the 15th
plate shear connections be used with support beams as well Edition Manual. Since the design procedure for the extended
as columns? Yes. The Second Quarter 2009 Engineering Journal single-plate shear connection references the cope checks, it
article mentioned previously includes a discussion of serviceability must satisfy the same assumptions.
and erection consideration when attaching to only one side of a Also, as stated previously, if the flexural strength of the beam is
support beam. It also includes a design example for a beam. The to be determined using Chapter F of the Specification, then there
Manual statement refers only to a column, since, owing to the low must be adequate torsional restraint at the supports. If the beam
torsional strength of wide-flange beams, no economy would be is not braced at its end, then the strength and stiffness of the plate
gained by transferring some moment into a support beam. must be evaluated. If there is insufficient strength and/or stiffness,
More generally, the absence of a specific configuration in then this must be accounted for in the design of the beam. Neither
the Manual or Design Examples is not intended to discourage the Specification nor the Manual address this problem.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 17
 steelwise

If my beam is not sufficiently braced

at the end, should I opt for a torsion-
ally stiff connection configuration? Yes, Table 8-12
but there may also be other considerations.
Bracing is not mentioned in the Manual
Approximate Number of
for any of the other shear connections dis- Passes for Welds
cussed in Part 10. It has long been estab-
lished practice to provide a connection that Single-Bevel Groove Welds Single-V Groove Welds
is at least half the depth of the beam and (Back-Up Weld not Included) (Back-Up Weld not Included)
implicitly assume that there is sufficient
torsional restraint. However, the presence Weld Size* Fillet 30º 45º 30º 60º 90º
in. Welds Bevel Bevel Groove Angle Groove Angle Groove Angle
of a cope could invalidate this assumption.
Also, as stated previously, the cope checks 3/16 1 – – – – –
in Part 9 assume a brace point at the end 1/4 1 1 1 2 3 3
of the cope. Even the strongest and stiff- 5/16 1 1 1 2 3 3
est connection will not provide sufficient 3/8 3 2 2 3 4 6
restraint if it attaches to a coped section 7/16 4 2 2 3 4 6
1/2
that does not possess sufficient strength 4 2 2 4 5 7
5/8 6 3 3 4 6 8
and stiffness.
3/4 8 4 5 4 7 9
Why does the section “Requirement
7/8 – 5 8 5 10 10
for Stabilizer Plates” no longer appear
1 – 5 11 5 13 22
in the Manual? The checks that were in-
11/8 – 7 11 9 15 27
cluded in the 14th Edition Manual were
11/4 – 8 11 12 16 32
rational but conservative and will rarely
13/8 – 9 15 13 21 36
govern. They also were misinterpreted by
11/2 – 9 18 13 25 40
some engineers as checks on the stability 13/4 – 11 21 13 25 40
of the beam. This was not the intent, as
*Indicates plate thickness for groove welds.
discussed above. If an engineer wants to
check the suitability of the extended tab
for unusual conditions, then they can
refer to the original paper, which is still 8-12 (above). Since it is not common to plate might attach to a 3∕16-in. support
referenced in the Manual. For typical con- use a 9∕16-in. plate for a plate design thick- web. Meeting the 5∕8tp weld size recom-
ditions, there is no need to perform the ness beyond ½ in., a ¾-in.-thick plate mendation might result in a 5∕8-in. weld
checks. These are among some of the rea- would be used, requiring four passes per to either side of the 3∕16-in. web. In such
sons the checks were removed. weld. A 1-in.-thick plate will require 5∕8- cases, it is important to remember that
When the strength of the extended in. welds and six passes. Therefore, plates the model assumes only shear is trans-
single-plate shear connection is insuf- greater than ½ in. thick will cost more mitted at the support and that the sup-
ficient to carry the design loads and is than four times as much as a compara- porting beam has already been checked
governed by buckling, is it more eco- ble but thinner plate. This cost increase against this demand. It is also important
nomical to increase the thickness of the must be compared to the increased cost to realize that steel generally does not
plate or to add stiffeners? It is generally of providing stability plates, which will fail in the through-thickness direction.
more economical to increase the thickness involve cutting, fitting and welding two If a check of the supporting member is
of the plate. One consideration is that the additional pieces. to be performed, it should consider only
weld between the plate and column is deter- Providing a thicker plate to satisfy the vertical shear reactions. It should
mined from the plate thickness (5∕8tp). Up to stability requirements can lead to con- also be noted that the changes made
a ½-in.-thick plate, the weld size will be 5∕16 cerns when attaching to a relatively relative to the cope checks in Part 9 of
in. or less on each side of the plate. This is light support. The best way to avoid the Manual (discussed above) should al-
a single-pass weld, the most economical ar- such complications is to design the con- low for thinner plates, likely making this
rangement. As the plate thickness increases nections based on the actual loads, as less of a concern than it was in the past.
beyond ½ in., the number of passes will in- opposed to indirect methods such as re- When substantial stiffeners are
crease to approximately three per weld up actions determined from the maximum provided, must the support be de-
to a 3∕8-in. weld and four passes per weld up uniformly distributed load that can be signed for additional eccentricity? In
to a ½-in. weld. The number of passes for supported by the beam. However, even the First Quarter 2016 Engineering Jour-
welds can be estimated from Manual Table when the actual loads are used, a 1-in. nal article “Analysis and Design of Stabi-

18 DECEMBER 2017
 steelwise
lizer Plates in Single-Plate Shear Con-
nections” (www.aisc.org/ej) the authors
consider several different arrangements.
Their preference is to keep the stability
plates small and flexible so that any ef-
fect they may have is clearly negligible. It
is more common to simply use stiffeners
20 DECEMBER 2017
that roughly fill the area between the
column flanges, similar to typical stiff-
eners used at beam-to-column moment
connections. The article and subsequent
presentations indicate that the authors
feel the additional restraint could be det-
rimental to the column.
“A simple connection transmits a negligible
Whether the effect of this additional
restraint needs to be considered in the
design of the column is a matter of engi-
neering judgment. The discussion in Part
9 of the Manual titled “Eccentric Effect of
Extended Gages” argues that while poten-
tially adding moment to the column, the
increased flexural stiffness will also add
restraint. These are, to some degree, off-
setting effects, and the Manual seems to
suggest that the eccentricity need only be
considered in the connection. Another jus-
tification for this approach is that adding
material or restraint should not weaken the
structure. Though there are exceptions to
this rule, it generally holds true for inher-
ently ductile materials like steel.
Must the 5∕8tp recommendation for
weld size always be met? No. If the weld
is sized based on 5∕8tp (and all of the other
recommendations are followed) then it can
be assumed that the Specification require-
ments have been met. However, meeting
the Specification requirements may not re-
quire that the weld size equals or exceeds
5∕8t . Section B3.4a of the Specification states:
p
moment. In the analysis of the structure,
simple connections may be assumed to al-
low unrestrained relative rotation between
the framing elements being connected. A
simple connection shall have sufficient
rotation capacity to accommodate the re-
quired rotation determined by the analysis
of the structure.” The weld size recom-
mendation assures that an end rotation of
about 0.03 radians can be accommodated
in a ductile manner. This is a very large end
rotation, and beams producing this level of
end rotation will likely be unserviceable
due to large deflections.
For some conditions, rotations may be
deemed negligible. This might occur for
deep beams with short spans, such as trans-
fer girders, or for beams that are part of a
vertical brace connection (assuming large
seismic drifts are not a consideration).
It should also be noted that the rotation
determined by the analysis of the struc-
ture need not be accommodated through
flexural yielding of the plate alone, as is
assumed in the Manual procedure. When
connecting to a flexible support such as a
beam or column web with no connection
 steelwise
on the opposite side, rotation may be ac-
commodated through local deformation of
the support. Movement of the bolts within
slotted holes or plowing of the bolts may
also accommodate end rotations, as is ac-
counted for in the design procedures for
conventional single-plate shear connec-
tions. However, slots become less effective
when there are two or more vertical rows
of bolts in the connection.
There are other rational approaches
that can be used as well. The Manual pro-
vides a simple and relatively foolproof de-
sign procedure applicable to a wide range
of conditions; other approaches can be Still using angle iron roof frames?
used for specific conditions.

Design Considerations
Keep these points and recommenda-
tions in mind when designing with extend-
ed single-plate shear connections: www.quickframes.us/NICE 480-464-1500
➤ At this point, it is safe to say that
thousands of extended single-plate
shear connections are in service and
performing well in the United States.
➤ An extended single-plate shear
connection can be used with
either a beam or a column as the
supporting member.
TURKEY
➤ Extended single-plate shear connec-
tions are often a good choice when
the unstiffened plate is up to ½ in. PHILLIPINES
thick. Beyond this thickness, the
choice of connection type should be
more carefully considered.
➤ Extended single-plate shear con-
TA I W A N
nections can be used, without con-
cerns related to stability, at points
of support whenever continuous
bracing can be assumed, which is
often the case when designing typi-
cal buildings.
➤ Extended single-plate shear connec-
tions may not be the right choice
when torsional end reactions exist.
PA P U A N E W G U I N E A
➤ Extended single-plate shear connec-
tions may not be the right choice
when there is uncertainty about the
stability of the beam. This may occur
when no diaphragm exists or the dia- MEXICO
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Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 21

