October 2018

Truly Constructible Models

Detail, Fabricate and Erect
from a Single Source

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 October 2018

features
26 Narrow Margin
in every issue BY KEN SAINDON, SE, PE,
AND ALEX WHITNEY, PE
departments
It’s a tight—but successful—squeeze for a
6 EDITOR’S NOTE replacement steel span in a remote Idaho canyon.
9 STEEL INTERCHANGE
12 STEEL QUIZ
59 NEW PRODUCTS
32 Rebuilding a City in Steel
BY MICHEL BRUNEAU, PENG, PHD,
60 NEWS AND GREGORY A. MACRAE, PHD
66 STRUCTURALLY SOUND A report on construction activity in Christchurch,
New Zealand, following a devastating earthquake
resources offers insights on how other cities might recover
65 MARKETPLACE after potential similar events in the future—and why
& EMPLOYMENT steel has become the material of choice for much of
the city’s repaired, rebuilt and new buildings.

39 Polyaspartic Coatings
BY AHREN OLSON, TODD WILLIAMS
AND RONNIE MEDLOCK, PE
Reducing the cost of shop-painted steel bridges by
improving painting efficiency.

46 Spanning Generations—
and Troubled Waters
BY VICTORIA CSERVENYAK
A team of bridge professionals connects a remote
Panamanian village to nearby communities with a
new bridge over a treacherous river.

52 Design With a Twist

BY BO DOWSWELL, PE, PHD
AISC’s new design guide provides much-needed
advice on designing projects with curved steel.

columns
steelwise
17 Unlisted Materials – Part 1
BY LARRY S. MUIR, PE, AND
THOMAS J. SCHLAFLY
A look at materials and products that are not
included in the AISC Specification’s list of
approved materials.

business issues
24 Choose Strategy
BY ANDY SLIPHER
46 Answer the magic question of “How?”
with a solid strategy.

ON THE COVER:
Tight quarters in the form of a narrow canyon and sharply curving road didn’t stop this Idaho river span from coming together quickly, p. 26.
(Photo: Ken Saindon)
MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION (Volume 58, Number 10) 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
Printed on paper made
photocopies are being reproduced. The AISC and Modern Steel logos are registered trademarks of AISC. from a minimum of
10% recycled content.
4 | OCTOBER 2018
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editor’s note
Editorial Offices
130 E Randolph St, Ste 2000
Chicago, IL 60601
312.670.2400
Editorial Contacts
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Scott Melnick
312.670.8314
[email protected]
SENIOR EDITOR
Geoff Weisenberger
312.670.8316
[email protected]
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS
My family doesn’t travel with me that often, but sometimes the destination Keith A. Grubb, SE, PE
312.670.8318
is so interesting that we make an exception. [email protected]
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Such was the case around 15 years ago was a calm voice on the board who always Erika Salisbury
when I was invited to attend a Canadian took a thoughtful and long-range position 312.670.5427
Institute of Steel Construction event in Jasper and was willing to reconsider when there was [email protected]

(up in the Canadian province of Alberta). enough evidence to the contrary. GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER
Kristin Hall
Bob Owen, an AISC board member I have so many great memories of Terry, his 312.670.8313
and a gentleman in his own right, was also wife and his two sons, who are both intimately [email protected]
attending. Bob, the then president of Paxton involved with the fabrication business (if you AISC Officers
CHAIR
and Vierling Steel, is an avid pilot and asked have ever attended a Future Leaders Ideas
David Zalesne
if I wanted a “ride.” I explained that my whole Lab, you were sure to meet Ted and John).
VICE CHAIR
family was going, but he simply replied that Early on, he was a notable holdout who Jack Klimp
he loved kids and they were all welcome! opposed the AISC Fabricator Certification SECRETARY/GENERAL COUNSEL
Also flying with us was Terry Peshia and Program. But over time, he grew to realize David B. Ratterman
his lovely wife, Connie. As we sat down and the value of the program and became one PRESIDENT
settled in, Terry pulled out a Chinese checkers of its staunchest advocates and a leader Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
set and invited my daughter, Julia, who was in the development of the AISC Erector
Scott Melnick
around 7 at the time, to play. Terry and Julia Certification Program. VICE PRESIDENT
had a merry time on the flight, whether His fabrication shop, Garbe Iron Works in Lawrence F. Kruth, PE
playing games or having Terry explain the Aurora, Ill., was not the largest nor the most VICE PRESIDENT
nuances of aircraft navigation. modern facility. But they worked on a lot Tabitha S. Stine, SE, PE
When we returned to Chicago, Terry of interesting projects, including building a VICE PRESIDENT
Mark W. Trimble, PE
handed the game to my daughter. I thanked floating casino. Terry always advocated for
him but said it really wasn’t necessary. Terry the future, and his shop tours were incredible. Editorial Advisory Panel
Caroline R. Bennett, PE, PhD,
responded that he had only brought the Rather than just routing groups through the University of Kansas
game to play with Julia on the flight. space, he actually posted signs explaining Keith R. Griesing, PE,
That was the first time I learned what type what was happening at each station. Hardesty and Hanover
of heart Terry had. He also was a huge supporter of Steve Knitter,
Terry, who passed away last month, was students and donated multiple teaching Geiger and Peters
always a go-to expert for me. When I had steel sculptures to nearby universities (see Janice Mochizuki, PE, Arup
a question about the fabrication business, www.aisc.org/steelsculpture). In fact, visitors Dylan Olson, Olson Steel
he was the first person I turned to. And my often noticed a steel sculpture in front of his Advertising Contact
questions were always very broad; I can shop—which he maintained so he always ACCOUNT MANAGER
Renae Gurthet
remember calling to discuss topics ranging had a sculpture ready to donate. 231.995.0637
from the type of gasses he purchased to Terry represented the best of the steel [email protected]
insurance issues to erection procedures. He industry, and I’ll miss him dearly. Address Changes and
Subscription Concerns
312.670.2400
[email protected]
Reprints
Erika Salisbury
312.670.5427
Scott Melnick [email protected]
Editor

6 | OCTOBER 2018
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 If you’ve ever asked yourself “Why?” about something
related to structural steel design or construction, Modern steel
Steel’s monthly Steel Interchange is for you! Send your interchange
questions or comments to [email protected].

Unless specifically stated, all AISC publications mentioned in the ques- asked to check every connection on a current project for this
tions and/or answers reference the current edition and can be found at axial end reaction. Is this common?
www.aisc.org/specifications. No. Note that there is a requirement that the connections must
be able to resist this force. There is no requirement to provide
Weld Inspection Acceptance Criteria an explicit check. Engineers commonly judge some conditions as
AWS D1.1 provides acceptance criteria for both statically okay by inspection based on their own engineering judgment.
and cyclically loaded connections. Since the criteria for The required strength (in the horizontal direction) is only 5%
cyclically loaded connections are more stringent, should of the unfactored vertical loads. This is quite small. Relative to
they always be used unless stated otherwise? Is the inspec- many connection-related limit states, the load described by Sec-
tor responsible for deciding between statically and cyclically tion 1.4.4 would be 2.5% of the vertical design load. In practice,
loaded acceptance criteria? most engineers simply conclude that typical steel connections can
resist this load. I think it would be difficult to find a reasonable
The acceptance criteria for cyclically loaded connections should connection that does not satisfy this requirement.
not be assumed to be the default requirement. AWS D1.1 indi- Since these are ASCE, not AISC, requirements, you may also
cates that cyclic requirements apply when the joints are “sub- want to contact ASCE relative to their intent.
jected to cyclic loads of sufficient magnitude and frequency to Larry S. Muir, PE
cause the potential for fatigue failure.” Section 3.1 of the AISC
Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360) states: Galvanized Architecturally Exposed
“The fatigue resistance of members consisting of shapes or plate Structural Steel (AESS)
shall be determined when the number of cycles of application of The November 2017 Modern Steel Construction article “Max-
live load exceeds 20,000. No evaluation of fatigue resistance of imum Exposure” addresses changes that occurred in Section
members consisting of HSS in building-type structures subject to 10 of the 2016 AISC Code and provides other useful advice.
code-mandated wind loads is required.” This means that generally A caption to one of the photos states: “AESS can also be
welded connections in structures within the scope of the Speci- galvanized. Design teams should be aware that galvanizing
fication will be subject to acceptance criteria for statically loaded steel does not provide a ‘chrome’ finish, and no two pieces of
connections. galvanized steel will look exactly the same.” An editor’s note
The engineer of record (the owner’s designated representa- in Section 2.9 of the Sample Specification further cautions
tives for design) is responsible for defining the acceptance cri- about expectations for AESS finish when hot-dip galvanizing
teria. If the requirements are not clear, clarification should be is specified, and also explains the possible causes of such fin-
requested. Clause 6.7 of AWS D1.1 states: “The extent of exami- ish irregularity.
nation and the acceptance criteria shall be specified in the con- If the level of dullness/shininess is of concern, is sample/
tract documents on information furnished to the bidder.” Section mock-up the only way to establish the acceptable level of
8.5.6 of the AISC Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and dull or bright finish, in lieu of any other descriptive verbiage
Bridges (ANSI/AISC 303) states: “The inspector shall not sug- in the project specification?
gest, direct or approve the fabricator or erector to deviate from
the contract documents or the approved approval documents, A mock-up may be a means of establishing acceptable and
or approve such deviation, without the written approval of the expected finish for the galvanizing. Section 10.1.2 of the Code
owner’s designated representatives for design and construction.” requires a mock-up for AESS categories 3, 4 and C. If a mock-up
Both statements indicate that the requirements must be provided is to be used in other AESS categories, it must be specified in the
in the contract documents. contract documents.
Larry S. Muir, PE Regardless of whether a mock-up is used, you should work
with the galvanizer and fabricator to come up with specifica-
Connection to Supports tion language that will result in an end product that meets your
Section 1.4.4 of ASCE-7 states: “A positive connection for expectations. The chemistry of the steel influences the appear-
resisting a horizontal force acting parallel to the member ance of the galvanized coating. It may be necessary to impose
shall be provided for each beam, girder, or truss… The con- tighter controls on chemistry, which could impact the cost and
nection shall have the strength to resist a force of 5% of the schedule of the project. Also keep in mind that the mock-up will
unfactored dead load plus live load reaction imposed by the reflect only the appearance of the coating at a particular time.
supported member on the supporting member.” I am being As indicated in the article (www.modernsteel.com) the appear-
Modern Steel Construction | 9
steel interchange
ance may change to a more uniform matte gray finish over time even if the mock-
up appears bright or blotchy.
You might be able to refer to existing structures to get a better feel for the final
appearance. The galvanizer may also be able to provide guidance relative to steps that
were taken in an individual project to achieve a certain appearance.
You might want to reach out to the American Galvanizers Association
(www.galvanizeit.org). Its site provides a good bit of information about the
appearance of galvanized steel. This information is useful but should not be viewed as
a substitute for direct interaction with those performing the work.
Carlo Lini, PE

Pretension in Snug-Tight Connections

I have a few questions about pretension in snug-tight connections:
1. Do the RCSC or AISC specifications recommend that
snug-tight connections not be pretensioned?
2. Has this recommendation changed over time?
3. What is the level of pretension that is expected in
snug-tight connections?

