It's Throwback Thursday and we're throwing it back to the 2009 NASCC: The Steel Conference in Phoenix. During this conference, Bill Thornton of Cives Engineering Corporation, presented an insightful session called "Connections: The Last Bastion of Rational Design."
Connections can account for 50% of the cost of erected steel, and rational design of connections requires engineering knowledge. The "Last Bastion" reference is meant to emphasize that there's not many software packages currently available that can perform complex connection design.
Click here to check out the recording of Thornton's presentation as he explores the fundamental basis for connection design and the effects of mainframe design on the connections, bolt and weld choices, analysis assumptions and reality, and the Lower Bound Theorem of Limit Analysis (make sure to check out his upcoming Steelwise article on the Lower Bound Thereom of Limit Analysis in the July 2020 issue of Modern Steel Construction). He also presents applications to selected shear, bracing, and moment connections.
View Recording
Each Thursday over the coming weeks, we'll feature one expert-led session from a past Steel Conference. All are as relevant today as when they were originally presented and are packed full of valuable information.
And as always, you can find over 2,000 free recorded webinars, conference proceedings, and articles that can be accessed any time in our Education Archives.