 business issues Wisdom from online rating platforms:
FIVE-STAR how architects, engineers and construction
EXPERIENCE? firms can best generate and manage feedback.
BY ANNE SCARLETT
WHEN YOU’RE PICKING a new restaurant, especially in an
unfamiliar city, how do you choose?
Do you ask a concierge? Or a local friend or business con-
tact? Or basically the entire world via the internet?
In our private lives, many of us scour online or social media
ratings and reviews to help inform our decision-making process.
There is no shortage of opinion out there—ranging from Yelp!,
Trip Advisor, Amazon, Google and Glassdoor to platforms
like Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram, and everything in
between. Positive comments and high scores attract new clients,
some of whom may not have had prior knowledge of the brand.
Conversely, negative comments and low scores will likely cause
a would-be buyer to completely dismiss the company without
a second thought.
With so much hinging on online and social media reviews,
it’s no wonder that companies are bending over backwards to
ensure that their clients and customers “say something nice or
nothing at all.” These days, companies will even curtail a poten-
tial negative review by reaching out immediately after an expe-
rience or a purchase to obtain feedback. Often, their language
offers to make something “right” when they don’t yet know if
anything went “wrong.”
In turn, this phenomenon has elevated a buyer’s quest for
perfection. Our expectations of both services and products are
sky-high, and we don’t hesitate to speak to owners and man-
agers to request replacements, upgrades, pro bono services,
money back, etc. More than ever, we know we are likely to
obtain resolution, because the company doesn’t want a negative
review to mar their rating—or worse yet, spread like wildfire
across the internet.
Anne Scarlett is president of
Scarlett Consulting, a Chicago-
based company specializing
in AEC-specific strategic
marketing plans, marketing
audits and coaching. She is
also on the adjunct faculty of
Columbia College of Chicago
and DePaul University. She can
be contacted via her website,
www.annescarlett.com.
22 DECEMBER 2017
Shifting gears, how do these types of occurrences impact the
business community, specifically AEC service providers? Anec-
dotal evidence indicates that our prospects and clients have
even higher expectations (is that possible?) of service providers
than ever before. Think about it. Let’s say you are the campus
architect for a large university. In your private life, you discover
that people bend over backwards like never before to satisfy
you. Wouldn’t you demand that same level of immediate excel-
lence at work when selecting an engineering firm for a project?
Or perhaps you have always had high expectations (not a bad
thing) but now your demands are more immediate.
Even further, if an issue arises—and do they ever!—clients
want it resolved ASAP with prudent professionalism. So while
there is not (yet) an official online platform for clients to pub-
licly rate AEC service providers in the nonresidential market,
we need to be mindful of how quickly our reputation can go
south. If problems persist—whether complex or mundane—
your client may indeed spread the word by mouth or online.
So what best practices can the AEC industry adopt from
those companies in other sectors that have created mechanisms
to manage their online reputation? Here are a few.
Proactive problem-solving. If there is a problem on the
project, preemptively address it. Rather than ignoring or mini-
mizing a situation and hoping it will go away, shine a spotlight
on it (momentarily) and make resolution the top priority. Once
you take steps to fix the problem, your client may actually regard
your company as more competent and responsive relative to if the
problem had never occurred in the first place. In other words, fix-
ing problems is an opportunity to build loyalty. And if you don’t
believe me, think about those times when an airline upgraded
you after a cancelled flight; your landscaper offered to replace
plants that didn’t survive; your cell phone provider credited your
account for a full month due to a brief technology glitch; and so
forth. Regardless of reactive or proactive approaches, companies
earn loyalty with swift, meaningful resolutions. I’m sure if you
think about it, there are several occurrences within the last few
years where a company earned your loyalty because of the speed
and method in which they resolved a problem.
Sidenote: Consider including a line item on your internal
project team meeting agenda to specifically identify red flags
and potential issues. This suggestion is not intended to foster
or belabor negativity. Instead, it’s intended to have an eyes-
wide-open approach to the project, every step of the way.
 Ask for client feedback, relentlessly. It can be time-
consuming for a client to respond to feedback requests, and
some are more forthcoming than others (especially while
a project is in progress). But if you respond with your own
thoughts on how you will specifically incorporate their feed-
back in the future, it’s rewarding for both parties. The client
will feel heard, and your genuine response and action steps
will surely serve as another deposit in their figurative loyalty
bank. Conversely, if the feedback is something that you feel is
a misunderstanding or even unreasonable, then you’ve created
an opportunity for dialogue.
Vary feedback formats. Depending upon the phase of
your project, different feedback approaches are appropriate. At
the conclusion of a project, candid responses are best gleaned
from a focus group led by an unbiased party, such as an outside
consultant, an internal marketing professional or a firm owner
that was not directly involved with the project. At key project
milestones, ideal feedback will involve a scheduled “how are
we doing” discussion amongst the project leadership. And then,
during the day-to-day grind, smaller feedback tools—such as a
thoughtful one-question questionnaire or a short survey—can
unearth pesky issues before they develop.
Sidenote: Make sure your responses to the feedback are
documented in writing and are included within the project’s
records. When handled properly, it is highly encouraging
for the client and the project team to later reflect upon the
process and progress.
Client satisfaction is Goal #1; testimonial generation is
a bonus. The top priority for collecting feedback (and respond-
ing with action) is to satisfy your clients. But as demonstrated
by businesses in other sectors—particularly those with abun-
dant online reviews—capturing testimonials is a tremendous
benefit to the process.
Sidenote: Since the nonresidential side of the AEC industry does
not have an official online feedback platform, you’ll need to ask
clients for permission to use their testimonials within your own
marketing materials. Testimonials are far more impactful with an
accompanying name, title and company name. Yet this is sensi-
tive territory for certain clients, so be respectful of their wishes
for anonymity. If they want to assist you, they will be open to
creative ways in which they can sing praises for your firm.
Accentuate the positive. When you ask for feedback, you
must be open-minded and non-defensive. This is easier said
than done. As exhibited within the other industries, companies
will often first thank the client/customer for the positive ele-
ments of the review prior to addressing the negative. This helps
keep things in perspective for all involved. It also ensures that
your internal project team will remain enthusiastic and com-
mitted to the success of the client relationship and project.
Not all clients will be customers for life, but an amplified
response to feedback will go a long way towards solidifying relation-
ships between service providers and clients—ensuring a mutual fit
and a willingness to spread the good word about your company! ■

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Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 23

 Tower of
STRENGTH
BY AMBER SHOALS, PE, MARK TAMARO, PE, PETER DRAKE, PE, AND KEVIN MACLEOD, SE, PE

A new addition to the Virginia Military Institute campus provides

state-of the-art physical readiness training for cadets year-round.

THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE’S MOTTO, “In
Pace Decus, In Bello Praesidium,” translates to “In Peace a
Glorious Asset, In War a Tower of Strength.”
The school’s new Corps Physical Training Facility (CPTF) is
geared toward turning its students into towers of strength. The
205,000-sq.-ft. steel-framed, arched-roof building presented the
design team with multiple challenges. These, however, must pale
in comparison to the intense training the cadets undergo inside
this new facility, which is chock-full of amenities made to elevate
their physical fitness year-round.
Founded in 1839, the Virginia Military Institute is a four-
year undergraduate college in Lexington, Va., that provides ca-
dets with the skills necessary to succeed in military careers. The
nation’s oldest state-supported military college, its curriculum
combines a rigorous education with a physically demanding en-
vironment. The new CPTF, which opened in late 2016, is the
newest addition to VMI’s historic campus.
Designed by HKS Architects with Thornton Tomasetti
providing structural engineering services, the new facility em-
braces the gothic revival style of Alexander Jackson Davis’s
original 19th century campus design. Despite its medieval
exterior, inside CPTF is all state-of-the-art. The building fea-
tures a 200-m track with hydraulic banking, an elevated three-
lane track, weight and cardio training rooms, locker rooms
built to NCAA standards, a rock-climbing wall, an obstacle
course, physical and combat readiness training and seating for
1,800 spectators. Among its unique features is a high-ropes
course above the main track, made possible by structural steel
box trusses that allow for a massive column-free space. Other
forward-thinking design elements include several sustain-
ability strategies, such as a vegetated roof, a state-of-the-art
downdraft air circulation system and underground cisterns
that collect rainwater for use at the facility, all of which con-
tributed to the anticipated LEED Gold certification.

The Corps Physical Training Facility is VMI’s newest building. Photos courtesy of Thornton Tomasetti unless otherwise noted.

HKS

24 DECEMBER 2017
 HKS

One of the building’s highlights is its 200-m track.

Superstructure An elevated three-lane, 350-m-long track cantilevers above

The facility’s primary superstructure consists of two elevat-
ed levels of composite steel framing with slab on metal deck.
This two-story structure wraps the northern and western
sides of the main training floor and houses the locker rooms,
classrooms and office space. The typical bay spacing here is
30 ft by 40 ft and it is supported by W18 beams, W24 girders
and W14 columns. The office structure roof also supports the
green roof system.
the main floor off the perimeter wall columns at the south and
east sides. Fixed bleacher seating on the north and west sides
is supported by sloping steel raker beams, with the seating
treads and risers being constructed of composite metal deck
and concrete slabs.
The column-free space over the main floor is made possible
by structural box trusses spanning 220 ft in the north-south
direction. These architecturally exposed trusses are designed to

Amber Shoals (ashoals@

thorntontomasetti.com) is a senior
engineer, Mark Tamaro (mtamaro@
thorntontomasetti.com) is a senior
principal and D.C. office director,
and Peter Drake (pdrake@
thorntontomasetti.com) is a senior
associate, all with Thornton Tomasetti.
Kevin MacLeod (not pictured) is
formerly with Thornton Tomasetti.

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 25


Building the roof.
Catwalk and climbing wall.
match the curvature of the vaulted roof, which at the apex is 60
ft above the main floor. The box trusses are 6 ft wide by 12 ft
deep, spaced at 60 ft on center, and open-web steel joists span
between them in the east-west direction.
The approximately 405-ft-long building is laterally supported
by steel braced frames along its perimeter. The roof framing has a
discrete system of horizontal bracing in plane to form a diaphragm,
consisting of double angles, and distribute lateral loads to the pe-
rimeter braced frames. Steel wide-flange columns surrounding the
high space support a grid of rotated wide-flange girts that provide
lateral support for the building façade’s precast panels.
Climbing High
Thornton Tomasetti’s structural engineers worked closely
with HKS early in the project to develop an integrated truss
design that would support the curved roof structure and allow
access to the unique high ropes course. One specific design con-
sideration for curved trusses that is different from traditional flat
26 DECEMBER 2017
The challenge course, integrated with the roof trusses.
Roof joists, prior to erection.
trusses is how to accommodate the horizontal effects resulting
from vertical loads on the arched shape. Based on the building
geometry, the north ends of these trusses had to be integral with
the structural diaphragms of the offices, and the south ends of
the trusses needed to be supported directly on the exterior wall.
There would be little room for movement on the north end.
In response to the building form, Thornton Tomasetti chose
to allow the trusses to displace horizontally at the south support.
As the box trusses deflect vertically, they generate a horizontal
displacement of roughly 3 in. This displacement was accom-
modated by the ability of the 40-ft-tall southern perimeter truss
columns to flex, allowing the structure to deflect outward under
gravity loads. The length of the column provided inherent flex-
ibility, and the column base and truss chord connections were
detailed to accommodate the rotation. The resulting frame
displacement was coordinated with the design team, resulting
in the precast façade panel joints being located and detailed
around the expected movement.
Challenge Course
The challenge course consists of both team and individual
events and is intended to provide cadets experience in effective
leadership, followership and problem solving. It requires cadets
to move safely and seamlessly through the structural elements
of the roof framing to access challenge course obstacles sus-
pended nearly 60 ft above the main training room floor.
Integrating the challenge course into the design of the box
trusses and roof framing required coordination from all disci-
plines. The truss design and layouts were coordinated with the
desired aesthetics and the ropes course program, including mem-
ber sizes, orientation and the overall curvature of the truss chords.
This coordination was especially important, as the truss structure
and connections would be exposed as part of the design.
The three easternmost box trusses provide catwalk access to
the high ropes course suspended from the main roof. In these
A roof truss, prior to erection.
bays, which would typically incorporate open-web joist fram-
ing at the roof, wide-flange beams were used as they permit-
ted greater flexibility in the course layout by allowing potential
concentrated loads to be located anywhere along the length of
the beam.
At the typical box trusses, diagonal members were provided
through the cross section of the box to link two planar trusses to-
gether to act as one composite box shape. However, at the trusses
over the ropes course, the center of the box needed to be kept open
for catwalk access to the ropes course platforms. To maintain the
box effect without the diagonals, the truss vertical members were
moment connected to the horizontal cross members between the
trusses, creating a portal frame at each truss vertical. The moment
frames are less efficient than the diagonal braces, so five moment
frame panels were required at each truss compared to only three
diagonal braces at the typical truss. Although this increased the
The box trusses are spaced at 60 ft on center, and
open-web steel joists span between them in the
east-west direction.
Challenge course obstacles, 60 ft above the floor.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 27
 complexity of the connection detailing, it
successfully joined the two trusses together.
Each truss has two platforms cantilevered
off the truss bottom chord. These platforms
are used to access the ropes course from the
truss elevation and impose eccentric con-
centrated loads on the trusses. Maintaining
The approximately 405-ft-long building is laterally supported by steel braced frames a strong and stiff box-shaped section was es-
along its perimeter. sential to efficiently resist the eccentric and
The roof apex is 60 ft above the main floor. unbalanced roof loading on the trusses.

Success in Collaboration
Early communication between the proj-
ect team benefited the design and construc-
tion of the structural box trusses. Using
moment-connected box trusses not only
provided catwalk access for the high ropes
course, but also provided stability during
erection. This eliminated the need for ex-
ternal stability bracing during construction,
reducing time and cost. The trusses were
designed in six sections with bolted splice
locations along the length. The sections
were delivered to the site prefabricated and
were assembled on the ground and lifted
into place on the double-column supports.
Successful coordination between disci-
plines aided in providing box trusses that
achieved the desired structural strength,
constructability, flexibility of use and aesthet-
ics. The use of structural steel provided the
flexibility needed to create a column-free
space that could support the facility’s unique
amenities. Collaboration and flexibility made
it possible to construct such a facility—the
largest of its kind anywhere—and one that
allows for such a unique interaction between
the structure and its users. ■
Owner
Virginia Military Institute, Lexington Va.
Construction Manager
The Whiting-Turner Contracting
The roof framing has a discrete system of horizontal bracing in plane to form a dia- Company, Richmond, Va.
phragm, consisting of double angles, and distribute lateral loads to the perimeter Architect
braced frames.
HKS Architects, Richmond
Structural Engineers
Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.,
Washington, D.C.
A+F Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Steel Team
Fabricator, Erector and Detailer
Superior Steel, Knoxville, Tenn.
Bender-Roller
Chicago Metal Rolled Products,
Chicago

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 Close collaboration between structural engineers and architects
results in an expressive structural steel-enhanced ethereal experience
for a new church in suburban Kansas City.