Your questions are addressed below:

1. No. There is no such recommendation. Neither the RCSC Specification nor the
AISC Specification place an upper limit on installed pretension for snug-tight joints.
Snug-tightened joints are defined as having all plies in firm contact and bolts tight-
ened with a few impacts of an impact wrench or the full effort of an ironworker. To
reach this condition, the bolts could be installed to the pretensions indicated in Table
J3.1 of the AISC Specification—or even higher—in order to satisfy the requirements
for a snug-tight joint.
2. No. To my knowledge, there has never been a recommended upper limit on the
installed pretension for snug-tight joints.
3. As stated above, there is no upper limit on the installed pretension. AISC Design
Guide 16: Flush and Extended Multiple-Row Moment End-Plate Connections (a free down-
load for members at www.aisc.org/dg) does provide some guidance and states:
“The study by Kline, et al. (1989) observed that the pretension force measured in
the snug-tightened bolts is directly proportional to the bolt diameter (db). Based on
Larry Muir is director of technical assistance, this data, a recommendation for the assumed pretension force in snug-tightened bolts
Carlo Lini is a senior staff engineer and to be used in the design procedure is:
Jonathan Tavarez is a staff engineer in the db ≤ 5∕8 in., use 75% of specified AISC full pretension
Steel Solutions Center, all with AISC. db = ¾ in., use 50% of specified AISC full pretension
db = 7∕8 in., use 37.5% of specified AISC full pretension
db ≥ 1 in., use 25% of specified AISC full pretension”
This is just a guide to what pretension can be expected. It is not something to be
measured when bolts are installed.
Carlo Lini, PE

Steel Interchange is a forum to exchange useful and

Small Section Sizes
practical professional ideas and information on all phases The smallest angle found in the AISC Steel Construction Manual is L2×2. Why
of steel building and bridge construction. Contact Steel doesn’t the Manual include sizes such as L1½×1½ or L1¼×1¼?
Interchange with questions or responses via AISC’s Steel
Solutions Center: 866.ASK.AISC | [email protected]
The complete collection of Steel Interchange questions and The AISC Committee on Manuals determines what information to include in the
answers is available online at www.modernsteel.com. Manual based on a number of factors, including the relevance to steel building struc-
The opinions expressed in Steel Interchange do not tures. L1½×1½ and L1¼×1¼ are likely too small to be considered for use in building
necessarily represent an official position of the American
Institute of Steel Construction and have not been reviewed. structures. If you need properties or strengths for these shapes, you may conserva-
It is recognized that the design of structures is within the tively calculate the properties by hand and determine the strength manually using the
scope and expertise of a competent licensed structural
engineer, architect or other licensed professional for the
provisions of the Specification.
application of principles to a particular structure. Jonathan Tavarez

10 | OCTOBER 2018
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 This month’s Steel Quiz is based on fatigue requirements in Appendix
3 of the AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC
steel 360, www.aisc.org/specifications). The questions and answers were
quiz contributed by Hamza Sekkak, a PhD student at the Illinois Institute of
Technology. Thank you, Hamza!

1 Per the AISC Specification, fatigue when the number of live load 2 True or False: When the applied
resistance of members consisting of application cycles exceeds: cyclic stress range is less than the
shapes or plate shall be determined a. 5,000 b. 20,000 threshold allowable stress range,
c. 100,000 d. 500,000 FTH, no further evaluation of fatigue
resistance is required.
3 Does fatigue typically need to be
considered for seismic or wind
loading?
4 True or False: Stress ranges that are
completely in compression need to
be investigated for fatigue.
5 From Appendix 3 in the Specification,
stresses are calculated on the basis
of ………………….. . The maximum
permitted stress is ………….. due to
FabSuite continues to be peak cyclic loads.
a. live loads / Fy
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c. live loads / 0.66Fy
Management Software d. amplified loads / Fy
6 Which of the two below details (with
weld reinforcement removed) would
be assigned fatigue Category B, and
which would be assigned fatigue
Category E?

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TURN TO PAGE 14 FOR THE ANSWERS

12 | OCTOBER 2018
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steel quiz ANSWERS

1 b. The appendix on fatigue in cracking will not initiate regardless the effects of wind loading on typi-
the Specification (Appendix 3) of the number of loading cycles. cal building lateral force-resisting
deals with high cycle fatigue This level of stress is defined as the systems and building enclosure
(i.e., >20,000 cycles). fatigue threshold, FTH. components.”

2 True. At low levels of cyclic tensile 3 No. Section B3.11 in the Specifica- 4 False. Fluctuations in stress that
stress, a point is reached where the tion states: “Fatigue need not be do not involve tensile stresses do
stress range is so low that fatigue considered for seismic effects or for not cause crack propagation and
are not considered to be a fatigue
condition. For a member sub-
jected to compression only, cracks
may initiate only in regions of high
tensile residual stress and do not
propagate because residuals stresses
are relieved by the crack. Thus, stress
ranges that are completely in com-
pression do not need to be investi-
gated for fatigue.
5 c. The provisions of this Appen-
dix apply to stresses calculated on
the basis of live loads. Calculated
stresses shall be based upon elastic
analysis. Stresses shall not be ampli-
fied by stress concentration factors
for geometrical discontinuities. The
maximum permitted stress due to
live loads is 0.66Fy.
6 The detail shown in Figure 1a would
be assigned to Category E.
The detail shown in Figure 1b would
be assigned to Category B.
From Table A-3.1 in Appendix 3, the
ranges of radiuses and their corre-
sponding categories are as follows:

Stress
Description
Category

R ≥ 24 in. (600 mm) B

6 in. ≤ R < 24 in.

C
(150 mm ≤ R < 600 mm)
2 in. ≤ R < 6 in.
D
(50 mm ≤ R < 500 mm)

R < 2 in. (50 mm) E

If you are interested in submitting one question or

an entire quiz, contact AISC’s Steel Solutions Center
at 866.ASK.AISC or [email protected].

14 | OCTOBER 2018
 steelwise
A look at materials and products that are UNLISTED
not included in the AISC Specification’s MATERIALS –
list of approved materials. PART 1
BY LARRY S. MUIR, PE,
AND THOMAS J. SCHLAFLY

THE AISC SPECIFICATION approves the use of several materials—but what

about materials that it doesn’t include?
Generally, the Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360, available
as a free download at www.aisc.org/specifications) does not prohibit the use of any ma-
terial. The use of unlisted materials and products—those that are not included in the
list of approved materials—is left to the discretion of the engineer and can be viewed
as a substitution of an unlisted material for an approved material.
An article about material substitutions (called “Material Substitutions”) appeared
in the August 2011 issue (www.modernsteel.com) and much of the information pro-
vided then is still applicable today. However, material substitutions seem to be more
common today than they were in 2011, and familiarity may breed complacency if not
contempt. Some engineers may erroneously believe that all steels and steel products
are created equal and that material substitutions can be made with little thought. With
this in mind, a fresh look is in order.
In this first of a series of three articles on the topic, we’ll discuss the reasons for the
treatment of materials that have been adopted by AISC Specification. We’ll also include
a discussion about the evaluation of unlisted materials based on a list of factors pro-
vided in the Commentary to Section A3 of the Specification. Let’s start by addressing
some basic questions.

Why does the AISC Specification include a list of approved materials?

The Specification has existed under various titles and in somewhat different forms
for nearly a hundred years. Thousands of engineers around the world turn to the
Specification on a daily basis to aid them with their designs. The Specification is also Larry Muir ([email protected]) is director of
commonly referenced by other standards and specifications, sometimes relative to ap- technical assistance and Tom Schlafly
plications well outside the intended scope of the AISC Committee on Specifications. (schlafl[email protected]) is chief of engineering
Given the ubiquity and prominence of the Specification, engineers sometimes incor- staff, both with AISC.
rectly believe that it can be used to design all steel structures using any material that
can conceivably be classified as steel. This is not the case.
As stated in its scope, “The Specification shall apply to the design, fabrication and
erection of the structural steel system or systems with structural steel acting compositely
with reinforced concrete, where the steel elements are defined in Section 2.1 of the
AISC Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges (ANSI/AISC 303)… This
Specification sets forth criteria for the design, fabrication and erection of structural steel
buildings and other structures, where other structures are defined as structures designed,
fabricated and erected in a manner similar to buildings, with building-like vertical and
lateral load-resisting elements.”
It is interesting to note that the Specification does not even include a definition of
steel as a material. Instead, the range of materials that can be used is defined by two
factors: application and references to ASTM specifications.
The scope of the Specification is limited to building design and is further limited by
the definition of structural steel provided in the Code, which also defines steel elements
not based on the physical properties of the material from which they are made, but
rather based on their intended use.

Modern Steel Construction | 17

steelwise

Limits are set based on material properties through refer- 1969 edition doubled the number of listed steels, and for the first
ences to ASTM specifications. Section A3 of the Specification lists time stated that the listed materials were “approved for use under
ASTM specifications that are approved for use under the Specifi- this Specification.”
cation. As indicated in the Commentary, the materials listed “are Sometimes materials are developed to serve specific purposes
commonly useful to structural engineers” and “have a history of related to building design that might provide a significant benefit,
satisfactory performance.” but that have not yet been adopted by the Specification—because of
The scope of the Specification is limited to certain applications the length of the code cycle or for other reasons. There is no good
and certain materials because these are the applications and mate- reason for the Specification to stand in the way of such innovation.
rials that were considered when the various provisions of the pub- History indicates that innovation generally starts with industry
lication were written or evaluated during updates. The standards and engineering, and the Specification simply follows suit.
in Section A3 are those representing materials commonly used for
typical applications in building-type structures. Most of them are How should unlisted materials be evaluated?
available in the supply chain from producers and service centers The evaluation of unlisted materials is the responsibility of the
that routinely participate in the U.S. structural steel industry. The engineer specifying or approving them. The Commentary pro-
plethora of specifications for materials suitable for other structure vides a list of some (but certainly not all) of the considerations.
types, unusual applications or from other countries is immense. It These include:
is beyond the capability of AISC committees to maintain such a • Typical strength properties – Fy and Fu
comprehensive list. • Strength properties in transverse directions
• Ductility
Why are other materials not prohibited? • Formability
The simple answer is provided in the Commentary: “Other • Soundness
materials may be suitable for specific applications.” There is no • Weldability, including sensitivity to thermal cycles
reason in building design to limit materials when other materials • Notch toughness
may be suitable. • Other forms of crack sensitivity
It also has to be recognized that the structural steel indus- • Coatings
try, despite its age, is still a vibrant and evolving industry. The • Corrosivity
Commentary to the 1963 Specification states: “The increasing use • Effects of production
of high-strength steels no longer permits the continuation of a • Tolerances
standard design specification based upon the exclusive use of one • Testing
strength grade of steel.” The 1963 version required that struc- • Reporting
tural steel conform to one of six listed ASTM specifications. The • Surface profiles

18 | OCTOBER 2018
 steelwise
Some of these items are discussed further in the below sections. This should not be
viewed as a complete list of factors that must be considered, but it will provide a start.

Typical strength properties

When considering a proposed material substitution, perhaps the two most requested
properties of the substituting material are the yield strength and the tensile strength, but
one should remember that outwardly similar materials can behave very differently in ways
that are not always apparent from the numerical values of Fy and Fu .
The way in which these values are determined can also determine whether apples are
being compared to apples or to oranges. This is discussed further relative to testing.

Strength properties in transverse directions

Engineers often assume steel is homogeneous and isotropic, and this assumption is
adequate for most designs using approved materials that are addressed in the Specification.
However, steel is a manufactured material, and steel shapes and plates are manufactured
products. The manufacturing process introduces and modifies inclusions in the steel. The
manufacturing process for long products includes hot rolling, which elongates the grains
in one direction and can also elongate inclusions. This results in different properties in
the direction of rolling as compared to properties in the transverse direction or through
thickness directions (anisotropy).
Lamellar tearing is one consideration related to this anisotropy. Several factors play a part in
lamellar tearing, including joint configuration and steel chemistry. The manufacturing process
itself also plays a role. The current steelmaking practice of continuous casting places demands

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steelwise
on the producer that have the benefit of controlling the shape of yield strength to the specified minimum tensile strength (yield/tensile
inclusions and improving through-thickness strength. Therefore, ratio) as a measure of ductility. Ductility as it relates solely to material
current continuous cast products have less likelihood of lamellar tear- is usually defined in terms of elongation or reduction of area in tension
ing than did older ingot cast products. Engineers can reduce the likeli- tests, and minimum values are specified in ASTM standards.
hood of lamellar tearing through good design practice, as described Appendix 1 in the Specification directly addresses ductility when
in Design Guide 21: Welded Connections—A Primer for Engineers (www. engineers implement design by inelastic analysis. A level of ductili-
aisc.org/dg). Material specifications define some aspects of chemical ty consistent with the approved materials is assumed relative to the
composition, such as limits on sulfur, which can be objectively evalu- rest of the Specification as well. Ductility is required in all structures
ated assuming the proper expertise, but the details of the manufactur- designed using the Specification because common design methods
ing process may be more difficult to know and to evaluate. use approximation to calculate available and required strengths of
elements that may not be justified if those elements are not suffi-
Ductility ciently ductile to redistribute uneven stresses.
Ductility is the ability of a material to deform plastically before
fracturing. In many respects, it is the magic ingredient that makes Formability
structural design practical. Ductility can be measured or quantified in Formability is the ability of the steel to be plastically deformed
various ways. The Specification defines rotation capacity as “incremental without fracture. Formability is often not considered in design under
angular rotation defined as the ratio of the inelastic rotation attained the Specification, but it plays in role in such operations as cambering
to the idealized elastic rotation at first yield prior to significant load and cold bending of plates. Some standard shop practices may no lon-
shedding.” The Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/ ger be appropriate if the formability of the material specified differs
AISC 341, available as a free download at www.aisc.org/specifications) from that of the materials approved for use in the Specification.
quantifies ductility demand based on story drift or building drift. Such Increased inspection of cambered beams and bent plates may
measures of ductility can include factors other than material properties. be appropriate until the formability limits of the specified material
Chapter K of the Specification uses the ratio of the specified minimum have been established.

