SteelDay 2022 is in the books--and it was one for the books, too!

AISC members, the Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust, and others affiliated with the industry celebrated steel last week with events from Puerto Rico to Portland.

"Ray was a purposeful volunteer and leader in the technical activities of AISC, RCSC, and other organizations," said Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. "He always had things he wanted to accomplish and rarely did he fail. More personally, I remember how encouraging he was early in my career that I should pursue and achieve licensure as a PE and SE."

AISC’s ad hoc task group on Transbay has wrapped up its work and made its recommendations to the AISC Committee on Specifications. The group was formed after cracks were discovered in steel members in the newly opened Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco.

It’s expected the report will lead to a number of changes in future steel specifications. “The task group presented a holistic set of proposals dealing with fracture toughness, sharp discontinuities, stress levels, and inspection practices, while also considering practical commercial issues,” said AISC Vice President of Special Projects Lawrence F. Kruth, PE.

More than any other material, steel inspires big design ideas--so big that sometimes they exceed the scope of the Specification for Structural Steel Buildings.

Smart firms call on the research community when that happens. 

"Designers, fabricators, and researchers are all at the forefront of steel innovation," says Christopher Raebel, AISC's new vice president of engineering and research. "Great things can happen when they work together to solve problems and confirm that creative design solutions actually work--and, as a bonus, these projects can build connections between exceptional students and firms looking for a new generation of talented thinkers."