INSPIRED
by Collaboration BY SARAH JORCZAK, PE, AND TODD KRAFT

Paul Crosby Photography

HOW’S THIS FOR A DESIGN GOAL: Transcendence.
The new 140,000-sq.-ft sanctuary and support space for
the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood,
Kansas—designed by HGA Architects and Engineers—was,
like many similar projects, built to inspire. The long-estab-
lished church’s desire for a new 3,500-seat, cathedral-like, natu-
rally lit sanctuary resulted in an expressive steel structure with
an elliptical shape. The design met these directives while also
wrapping the congregation around a thrust chancel to create an
intimate sense of community and deliver a transcendent experi-
ence for anyone entering the space.
The singular project, however, is much more than its grander,
signature moves and was the result of an unprecedented inter-
30 DECEMBER 2017
disciplinary collaboration between HGA’s architects and struc-
tural engineers. In fact, the structural design was so married with
architectural design that the two disciplines couldn’t function
separately from one another; throughout the project, they were
simultaneously engaged. While an integrated approach to design
and engineering is the norm at HGA, this project pushed the
team to an even higher level of collaboration, from the micro to
the macro levels of design.
One of the macro aspects was the evolution of the steel struc-
ture to support the architecture. Early on in the design process,
the team’s structural engineers and architects identified truss
geometry constraints, such as the panel width (to accommodate
catwalks and mechanical systems) and truss depth for the pro-
 Paul Crosby Photography

The new 140,000-sq.-ft sanctuary and support space for the United The sanctuary can accommodate
Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. 3,500 guests.

HGA

A model of the sanctuary.

A sketch of the exterior sails.
HGA

Sarah Jorczak (sjorczak@hga.com) is a structural engineer and

Todd Kraft (tkraft@hga.com) is a senior project coordinator,
both with HGA.

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 31

 posed ceiling structures. Using SCIA Engineer, the engineers
downloaded and parameterized the roof truss depths to show the
architects various design iterations and determine the most ef-
ficient design solution within those constraints.
Because existing analysis and modeling software has diffi-
culty accommodating non-rectilinear and non-circular grid sys-
HGA
Early sketches of the facility.
Outside the church.
Catwalks in front of the stained-glass window.
32 DECEMBER 2017
tems, HGA’s engineers broke down each ellipse on the project
into a set of four arcs, each with a unique center, start and end
work point, all identified on an orthogonal grid system. A rul-
ing geometry plan communicated the arcs and work points for
the design and construction teams to use. This mathematical
ellipse layout option permitted the consistent creation of the
Aaron Dougherty Photography
Idibri
 project ellipses in multiple software platforms, and more than
40 work points were used to establish the multiple ellipses on
the project. Similarly, the architects created parametric mod-
els with which to communicate the shape and geometry of the
church’s seven sloped stainless steel exterior “sail” walls. The
engineers horizontally offset steel braced frames along the el-
liptical grids, thereby creating an out-of-plane discontinuity
to accommodate these unique sails, which represent the seven
days of creation and rise from the perimeter of the sanctuary
like hands in prayer. Using the architectural Rhino sail geom-
etry model, the engineers defined planes representing portions
of the sails to determine the possible wind-loading vectors. On
the church’s interior, the architects and engineers collaborated
to create structures to support the balconies and enable seat-
ing configurations that place a majority of the congregation no
more than 100 ft from the chancel.
In order to maintain the sanctuary’s openness yet provide
sufficient seating, the project required a thin-front balcony
with a shallow-depth truss to accommodate high ceilings and
unobstructed sight lines from the back row of the tiered par-
terre seating. The 1,300-seat balcony is supported by cantile-
vered steel trusses, with chords that extend out from pairs of
Steel lighting fixture on the balcony.
Paul Crosby Photography
HGA
columns spaced on radial grids around most of the elliptical
base. The architects and engineers also collaborated on the
balcony railing’s perforated stainless steel artistic pattern and
integrated custom light fixtures, which give the balcony an
elegantly fashioned, hand-crafted aesthetic.
The massive stained-glass window is another of the
church’s signature micro elements. The collaborative design
team, along with glass artisans and the construction team,
carefully developed structural steel framing for this colorful
93-ft by 37-ft feature, which provides a reverent backdrop rich
in visual storytelling. The engineers analyzed multiple itera-
tions of cross sections using solid plate, WT shapes and HSS
as possible vertical support members. Each option needed to
have adequate strength and stiffness but also be thin enough
so as not to cast shadows on the windows; in the end, the ar-
chitects selected the thinnest and shallowest profile. Each of
the 161 stained-glass panels is supported by vertical and hori-
zontal aluminum mullions, which tie back to exposed HSS8×2
that provide lateral support.
Even the limestone and bronze altar itself took advantage
of structural steel framing. Curved to resemble the triclinium
or U-shaped formal dining tables of Biblical times, the mobile
Drawing of the steel railing attachment to the balcony slab edge.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 33
 altar’s framing was engineered so that it
could function as a table and also withstand
load reversal when it is moved via palette
jack across the chancel floor to make room
for special events.
Another architectural-structural feature
is the colonnade that wraps the sanctu-
ary and opens into a 15,000-sq.-ft narthex
with 20-ft-high ceilings and a continuous
ribbon of clerestory windows that divide
the narthex from the main structure. To
make this architectural vision a reality, the
engineers used a thin ceiling plenum that
was expertly coordinated and integrated
with structural, mechanical and electrical
systems; long-span, open-web steel joists
were used, enabling mechanical ductwork
to run horizontally through the structural
elements. Framing member positions were
coordinated with lighting locations to
further reduce the required depth of the
ceiling plenum. The engineers distributed
mechanical and fire-protection systems
vertically between upper and lower narthex
ceilings at column locations to keep them
hidden while maintaining the light, elegant
look of the narthex. They also designed a
Paul Crosby Photography

back-up structure comprised of HSS to

create two massive, custom-designed cer-
emonial doors leading from the narthex
to the sanctuary. Outside the church, thin
edges were engineered to be hidden behind
metal panels on the entry canopies.
The level of engineering and architec-
HSS-framed doors into the sanctuary.
tural collaboration throughout the church
speaks to the project’s complexity and the A Revit cross section view of the balcony.
team’s determination to create the tran-
scendent building the client requested.
The project challenged both design disci-
plines to expand their thinking as well as
the traditional notion of what a church
structure should be. The completed project
not only elevates the value of the partner-
ship between architects and structural en-
gineers, but also demonstrates the myriad
ways in which structure and architecture
were informed by each other in order to
develop systems—from the macro to the
micro level—that allow the Church of the
Resurrection to inspire. ■
HGA

Owner
United Methodist Church of the
Resurrection, Leawood, Kan.
General Contractor
McCownGordon Construction, Kansas City
Architect and Structural Engineer
HGA Architects and Engineers,
Minneapolis

34 DECEMBER 2017
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ARCHITECTURAL SKETCH STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS MODEL CONFIGURATION

Sketch and framing plan for the double door

into the sanctuary.

Paul Crosby Photography

Inside the lobby.

The stainless steel sails of the church.
A side entrance to the church.

Paul Crosby Photography Aaron Dougherty Photography

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 35

 A
BRIDGE
in a Garden BY TOM PINDER

A small yet crucial bridge in a

Hawaiian state park is installed quickly and
with minimal impact to the surrounding rainforest.

THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND OF KAUAI is nicknamed “the Garden

Tom Pinder is Acrow’s Isle” thanks to the tropical rainforest covering much of its surface.
western regional sales A recent bridge preplacement project deep in the heart of this lush
manager. landscape was built with the goal of maintaining that green status and ad-
dressing the ecological and land management concerns of state regulators
and community groups, not to mention the thousands of people who use
the area every year. The project’s location, the Keahua Arboretum in the
Keahua State Forest, is home to native plants and vegetation introduced by
the University of Hawaii and is enjoyed by locals and tourists for picnick-
ing, swimming, hiking, biking and horseback riding.
The original route in and out of the preserve, which crossed the Keahua
Stream, was a concrete roadway that had sunk into the stream over time and
often flooded after heavy downpours, rendering safe passage difficult if not

36 DECEMBER 2017
All photos: Acrow Bridge
A new bridge replaces a a concrete roadway that had sunk into the stream over time and often flooded after heavy downpours.
impossible during the rain-heavy winter and spring months in this
remote but highly traveled area. A new bridge was needed to pro-
vide a safer route during these high-water events so cars would no
longer be stranded if they were on the mountain side of the river or
washed out trying to cross the existing ford during flash flooding.
Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources
(DLNR) decided to construct a permanent bridge at the site,
along with a new roadway alignment and a drainage culvert
with an inlet and outlet. The 110-ft-long single-lane bridge
also includes a sidewalk on one side, separate from the roadway,
creating a safe crossing for pedestrians.
The project was made available for bidding in June 2014;
general contractor Mocon Corporation finished negotiating
substructure design changes with the DLNR and their engi-
neering consultant, Kai Hawaii, in June 2015; and fabricator
Acrow began production immediately after design was finalized,
then shipped the bridge components to the job site that fall.
However, due to rains and foundation pile supply issues, the
bridge sat on the job site for about five months before assembly
began in early 2016. The success of the project, which opened
this past April, was made possible by several key factors, both
structural and logistical:
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 37
 ABC. The rapid assembly and installation of the bridge, us-
ing only a three-man crew, made it a true accelerated bridge
construction (ABC) project.
Minimal installation equipment. The simplicity of the
structure meant only standard hand tools were required. In
addition, because all bolts were non-slip-critical, neither pre-
installation verification testing—using a tension calibrator such
as a Skidmore-Wilhelm Bolt Testing Measuring Device—nor
DTI (direct tension indicator) ASTM F959 washers were re-
quired, resulting in a snug-tight approach and lower installation
cost compared to concrete or large steel beam bridges.
Modular construction. Modular components allowed for
ease of shipping, parts staging and assembly in this remote re-
gion with a tight build area. Large cranes are not commonly
available on Kauai, but this did not pose a problem since the
The 110-ft-long single-lane bridge also includes a sidewalk on one side, separate from the roadway, creating a safe
crossing for pedestrians.
38 DECEMBER 2017
contractor was able to build the structure in situ on falsework in
the shallow stream while requiring minimal space for laydown
and construction. The modular approach also reduced the po-
tential of damage to the painted sections. All bridge elements
were packed into 40-ft shipping containers at Acrow’s facility in
New Jersey and shipped directly to Kauai.
Low-to-no maintenance. Maintenance was yet another
issue to consider, especially given the project’s location in a
remote area with a tropical marine environment. The compo-
nents were hot-dip galvanized to ASTM A123 for a long life
(75+ years with less than 5% surface rust in a tropical marine
environment) and completely painted for further rust protec-
tion and aesthetic purposes; the individual elements of the
structure were shop painted prior to shipping, with touch-up
performed on site. Special care in handling and packaging was
taken in order to minimize the paint scratches that might oc-
cur in typical shipping practices.
The duplex coating system provides a higher level of cor-
rosion protection, with the galvanized coating protecting the
base steel by providing both cathodic and barrier protection,
and the paint acting as a barrier for the zinc layer and signifi-
cantly reducing its corrosion rate. The maintenance cycle for
paint over galvanized steel is typically one-and-a-half to two
times greater for paint over bare steel, resulting in a signifi-
cant cost savings over the life of the structure and a virtually
maintenance-free bridge.
Reduced foundation costs. Conventional designs would
have required larger abutments and, in the case of concrete,
longer curing times, increasing the construction schedule
and requiring larger cranes—which again, aren’t as readily
available on Kauai. In addition, longer members would have
been more difficult to maneuver over the tight, curving is-
land roads.
Non-fracture-critical design. As the bridge’s design uses
redundant members, it is not fracture-critical and is on a nor-
mal bridge inspection schedule. The mostly visual inspection
process is particularly easy to perform since nearly every part of
the structure is accessible. ■
Owner
Hawaii Department of lands and Natural Resources
Designer
Kai Hawaii, Inc., Honolulu
General Contractor
Mocon, Honolulu
Steel Fabricator
Acrow Corporation of America, Parsippany, N.J.
Modular components allowed for ease of shipping, parts stag-
ing and assembly in this remote region with a tight build area.

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 39

 COASTAL
Construction
BY JOSHUA BROWN
AND ERIC SULLINS

Modular steel
construction enables
an efficient energy export
endeavor on the Gulf Coast.