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 steelwise
Listed Consumables for Welding
• AWS A5.1 • AWS A5.25
• AWS A5.5 • AWS A5.26
• AWS A5.17 • AWS A5.28
• AWS A5.18 • AWS A5.29
• AWS A5.20 • AWS A5.32
• AWS A5.23 • AWS A5.36

Listed Fasters
Bolts:
• ASTM A307 • ASTM F3043
• ASTM A354 • ASTM F3111
• ASTM A449 • ASTM F3125
Nuts:
• ASTM A194 • ASTM A563M
• ASTM A563
Washers:
• ASTM F436 • ASTM F844
Compressible-Washer-Type DTIs:
• ASTM F959
Anchor Rods and Threaded Rods:
• ASTM A36 • ASTM A572
• ASTM A193 • ASTM A588
• ASTM A354 • ASTM F1554
• ASTM A449

Listed Plates and Shapes

Hot-rolled structural shapes:
• ASTM A36 • ASTM A529
Weldability • ASTM A572 • ASTM A588
Not all steel can be effectively welded. The heat associated with welding is det- • ASTM A709 • ASTM A913
rimental to the properties of some steels, and some steel is inherently prone to • ASTM A992 • ASTM A1043
weld-induced cracking. Weldability is a significant consideration when evaluating
unlisted materials. Hollow structural sections:
AWS D1.1, which is adopted by reference in the Specification, categorizes ma- • ASTM A53 Grade B
terials by groups, which are then used to establish things like base and filler metal • ASTM A847 • ASTM A500
combinations for prequalified welds. The range of materials addressed in AWS • ASTM A1065 • ASTM A501
D1.1 is much larger than the approved materials in the Specification, but not all • ASTM A1085 • ASTM A618
materials are addressed. Welding procedure specifications (WPS) for materials
Plates:
not listed in AWS D1.1 must be qualified. This process can be very time-consum-
• ASTM A36 • ASTM A572
ing and expensive.
• ASTM A242 • ASTM A588
Chemical composition also has a significant effect on the weldability of steel.
• ASTM A283 • ASTM A709
Design Guide 21 contains a good discussion of weld cracking, including the effect of
• ASTM A514 • ASTM A1043
steel chemistry.
• ASTM A529 • ASTM A1066
Notch toughness Bars:
Toughness is the ability of a material to deform and absorb energy before frac- • ASTM A36 • A572
turing. Though it is not always obvious many of the standard U.S. fabrication prac- • ASTM A529 • ASTM A709
tices rely on a certain level of toughness. Experience has shown that the approved
Sheets:
materials in the Specification have sufficient toughness for use in buildings using
• ASTM A606
typical U.S. fabrication and design practices. Where toughness is more of a concern,
• ASTM A1011 SS, HSLAS and HSLAS-F
such as for heavy shapes in certain applications, the Specification imposes explicit
toughness requirements. The ability to leave backing in place, the lack of a defined

Modern Steel Construction | 21

 WHY WELD?
steelwise

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radius for reentrant corners and the range
of methods permitted to form bolt holes
are all tied to toughness.
The Commentary to Section A3.1a
states: “For especially demanding service
conditions such as structures exposed to
low temperatures, particularly those with
impact loading, the specification of steels
with superior notch toughness may be war-
ranted. However, for most buildings, the
steel is relatively warm, strain rates are
essentially static and the stress intensity
and number of cycles of full design stress
are low. Accordingly, the probability of
fracture in most building structures is
low. Good workmanship and good design
details incorporating joint geometry that
avoids severe stress concentrations are gen-
erally the most effective means of provid-
ing fracture-resistant construction.” This
guidance is only applicable to steel similar to
those approved for use with the Specification.
Special detailing, explicit consider-
ation of fatigue and/or increased inspec-
tions in building applications might be
necessary if steels with low toughness are
to be used. ■

The discussion on evaluating unlisted materials

will continue in Part 2 of this three-part series,
which will appear in next month’s issue.
22 | OCTOBER 2018
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 business
issues Answer the magic question of “How?”
CHOOSE with a solid strategy.
STRATEGY
BY ANDY SLIPHER

HOW DO WE GET IT DONE? What’s our next move? Now that we know what
we want and why we’re here, where do we begin?
You’ve likely heard variations of these questions in your organization—particularly
if you’re at any level of planning how to achieve favorable outcomes.
It’s one thing to know why you’re doing something, who you’re serving or even
what makes your product or service better than the next company. But until you can
adequately and effectively answer the how question, your idea, product, sales or what-
ever you endeavor to achieve may not become all you hope for.
The biggest how you can ask begs for a coherent approach. It means building
a distinct advantage toward a favorable end. This level of how is best answered
with strategy.
Andy Slipher is founder of Slipher Marketing, Strategy exists to solve problems. More often than not, calling upon strategic plan-
a consultancy where strategy comes first, fol- ning means that your problem is significant and complex and comes with higher-than-
lowed by tangible marketing results. He is an average stakes. That’s why we call upon strategy. It is the means to simplify and
accomplished strategist, interim CMO, speak- unify activity to get you from Point A to Point B with greater clarity, effectiveness
er and writer on marketing strategy and the confidence and efficiency.
author of The Big How: Where Strategy Meets Planning without strategy is like feeling around in the dark. You may eventually
Success. For more information on Andy, find what you’re looking for, but it will most certainly be unpredictable and take longer
please visit www.thebighow.com. than anticipated, plus you run a greater risk of falling on your face along the way.
Here are three things you need to know about strategy in order to adequately an-
swer any big how and to improve your planning process, no matter what the challenge.

Planning without strategy is like

feeling around in the dark.

Strategy is about choice. Strategy is a word and concept that is abused today. Peo-
ple love to use it because it sounds, well, strategic. Unfortunately, calling something a
strategy doesn’t make it one. Strategy, in order to function as it’s intended, means mak-
ing significant choices throughout the planning process. In any complex or challenging
situation, such choices are hard. Something must be sacrificed in order to move in a
true and distinct direction. If you’re not making hard choices in your planning, you
need to ask yourself and others how distinct, clear and achievable your approach is.
Consider this example: When Steve Jobs returned to a struggling Apple in 1997,
one of the first things he chose to do was to stop selling so many products. He put
an end to more than 70% of Apple’s products (laying off more than 3,000 employees
in the process) in order to focus on a handful of truly innovative offerings. This hard
choice allowed Apple to focus its resources on innovation—developing something
truly game-changing. The result? The iPod. There’s little doubt that Jobs’ efforts
would have been significantly more difficult and unclear if he had not made this
critical strategic choice.

24 | OCTOBER 2018
business issues !$




Strategy fits between your goals and
plans. Strategy is not the most important

 "
thing. But good strategy is necessary and
often critical in order to be successful. Once
 
 




you’ve defined your goals, strategy comes
next. Let’s delineate between goals, strategy 



and plans:  #
• Goals answer “What is the end for
the effort?”
• Plans, which follow strategy, answer
“What are the blueprints for success?”
• Strategy is the point in between that
answers “How will we coordinate our
efforts to get there?”  
 

Strategy marries strength with
opportunity. The beauty of strategy is
that it coordinates and integrates activi-
  



ties around a common goal. What’s more,



  
good strategy finds the sweet spot where
strengths meet opportunity. If you iden-
tify an opportunity yet have no strengths
to take advantage, how effective will you
be? Likewise, if your strengths abound in a      
certain area yet no opportunities exist, your

,yW ZdΠ
strategy could come up short.
Know that in order to improve the odds
of achieving your goals, your strategy will
need to amplify your strengths while play-
ing to the opportunities at hand. A great ex-
ample of this can be seen in the way Procter
& Gamble (P&G) has nearly cornered the  
consumer package goods market. With its ^ĂǀĞǀĂůƵĂďůĞƟŵĞĂŶĚŵŽŶĞLJ͘EĞǀĞƌƐĞĂƌĐŚ
humble beginnings in soap and candles in ĨŽƌďŽůƟŶŐĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐĞǀĞƌĂŐĂŝŶ͊
the 1800s, P&G slowly and methodically
built a strength producing, packaging, mar- Test Reports
keting and selling packaged dry goods of Invoices
all types. Over the years, the company has Packing Lists
taken advantage of opportunities to both DOT Approvals
develop new products and acquire its way
into new product categories. Today, the
Order Tracking
company’s holdings cover close to 80 prod- Proof of Delivery
ucts spanning many of the typical product
we buy every day. P&G has employed dif-
ferent business strategies over the years but
has always weighed opportunity in light of
its inherent strengths. ĂůůŽƌ'ŽKŶůŝŶĞƚŽĮŶĚŽƵƚŵŽƌĞ
Whatever your challenge, follow these
three fundamental principles for better St. Louis Screw & Bolt

strategic planning. Your strategy will be
both more clear and coherent. What’s more, ƐƚůŽƵŝƐƐĐƌĞǁďŽůƚ͘ĐŽŵ
you will be incrementally farther down the 800Ͳ237Ͳ7059
road toward more successful outcomes in a
more timely fashion. ■
^ƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĂůŽůƟŶŐdžƉĞƌƚƐ
Modern Steel Construction | 25
Narrow Margin
BY KEN SAINDON, SE, PE, AND ALEX WHITNEY, PE

It’s a tight—but successful—squeeze

for a replacement steel span in a
remote Idaho canyon.

WHILE CERTAINLY SCENIC, the steep nature of a V-shaped canyon near Rig-
gins, Idaho, created quite the challenge for the designers of a replacement bridge over
the Salmon River.
The original Manning Crevice Bridge carried Salmon River Road over the river at
this location, providing access to residences, resorts and commercial rafting ventures and
acting as a main artery for recreational users of the river and surrounding forest lands.
By 2010, the bridge (built in 1938) had reached the end of its service life, and the deci-
sion was made to replace it. But this would be no easy feat. The site, located in a steep
canyon, had limited access for trucks and limited space available to stage construction
equipment and materials, not to mention sharp bends in the road. The choice of steel for
temporary and permanent works was crucial to developing a feasible erection scheme on
this difficult site and addressed the following requirements for the replacement project:
• A bridge deck clear width of 16 ft for a single lane
• A minimum vertical clearance of 18 ft
• A minimum load capacity of AASHTO HL-93 and a 45-ton logging vehicle
• Roadway curvature at the bridge ends had to be able to accommodate a logging
truck crossing the bridge
• No permanent construction could be placed within the 100-year flood plain
• Traffic had to be maintained on the existing bridge during construction
• The river had to remain open to rafters during construction
• Construction equipment was not allowed in the river
Ken Saindon ([email protected]) is Colorado
Bridge Group manager with EST and served as
Not-So-Easy Access
the technical lead and engineer of record for this
After evaluating six different structural configurations, a single-tower, asymmet-
project. Alex Whitney (alexander.whitney@
ric suspension bridge scheme was chosen. Competent bedrock at the site provided
hdrinc.com) is senior bridge project manager
ample capacity for anchoring large horizontal forces, thus favoring arch and suspen-
with HDR and served as consultant project
manager. Both were formerly with Atkins.

26 | OCTOBER 2018
 The new bridge spans 300 ft.
Roadway curvature at both ends was required to allow a log-
ging truck to cross the bridge.

Ken Saindon Photo Courtesy of FHWA-WFLHD

sion bridge types over cable-stayed structures. Given the limited the north side of the river. The south abutment and anchorage
access for construction equipment, cable suspension was judged were placed close to the river and, being below the road surface,
to be more constructable than an arch because of the light weight has protection from hillside debris flows. The south abutment
and flexibility of steel cables. The bridge span length is 300 ft and and anchorage placement also struck a balance between keeping
with a cable sag of 18.5 ft at mid-span, the resulting sag ratio (span/ all permanent construction outside the 100-year floodplain and
sag) of 16.2 is much flatter than the classical suspension bridge sag providing sufficient room beyond the anchorage to allow traffic to
ratio of 10. The bridge uses a total of 180 tons of structural steel. pass during construction.
A number of factors led to the single-tower configuration. The site features a narrow shelf road with steep drop-offs in
For one, the rock face adjacent to the north tower of the exist- hard rock terrain. Standard construction techniques for such steep
ing bridge required a minimum tower height of at least 60 ft to sites typically involve temporary benching. However, the hard
place anchorages on favorable rock geometry. A large debris flow rock site and pristine canyon location made benching both cost-
zone and a continual water seep on the south hillside made this an prohibitive and inappropriate at the north abutment. Luckily, the
unfavorable location for a new tower and anchorage. Finally, the presence of soil overburden on the south river bank allowed a cost-
size of crane that could be placed on the south side of the river effective cut bench to be used at the south abutment. During the
was highly uncertain given that the only two access routes to the design phase, a temporary crane platform was located on the north
south side are either over an unpaved high mountain pass with very side of the river for erection of the tower and cable anchorages.
tight switchbacks or across the existing bridge, which had neither Additional temporary platforms were also used for construction
the geometry nor load capacity to handle a large crane. (Note that at the north anchorage and behind the tower base. The existing
the CM/GC was able to deliver a large lattice crane over the high south-side roadway bench was wide enough to accommodate a
mountain pass to the south side of the structure.) As such, a tower crane for erection and still allow vehicles to pass, and all construc-
on the south side of the river would not be feasible. tion materials were staged and delivered from Riggins to the north
Orienting the new bridge was a balance between providing end of the bridge.
roadway alignment geometry to allow a WB-62 vehicle to negoti-
ate the approaches, providing the shortest overall bridge length, Steel Simplifies Erection Scheme
maintaining the existing bridge in operation during construc- Helically wound galvanized wire (ASTM A586) was used for
tion and choosing a favorable tower and anchorage location on the main cables and hangers. The main cable and hanger cable con-

Modern Steel Construction | 27

An overhead view of the tight project site and sharply turning roadway.

Photo Courtesy of FHWA-WFLHD Photo Courtesy of FHWA-WFLHD

A view (looking west) of logistics on the south bank of the river, with Cable installation from the tower to the south abutment anchorage.
the existing bridge in background.

An elevation drawing of the new bridge.

28 | OCTOBER 2018
Photo Courtesy of FHWA-WFLHD

A minimum tower height of at least 60 ft was

required in order to place anchorages on
favorable rock geometry.

nections consist of heavy steel castings with

molten zinc spelter sockets, and the cable
system saddles consist of 1-in.-thick steel
plates and steel castings with groove and fil-
let welds throughout. The tower consists of
welded I-sections for the battered legs and
rolled W-shapes for the diagonal bracing.
THE PROVEN
The superstructure framing was designed
for simplicity and economy, and all mem-
STEEL BRIDGE
bers are rolled steel sections with W-shapes
for the stiffening girders and floor beams
DESIGN SOLUTION
and WT shapes for the lateral bracing. The
stacked superstructure framing configura-
tion was conceived to permit easy assembly
from the bottom up, starting with the floor
beams followed by the lateral bracing and
then the stiffening girders. High-strength
bolts were used in all field connections. FREE
Tower erection was a breeze given the
small reach and piece weights of about 9.5 15-DAY
tons. The main cables were erected using TRIAL*
a cableway accordion sling (designed and
patent-pending by Inland Crane) to sup-
port each strand at regular intervals on the
temporary cables as it was pulled across The leading software package
the river from the tower to the south for designing and rating curved
abutment. Erecting the cable hangers and and straight steel girder bridges.
bridge superstructure framing from the
two fixed crane locations required crane
Used by Many State DOTs and Top Design Firms
reaches of up to 160 ft at mid-span. Hang-
ers, floor beams and lateral bracing had
(573) 446-3221 Q www.mdxsoftware.com Q[email protected]
piece weights of 2.25 tons or less, so the

Modern Steel Construction | 29

long crane reach was not a problem for these items. The stiffen- overwhelmingly positive, and it is anticipated to last well beyond
ing girder piece weights varied with the exterior 50-ft-long sec- the century mark. ■
tions weighing around 5.5 tons and the interior 40-ft-long sec- Owner
tions weighing 4.5 tons. Splice locations and piece weights were FHWA-Western Federal Lands, Vancouver, Wash.
designed to reduce the demands on the cranes, and superstruc-
Construction Manager/General Contractor
ture erection was completed in less than three weeks.
Record Steel Construction, Inc., Boise
The new single-tower bridge opened this past June, bringing a
touch of uniqueness to the canyon and respecting the constraints Structural Engineer
of the site with its force layout. With longevity in mind, especially Atkins, Denver
considering the winter climate, Class C galvanizing was specified Steel Team
for the steel cables, and Grade 50 weathering steel was used for the Fabricator
towers and superstructure—not only for corrosion resistance but Rule Steel, Caldwell, Idaho
also to reduce visual contrast with the weathered granite preva- Detailer
lent at the site. The project’s reception by the community has been ABS Structural, Melbourne, Fla.

Photo Courtesy of FHWA-WFLHD Ken Saindon

Erecting the tower from a temporary crane platform. Cable installation.

Inland Foundation Specialties Photo Courtesy of FHWA-WFLHD

A view of the fixed crane positions for superstructure erection. Temporary erection platforms on the north side of the river.

30 | OCTOBER 2018
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 A report on construction activity in Christchurch, New Zealand,
following a devastating earthquake offers insights on how other cities might recover
after potential similar events in the future—and why steel has become the material
of choice for much of the city’s repaired, rebuilt and new buildings.

Rebuilding
a City in Steel BY MICHEL BRUNEAU, PENG, PHD, AND GREGORY A. MACRAE, PHD

FOR THE PAST SEVEN-ODD YEARS, Christchurch, New Zealand’s, central

business district (CBD) has been—and continues to be—a landscape of sprawling
construction sites, with multiple new buildings being constructed, a few existing ones
being repaired, some still in the process of being demolished and a number of damaged
structures boarded up awaiting their fate.
This flurry of activity is the result of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that occurred
on February 22, 2011, at a depth of a little over three miles and a horizontal distance of
less than six miles from the CBD. The earthquake turned the CBD into a “red zone”
with severely restricted access for many months.
Anyone walking through the heart of the city can witness the hustle and bustle of
the rebuilding activity taking place. However, to structural engineers—who can’t miss
the fact that a large number of structural systems are being used in the process—the
predominance of structural steel over that landscape can be striking. Where reinforced
concrete structures dominated the building inventory prior to the earthquake, the
“new Christchurch” that is emerging is a city with a variety of structural forms. The
structural steel systems being used are diverse, ranging from traditional systems like
eccentrically braced frames (EBF) to structures with replaceable EBF links, buckling
restrained brace frames (BRBF), friction connections, viscous dampers, rocking frames
and base isolators—a dramatic departure from past practices.

Why Steel?
But just how extensive is the shift in construction practice taking place in Christ-
church—and, more importantly, what are the major factors that have driven decisions
Michel Bruneau ([email protected]) is a
about structural materials and specific structural systems? To answer these questions,
professor in the Department of Civil, Struc-
we conducted a series of interviews with the structural designers of more than 60%
tural and Environmental Engineering at the
of the post-earthquake buildings constructed to date in Christchurch’s CBD, as well
University at Buffalo, N.Y., and Gregory MacRae
as with a local architect, project manager and developer. Data was also collected from
([email protected]) is an
various sources, including Christchurch’s City Council database, and quantitative infor-
associate professor in the Department of
mation on structural forms and decision drivers has also been assembled. The interviews
Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at
also provided a valuable overarching narrative on the reconstruction process that goes
the University of Canterbury in Christchurch,
beyond the quantification process.
New Zealand.
32 | OCTOBER 2018
 Francis Vallance

The ongoing revitalization of the Christchurch skyline follow-

ing the devastating earthquake of 2011.

The findings from this study are presented in Reconstruct-

ing Christchurch: A Seismic Shift in Building Structural System,
a 170-page report that can be downloaded for free from the
Quake Centre’s website (visit www.aisc.org/nzsteel). The
information collected covers a total of 74 buildings, col-
lectively adding to a total of 5,191,617 sq. ft of floor space.
Results shows that as part of the reconstruction, structural
steel has been used in the lateral force-resisting system
(LFRS) of about half of the buildings. However, because this
approach has been employed at a high rate in the larger struc-
tures, steel lateral force-resisting buildings account for 80% of Figure 1a.
the total square footage of all new construction encompassed
in the study (as shown in Figure 1, right). Also, in buildings
having a reinforced concrete LFRS, steel has been used for
the gravity flooring system in about 75% of all cases. This
results in approximately 95% of the total supported floor
areas in new buildings relying on steel framing. Figure 1 also
presents information as a function of year of consent—i.e.,
year of building permit—showing trends over time as part
of Christchurch’s ongoing reconstruction activities. Note
that results for 2017 are only for the first three months of
the year, as data was collected and last interviews were con-
ducted in March of that year.
Subdividing the data into the various types of LFRS,
the following results were obtained, in terms of number of
buildings, floor areas and percentage of the total floor area,
Figure 1b.
as indicated in Figure 1:

Modern Steel Construction | 33

 • MRF = steel moment resisting frames (9.5), MFF = steel moment Interestingly, the 11 base-isolated buildings (15% of the total
resisting frames with friction connections (1) and MRD = steel number of buildings) alone provide a total 2,045,000 sq. ft, equiva-
moment resisting frames with reduced beam sections (“dog- lent to 40% of the total floor area of the buildings considered in
bones”) (4.5): 2,175,000 sq. ft (42%) this study. This indicates that the base-isolated buildings have gen-
• BRB = buckling restrained braces (11): 1,195,000 sq. ft (23%) erally been large buildings. Indeed, the two largest base-isolated
• RCW = reinforced concrete walls (32.5): 865,500 sq. ft (17%) buildings alone, built specifically for public sector tenants, together
• CBF = concentrically braced frames (3): 414,500 sq. ft (8%) add up to more 1,098,000 sq. ft (21% of the total floor area of the
• EBF = eccentrically braced frames (2) and EBR = eccentrically buildings considered). Note that the three largest buildings add
braced frames with replaceable links (4): 296,000 sq. ft (6%) up to 1,388,500 sq. ft (and 27% of the total floor area). A strong
• Other systems (such as rocking frames): 161,5000 sq. ft (4%) correlation was also observed between floor areas for base-isolated

An EBF with replaceable links (left) and a close-up of a link in an inverted-V braced frame (right).

A rocking frame system with energy-dissipating couplers between the frames.

34 | OCTOBER 2018
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buildings and steel MRFs, although not exclusively. • EBF+EBR: 296,000 sq. ft (9.5%)
To better understand the design trends, Figure 2 (below) • CBF: 0 sq. ft (0%)
shows results for all structures that have not been base-isolated, • Other: 169,000 sq. ft (5.5%)
as it is interesting to identify which structural systems have been
used more dominantly when buildings have not been base-isolated. In summary, 68% of all new non-base-isolated building area
Results, in terms of floor area indicated for each type of LFRS incorporates a steel LFRS.
used, are as follows: Results from the qualitative part of the report indicate that
• BRB: 1,194,800 sq. ft (38%) the factors used to select specific structural systems are diverse
• RCW: 839,600 sq. ft (27%) and include costs, construction speed, perceptions of damage
• MRF+MFF+MDF: 613,500 sq. ft (20%) and structural performance, tenant requirements, local engineer-

Figure 2a.

Figure 2b.

A BRB frame (left) and a column connection at mid-bay of the frame (right).