A NEW INDUSTRIAL PROJECT in Freeport, Texas, illustrates

a portion of the energy industry that is sometimes overlooked but
nevertheless crucial to the conversation.
While oil—particularly in terms of imports—renewable energy
and even coal have dominated the current narrative, liquefied petro-
leum gas (LPG, often referred to as propane or butane) is a big part
of the energy puzzle. And the new Phillips 66 Freeport LPG Export
Terminal, due south of Houston on the Gulf Coast, is now exporting
over 4 million barrels of LPG per year to Europe and Asia.
But to accommodate this new capacity, the existing 100-acre facili-
ty required 36 miles of new piping, the majority of which was installed
on steel pipe racks. When it came to designing the system, structural
engineer Burns and McDonnell (BMcD) determined that the proj-
Joshua Brown (joshbrown@burnsmcd.com) and Eric Sullins
ect’s compressed construction schedule and project site removed typi-
(esullins@burnsmcd.com) are both senior structural engineers
cal built-in-place or stick-built framing as feasible options. Luckily,
with Burns and McDonnell.
40 DECEMBER 2017
 The new Phillips 66 Freeport LPG Export Terminal, due south of Houston on the
Gulf Coast, exports over 4 million barrels of LPG per year.
Lifting a steel bridge module into place.

Photos courtesy of Phillips 66

BMcD had success with modular steel framing in the past, and
that’s the approach it took for the terminal project.
Process Unit Modules
The BMcD design team knew in needed to think big when
starting design on the modules to be used for facility’s new
processing unit. The typical 12-ft-wide modules that BMcD
had grown accustomed to using in past projects would sim-
ply not be practical for the amount of pipe required. And due
to the facility’s location on the water, the finished modules
were shipped in on barges and could therefore be larger than
what trucks can typically accommodate. In all, there are 24
new processing unit modules, varying in size and weight. The
largest modules measured 40 ft tall, 32 ft wide and 110 ft long
and weighed 170 tons.
Once the module sizes were determined, the next chal-
lenge BMcD faced was how to move and set them. Plot
space for the modules was limited due to an existing tank
farm on one side of the process unit and protected wet-
lands on the other side. As this limited crane access to the
area, the modules were instead transported on-site via self-
propelled modular transport (SPMT), with the lower sup-
port columns being erected with small cranes in the process
unit area. The SPMT transported the modules from the
barge to the construction site (at a blazing speed of 3 mph).
Once in position, they were jacked up to a few inches above
their final height then rolled into final position above the
erected columns, lowered to the splice elevation and bolted
into place. The entire process was completed in a single
work day, per module.

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 41

 Barging in a process facility module.

The modules themselves were designed

in RISA 3D and Tekla, with the connec-
tions being designed in RAM Connection.
Multiple RISA models were created for
each module: one to simulate the loads be-
ing transferred to the steel frame during
shipping on the water, one for the modules
during transportation and jacking on the
SPMT and a final model for the finished
design where the module was connected
to the stick-built columns. The framing
scheme for the modules involved moment
frames in the transverse direction and a sin-
gle braced bay in the longitudinal direction.

Levee Bridge Modules

In order to transfer LPG from the facility
to the loading docks, new pipe bridges were
needed to span the levee; the United States
Corps of Engineers (Corps) required all new
piping crossing the existing federal levee
to be supported by an elevated pipe bridge.
No structures or foundations could be con-
structed within 25 ft of the toes of the levee,
resulting in clear spans ranging from 220 ft
to 260 ft. The terminal project required three
pipe bridges to be designed, one at each ex-
isting loading dock. The pipe bridges were
designed as modules; each one came fully as-
sembled with pipe and cable tray.

Levee Bridge Modules

Clear Lift
Steel
Module Span Weight
(Tons)
(ft) (Tons)
Dock 2 Pipe Bridge 222.5 255 194
Transporting a module via SPMT. Dock 3 Pipe Bridge 260 417 282
Dock 4 Pipe Bridge 230 238 185
Setting a process module in place.

The three modules were approximately

25 ft high by 22 ft wide, and the final design
incorporated field-erected support towers
at each end, using slide bearings at one end
and a fixed bearing at the other end. Each
module also had a field-erected block valve
access platform.
The top and bottom chords of each
bridge were preassembled to assure that
the required camber was provided, and
a trial fit of the splice connections was
also performed prior to shipment to the
module assembly shop. Splice lengths
were fixed early in design so that chord
members could be preordered to length
and help minimize cutting the members
in the shop. The steel was galvanized
and shipped to the module shop where

42 DECEMBER 2017
the modules were fully assembled and Erecting a bridge module at night.
piping installed, and the bridges were The project used 6,150 tons of steel in all.
built on cans and transported from the
yard to a barge via SPMT.
The bridges were set using a land-based
crane and a marine crane. The marine-
based crane lifted the entire bridge into
position at Dock 2, but at Dock 3 and
Dock 4, the reach was too far for the crane
to set the bridge with one pick. For these
two docks, the marine crane lifted the en-
tire bridge to a “resting” position on land
while the land-based crane rigged up. The
bridges were then lifted using both cranes
into final position on the support towers.

Modular Advantage
For this particular project, which used
6,150 tons of steel in all, modular construc-
tion provided several advantages over stan-
dard stick-built erection, including a reduced
schedule and the subsequent monetary sav-
ings—but the most important advantage was
safety. Construction sites are busy and con-
gested, making them a potentially hazardous
work environment. By designing the pipe
racks as modules, it allowed for a significant
number of the steel and piping construction
hours to be removed from the job site and
shifted to the module shop where ironwork-
ers and pipefitters could work in a more con-
trolled environment. Multi-level modules
were erected, filled with pipe and cable tray,
insulated and fireproofed at ground level,
then shipped to the site and installed in their
final locations. ■
Owner
Phillips 66, Houston
General Contractor
Zachry Construction, Houston
Structural Engineer
Burns and McDonnell, Kansas City

A bridge module, set in place.

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 43

 BEYOND
Limits
BY DAVID RUBY, SE, PE

The fourth installment of the

“But It Worked in the Model!” series takes a look at a project
that illustrates the limitations of computer-aided design and analysis.

COMMUNICATION IS NOT ONLY CRUCIAL; it’s in
the code.
The focus of the structural engineer of record should be to
communicate, as required by Section 7 of the 2016 AISC Code
of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges (ANSI/AISC
303-16, www.aisc.org/specifications), the nature of the struc-
ture, the lateral-load-resisting system, its non-structural steel
components and any special conditions that are required per
the design concept. But at times, this essential information is
only partially noted, ignored or even forgotten. It’s often con-
sidered the contractor’s responsibility, referred to as “means
and methods” by the design community.
In our previous “But It Worked in the Model!” articles, we
have explored structures in which communication errors, omis-
sion of important details and/or lack of clarity within design doc-
uments has led to fabrication and construction headaches. We’ve
learned that this is what may occur when professionals neglect
constructability, ignore the code and blindly rely on computer
analysis technology without understanding its limitations.
David Ruby (druby@
rubyandassociates.com) is
the chairman and founding
principal of Ruby+Associates
Structural Engineers in
Bingham Farms, Mich.
What some perceive as a tool to facilitate a nearly effort-
less design process can instead challenge the user’s fundamental
understanding of engineering. The ability to scrutinize infor-
mation generated by computer analysis requires an advanced
understanding and knowledge of structure. The user should be
able to clearly identify and subsequently communicate, on the
contract documents, the nature of the structure’s lateral-load-
resisting system and its non-structural steel elements. As we ex-
plore the following industrial facility project, we will discover
that the least-weight structural design concept that unmistak-
ably “works in the model” requires comprehension far beyond
clash detection and interpreting the colors of an analysis report.
A Focus on Minimum Weight
In looking at the sample industrial project’s framing plans
(Figures 1 and 2) we see a relatively simple braced framing sys-
tem for a manufacturing facility. The design focuses on mini-
mum weight: a roof system consists of open-web steel joists
supported by roof trusses, with bottom chord X-bracing and a
longitudinal vertical bracing scheme on the column lines.
Of particular interest here is the structure’s lateral load re-
sisting system. As modeled, a lateral load parallel to the roof
truss would be resisted by the roof truss/column frame. This
in turn is stabilized by the roof framing: an open-web steel
joist and roof deck diaphragm. For lateral loads perpendicu-
lar to the roof truss, the roof deck diaphragm distributes the
lateral load to a single open-web joist framed between col-
umns. The columns transmit the lateral force in bending to
the longitudinal vertical X-bracing (Figure 3, page 46). The
horizontal bottom chord X-bracing spans the entirety of the
bay but only stabilizes the roof truss bottom chord since there
are no sway frames. Thus, this structure, which at first glance

44 DECEMBER 2017
 Figure1. A partial plan view of an industrial building with horizontal bracing at the bottom chord.
Figure 2. A 3D model of the building created with Tekla Structures.
appears to be conventionally designed, is inherently unstable
during construction. The roof trusses can only provide lateral
load resistance after the roof joist, roof deck diaphragm and
the longitudinal braced frames are in place. The open-web
steel joist between the columns has insufficient strength to
deliver the lateral loads to the longitudinal vertical bracing
without a completed roof deck diaphragm. Without the roof
deck diaphragm and longitudinal vertical bracing completely
installed, the structural system—its individual pieces and as a
whole—is unstable. Or so it seems.
Investigating the Tension Bracing
Stability for lightweight design concepts is often an issue,
but something makes this particular facility unique: a tension-
only bracing scheme, both vertical and horizontal. The ten-
sion-only scheme consists of vertical X-bracing located on the
column lines near the ends or expansion joints of the building
and horizontal bottom chord X-bracing. Tension-only struts
connect the vertical and horizontal braced bays. This brac-
ing scheme becomes functional only when all bracing pan-
els—vertical and horizontal—are in place, the tension-only
struts are in place and preloaded and the roof deck is installed.
There is no redundancy or alternate load path, and very few
members have any compression capacity. Thus, there is little
if any stability during installation of the structure. When the
building is fully constructed, with the open-web steel joist and
roof deck in place, then the lateral and longitudinal load paths
exist, stability is ensured and the structure functions as the
model predicts.
In the case of this building, the contract documents were
missing a narrative explaining the nature of the structure. This
important narrative would have indicated the tension-only lat-
eral load resisting system and its interdependence on the struc-
tural steel, open-web steel joist and metal roof deck. While
the computer analysis successfully accounted for strength and
stability and accurately identified a clash-free system—i.e., “it
worked in the model”—the model fell short in its ability to ac-
count for constructability.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 45
 Special Thank You to our Sponsors for Figure 3. Typical longitudinal vertical
the 2017 FabSuite User Conference bracing.

Green Level In this case, the erector was totally un-

aware of the structure’s stability require-
ments until the roof structure shifted, as
shown in Figure 4. The first four bays
were in distress but did not collapse. To
the erector’s surprise, this industrial struc-
ture, which would not normally require any
significant temporary bracing, required
Coffee Break Golf Tournament an extensive temporary bracing system to
maintain stability until tension-only ele-
ments were properly installed and the roof
deck was complete.

What Went Wrong?

For this project, the structural engineer
neglected to provide the information re-
Blue Level quired by Section 3.1.4 and Section 7.10.1 of
the AISC Code. The engineer did not define
the lateral load resisting system, its depen-
dence on the non-structural steel elements
(open-web joists, joist girders and metal deck
are not considered to be structural steel per
Section 2.2 of the Code) and the connecting
diaphragm elements. In addition, the struc-
tural engineer did not indicate the unique
design concept: a tension-only lateral brac-
ing scheme. The erector proceeded to erect
the initial four bays conventionally such that
the framing was in place prior to the instal-
At FabSuite we believe deeply in Driving Technology into the industry.
,W·VZK\ZHSDUWQHUZLWKWKHEHVWFRPSDQLHVLQWKHLQGXVWU\IRUWKHEHQHÀWRIRXUFOLHQWV lation of the metal decking. The partially
erected system became unstable, devoid of a
diaphragm and vulnerable to wind and con-
struction loads. Lacking sway frames and left
temporarily unbraced, the top chord of the
joist girders bowed due the loads induced by
Contact us to arrange a demo: gravity. The intended load path, reliant on
www.fabsuite.com 757.645.0842 info@fabsuite.com the presence of the roof deck, was critically
disrupted. As evident by the visible lateral
movement of the system, the structure was
unstable and in danger of collapse if not im-

46 DECEMBER 2017

mediately braced. In hindsight, it’s clear that this system “worked
in the model” but wasn’t conventionally constructable—a fact
not noted in the design documents.
This is an example of the designer relying too heavily on
computer-aided design and failing to recognize its limitations.
In addition, the designer ignored a responsibility to commu-
nicate the nature of the design concept, its lateral load resist-
ing system, non-structural steel elements and design concept-
related special erection conditions. The critical concepts of
constructability and lateral stability were not communicated.
It is important to note that the industrial structure in this
case was salvaged by developing an engineered erection plan
after constructability issues became apparent. The engineered
erection plan focused on the stabilization of the roof trusses,
the open-web steel joist and the supporting columns. A tem-
porary tension bracing scheme (Figure 5) was introduced to
brace the main column lines and maintain tension in the steel
joist. Temporary sway frames and top chord cable bracing were
necessary to reduce the unbraced length of the roof truss top
chords. Additional horizontal open-web steel joist cable X-
bracing provided a load path for lateral load distribution. The
temporary tension bracing on the column lines was preloaded
to maintain a tension load in the open-web steel joist framing,
column to column. This tension bracing scheme was necessary
due to the minimal compression capacity of the joist framing
between the columns, which precluded the use of typical cable
X-bracing. The temporary tension bracing was leapfrogged
every fourth bay, as were the joist girder temporary bracing
and sway frames. This approach provided temporary longitu-
dinal and transverse stability. The temporary tension bracing
was necessary until the key elements of the structure’s lateral
load resisting system were installed, including the tension-only
bracing and roof deck diaphragm.
Lessons Learned
Prior to the advent of computer-aided design and analysis and
the integration of BIM, the design process was, in a way, more
intimate and allowed designers to better identify and address
design or construction challenges. Discrepancies that formerly
jumped off the page in plan form are now hidden within com-
puter-aided analysis and design programs.
We can conclude that the computer is only a tool and not
a decision-maker. As structural engineers, our experience and
Figure 4. The erector was totally unaware
of the structure’s stability requirements until
the roof structure shifted, as shown here.
Figure 5. A temporary tension
bracing scheme for the building.
knowledge must be used to ensure that our design documents
contain the information noted in the 2016 AISC Code (Sections
3 and 7) as well as reflect their purpose as described in CASE
Document 962D: A Guideline Addressing Coordination and Com-
pleteness of Structural Construction Documents:
“Documents, including building information models, draw-
ings and specifications, are the tools structural engineers use
to communicate the elements of the design of structures
to contractors. Contractors use the Documents to develop
and submit bids for construction of the structure and then,
if selected, to implement the design. In order for the bid
to be accurate, the Documents must describe in sufficient
detail the elements of the structure to be built, the quality
with which it is to be built, and any special requirements
governing its construction. Regardless of the format, the
Documents must be developed to a sufficient level of com-
pleteness and coordination so that contractors can, within
customary time constraints, develop a price, submit a bid,
and after award of the contract, build the structure in a man-
ner consistent with their understanding of the scope of the
documents at the time of bidding.”
Though technology has served to truly revolutionize the
industry, it can only be effective and efficient if its potential
and its limitations are fully understood. No professional should
rely exclusively on a design that “worked in the model” in pro-
viding construction documents. As evident in this example, the
computer model did not communicate all aspects of the design
concept, nor did it describe the nature of the structure. Despite
the fact that the model in this case incorporated all elements
of the structure, including its lateral load resisting system, it
did not specifically note the structure’s dependence on the non-
structural steel elements for overall stability. In the end, tech-
nology can never replace knowledge and experience grounded
in sound engineering principles. ■
For past articles in the “But It Worked in the Model!” series, see the April,
July and October 2017 issues, available at www.modernsteel.com.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 47
 When it comes to a good weld, strength isn’t everything.
Clearance is
CRITICAL
BY BO DOWSWELL, PE, PHD, AND CURTIS SMITH
WHILE STRENGTH IS the primary consideration for weld-
ed joints, it must be coupled with proper joint clearance to en-
sure a high-quality weld. Inadequate clearance around welded
joints can affect weld quality and efficiency, leading to increased
costs and delayed schedules. And in extreme cases, obstructions
may cause a lack of proper fusion between the base metal and
the weld metal, leading to a reduction in strength.
A recent AISC-funded research project was conducted to
determine proper clearance requirements for welded joints.
We’ll discuss the results of the study but first, let’s review some
general welding advice.
Bo Dowswell (bo@arcstructural.com) is a principal with ARC
International, LLC, in Birmingham, Ala., and Curtis Smith
(csmith@bellsteel.com) is a quality manager with Bell Steel
Company in Pensacola, Fla.
48 DECEMBER 2017
Making Room
For starters, access is important. The area near the weld
must be clear, with enough room for equipment and welder ac-
cess. For this purpose, R. Shaw, in his 1996 seminar “Structural
Welding: Design and Specification,” recommended “at least
18 in. of clear space around the joint.” This clearance should
be maintained until the inspection has been completed. For
field welding, erectors can provide project-specific clearance
requirements based on the required personnel and equipment.
On a smaller scale, clearance must also be provided for the
electrode. For proper fusion and penetration, the welder must
be able to direct the arc against the base metal. When an ob-
struction is present, the electrode is forced into a non-optimal
position, potentially causing lower penetration and difficulty
achieving the correct weld profile.
The recommended electrode clearance for SMAW welding
is shown in Figure 8-11 of the 15th Edition AISC Steel Construc-
tion Manual (www.aisc.org/manual) shown here as Figure 1.
For horizontal welds, the Manual recommends a 30° electrode
angle, with an absolute minimum angle of 27° (2-to-1 slope).
These recommendations were first included in the 1953 AISC
publication Structural Shop Drafting, with the additional com-
ment that “the root of the weld shall be visible to the opera-
tor.” Similar clearances were proposed by H.M. Priest in the
September 1943 Journal of the American Welding Society article
“The Practical Design of Welded Steel Structures” and L. Gro-
ver in the First Edition Manual of Design for ARC Welded Steel
Structures more than seven decades ago, when SMAW was the
prevalent welding process for steel structures.
 Figure 1. Clearances for SMAW welding.

A special condition is shown in Manual Figure 8-12 (shown

here as Figure 2), where weld access is available at the member
end. In this case, the clearance is independent of the flange
width, and the angle between the electrode and the longitudi-
nal weld axis is critical. For further information, see Part 8 of
the Manual, where a 20° minimum electrode angle is recom-
mended for straight electrodes.
If the proper clearance cannot be attained, the more ex-
pensive alternative details shown in Figure 3 can be used. Also,
a single-sided fillet weld may be acceptable in some cases.
Because these joints result in a crevice, corrosion can cause
problems for structures exposed to weather unless measures
are taken to prevent moisture accumulation within the joint.
An additional parameter that may affect weld clearance re-
quirements is the “banking” of weld metal to counteract the
effect of gravity for welds made in the horizontal position. To
obtain equal-leg fillet welds, the welder typically rotates the
electrode toward the horizontal surface, so the arc is directed
more toward the vertical surface. Based on this, a vertical ob-
struction may be more critical than a horizontal obstruction in
the welding of joints in the horizontal position.
AISC Design Guide 21: Welded Connections-A Primer for
Engineers (www.aisc.org/dg) describes the different processes
and where they are commonly used. Flux cored arc welding
(FCAW) is the most common process for welding steel struc-
tures. Most shops now use gas-shielded flux cored arc welding
(FCAW-G) or gas metal arc welding (GMAW) in production,
and self-shielded flux-cored arc welding (FCAW-S) is the
most-used process for field welding. Figure 2. Clearances for welding near the end of members.
As shown in Figure 4, the geometry of a FCAW or GMAW
welding gun is much different from that of a SMAW “stick”
electrode. Additionally, electrode manipulation techniques
may be different between the processes. Therefore, the his-
toric values previously recommended for the SWAW process
may not apply to FCAW and GMAW.

Figure 3. Alternative welds for joints with clearance on

one side only.
Figure 4. Fillet weld joints using the FCAW-G process. a. CJP Weld b. PJP Weld

a. Unobstructed b. Obstructed

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 49

 The Study
Now, let’s get to the results of the research we mentioned
at the beginning of the article. The project studied electrode
clearance for the FCAW-G process by sectioning specimens
that were welded at various distances from an obstruction plate,
as shown in Figure 5. Three AISC member and certified fab-
ricators each welded specimens in three different positions for
a total of nine specimens. Because the equipment for GMAW
is similar to that of FCAW-G, the clearance requirements are
similar. Due to the absence of a gas nozzle, less clearance is
required for the FCAW-S process.
Figure 5. Section of a completed weld clearance specimen.
The cross-sectioned welds showed that, as the distance be-
tween the weld and the obstruction plate decreased, both the
production efficiency and the penetration into the base metal
parallel to the obstruction plate decreased. Another issue at Lo-
cation 7 (see Figure 5), where the welds are 2 in. from the ob-
struction plate, is the limited access for measuring the weld size
with a standard gage. Although the penetration was generally low
at Location 6, where the welds are 3 in. from the obstruction
plate, the measured effective throats exceeded the nominal val-
ues. This is because the decrease in penetration was compensated
by an increase in weld metal. In interviews, welders expressed
concerns regarding the potential effects of the obstruction on
the weld fusion and penetration at Locations 6 and 7, which may
have caused them to increase the weld metal deposited.
Recommended clearances for FCAW and GMAW welding,
based on the research, are shown in Figure 6. Two joint geom-
etries are considered: Case 1, where the welded element is par-
allel to the obstruction and Case 2, where the welded element
is perpendicular to the obstruction.
➤ Case 1: When welding near wide obstructions, (large
b-dimension), the welder’s hand and the welding gun
must fit into the opening while allowing enough room
for proper electrode manipulation. For this geometry, the
required clearance, cmin , is the minimum of b/2 and 4 in.
This should be considered the absolute minimum clear-
ance. As with the SMAW process, a 30° electrode angle is
recommended for optimum production efficiency, result-
ing in the 0.6b clearance recommendation.
50 DECEMBER 2017
➤ Case 2: This configuration does not require the entire
welding gun to fit within the clearance dimension, allow-
ing less restrictive clearances. Due to the high heat input
with the FCAW and GMAW processes and the increased
access between the gas nozzle and the weld surface, cmin is
dependent on the plate thickness, t. If these requirements
cannot be met, the welded edge can be beveled as shown
in Figure 10 (page 52).
t ≤ 5⁄16 in.:
cmin = ¾ in.
5⁄16 in. < t ≤ 5⁄8 in.:
Recommended:
cmin = min(b/2, 2 in.)
cmin = min(0.6b, 5 in.)
5⁄8 in. < t:
Minimum:
Recommended:
cmin = min(b/2, 4 in.)
cmin = min(b/2, 3½ in.)
Minimum:
cmin = min(b/2, 2½ in.)
a. Case 1 b. Case 2
Figure 6. Recommended clearances for FCAW and
GMAW welding.
Weld Preparation
Let’s step back and take a look at common practices for
groove welds and doubler plate welds. The main function
of weld preparation is to facilitate the required weld metal
penetration. The preparation must provide adequate access
so the arc can be directed against the base metal. Figure
7a (opposite page) shows a tee joint with a square groove
preparation that is not prequalified because the arc cannot
be directed against the base metal. A similar detail is shown
for a corner joint in Figure 7b. For relatively thin materials,
the corner joint is prequalified because arc access is not ob-
structed as it is for the tee joint. A prequalified tee joint with
a single-bevel weld preparation is shown in Figure 7c, where
the arc can be easily directed against the beveled surface.