Modern Steel Construction | 35

 ONE MACHINE
ing culture and other factors. These are
explained through the narratives obtained
from the interviews. This critical part of

DOES IT ALL
the report (i.e., 75 of the total 170 pages)
cannot be summarized without losing criti-
cal perspective of: the breadth of opinions;
the reasons that sustained decisions; and
important nuances that impacted decisions
Plasma Cutting and Drilling from case to case. However, it can be drawn
Machine Now Featuring from this narrative that:
• Preventing loss of life is less frequently
AUTOMATED PART
the most significant seismic perfor-
REMOVAL mance objective for modern building
• The professional opinions of structural
FABTECH 2018 Atlanta, GA engineers drive the adoption of low-
Booth # B8467 damage systems, but tenant expecta-
tions have a significant direct or indirect
impact on the choice of structural sys-
tems for individual buildings
• Context directly affects these decisions
• While the reconstruction experience
has paralleled an increase in stakehold-
ers’ knowledge, government regulations
would still be required if the objec-
tive was to achieve an across-the-board
increase in seismic performance for all
KineticUSA.com buildings in a community—something
unforeseen to occur at this time
1.800.606.2954 It is noteworthy that the report also con-
tains an Appendix showcasing a number of
case studies that were provided by consul-
tants to provide project-specific information
and illustrate the decisions that led to selec-
tion of the chosen structural systems.
It is significant that New Zealand’s build-
ing codes and seismic design requirements
are similar to those in North America and
other developed countries, and that Christ-
church’s mix and vintage of construction
types before the earthquake was similarly
comparable. As such, the Christchurch
experience may be unique today, but it is
likely to repeat itself in other similarly devel-
oped urban centers worldwide and provides
unique insight into some of the mechanisms
that can dictate structural engineering deci-
sions during the post-earthquake recon-
struction of a modern city. ■

This work was supported by the Quake Cen-

tre, based at the University of Canterbury,
and made possible by the contributions of many
consultants, steel fabricators, contractors and
other individuals (listed in the report) who
have met with the authors and have gener-
ously shared their experiences of the Christ-
church reconstruction process. This work also
benefitted from the Christchurch City Council,
which provided information on building con-
sents from the city database, and Steel Con-
struction New Zealand, which kindly shared
information from its own database.
36 | OCTOBER 2018
A space moment frame (left) and a close-up of an RBS connection in the form of a bolted end-plate to moment-resisting connection to a square
steel section (right).

A base friction connection (left) and a completed bidirectional moment friction connection (right).

Modern Steel Construction | 37

 Polyaspartic
Coatings
BY AHREN OLSON, TODD WILLIAMS AND RONNIE MEDLOCK, PE

Reducing the cost of shop-painted steel bridges

by improving painting efficiency.

PROTECTIVE COATINGS HAVE been used to mitigate corrosion on steel

bridges for more than a century.
The state-of-the-art for the past several decades now has been a three-layer system
consisting of an organic or inorganic zinc-rich primer, an epoxy intermediate coat and
a polyurethane finish coat (commonly abbreviated as ZEU ). Each layer provides spe-
cific protection mechanisms working in unity to prevent corrosion:
1. The zinc-rich primer provides galvanic protection, with the zinc preferentially
“sacrificing” itself to protect the steel.
2. The epoxy layer provides barrier properties by reducing the permeability of
water, oxygen and salts through the coating.
3. The polyurethane topcoat’s main function is to protect the underlying coatings from
the sun’s ultraviolet rays while also providing abrasion and chemical resistance.
Economics and schedule impacts have driven multiple state and local depart-
ments of transportation (DOTs) to apply all three coats in the shop for new steel
bridges. This has shifted the painting responsibility to steel fabricators or blast and
paint shops. For fabricators, painting provides value-added work but can also create
additional scheduling complications.
Applying three coats of paint is a time-intensive process. Each layer of paint has a
minimum recoat time, which is the minimum amount of time before another layer can
be applied. The recoat time is dependent on product chemistry and the degree of cure
required before subsequent coatings can be applied. Environmental conditions also have
a significant impact on recoat time. For instance, inorganic zinc-rich primers can require

Ahren Olson (ahren.olson@covestro.

com) is the segment manager for corrosion
protection and Todd Williams (todd.
[email protected]) is the protective
and marine lab manager, both with Covestro,
LLC. Ronnie Medlock ([email protected])
is vice president of technical services with
Bridge #5160, which carries Main St. over the Little Madawaska River in Stockholm, High Steel Structures, LLC.
Maine, was repainted with a PAS system. Modern Steel Construction | 39
 more than 24 hours at low humidity to cure
before subsequent coats can be applied, thus
reducing productivity. In addition, the total
time to apply a ZEU system in a shop set-
ting can vary significantly depending on the
available shop space and number of painting
shifts per day. The longer the recoat time,
the longer the product takes up space wait-
ing, resulting in less product that is able to
be handled. Depending on work load and
scheduling, a fabricator may subcontract out
painting due to the bottleneck that applying
multi-layer coating creates in the paint shop.

Polyaspartic Solution
Advancements in coating resin tech-
nology have improved painting efficiency.
More than 20 years ago, polyaspartic (PAS)
coating resins were invented by Covestro.
This new coating resin replaces the
“polyol” or paint resin in the “A-side” of
two-component polyurethanes.
PAS coatings bring two important appli-
cation and physical property advantages:
• In general, PAS coatings offer fast
The Maine bridge project is a simple-span design with four steel girders spanning about 100 ft. curing with a reasonable pot life
(useable time to apply the coat-
ing). Typically, these coatings
are dry-to-handle in one to two
Z/E/U Blast and Prime Epoxy PU
hours at 75 °F and 50% relative
humidity, while having a pot life
between two and three hours. By
Loading girders
comparison, polyurethane coat-
Moved outside
ings are dry-to-handle in six to
eight hours, with a two- to four-
Cycle time reduced hour pot life.
Polyaspartic Blast and Prime BAS by 22 hours • They can be applied at higher dry
film thicknesses (6-10 mils), which
is much higher than polyure-
Loading girders
thanes (2-5 mils). The larger film
Moved outside
build tolerance of PAS coatings
Cycle Time Hours 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 allows for more forgiving appli-
Figure 1. A graphical representation of the cycle time difference between the PAS system that cation when painting complex
was used on the Maine bridge project and a typical ZEU system. geometries, as well as a reduction
in the number of coats needed to
provide corrosion protection. For
instance, a ZEU three-coat sys-
tem can be replaced by a two-coat
system of zinc-rich primer with a
PAS topcoat at the same overall
film thickness.
PAS coatings are applied by the same
means and methods as polyurethane coat-
ings: spray, brush and roll. Their color and
gloss retention is equivalent to polyure-
thanes, but they deliver better edge reten-
tion and cure significantly faster. These
application and physical property advan-
tages have been documented to increase
painting productivity while reducing proj-
ect costs without sacrificing corrosion pro-

40 | OCTOBER 2018
tection. PAS coatings have become common in a number of differ- sylvania, North Carolina and Kentucky—many of whom use salt
ent markets that shop-paint steel, including oil and gas, stadiums, liberally in the winter. In terms of total structures painted with
railcars and structural steel. PAS coatings, the Virginia DOT currently has the largest number
PAS coatings have also been used in the steel bridge market for any one state, with more than 150 bridges.
for more than 15 years, and many of these applications have been The system has proven itself. The Connecticut DOT quanti-
in field maintenance painting. Since the early 2000s, a number fied the cost benefit for field applications of PAS coatings to show
of state DOTs have used PAS two-coat systems in this manner— a cost reduction of up to 20% and a greater than 30% improve-
e.g., Virginia, Maine, Connecticut, Michigan, Maryland, Penn- ment in maintenance painting efficiency when compared to tradi-

A Virginia DOT project—I-64 over Simpson Creek in Clifton Forge—was repainted with a PAS system in 2005 and has experienced miminal rust-
ing after 12 years in service (above photos and bottom-left photo on opposite page).
Modern Steel Construction | 41
Zinc Rich Primer Zinc Rich tional ZEU systems. In addition, the long-
Primer Polyaspartic Urethane term corrosion resistance of PAS coatings
Epoxy Intermediate
Topcoat on steel bridges has been documented to
Polyurethane Topcoat
show corrosion resistance equivalent to
ZEU systems.

Spanning Main Street in Maine

While PAS coatings have predomi-
Conventional Polyaspartic Urethane nantly been used for maintenance painting
Three-coat Two-coat on steel bridges thus far, they are starting
to see more use on new steel structures.
Layers of a standard three-coat ZEU system and a PAS two-coat system. Both systems have
total dry film thicknesses ranging from 9 mils to 14 mils. One of these is bridge #5160, which carries
Main St. over the Little Madawaska River
in Stockholm, Maine, and was recently
replaced with a new steel crossing (designed
by HNTB and fabricated and detailed by
NSBA member and AISC certified fabri-
cator High Steel Structures). The design
for the replacement structure is a simple-
span bridge using four steel girders and
spanning roughly 100 ft. The bridge was
constructed with weathering steel girders
with painted beam ends approximately 5 ft
from both abutments. While the coating
system was initially planned to be ZEU,
the Maine DOT showed interest in PAS
coatings after successfully using the tech-
nology for field maintenance painting, and
as a result allowed a change order for the
A close-up view of one of the painted beam ends on the Main St. bridge project.

Interested in
business development
and making structural steel
the material of choice?

AISC has
a job for you!
now hiring in
New York Los Angeles
Boston Atlanta
NSBA is now hiring in the
Southeast
to learn more visit
www.aisc.org/mynextcareer

42 | OCTOBER 2018
coating system. A two-coat system consist-
ing of an organic zinc-rich primer with a
PAS topcoat was eventually specified.
Beam ends were blasted to SSPC-SP
10 prior to primer application. Following
surface preparation, the zinc-rich primer
was applied per manufacturer require-
ments at 3-5 mils dry film thickness. After
the primer was applied and inspection was
complete, the PAS finish coat was applied
using a single-component airless pump. The
final inspection on the finish coat began
four hours after completion of the applica-
tion. After final inspection, the beams were
loaded and moved outside to the lay-down
yard. The total cycle time for blasting, paint-
ing and moving the finished product outside
was 36 hours.
In order to provide a comparison between
the two-coat PAS system and the traditional
ZEU, a second timeline was put forward based
on years of experience with ZEU systems.
Both timelines assume the paint bay has three
shifts. The total cycle time for the ZEU sys-
tem for the same beam end project would be
58 hours (see Figure 1 on p. 40 for a graphi-
cal comparison of the time cycles between
the PAS and ZEU systems). This timeline for
the ZEU system also assumes ideal environ-
mental conditions (temperature and humid-
ity). Using the two-coat PAS system reduced
the cycle time by 22 hours compared to the
ZEU system. This 61% increase in through-
put is attributed to reduced curing time and
one less coating layer. The PAS system has a
combined approximately six hours of curing
“downtime” while ZEU has around 26 hours
of curing downtime. One less layer for the
PAS system also requires one less inspection,
saving an additional two hours or so of cycle
time. The PAS systems enables a significant
improvement in the throughput and paint-
ing efficiency of the paint shop, essentially
increasing a fabricator’s painting capacity
without having to add additional shop space
or resources. In periods of high demand, PAS
coatings can improve scheduling as well as
require less painting work to be subcontracted
out to third parties.
Reducing the number of paint layers
improves the throughput and also generates
cost savings through a reduction in coating
application and steel handling costs in the
painting process. While the material cost of
a PAS system can be double that of a ZEU
system, coating application and handling costs
can be greatly reduced since, again, only two
layers need to be applied versus three. In the
case of the Maine project, the PAS system
generated a 28% savings in coating applica- A Michigan DOT project—West Road over I-75 in Woodhaven, Mich.—was repainted with a
tion and steel handing in the painting opera- PAS system in 2017.

Modern Steel Construction | 43

A Connecticut DOT project—I-75 over Starr Ave. in Danbury—was repainted in 2002 with a PAS system. After 15 years in service, minimal rust
has been experienced.

tions. Considering both raw material cost increase and the coating significant in periods of high painting demand. Ultimately, this will
application and steel handling savings, the PAS system created an over- lead to time and cost savings for owners who can leverage the advan-
all cost reduction for painting of 14%, which factored to a 2% reduc- tages of PAS systems into solutions for new steel bridges without
tion in the total cost of the new fabricated and painted steel girders. having to sacrifice long-term corrosion resistance. ■
As the trend to shop-apply all coats of paint for new steel bridges
continues, PAS coatings offer an option to deliver significant value This article is a summary of Session B25 “Advanced Coating Systems”
to both fabricators and bridge owners requiring shop painting of from the 2018 NASCC: The Steel Conference/World Steel Bridge
new steel bridges. By reducing cycle time using PAS, steel bridge Symposium in Baltimore. Next year’s conference takes place April 3-5
fabricators can gain additional painting capacity, and this can be very in St. Louis. Learn more at www.aisc.org/nascc.

44 | OCTOBER 2018
 NASCC:
THE STEEL CONFERENCE
incorporating the World Steel Bridge Symposium and the SSRC Annual Stability Conference

• 220+ exhibitors It's the premier event for

technical sessions
• 5,000+ design and everyone involved in the design
networking
construction professionals and construction of steel-framed
product showcase
• 140+ educational seminars buildings and bridges.

registration opens St. Louis, Missouri

JANUARY 2 April 3–5, 2019

www.aisc.org/nascc
 Spanning
Generations—
and Troubled
Waters
BY VICTORIA CSERVENYAK

46 | OCTOBER 2018
 A team of bridge professionals connects a remote
Panamanian village to nearby communities with
a new bridge over a treacherous river.

IN AN ISOLATED jungle community 30 minutes

from the nearest town, an 80-year-old woman hesitant-
ly crosses a suspension bridge over the Tuancle River
nearly 100 ft below to her family on the other side.
Following behind, two children laugh and romp
along the bridge, gliding their little hands across the
chain-link fences on the sides.
At the foot of the bridge, a man speaks about how
going forward, this day will have a happy meaning for
him and his family, who several years earlier had a son
die on the same date.
The 100-ft-long El Macho Puente (puente is Spanish
for bridge) opened this past spring and the nearly 200 Victoria Cservenyak ([email protected])
residents of the village—for which the bridge is named— is AISC’s digital communications manager.
are celebrating their newfound freedom of safely travel-
left: El Macho residents test their new bridge.
above: Building the bridge over the Tuancle River.
Modern Steel Construction | 47
ing to and from their Panamanian hamlet over the river. water can surge to more than 6 ft high, making the river impass-
able. Recently, a few men were carrying a sick friend on a ham-
New Bridge, New Hope mock, attempting to take him to the doctor. When they arrived
But less than a week before this celebration, no bridge existed. at the river, the water was too high and before it could recede
Spring is the dry season in El Macho, which lies about 200 enough to cross, the man died.
miles west of Panama City. So the river, which geographically Six months before the first bridge tower was installed, plans
quarantines the remote area from larger towns, is only about 1 ft commenced to build a footbridge in El Macho across the river. And
deep and even becomes a dry riverbed in some places. over the course of three months prior to the bridge’s open-
But it’s a different story during the rainy season, when villag- ing, Maria Rodriguez, the Panama country manager; Daniel
ers are sometimes forced to traverse the rocky riverbed to reach Magallon, Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) mason; Chase Luckey, B2P
nearby communities—and are sometimes simply unable to make fellow (volunteer); and the El Macho community worked to create
it. During the rainy season when flash floods are common, the the foundation.

Carter Bearden and Gary Kinchen installing decking near the middle of the bridge span.

Patrick Montgomery and team putting together scaffolding. John Hastings and Jeff Carlson installing hanger assemblies.

48 | OCTOBER 2018
Camaraderie and Colleagues When the team began their trip, they were not familiar with
Since leading his first volunteer trip with B2P in 2016, Jeff Carl- each other, yet bonded as they worked seamlessly without con-
son, NSBA’s director of market development, has been enthusiasti- struction issues or personality clashes.
cally committed to the organization’s mission. Whenever he meets “The most memorable part of the bridge for me was twofold,”
with the AEC community, he evangelizes about the need for foot- said Carlson. “First, everyone on the team worked well with one
bridges in rural areas throughout the world—which is how the El another. They were all respectful of their fellow teammates, the
Macho team formed. In addition to Carlson, team members included B2P staff and the local community. Second, I was impressed by
Carter Bearden (HDR); John Hastings (Tennessee DOT); Marne how organized the B2P Panama staff was for our project.”
Helbing (Tennessee DOT); Gary Kinchen (New Mexico DOT); “Our group had a lot of camaraderie,” added Wilson. “We
Patrick Montgomery (Fought and Company, an AISC member could have fun and at the same time all work hard towards the
and certified fabricator); Carlos Ramirez (WSP); Michelle Romage- same goal, which was a benefit I didn’t expect.”
Chambers (Texas DOT); and Scott Wilson (Palmer Engineering). The group’s gregariousness helped each team member to adroitly

The completed El Macho Bridge before the inauguration ceremony.

Modern Steel Construction | 49

 and quickly discover how to best use their
individual skills to benefit the group as a
whole. As a fluent Spanish-speaker, Ramirez
harmoniously coordinated the community
members and Kinchen cheerfully super-
vised the fabrication and rebar cutting on
the ground, while the other team members
constructed the towers and assembled the
remaining pieces. Montgomery, as a fabrica-
tor, attempted not to heckle his team mem-
bers, who were adjusting from their usual
computer work to onerous manual labor.
“Most bridge designers are not used to
hands-on experience, and to suddenly take
a concept on a piece of paper and translate
that into an actual built structure was a
challenge at first,” Kinchen explained.
However, Montgomery was happily
astounded by his teammates’ enthusiasm.
“All the engineers were down-to-earth and
ready to go to work,” he said. “You hear that
engineers are going to be finger-pointers.
But every single one of them wanted to get
their hands dirty. And they did.”

Kind-Hearted Community
Children excitedly skipping across the bridge for the first time. With both the temperature and humid-
ity in the 90s (degrees and percent, respec-
tively) the team spent the first day accli-
The B2P team celebrating the completion of the El Macho Bridge—and holding up Jeff Carlson. mating to the steamy climate, then dove

50 | OCTOBER 2018
in to work side by side with the El Macho

The next evolutionary step

residents to construct the bridge. It was es-
sential to the B2P team that the community
members take an active role in construction
so they would know how to make future re- in 2D plasma cutting.
pairs to the bridge as necessary. Through-
out the week, between 15 and 25 commu-
nity members assisted with construction,
spanning from 12-year-olds to octogenar-
ians, and even more inhabitants made the
American team feel extremely welcome.
Each morning, two women walked for two
hours to cook breakfast over a fire. Fami-
lies invited the group into their concrete-
walled, dirt-floor homes for lunch, and
other community members cooked them
dinner at the campsite at night. The vil-
lagers even built a hut made out of palm
branches for the workers to take a reprieve
from the blistering sun.
Once the crew arrived in El Macho,
two weeks were allotted for building the
bridge and despite a few minor injuries,
they completed the project in six days.
“It’s so gratifying to do something else
that goes along with the skills that you SteelPRO
SteelPRO 700 Robotic 3D Plate Table
have, especially in places where they’re
desperately needed,” Ramirez said.
In addition to the gratifying work, the
friendships formed also made the trip
www.inovatechengineering.com INOVATECH ENGINEERING
an unforgettable experience. Getting to
know the community was the highlight of
everyone’s trip.
“It’s really a neat relationship that
you gain working with them and work-
ing with a lot of people you don’t know;
you get to know them well over that two-
week period,” Hastings said. “Everybody
was wonderful. The whole experience
was wonderful.”
Although they started off as strang-
ers, the team members were so invigo-
rated by their journey to Panama that
they have already begun to plan the next
B2P opportunity. ■

Building Bridges
Through local engagement, from regional
governments to members of each partner
community, Bridges to Prosperity (B2P)
is committed to a sustainable model that
puts the focus on people and the oppor-
tunities that make it possible for them to
thrive. In 2018, B2P will complete 39 new
footbridges, increasing its overall total
to 279 bridges and impacting more than
1,000,000 people since 2001.
To learn more about B2P, how you
can become a volunteer or industry
partner or to support its mission, visit
www.bridgestoprosperity.org.
Modern Steel Construction | 51
Design With a Twist
BY BO DOWSWELL, PE, PHD

AISC’s new design guide provides much-needed

advice on designing projects with curved steel.

THERE’S A COMMON misconception that architectural appeal and structural ef-

ficiency are mutually exclusive, with the idea that one comes at the expense of the other.
Curved members do an elegant job of busting that myth by highlighting the beauty
of structural steel while also offering structural efficiency. They are often chosen for
exposed structures when aesthetics are a priority, but industrial buildings and non-
building structures make use of curved members as well. For these structures, func-
tionality is more important than aesthetics, and curved members are typically used in
situations where they are more efficient than straight members.

A New Resource for Curved Steel

Although curved structures represent beauty and simplicity, the structural be-
Bo Dowswell ([email protected]) is havior of curved members can be quite different from their straight counterparts.
a principal with ARC International, LLC, in Despite the widespread use of curved structural steel members, detailed guidance
Birmingham, Ala., and also a consultant to relative to United States design practice has been scarce—until now. The recently
AISC’s Steel Solutions Center.

52 | OCTOBER 2018
 Courtesy of AISC Bender-Roller Committee

Curved steel can turn a pedestrian bridge into an art installation.

published AISC Design Guide 33: Curved Member Design (available at www.aisc.org/dg) provides
design guidance and practical information on the fabrication, design and detailing of curved mem-
bers.The contents of the new design guide are briefly summarized here:
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to curved members, with a discussion of typical applica-
tions in both commercial and industrial structures.
Chapter 2 describes various geometries available for curved members and the methods used to
bend them. Due to the wide variety of bending equipment available, almost any structural shape
can be curved, including wide-flanges, standard shapes, channels, angles, hollow structural sections
(HSS) and welded built-up members. Bender-roller companies, who specialize in curving steel
members, can provide further information on the fabrication of curved members. Because each
bender-roller has different capabilities, discussing bending requirements as early in the project as Design Guide 33
possible will allow for a smooth design and construction process. Curved
Chapter 3 discusses behavior during the bending operation. It provides information about curving Member
mechanics and reducing the risk of fracture and excessive cross-sectional distortion during bending. Design

Modern Steel Construction | 53

 Chapter 4 focuses on detailing and fabrication requirements, Chapters 6 and 7 provide design methods and equations for
including tolerances and dimensions required by the bender-roller vertically and horizontally curved members, respectively. These
for successfully bending members. chapters discuss the strength, stability and serviceability of mem-
Chapter 5 discusses several considerations that, in some bers, as well as connection design. All design equations com-
cases, may affect the design of curved members. These factors ply with the 2016 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings
include potential changes in material properties caused by the (ANSI/AISC 360, available at www.aisc.org/specifications).
bending process and their effects on the structural behavior of Chapter 8 shows how to implement the equations in Chapters
curved members. Other topics include residual stresses, nonlin- 6 and 7 via three extensive design examples.
ear flexural stresses and cross-sectional distortion. The final sec- The final parts of the publication include a glossary of common
tion of Chapter 5 provides information that should be included terms and a list of AISC associate member bender-roller member
in the contract documents to ensure the expected product is what companies that can provide invaluable practical information in the
is supplied. conceptual and design stages of a project.

Hedrich Blessing

A curved HSS frame transforms a university building’s atrium into a campus icon.

54 | OCTOBER 2018
Curved Members structures are required due to geometrical constraints. For indus-
Here are a few of the more common types of curved steel: trial structures, horizontally curved members can be used for mono-
Vertical. The ability of arches to span long distances provides rail beams, chimney grillages, circumferential shell stiffeners and
an opportunity for large open spaces such as pedestrian bridges. silo/tank roofs.
A similar visual effect can be created with vertically curved roof Specialty. Specialty bends are often required to form members
beams. For industrial structures, vertically curved members may be to the proper geometry. Because parabolic curves are efficient for
used as circumferential shell stiffening rings for horizontal vessels, resisting gravity loads, many arches have a parabolic geometry,
large industrial ducts and tubular conveyor galleries. which requires a variable-radius specialty bend. Bender-rollers
Horizontal. Although horizontally curved members are usu- also have the capability to form complex curves with small, varying
ally less efficient structurally than straight beams, they are often radii about multiple axes. For industrial structures, specialty bends
used to carry loads at curved floors and roofs. In some cases, such are used primarily for spiral stairs providing access for circular ves-
as for transportation and pedestrian bridges, horizontally curved sels and for monorail beams with compound curves.

Sherman Takata James Steincamp Photography

A curved roof steel in an airport project. Curved HSS for a parking canopy.

S-shape curved canopy members.

Courtesy of AISC Bender-Roller Committee

Modern Steel Construction | 55

Complex curves for a public sculpture. Curved steel for a multistory spiral staircase.