a. not prequalified
A potential access problem for groove-welded
joints is shown in Figure 8, where a plate is weld-
ed to the web of an I-shape member. In many
cases, the arc cannot be properly directed against
the base metal due to an obstruction caused by
the flange. Also, there is not a direct line of sight
for the welder or the inspector to view the bev-
eled weld preparation surface. Although it may
seem obvious, the decades-old advice of Priest
(1943) can be used to determine the proper ge-
ometry: “The welder must be able to see his work
clearly.” For this type of joint, a fillet-welded
joint may be more appropriate.
Interested in
business development
and making structural steel
the material of choice?
AISC
has a job
for you!
now hiring in Atlanta
send resumes and cover letters to
hr@aisc.org
There’s always a solution in steel.
b. prequalified for c. prequalified for
limited thickness unlimited thickness
Figure 7. Arc access.
AISC Design Guide 13: Wide-Flange Column Figure 8. Complete-
Stiffening at Moment Connections: Wind and Seismic joint-penetration weld
with access problems.
Applications discusses several different weld con-
figurations for web doubler plates (see Figure 9 on
page 52 for an example) including both fillet- and
groove-welded joints. For the groove-welded op-
tion, a typical weld detail is shown in Figure 10
(page 52), which is similar to Figures 7a and 7c.
Doubler plates for structures designed in accor-
dance with the AISC Seismic Provisions for Structur-
al Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 341-16, www.aisc.
org/specifications) must be welded according to
Section 4.3 of AWS D1.8: Structural Welding Code-
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Figure 9. Doubler plate.
Seismic Supplement. In this case, only groove welding is allowed,
and the variables defined in D1.8 must be followed.
For non-seismic design, the plate edge is often located at
the tangent point of the column fillet (R = 0). However, detail-
ing the joint with an encroachment onto the fillet (R < 0), as
shown in Manual Figure 10-3, can reduce the weld metal. In
addition to the cost savings and increased productivity, reduc-
tions in weld metal can decrease flange rotations caused by
weld shrinkage.
For thick doubler plates, a groove angle, α, of 30° is common,
but angles as low as 15° have been used successfully. For thin
doubler plates, square-cut plates (α = 0°) are often used to elimi-
nate the weld preparation and reduce the weld metal. Square-cut
preparations must be limited to thin plates because proper fusion
between the weld metal and the doubler plate is attained by weld
penetration into the doubler plate, essentially melting the plate
corner and creating a groove angle as the weld progresses.
Fabrication practices vary, but generally, plates less than
3⁄8 in. thick are cut square and plates that are 3⁄8 in. thick and
Welding in a fabrication shop, using the FCAW-G process.
52 DECEMBER 2017
Section A-A
Figure 10. Doubler plate groove weld.
thicker are beveled. The AISC project, which studied eight
doubler plate specimens with various plate thicknesses, con-
firmed the validity of this practice. The specimens with a ¼-in.
doubler plate showed good fusion and penetration at both the
column and the plate. In this case, the root opening, R, had
no observable effect on the weld quality; therefore, R ≤ 0 is
recommended for thin plates. Portions of the weld at some of
the thicker plates showed a lack of root penetration. For 3⁄8-in.-
thick and thicker doubler plates, a groove angle, α, of 15° to 30°
may be required to ensure consistent weld quality. Based on the
results of the ¼-in. doubler plate specimens, it is expected that
a ¼-in. land could be used for these joints to reduce the weld
metal while still maintaining quality. ■
We are grateful to the following AISC member fabricators for providing
partial funding of the weld clearance project through specimen dona-
tions, shipping costs and practical recommendations: Bell Steel Company,
Pensacola, Fla., North Alabama Fabricating Company, Inc., Birming-
ham, Ala., and Structural Steel Services, Inc., Meridian, Miss.
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 HAND
in Glove
BY SALLY J. SMART

Hands are clearly important to steel fabrication and construction work—

and are also one of the most likely body parts to become injured.
Their safety should be a top priority.

OUR HANDS ARE UNIQUE and one of the most com-
plex parts of our body. The coordination between tendon,
bones, tissues and nerves allows us to grip, hold, move and
manipulate objects and do a variety of complex tasks—until
an injury happens.
Hand injuries are the most common type of injury in
the workplace and one of many hazards faced by steel
workers. While great strides have been made in workplace
safety in the past few decades, strains, sprains, burns, cuts,
lacerations, punctures, fractures and even amputations
continue to be a problem. As such, a heightened awareness
of and emphasis on hand safety should be a top priority,
especially in construction professions, both in the shop
and field.

ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 versus EN 388-2016 / ISO 13997

Cut-Resistant Levels in Grams (1 Newton = 101.97 Grams)
7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000
■ ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 A1-A9 Levels
F
■ EN 388-2016/ISO 13997 A-F Levels
3,000

2,000
D

C
1,000
B
A
0
A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9

54 DECEMBER 2017
 Gloves are generally used for extended periods of time, and it is important that they provide the same level of abrasion resistance
and durability at the end of a worker’s shift as at the beginning.

In an effort to better understand the contributing factors
to workplace hand injuries, a survey of more than 400 safety
professionals, co-partnered by the American Society of Safety
Engineers (ASSE), was conducted in late 2015. Survey respon-
dents were asked several questions, one of which was to rank
what they saw as the most common hand injury; 41% ranked
cuts or punctures as the most common. Another asked why
these injuries occurred, with the top reason cited (by more than
40%) being a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) or
cut-resistant gloves.
Equipment Association (ANSI/ISEA) 105 American National
Standard for Hand Protection is the U.S. voluntary consensus
standard for glove testing. EN388 Protective Gloves against Me-
chanical Risks is the European Union’s (EU) standard for glove
testing and is also referenced globally. Both ANSI/ISEA 105
and EN388 are used to test gloves for mechanical risks—abra-
sion, cut, tear and puncture. And as both were revised in 2016,
comparisons of cut-resistant levels in grams are now possible
for the first time.

Levels of Cut Resistance

Although there are no OSHA standards that specifically Sally J. Smart is a technical safety
address cut-resistant gloves, 29 Code of Federal Regulations specialist with Grainger.
1910.138 does apply to hand protection. It states that employ-
ers must select and require employees to use appropriate hand
protection when necessary, and the selection must be based
on an evaluation of the various performance characteristics of
the gloves.
In addition, two consensus standards come into play
when evaluating cut-resistance performance characteristics.
American National Standards Institute/International Safety

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 55

 Grams to Cut Requirements for Various Applications
ANSI/ISEA 105-2016* “Grams to Cut”
Suggested Applications
Cut Levels Requirements
Light cut hazards –
A1 200 – 499 grams Automotive maintenance, parts
assembly and material handling
Light to medium cut hazards –
Construction, automotive
A2 500 – 999 grams
assembly, packaging and
maintenance
Light to medium cut hazards –
A3 1,000 – 1,499 grams Light metal stamping and light-
duty glass handling
Medium cut hazards –
A4 1,500 – 2,199 grams Metal stamping, sheet metal
handling and glass handling.
Medium to high cut hazards –
Heavy metal stamping, plate
A5 2,200 – 2,999 grams
glass handling and pulp/paper
production
High cut hazards –
Heavy metal stamping, plate
A6 3,000 – 3,999 grams
glass handling and pulp/paper
production
High cut –
Heavy metal stamping, plate
glass handling, pulp/paper
production, assembly or
A7 4,000 – 4,999 grams
movement of large, bulky or
heavy objects with sharp edges
and assembly or movement of
items that are difficult to grip
High cut hazards –
Heavy metal stamping, plate
glass handling, pulp/paper
production, assembly or
A8 5,000 – 5,999 grams
movement of large, bulky or
heavy objects with sharp edges
and assembly or movement of
items that are difficult to grip
High cut hazards – Heavy metal
stamping, plate glass handling,
pulp/paper production, assembly
A9 6,000+ or movement of large, bulky or
heavy objects with sharp edges
and assembly or movement of
items that are difficult to grip
*Current U.S. voluntary consensus standard.
Hand injuries are the most common type of injury in the workplace and one of many hazards faced by steel workers.
56 DECEMBER 2017
Parts of the Protection Puzzle
It is important to clarify the terminology.
Cut resistance is the ability of a material to
resist damage when challenged with a mov-
ing sharp-edged object. It is only one com-
ponent of cut protection, which also encom-
passes properties such as durability, abrasion
resistance, grip, dexterity and comfort.
Gloves are generally used for extended
periods of time, and it is important that
they provide the same level of abrasion
resistance and durability at the end of a
worker’s shift as at the beginning. Con-
sidering that sharp-edged objects pose a
much greater threat when they are in mo-
tion, a secure grip can significantly reduce
the chance of an injury by preventing slip-
ping and providing the worker with more
control. When small sharp objects must
be handled, dexterity and comfort become
very important. Comfortable gloves that
do not hinder touch are much more likely
to be worn.
Which “Level” to Choose?
To ensure that the correct cut-resistant
gloves are being selected, a thorough un-
derstanding of the current industry stan-
dards, test methods, “grams to cut” require-
ments and suggested applications is a must.
A hand injury is the most common type
of injury in the workplace, and hand safety
must be a priority. When engineering and
administrative controls are not enough,
PPE such as cut-resistant gloves can help
prevent hand injuries. Protect your hands
by using the proper level of protection;
they are the most important tools you will
ever work with. ■
 www.aisc.org/nightschool

AISC

Night School
Coming this Winter 2018...
Effective Seismic Design in Steel
presented by Rafael Sabelli, SE

Monday nights 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

(90 minutes each)

This 8-session course examines seismic

design concepts and then applies them
to the design of a low-rise office building.

Topics include: steel behavior, building

codes, design criteria, lateral system
selection, seismic connections
and more…

There’s always a solution in steel.

American Institute of Steel Construction

www.aisc.org 312.670.2400
 news
NASCC
2018 NASCC Registration Opens January 15
If you’re involved in the design or construc-
tion of steel buildings or bridges, NASCC:
The Steel Conference is your once-a-year
opportunity to meet more than 4,500 other
industry practitioners and talk with the lead-
ing experts in the steel community, whether
it’s an expert on wind design, the author of
a design guide on vibration or members of
the committee who put together the AISC
Code of Standard Practice. The 2018 confer-
ence takes place April 11-13 in Baltimore
and will offer around 150 technical sessions
on the latest design concepts, construction
techniques and cutting-edge research. The
conference will also feature more than 240
exhibitors showcasing everything from fab-
rication equipment to structural engineer-
ing software.
“The industry connections, personal
relationships, cutting-edge technology
A NOTE ON STEEL QUIZ
The October Steel Quiz generated
quite a bit of interest, discussion and
even model building. We received a
few emails from engineers asserting
that such framing is not only difficult
to erect but also inherently unstable
and unsafe. Some engineers even de-
clared that it was impossible to deter-
mine the forces for such a structure.
The condition shown was not ficti-
tious. It was used on an actual project,
was successfully erected (through the
use of temporary hangers from the
floor above) and is safely supporting
loads to this day.
Though we have heard the terms
circular framing and infinite load path
used to describe this type of framing, it
seems the more formal terminology is
reciprocal framing. A Google search for
58 DECEMBER 2017
and face-to-face interactions are worth
way more than the cost of the entire trip,”
said 2017 participant Nyckey Heath, PE,
of Bennett Steel, Inc. (an AISC mem-
ber and certified fabricator). “I have met
many people who have proven to be valu-
able resources for me as an engineer, fab-
ricator and erector. This is an investment
in your company’s future!”
Participants can earn up to 16 PDHs
by attending the conference’s dynamic,
expert-led sessions (plus an additional 4
PDHs if they attend the optional pre-con-
ference short course). One low registration
fee gains you access to all of the technical
sessions, the keynote sessions, the T.R.
Higgins Lecture and the exhibition hall.
Registration for the conference opens
January 15. For more information, visit
www.aisc.org/nascc.
this term produces hundreds of results
ranging from blog entries by backyard
builders to peer-reviewed papers. One
of the links is to a discussion prompted
by the October Steel Quiz:
http://tinyurl.com/steelquiz
Among the arguments and coun-
terarguments, you will find real-
world models made with rulers, but-
ter knives, children’s toys and scrap
lumber supporting cinder blocks, juice
bottles and even an AISC Seismic De-
sign Manual.
Computer programs, mathemati-
cal models and engineering rules-of-
thumb are all great tools, but in the
end, all that matters is whether or not
something works in the real world. We
are glad we gave our readers something
to think about and discuss.
People
• Kloeckner Metals Corporation,
a producer an independent
distributor of steel and metal
products (and an AISC mem-
ber), recently opened the
doors to its newly expanded
Greenville, S.C., plant. The
addition encompasses a
50,000-sq.-ft bay with 43-ton
cranes and a new, highly
automated slitting line for
processing advanced high-
strength steels and aluminum.
Kloeckner is investing over $11
million in the expansion, which
will create 19 jobs.
• David Gregg, a steel industry
veteran of two decades, has
b e e n n a m e d d i re c t o r o f
operations at Max Weiss
Company, an AISC member
bender-roller. Gregg, who has
served as plant manager at the
company since 2014, began his
career as a welder-fabricator,
plying the hands-on element
of the industry for seven years
before joining Max Weiss in
2004 as an account manager.
• Greg Riley, SE, PE, was
recently named engineering
firm Schaefer’s new president.
A p ro f e s s i o n a l s t r u c t u r a l
engineer at Schaefer for the
past 22 years, Riley started
with the firm after college and
accepted leadership roles as
team leader, operations leader
and vice president before
attaining the nomination as
the firm’s next president. In
other Schaefer news, Ryan
Konst, PE, previously vice
president, was appointed to
executive vice president. And
Sally Wehrman has become
the firm’s first female vice
president, having previously
been human resource director.
 news
EDUCATION
Student Design Competition Registration Open
Registration is open for the 2017-2018 spans and more creative light-filled spac- More information about the competi-
Steel Design Student Competition. Ad- es. As usual, Category II is an open cate- tion can be found at www.acsa-arch.org.
ministered by the Association of Colle- gory that offers students the opportunity You can view this year’s winners in the Oc-
giate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and to select a site and building program us- tober article “The Future of Museums?”
sponsored by AISC, the competition en- ing steel as the primary material. (available at www.modernsteel.com).
courages architecture students from across
North America to explore the many func-
tional and aesthetic uses for steel in design
and construction. A total of $14,000 in cash
prizes will be awarded to the winning stu-
dents and their faculty sponsors.
Individual students or teams par-
ticipating in this year’s competition are
required to have a faculty sponsor, who
must fill out the registration form by
March 28, 2018; registration information
may be modified until submission of the
final project (due by May 23). There is no
fee to enter the competition.
Students have the opportunity to
participate in one of two categories. Cat-
egory I is titled “Humanitarian Design
of a Detention Center” and challenges
students to create a more humanitar-
ian design of a detention center by em-
phasizing family and community rather
than isolation. Steel offers great benefits
in this endeavor, as it allows for longer