Courtesy of AISC Bender-Roller Committee Courtesy of AISC Bender-Roller Committee

Courtesy of AISC Bender-Roller Committee

Horizontally curved roof beams on a recreation center project.

56 | OCTOBER 2018
Courtesy of AISC Bender-Roller Committee

The design guide brings all of the lat- An arch bridge, curved and painted for aesthetic purposes.
est information on curved members into
a single document that is compatible with
the 2016 AISC Specification. Although most
of the guidance is focused on structural
design, architects, fabricators and detailers
will also find the document to be a great re-
source full of critical information on using
curved members in steel structures. ■

Design Guide 33—and all other AISC de-

sign guides—is available at www.aisc.org/dg.
For information related to curved members,
visit www.aisc.org/curvedsteel. Also see
“There’s More Than One Way to Bend a
Beam” in the January 2016 issue, available
at www.modernsteel.com.

AISC Bender-Rollers
Here is a list of current AISC Bender-
Roller Committee members:
A-1 Roll Company
Albina Company, Inc.
Bendco, Inc.
BendTec, Inc.
Chicago Metal Rolled Products
Greiner Industries, Inc.
Hodgson Custom Rolling, Inc.
Holloway Company, Inc.
Hornsby Steel
Kottler Metal Products
Kubes Steel, Inc.
Max Weiss Company
Metals USA
Midwest Metal Products
Paramount Roll and Forming
Shaped Steel, Inc.
SIMS Steel, Inc.
Whitefab
Visit www.aisc.org/benders for
contact information for all of these
companies.

Modern Steel Construction | 57

AISC

Night School class begins October 15, 2018

Steel Construction
From the Mill to Topping Out
presented by Larry Kruth, James Fisher and more.

Monday nights 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

8 sessions | 90 minutes per session.
Upcoming Sessions
10/15 Introduction to the Steel Construction Process
10/22 The Manufacturing of Structural Steel Shapes
10/29 Steel Fabrication: A Tour of the Steel
Fabrication Process
11/5 Connection Design as the
Fabricator’s Representative
11/19 It Doesn’t Get Built without the Erector
11/26 Erection Engineering –
Stability During Construction
12/3 Field Fixes and Solutions
12/10 Quality Control & Quality Assurance

Smarter. Stronger. Steel.

American Institute of Steel Construction
312.670.2400 | www.aisc.org

www.aisc.org/nightschool
 new products

DAITO DCM1050
Daito’s DCM1050 is a multitasking machine
combining a CNC Drill (with three spindles), a
CNC robotic coper for standard or complicated
plasma cuts and a marking machine for part num-
ber and welding/layout marking. Each drill has
an automatic tool changer to cover tapping, mill-
ing, chamfering holes and boring blind holes. The
wide range of functions makes the DCM the most
versatile machine for non-repetitive structural
steel processing.
For more information, visit www.daitousa.com
or call 847.437.6788.

PRODEVCO PCR42
The PCR42 advanced robotic plasma steel cutting system com-
bines CNC plasma cutting and torch technology with fully
automated robotics, noncontact measuring and vision systems.
The PCR42 now features Hypertherm’s XPR300 plasma unit.
For structural steel cutting, this delivers the perfect combina-
tion of speed, precision and full four-face operation. The PCR42
robotic plasma cutting system does beam coping, notches, holes
and weld preps, splits beams and scribes, plus it marks on all
four faces of H-beams, channels, angles, HSS and plates. The
PCR42’s cutting envelope covers all four faces of steel profiles,
allowing for HSS cutting in a single pass and marking on all four
sides. The PCR42 is the first system of its kind in the world to
plasma cut standard structural steel profiles, pipe and round tube
up to 26 in. in diameter with the same plasma coping equipment.
Please check us out at Fabtech 2018 in Atlanta at Booth B5851!
For more information, visit www.prodevcoind.com or
call 877.226.4501.

PEDDINGHAUS ANGLEMASTER-663
Serving as the industry’s benchmark for productivity, the
Anglemaster-663 caters to today’s fabricators’ need to auto-
mate punching, shearing and marking for angles and flat
bar. The Anglemaster-663 can accommodate shaped holes
such as squares, rectangles, obrounds and slots, including
a feature that allows nibbling of material. This particular
Anglemaster boasts a new punch tool design that allows for
simplicity in tool changes, in addition to a misting feature
that extends punch tool and shear life during operation. A
new and improved patent-pending roller feed is designed to
flex with the material in order to ensure a constant roll and
accurate measurement, given deviations in material, with no
stop in production.
For more information, visit www.peddinghaus.com
or call 815.937.3800.

Modern Steel Construction | 59

news
ENGINEERING JOURNAL People and Companies
Fourth Quarter EJ Now Available “Insatiable appetite to learn
The fourth quarter 2018 issue of AISC’s En- • Local Strength of Single-Coped coupled with the fear of failure,”
gineering Journal is now available. You can Beams says Ron Klemencic, SE, PE,
access the current issue as well as past issues Bo Dowswell chairman and CEO of Magnusson
at www.aisc.org/ej. Below are summaries of In beam-to-beam connections, the top Klemencic Associates (MKA) on his
this edition’s articles: flange of the supported beam is usually motivation to innovate. Klemencic
coped to clear the supporting beam flange. is interviewed in the latest episode
• Technical Note: Post-Fire Axial Due to flexural and shear stresses in the of AISC’s Steel Profiles podcast
Load Resistance of Concrete-Filled, coped portion of the web, the local strength series at www.aisc.org/podcasts.
Double-Skin Tube (CFDST) Stub can be limited by buckling. Design recom- Tune in to hear his fascinating
Columns mendations in previous editions of the AISC h o u r- l o n g c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h
Reza Imani and Michel Bruneau Manual imposed limits on the cope geom- Margaret A. Matthew, PE, AISC
This technical note reports findings on etry and were based on an allowable stress senior engineer and host of Steel
a series of squash tests to investigate the ef- philosophy, limiting the flexural strength Profiles. He gives an inside look
fects of a significant fire loading history on to the first-yield moment. To eliminate the at this life and career including his
the axial load strength of concrete-filled, limits of applicability and provide equations innovative ideas on tall building
double-skin tube (CFDST) stub columns. that take advantage of any available post- design, a revolutionary new
Axial loading tests were conducted on two yield strength, the design guidance in the composite structural steel framing
stub columns that were previously subjected 15th Edition AISC Steel Construction Manual system, his crusade to give back
to the first 60 minutes of the standard ASTM has been revised from previous editions of to the industry and even the scoop
E119 (ASTM, 2012) fire. Results were com- the AISC Manual. This paper discusses the on his fear of heights.
pared to the resistance of an identical vir- development of the revised design proce- Klemencic has led the
gin stub column. Comparisons indicated an dure and validates the equations with the development of the SpeedCore
average reduction of 28% in the axial load results of 25 experimental tests from five system, aiming to replace the
strength of stub columns when subjected to independent research projects. reinforced concrete core in steel
the mentioned fire loading history. office-tower construction. The
• Steel Structures Research Update: system is expected to take 40% less
• Quantifying Inelastic Force and Seismic Performance and Design time to build than a steel frame with
Deformation Demands on Buckling of Steel Panel Dampers for Steel a reinforced concrete core. To learn
Restrained Braces and Structural Moment Frames more about this revolutionary system,
System Response Judy Liu visit www.aisc.org/speedcore.
Justin D. Marshall, Brandt Saxey and Ongoing work on the seismic perfor- You can play or download all
Zhongliang Xie mance and design of steel panel dampers 28 episodes of Steel Profiles at
Buckling-restrained braced frames for steel moment frames is highlighted. www.aisc.org/podcasts or on
(BRBFs) have become a very popular later- Dr. Keh-Chyuan Tsai, professor in the De- iTunes. In iTunes, simply search for
al-resisting system due to their balanced, full partment of Civil Engineering at National “Steel Profiles” to access all of the
hysteresis and the ability to tailor stiffness, Taiwan University, leads the team from Na- episodes. You can also subscribe
within limits, and strength to meet specific tional Taiwan University and the National to the series for free, and each
design requirements. This paper reports Center for Research on Earthquake En- new episode will automatically be
the results of an analytical investigation gineering (NCREE) in Taipei. In 2018 at downloaded for you.
on the performance of buckling-restrained NCREE, one recent collaboration with the
braces (BRBs) and the global performance University of Washington included cyclic
of BRBFs, with a focus on the ductility and tests of a three-story chevron special con-
overstrength demands on the braces. Non- centrically braced frame (SCBF). Current
linear analytical models of various three- seismic design provisions require large beam
and six-story steel frames were subjected to sizes to resist the unbalanced forces from the
a suite of earthquake records to determine chevron braces after brace buckling. The re-
the demands on the BRB elements and search has explored options for alternative
the overall frame response. The structure ductile mechanisms and reduced beam sizes.
variations include the location (i.e., seismic Steel research at NCREE has also included
hazard), seismic importance factor, Ie, brace studies on steel beam-to-box-column mo-
configuration (chevron versus single diago- ment connections and electro-slag-welded
nal) and BRB yielding core length. (ESW) joints in those connections.

60 | OCTOBER 2018
 news
IN MEMORIAM
Steel Industry Mourns Terry Peshia, Former AISC Board Chair

addition to his significant contributions missed. He was a great inspiration to me

to AISC, he served as chair of the Central personally by getting me actively involved
Fabricators Association and was a member in both organizations, which eventually led
of the Associated Steel Erectors. In 2009 he to the position I now hold at AISC after
received the prestigious AISC Stupp Award working at Douglas Steel [an AISC mem-
for Leadership Excellence. He was a 1961 ber and certified fabricator] for over 30
graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary years. I will truly miss his guidance and in-
Science and served his country proudly as a depth knowledge of the industry, and will
member of the United States Army. always treasure his friendship and the help
“Terry’s influence and impact on the he has offered to me over the years. One of
steel industry cannot be overstated,” said the most memorable experiences I had with
Charlie Carter, AISC’s president. “He Terry was the time he had the CFA Dinner
served and led AISC, CFA and the Iron- hosted at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg
workers faithfully for many decades, all Automotive Museum. In addition to the
with wisdom, vigor and dedication. A mas- great experience, the most amazing part
ter of appropriate, helpful criticism, he was to have Terry show us his 1932 Auburn
Terry F. Peshia, CEO of Garbe Iron Works, also was your strongest supporter as you Boattail Speedster.”
Aurora, Ill. (an AISC member and certified adapted to resolve it. His vision was always An avid car collector, Peshia was a mem-
fabricator), and former chair of the AISC of what could be. His talent was orchestrat- ber of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club
Board of Directors, passed away on August ing it to happen.” and lifetime member of the ACD Museum
9 at the age of 80. Fittingly, his company Roger Ferch, former president of AISC, in Auburn, Ind. He was also a freemason
provided the steel fabrication for the hospi- said, “I first met Terry 20 years ago when and a member of the Jerusalem Temple
tal, Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, I joined the AISC Board. From the begin- Lodge in Aurora, Ill. He was very involved
where he died. ning, Terry was a mentor to me and very in many county and community organiza-
“The AISC Board is saddened by welcoming to new Board members. He was tions, including the Kendall County Board,
the loss of our friend and mentor Terry always very informed on topics of discus- the Oswego Village Board and the Kendall
Peshia,” said David Zalesne, current AISC sion and certainly never bashful about mak- County Historical Society, where he was
chair and president of Owen Steel Com- ing his opinions known. But perhaps his a past president, and he was also a former
pany (an AISC member and certified fab- greatest strength was that of being a team Oswego police commissioner.
ricator). “Terry joined the Board in 1996 player and supporting the organization “In every organization, there is a com-
and served as Board Chair from 2001 to once a decision was made. As strong as he mitted individual that has a major impact
2003. He remained actively engaged in was working behind the scenes and voicing on the success of the group,” said Lou
many Board activities over the years, his thoughts during Board meetings, once Gurthet, former president of AISC. “Ter-
including his current service as Chair a vote was taken, Terry transferred his tire- ry Peshia was that person with his family,
of AISC Holdings, Inc., with oversight less volunteerism into executing the plan. I with Garbe Iron Works and with AISC.
of AISC treasury and intellectual property have many fond memories of Terry and will Quiet, thoughtful and determined—even
assets. Even as the industry changed and remember him as both a great friend and downright stubborn—he played that role
evolved, Terry remained a strong advo- a mentor. He was a genuine leader and I in support of AISC. He had the ability to
cate for its core values, which he lived out listened closely to his sage advice. Terry was articulate what was needed, how it could
through his entire professional career at also the most influential in recruiting me to be achieved and the strength to hold to his
Garbe Iron Works, and his personal dedi- move from sunny California to Illinois to conviction. He was the person you wanted
cation to his wife, Connie, and their sons, become AISC’s president in 2006.” as a friend and on your team.”
Ted and John. The AISC Board will miss Larry Kruth, AISC’s vice president of Tom Schlafly, chief of engineering at AISC,
his presence, guidance and friendship.” engineering, added, “Terry has been a ma- added, “I worked with Terry over 20 years ago
A recognized leader in the structural jor influence to many people in the steel and for many years since. He impressed me
steel industry, Peshia began as an iron- industry, not only through his leadership at with his attention and success with some of the
worker and joined Garbe Iron Works in AISC but also his many years as a member more arcane issues of running his business that
1964, where he spent his entire career. In and leader of CFA, and he will be greatly many others did not show interest in.”