DESIGN GUIDES
AISC Releases Modular Steel-Plate Composite
Wall Design Guide for Nuclear Facilities
Modular steel-plate composite (SC)
walls are improving overall schedule
and quality in safety-related nuclear
structures, and building designers now
have a comprehensive resource to facil-
itate their design with AISC’s new De-
sign Guide 32: Design of Modular Steel-
Plate Composite Walls for Safety-Related
Nuclear Facilities. The guidelines and
design examples outlined in this docu-
ment are based on the first supplement
to AISC’s Specification for Safety-Relat-
ed Steel Structures for Nuclear Facilities
(ANSI/AISC N690).
“AISC’s steel specification for nucle-
ar facilities, ANSI/AISC N690, saw a
recent advancement with the introduc-
tion of provisions for the design of SC
walls, and the next generation of nucle-
ar power plants will see the use of SC
walls to expedite construction through
the use of modular assemblies com-
posed of SC walls,” said Ron Janowiak,
senior staff engineer at Exelon Corpo-
ration and chair of AISC’s Task Com-
mittee on Nuclear Facilities. “AISC’s
Design Guide 32 provides guidance to
engineers on the many aspects of analy-
sis and design of these structures based
on ANSI/AISC N690.”
This new guide contains both theo-
retical discussion as well as practical de-
sign examples. “Topics addressed include
steel anchor detailing, modeling parame-
ters for analysis, interaction equations for
complex loadings, SC wall connections
and various fabrication-related topics,”
said Janowiak. “A detailed list of refer-
ences is also provided.”
A downloadable PDF of the new
guide is available for free to AISC mem-
bers (and $60 for nonmembers) at www.
aisc.org/publications. A printed ver-
sion is also available for purchase; the
cost is $40 for members and $80 for
nonmembers.
AISC has produced more than 30
design guides to provide detailed in-
formation on various topics related to
structural steel design and construction.
All of the guides are available in print-
ed format and as downloadable PDFs.
Browse the collection at www.aisc.org/
dg. And for more on Design Guide 32,
see the “Nuclear Option” SteelWise ar-
ticle in the November issue, available at
www.modernsteel.com.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 59
 news
EDUCATION
AISC Announces Annual Scholarship Winners
AISC recently announced its
scholarship winners for the 2017-
18 academic year, administering
over $200,000 in financial aid to
50 deserving undergraduate and
master-level students.
Now in its sixth year, the AISC
David B. Ratterman Fast Start
Scholarship program awarded a
total of $45,000 in scholarships to
12 students attending two-year and
four-year colleges. The program
awards children of AISC-member
company employees who will be
freshmen and sophomores during
the upcoming academic year.
AISC also awarded scholar-
ships—$156,500 in all—to 38
junior, senior and masters-level
students, with funding from the
AISC Education Foundation
and several industry association
partners. AISC is proud to part-
ner with these organizations and
offers its sincere thanks for their
generous continued support of
our student programs.
Congratulations to the fol-
lowing students for earning their
well-deserved scholarships for the
2017-18 academic year:
Berrisford Elmen
Bruns Burton
Gooding Paquette
60 DECEMBER 2017
David B. Ratterman
Fast Start Scholarships
$2,000 Award Recipients
➤ Kasside Cain,
Kirkwood Community College
➤ Taylor Clifton, Parkland College
➤ Mackenzie Magsamen,
Central Community College
➤ Tristan Moseley, Copiah Lincoln
Community College
➤ Jarrett Schneider,
Salisbury University
$5,000 Award Recipients
➤ Clayton Berrisford,
Ball State University
➤ Kellie Elmen, University of Utah
➤ Joshua Leiter, Purdue University
➤ Jacob Meyer, Purdue University
➤ Ariana Olazaba, Dixie State University
➤ Kylee Roberts,
Northern Arizona University
➤ Jennifer Wolf, Massachusetts
College of Art and Design*
Cain Clifton
Leiter Meyer
Cuddihy Cuddington
Poehlitz Smith
AISC Scholarships for Juniors,
Seniors and Masters-Level Students
AISC Education Foundation
➤ Samuel Baer, Johns Hopkins University
➤ Robert Bruns, Lehigh University
➤ Matthew Burton,
University of Cincinnati
➤ Zachary Cuddihy,
University of Alaska Anchorage
➤ Kate Cuddington,
Stanford University
➤ Justin Davis, Clemson University
➤ Andrew Foerster,
Kansas State University
➤ Joyce Fung, University of
California, Berkeley
➤ Malory Gooding,
University of Cincinnati
➤ Isaac Klugh, Kansas State University*
➤ Jonathan Paquette, Virginia Tech
➤ Amy Poehlitz, Stanford University
➤ Corey Smith, Lehigh University
➤ Vincent Wenzel, University of
California, Berkeley
Magsamen Moseley Schneider
Olazaba Roberts Baer
Davis Foerster Fung
continued on next page ➤
*not pictured
Wenzel
 news

Dasoqi Dokliev Eckhoff Kolpak Roldan Walus Warchol

Juniors
➤ Lauren Breedlove,
Civil Engineering*
➤ Jose Reyna,
Construction Management*
Woodruff Dutton Khandaker McClung Cote ➤ Kennedy Stephens,
Architectural Engineering

Sophomores
➤ Evan George,
Civil Engineering*
➤ Jesse Matthews,
Construction Management*
Jara-Perez Castor Cochran Coleman Stephens ➤ Gage Strom,
Architectural Engineering*
AISC/Associated Steel Erectors AISC/Southern Association of
of Chicago Steel Fabricators The David B. Ratterman
➤ Adam Dasoqi, University of Illinois at ➤ Raunac Khandaker, Scholarship Jury consisted of
Urbana-Champaign Georgia Institute of Technology the following individuals:
➤ Kremena Dokliev, ➤ Christian McClung, ➤ Brad Bourne, AISC Education
Illinois Institute of Technology University of New Orleans Foundation Chair
➤ Kathryn Eckhoff, ➤ Lawrence Cox, AISC Board
Northwestern University AISC/Steel Fabricators of Member
➤ Sebastian Kolpak, New England ➤ Babette Freund,
University of Illinois at Chicago ➤ Derek Cote, University of Hartford AISC Board Member
➤ Arianna Roldan, University of Illinois ➤ Patrick Leonard,
at Urbana-Champaign AISC/Indiana Fabricators AISC Board Member
➤ Rafal Walus, Illinois Institute of Association ➤ Rex Lewis, AISC Past Chair
Technology ➤ Matthew Branz, ➤ David B. Ratterman,
➤ Kyle Warchol, University of Illinois Purdue University* AISC General Counsel
at Urbana-Champaign ➤ Manuel Jara-Perez,
University of Evansville The AISC Scholarship jury
AISC/Great Lakes Fabricators ➤ Ricardo Zambonino, consisted of the following
and Erectors Association Trine University* individuals:
➤ Steven Woodruff, ➤ Benjamin Baer, Baer
University of Michigan AISC/W&W Steel/Oklahoma Associates Engineers, Ltd.
State University (Program includes ➤ David Bibbs, Cannon Design
AISC/Ohio Structural sophomores, juniors and seniors) ➤ Christopher Brown, Skidmore,
Steel Association Seniors Owings & Merrill, LLP
➤ Matthew Burton, ➤ Randall Castor, ➤ Christina Harber, AISC
University of Cincinnati Construction Management ➤ Luke Johnson, AISC
➤ Dillon Cochran, Civil Engineering ➤ Colleen Malone,
AISC/Rocky Mountain Steel ➤ Alexa Coleman, H.W. Lochner, Inc.
Construction Association Architectural Engineering
➤ Mitchell Dutton,
*not pictured
University of Colorado Boulder

Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 61

 news
CORE CONSTRUCTION
Steel Core System Revolutionizes High-Rise Construction
A new steel-concrete composite high-
rise core wall system is revolutionizing
the design and construction of tall build-
ings. The system uses two steel plates
connected by steel spacing ties with the
cavity between the plates filled with high-
strength concrete. It provides the poten-
tial to shave months off the construction
schedule—and reduces costs—compared
with a traditional concrete core system.
And most importantly, the new system
has performed spectacularly in labora-
tory tests.
This tall shear wall system was de-
veloped through a series of studies and
advancements by Magnusson Klemen-
cic Associates (MKA). “The system is an
evolution of many years of our work with
composite steel columns, steel plate shear
walls and performance-based seismic de-
sign,” Jon Magnusson, senior principal
at MKA, explained. “Ron Klemencic has
led the development of the system, work-
ing with MKA engineers, contractors,
steel fabricators, university researchers
and AISC and obtained additional finan-
cial support from AISC and the Charles
Pankow Foundation for the effort.”
This system is the first application of
rapid tall composite shear wall construc-
tion. There have been other applications
of shorter composite walls, but not to this
scale and primarily only for loads perpen-
dicular to the wall. The tall shear wall ef-
fort has included research and lab tests of
the system by Professor Amit H. Varma
at Purdue University and Professor Mi-
chel Bruneau at the University at Buffalo.
Klemencic added, “Amit and Michel had
completed research and development on
short wall systems, and their new work
and contributions on the tall shear walls
have been extremely valuable.”
The system grew out of efforts to
expedite and harden safety-related
nuclear structures, and AISC has pub-
lished the specification, Specification for
Safety-Related Steel Structures for Nuclear
Facilities (AISC N690-12s1, 2015), and
a new design guide, Design Guide 32:
Design of Modular Steel-Plate Composite
Walls for Safety-Related Nuclear Facilities,
co-authored by Varma, to facilitate their
design and review.
62 DECEMBER 2017
Klemencic, chairman and CEO at in steel construction, rather than the
MKA, recently received the distin- broader tolerances permitted in concrete
guished engineering alumni award from construction. “It fundamentally changes
Purdue University. During a recent pre- the game,” Klemencic said.
sentation at Purdue, Klemencic offered Time is saved by eliminating rebar
sage advice to students and also showed a installation and formwork construction.
video that MKA produced as part of their And without the need to wait for the
construction study of this system on the concrete to cure, the core and perim-
Rainier Square project in Seattle. The eter steel can rise in tandem, resulting in
study compared the speed of construc- much faster erection.
tion of a traditional concrete core and the Currently, Composite Plate Shear
new steel-concrete composite core. The Walls–Concrete Filled are addressed in
result was dramatic. While the concrete AISC’s Seismic Provisions for Structural
core building took 474 working days to Steel Buildings (AISC 341-16) and Cou-
top out, the hybrid wall building took pled Composite Steel Plate Shear Walls
only 377 working days. (CCSPSWs) are allowed by AISC’s Speci-
“The 97-working-day difference equals fication for Structural Steel Buildings (AISC
136 calendar days, which means the owner 360-16), according to Larry Kruth,
will benefit from four-and-a-half months AISC’s vice president of engineering and
lower contractor’s overhead and general research.
conditions costs, four-and-a-half months “Purdue’s research project is sched-
lower financing costs and four-and-a-half uled to be complete mid-2019,” Kruth
months of earlier rental income,” Kl- explained. “In addition to this initial
emencic explained.
“The steel mod-
ules are fabricated
in shops with qual-
ity control and au-
tomation,” explained
Varma. Because the
steel framing doesn’t
have to wait for the
concrete core—the
construction of which
is far slower than the
erection of the rest
of the building’s
steel frame—the sys-
tem greatly speeds
construction.
The system pro-
vides the strength,
stiffness, safety and
serviceability of
a reinforced con-
crete core without
the negatives of re-
bar congestion and
complex formwork.
In addition, using
the system means
the entire structure
is built to the tight
tolerances standard