Modern Steel Construction | 61

news
TARIFFS
U.S. Imposes Tariffs on Chinese Steel
In August, the Office of the United States in front of the USTR Section 301 Com- said, “On behalf of AISC and the Ameri-
Trade Representative (USTR) released its mittee. This is the first time that tariffs have can structural steel industry, we appreciate
list of approximately $16 billion worth of been extended beyond mill products to in- USTR’s willingness to listen, and com-
imports from China that will be subject to clude fabricated structural steel, and they mend the USTR for including fabricated
a 25% tariff as part of the U.S. response to went into effect on August 23. steel tariff codes on the current list for
China’s unfair trade practices related to the To read AISC’s most recent testimony action under Section 301. This is a very
forced transfer of American technology and given by David Zalesne, chairman of AISC positive step toward protecting down-
intellectual property. The list contains 279 and president of Owen Steel Company (an stream users that have been left exposed to
of the original 284 tariff lines proposed, AISC member and certified fabricator) visit foreign fabricators circumventing current
including those AISC requested for in- www.aisc.org/tariffs. 232 trade actions.”
clusion in its two separate testimonies Charlie Carter, president of AISC,

BRIDGES
SSSBA Publishes Research on New Steel Tub Girder Bridge Technology
A new report from the Short Span Steel Short Span Bridge Applications”
Bridge Alliance (SSSBA), Development and • Volume II – “Experimental Evaluation
Experimental Testing of Press-Brake-Formed of Non-Composite Shallow Press-
Steel Tub Girders for Short Span Bridge Appli- Brake-Formed Steel Tub Girders”
cations, reveals new technology that allows • Volume III – “Evaluation of Modu-
for accelerated construction and reduced lar Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders
traffic interruptions. With UHPC Joints”
The five volumes, compiled by Karl • Volume IV – “Field Performance
Barth, PhD, and Greg Michaelson, PhD, Assessment of Press-Brake-Formed
PE, can be downloaded for free at www. Steel Tub Girder Superstructures”
shortspansteelbridges.org. • Volume V – “Fatigue Performance of
• Volume I – “Development and Fea- Uncoated and Galvanized Composite
sibility Assessment of Shallow Press- Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders”
Brake-Formed Steel Tub Girders for

STEEL SYSTEMS
Connection Testing Leads to More Testing—and New Connections
Sometimes testing yields further, unantici- tion was still in undamaged. The test team nection completed 23 test cycles and resulted
pated testing. met and decided that the connection offered in two new connections configurations.
Earlier this year, in testing its bolted significant versatility and, based on finite Additionally, the column used in the
special moment frame connection at element analysis performed in-house, the testing allowed a b/t ratio of up to 21, far
the University of California San Diego company’s engineers developed a new tuck exceeding the standard of 14. By pushing
test lab, seismic connection manufac- connection that minimizes the spatial im- the limits, the team was able to turn the
turer SidePlate successfully deformed a pact of the joint. This configuration, tested costs associated with testing into certifica-
W27×102 beam on an HSS20×20×7∕8 col- with a W33×106 “built-up” beam, saw 1.0%, tion testing, validating a new design and
umn with no damage to the connection after 2.0% and 3.0% cycles and two full cycles at opening up a new era of design with the
full cycle testing at 1.0%, 2.0%, 3.0%, 4.0%, 4%. In other words, one connection and larger HSS columns.
5.0%, 6.0% and 7%. Realizing the connec- column had now been through 18 cycles and “Conducting four successful full-scale
tion was fully intact, the team decided it was still ready for further testing. tests with the same column and side plates
could be tested again. “We didn’t set out on a resiliency test means that a building using our connections
So an identical beam was installed (all path in developing this new connection, but can be subjected to a code-level earthquake
tests were done with a story height of 14 things happen in engineering,” exclaimed four times and still be operational after re-
ft and a span of 22 ft) but to make it more SidePlate’s president, Henry Gallart. placing the beams,” noted SidePlate’s direc-
interesting this time around, the research Test four used a duplicate “built-up” beam tor of research and development, Bezhad
team removed the VSE (vertical shear ele- and after achieving a successful 4% test, the Rafezy. “It validates our philosophy for our
ment) bolts and tested again, resulting in a plate finally showed some deformation but field-bolted connection design: life-safety
full test cycle up to 6%—far exceeding the held up through another 4% test, which was performance that gives a building owner re-
code required limit of 4%—and the connec- performed for good measure. In all, the con- duced downtime after a major earthquake.”
62 | OCTOBER 2018
 news
STUDENT STEEL BRIDGE
COMPETITION
2019 Student Steel
Bridge Competition Rules
Released
Each year, the Rules Committee creates a
new mock scenario and set of rules for the
Student Steel Bridge Competition (SSBC),
keeping the competition challenging and ex-
citing for the student teams—and the 2019
rules are now available.
This year’s problem statement involves
historic steel railroad bridges in Hawaii that
must be rebuilt due to volcanic flows and
earthquake activity. But there’s a twist: Each
bridge must include a cantilever supported
by offset footings on one end.
As in past competitions, the rules in-
clude design, construction, equipment and
safety requirements. After constructing their
bridges, teams will perform vertical and lat-
eral load tests.
Starting in early spring of 2019, 18 re-
gional competitions will be hosted by uni-
versities nationwide. AISC will offer funding
and assistance in finding sponsors for bridge
teams and host schools. Depending on the
number of teams at each competition, be-
tween one and four teams will move on to
the 2019 Student Steel Bridge Competition:
National Finals at the University of Texas El
Paso, May 24-25.
For the complete problem statement and
rules, visit www.aisc.org/ssbc.
In addition, AISC, in coordination with
its many professional, industry and aca-
demic volunteers, will conduct all aspects
of the 2019 SSBC as the sole organizing
sponsor, including regional competitions.
For more on the new organization of the
SSBC, see the related August 16 news item
at www.modernsteel.com.

correction
In the July article “Intensified Care”
(available at www.modernsteel.com)
the bender-roller for the CHI Health
project was erroneously left off the
5SBJMFS
BU

IUUQTUIFXJMTIJSFHSBOETUPSZDPN
project team list. Curved steel was
provided by AISC associate member
Chicago Metal Rolled Products.

Modern Steel Construction | 63

 This seminar focuses on the updates in
these new publications and will be presented The Louis F.
in the following cities in Fall 2018: Geschwindner
Seminar Series
10/4 Seattle, WA 10/25 Honolulu, HI presents
10/18 Minneapolis, MN 11/8 Washington, DC
10/19 Anchorage, AK

The AISC Steel Construction

Manual, 15th Ed.
and 2016 Specification

A 4-hour All registrants will

Continuing have the opportunity
Education to purchase the
Event new Manual at a
by Louis F. Geschwindner discount price
PE, PhD of $125!

More information
Smarter. Stronger. Steel.
can be found at
www.aisc.org/ American Institute of Steel Construction
312.670.2400 | www.aisc.org
seminars
Search employment ads online at www.modernsteel.com.
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advertiser index

AISC 42 | 45 | 58 | 64 Kinetic Cutting Systems 36

Applied Bolting Technology 19 LNA Solutions 22
AVEVA 38 MDX Software 29
Central Steel Service 51 Peddinghaus Corporation 2 | 59
Charles Panko foundation 16 Prodevco Robotic Solutions 59
Chicago Metal Rolled Products insert Profile Cutting Systems 57
Controlled Automation 14 Python X, A Lincoln Electric Company 8
Cosen Saws USA 42 QuickFrames USA 25
Daito USA 59 SDS/2 7
FICEP Corporation 13 Sideplate Systems 22
Grating Fasteners 63 Simpson Strong-Tie 31
Greiner Industries 5 St. Louis Screw & Bolt 25
High Steel Structures 23 Trilogy Machinery 29
IES back cover Trimble 3 | 12
InfoSight Corporation 36 V&S Galvanizing 67
Infra-Metals 15 Voortman Corporation 11
Inovatec Engineering 51 Whitefab 20
Khatri International 63

Modern Steel Construction | 65

structurally sound

STEEL BALLOONS
STEEL IS A LOT of things, though inflatable probably isn’t one number of modules for your building.
of the first adjectives that comes to mind when describing it. The concept was created for the 2017-2018 Steel De-
But inflatable steel is the star of Balloonité, a multistory sign Student Competition. Administered by the Association
residential design concept created by Austin Vandepoll and Na- of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and sponsored
thalie Altamirano, both architecture students at the University by AISC, the competition encourages architecture students
of North Carolina at Charlotte. from across North America to explore the many function-
The project is a nod to Unité d’habitation, a mid-century al and aesthetic uses for steel in design and construction.
housing design principle focused on communal living, and rei- This year’s competition included two categories. Category
magines the concept using inflatable steel technology. I—for which Balloonité was the winner—focused on afford-
How do you inflate steel? Simple. First, cut two 18-gauge able housing, and Category II was an open competition. You
steel sheets into the desired shape. Next, weld the edges and can learn more about Balloonité, as well as of this year’s win-
seams together, making sure to keep the blowhole open. Finally, ners, in next month’s issue (you can also view the winners at
pump 90-psi air into the cavity. Repeat until you have the desired www.acsa-arch.org). ■

66 | OCTOBER 2018
 V&S Galvanizing
Would like to thank ACROW Bridge and U.S. Bridge Companies
for sharing in their recovery efforts of Puerto Rico.
Hot Dip Galvanizing!
Saving Our Infrastructure

“One Dip At A Time” ®

September 20, 2017 part of the United States was devastated by Hurricane Maria. An attack
to The U.S. Tropical Paradise of Puerto Rico. Entire communities, major roadways and
bridges completely swept away. Two of the long-standing V&S Galvanizing Customers
“ACROW Bridge Company”, (New Jersey) and “U.S. Bridge Company”, (Ohio) were called upon
to help with their design and build temporary Bridges. Both Companies reached out to their
local V&S Galvanizing Teams to help the people of Puerto Rico.

Utuado, Puerto Rico (U.S. Bridge Cambridge, Ohio) Tanamà River, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
(ACROW Bridge Company Parsippany, New Jersey)

This time it was not just another Bridge for a County or City, this time it would be Bridges for
emergency medical supplies, food, water, uniting cities and get people back into civilization. By April
2018 there were over a dozen of these Bridges in use. Bridges to reconnect communities and
families. Within 6 months after this deadly storm these two Bridge teams were able to answer the
call to design, fabricate, package in containers, ship, and erect their Engineering Masterpieces of
Steel Fabrication. The Employees of V&S Galvanizing LLC have never been more proud to galvanize
and do their jobs. All V&S Plants that were called upon worked around the clock, holidays, weekends
or whatever was asked to galvanize, package, and finish to help ACROW and U.S. Bridge meet their
schedule. Anything to help our fellow citizens of Puerto Rico put their roads and their lives back
together.

We all need to keep Puerto Rico in our thoughts; they still have a long way to go!!!

“Zinc Protects Steel” ®

V&S Amboy Galvanizing LLC • V&S Columbus Galvanizing LLC • V&S Delaware Galvanizing LLC • V&S Detroit Galvanizing LLC
V&S Lebanon Galvanizing LLC • V&S Memphis Galvanizing LLC • V&S Taunton Galvanizing, LLC

www.hotdipgalvanizing.com
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