RESILIENCY
LCA for HARC Points to Steel Framing
The Houston Advanced Research Cen-
ter (HARC) desired a headquarters
building designed to not only provide of-
fice space, but to also serve as an educa-
tional tool for sustainable technologies.
HARC leadership worked with Walter P
Moore and its director of sustainable de-
sign, Dirk Kestner, to perform a whole-
building life-cycle assessment (LCA) to
evaluate multiple structural systems from
the very outset of the building design
process—and a steel frame with a mini-
mized amount of concrete was proven to
reduce carbon emissions.
funding for the research being done at
Purdue and the University at Buffalo,
AISC, along with the Charles Pankow
Foundation, is funding a FEMA P695
study at both universities. When this
study is completed in mid-2018, the CC-
SPSW is expected to be rated with an R-
Factor of R=8, which is the highest Seis-
mic Response Modification Factor of any
shear wall system of any material.”
And the system is not just for use in
seismic areas. “There is a great poten-
tial for the use of CCSPSWs in wind-
controlled buildings,” added Kruth. “In
fact, Rainier Square in Seattle, where
the CCSPSW will be used first, is a
The LCA process enabled HARC and
the design and construction team to iden-
tify and quantify the environmental im-
pacts of various materials and construction
options so that better decisions were made.
For example, concrete (specifically the
Portland cement constituent) was found to
be the largest contributor to the building’s
embodied environmental impact. This
led the design and construction team to
specify a steel-framed structure, reducing
the amount of cement used on the project,
and to require concrete suppliers to pro-
vide environmental product declarations
news
wind controlled design. The potential
is not just for high-rise structures. This
system is very desirable for use in low-
rise structures due to its speed of con-
struction, enabling the schedule to be
shortened.”
A presentation on the composite cou-
pled core wall system, by Klemencic and
Varma, is scheduled at the 2018 NASCC:
The Steel Conference (April 11-13) in
Baltimore. “This system represents the
greatest innovation in steel in high-rise
buildings in decades,” Magnusson con-
cluded. “It offers the performance of a
concrete core with the speed and benefits
of steel construction.”
(EPDs) and the use of low-carbon concrete
on-site. The simple changes, understood
early on in the process, saved 300,000 lb of
CO2 emissions and resulted in impressive
reductions in the building material’s global
warming (20%), acidification (25%) and
smog formation (15%) potentials.
Recently completed, the 20,000-sq.-ft
facility is tracking LEED Platinum Cer-
tification and Net Zero Energy Build-
ing Certification. The building was one
of the first in Texas to be subjected to a
whole-building LCA. Read more about
the project at www.harcresearch.org.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 63
 news
STEELDAY
SteelDay 2017 Engages Students, Professionals Across U.S.
Dozens of events around the country
highlighted the ninth annual SteelDay
on September 15.
Hosted by AISC and its members and
partners, SteelDay offers the opportunity
for AEC professionals, students and oth-
ers to gain insight into the work, expe-
rience and accomplishments of the U.S.
structural steel industry at free events
occurring all over the country, including
facility open houses, project site tours
and webinars.
In Manhattan, AISC hosted a “Steel-
Day Eve” event for guests to learn how
steel is transforming the 425 Park Av-
enue skyscraper in Manhattan. Owen
Steel Company, Inc. (an AISC member
and certified fabricator) is the fabricator
for the project, which, at 47 stories/near-
ly 900 ft tall and highlighted by exposed
steel diagrids, will be the first full-block
development on Park Avenue in almost
half a century.
In Washington, D.C., approximately
50 AEC professionals toured the con-
struction site of the new DC Water
Headquarters in the city’s Navy Yard
area. The 150,000-sq.-ft steel-framed
office project is planned to be one of the
most energy-efficient buildings in the
Mid-Atlantic region and wraps around
an operating pump station that handles
about two-thirds of the metro area’s
sewer outflow. The building, fabricated
and erected by Berlin Steel (an AISC
64 DECEMBER 2017
member and certified fabricator and
erector), features a 220-ft-long, four-
story truss that spans across much of the
current vital infrastructure.
And near Milwaukee, several construc-
tion professionals visited the job site of the
under-construction, 230,000-sq.-ft, four-
story Advanced Outpatient Surgical Wing
of St. Catherine’s Medical Center, which
incorporates SidePlate (an AISC member)
connections and was fabricated and erected
by Construction Supply and Erection, Inc.,
an AISC member and certified fabricator
and erector.
In more student-oriented events, an-
other SteelDay highlight was the erection
of a 10-ft-tall steel sculpture at Drexel
University in Philadelphia. The new piece
joins the more than 170 AISC steel sculp-
tures located on university and college
campuses across the country (and even
around the world!) that are designed as
a teaching tool to give students a visual
understanding of steel framing and steel
connections. Drexel’s is the first to be in-
stalled in Philadelphia and will be used
for instruction in multiple courses in the
school’s Department of Civil, Architec-
tural and Environmental Engineering.
The sculpture was donated by Joe Mess-
ner, president and CEO of JGM Fabrica-
tors, Coatesville, Pa. (an AISC member
and certified fabricator) and is installed
outside of the Bossone Research Enter-
prise Center. (For more about the AISC
steel sculpture, including a list of school
locations and information on having one
constructed on your campus, visit www.
aisc.org/steelsculpture.)
West Point’s Department of Civil and
Mechanical Engineering also celebrated
SteelDay, with cadets and faculty visiting
two local steel bridges. First, cadets were
led on a tour of the nearby Bear Mountain
Bridge to learn about its anchorage, histo-
ry and structural design. Representatives
from the New York State Bridge Author-
ity and others provided inside knowledge
of the bridge, including details on the steel
parallel cable suspenders, steel trusses
and 350-ft steel towers. The cadets and
faculty then traveled to the Tappan Zee
Bridge, where they enjoyed a briefing on
the $4 billion, 3.1-mile-long, twin-span,
cable-stayed bridge. There, various proj-
ect representatives described the organi-
zation, planning and challenges that come
with such a huge endeavor and answered
cadets’ questions about this new piece of
critical infrastructure.
And in addition to being invited
to various events, students were
also encouraged to express their
love of steel using social media
via the Student SteelDay Contest.
You can view the testimonials of
the five winners at www.aisc.org/
studentsteeldaycontest. Next year’s
SteelDay will take place Friday,
September 28.
 marketplace & employment
Structural Engineers
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Contract Auditor
Quality Management Company, LLC (QMC) is seeking qualified
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This contract requires travel throughout North America and limited
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Contract auditors must have knowledge of quality management
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Steel Detailers,
Checkers,
Estimators and
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Lincoln Engineering Group is one of the fastest growing structural and
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Ideal candidate would have experience in Structural and Miscellaneous steel
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Please submit your Résumé to: jobs@lincolnengineering.com or
Contact Terri Peters at (630) 445-2111
Search employment ads online at www.modernsteel.com. To advertise, call 231.228.2274 or e-mail gurthet@modernsteel.com.
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Drill Spindle, HPR260 Plasma, (1) Oxy Torch, Siemens 840, ‘08 #27974
Peddinghaus FPB1500-3E CNC Plate Punch with Plasma, 177 Ton,
Fagor 8025 CNC, 60” Max. Width, 1-1/4” Plate, 1999 #25161
Pangborn ES-1848 Vertical Plate & Structural Steel Blast Cleaning
Machine, 4’x12’ One Pass, 25 HP, Monorail, Dust Collector, ‘08 #27976
Behringer HBP-530/1104G Structural Steel Mitre Cutting Band Saw,
20.8” x 43.3” Maximum Cutting Capacity, 2” Blade, 2000 #27083
Ficep 2004 DTT CNC Drilling & Thermal Coping Line, 78-3/4” x 24”
Max. Beam, 3-Drill, Ficep Arianna CNC Control, 2003 #20382
Controlled Automation BT1-1433 CNC Oxy/Plasma Cutting
System, 14’ x 33’, Oxy, (2) Hy-Def 200 Amp Plasma, 2002 #20654
Controlled Automation ABL-100-B CNC Flat Bar Detail Line, 143
Ton Punch, 400 Ton Single Cut Shear, 40’ Infeed, 1999 #24216
Controlled Automation 2AT-175 CNC Plate Punch, 175 Ton, 30” x
60” Travel, 1-1/2” Max. Plate, PC CNC, 1996 #23503
Controlled Automation DRL344 CNC Beam Drill Line, Hem WF140
Saw, Tandem Line, 2008 #24937
www.PrestigeEquipment.com | Ph: +1.631.249.5566
sales@prestigeequipment.com
STEEL FABRICATOR FOR SALE!
Located in Northeast U.S.; very profitable
2016 revenues around $10 million
Skilled workforce and excellent reputation
Room to expand production by 2 to 3 times
Owner looking toward retirement
Contact Jim Walsh: jwalsh@brookwoodcapital.net
Looking for something from an old issue of Modern Steel?
All of the issues from Modern Steel Construction’s
first 50 years are now available as free PDF downloads
at www.modernsteel.com/backissues.
Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION 65
 structurally A LONG, DRAWN-
sound OUT PROCESS

YOU KNOW THE OLD SAYING: A few pictures

and several dozen words are worth an entire hour-
long seminar backed by a PowerPoint presentation.
Or something like that.
What I’m describing is the practice of using
professional illustrators to capture the essence of a
live presentation as it’s happening. We tried it out at a
recent internal AISC event, and the results were—well,
see for yourself. Each presentation was transformed
(by illustrators from ImageThink) into a dynamic, fun,
comic-style info-graphic that captured the presenters’
main ideas and cleverly aligned them into a visualized
train of thought. It’s a fun enhancement to traditional
presentations—and the results are suitable for framing,
assuming you have the space.
Will we roll this concept out at NASCC? Only if
we could find the rather sizable number of artists it
would take to illustrate every session—and that would
be a pretty tall order. But it’s a great option for smaller
meetings involving a handful of presentations (or even
just one) and it creates a great keepsake that allows
your key messages to linger long after the fact. ■

66 DECEMBER 2017
HIGH
quality
METALIZING.
Among the industry’s most valuable tools
against corrosion, metalizing provides a
protective coating by means of a thermal
spray of molten zinc or zinc/aluminum
alloy. Incorporating metalized structural
steel into your project can increase the
structure’s lifespan while reducing long-term
maintenance costs.

High Steel Structures is one of a select few

fabricators who have made the investment
to provide metalized structural steel directly
from the fabrication facility. To meet
increasing industry demand, High Steel
recently added two dedicated chambers to its
Williamsport, PA facility with state of the art
equipment for blasting and metalizing steel
components.

We offer our full range of steel coatings as

individual services or as part of a turnkey
package including fabrication and shipping.

CONTACT US TO DISCUSS
YOUR PROJECT
Rich Truxel, Sales Manager
(717) 207-4303 • RTruxel@high.net

1915 Old Philadelphia Pike • PO Box 10008

Lancaster, PA 17605-0008
WWW.HIGHSTEEL.COM