Best Steel Textbook for Learning Steel Design - hopefully digital version 2

Looking for recommended textbooks for learning Steel Design. Need it to comply with AISC version 14. Would prefer that a digital version is available.

Thanks for your help.

 

[KootK]

@kootk can you organize/order these references in a simple chart or procedure ? this is my first time at this forum and you seems to be a godfather here !

What I am is addicted. I'm not clear on what you're asking of me Wayne. Can you clarify?

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.

 

[FOX89]

Can you check my post please to get my point

http://www.eng-tips.com/userthreads.cfm?pid=731&handle=Wayne89

 

[FOX89]

Sorry...

Here is it:

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=394598

I need your advice kootc

 

[dhengr]

Wayne89:
Nice compliment for KootK. He’s a smart guy, but he can’t do the reading and perusing for you, if you want to learn anything. If you have a question..., and this goes for any/all of you, do a little digging and reference search work on your own, before you come here looking for the quick, cheap, someone else does the thinking for you, answer. You will become a much smarter, better engineer if you have to work a little on your own for that title and knowledge.

What do you mean?... “can you organize/order these references”? He already owns and uses the text and reference books so he doesn’t have to “order” them. The books have already been “organized,” and particularly well, by their authors, that’s part of what makes them so important to us older guys, and such valuable references. All the important info. in the engineering world is not on the internet; and much of what is, has not been well vetted by other experts in the particular field, nor by years of successful usage.

 

[FOX89]

Dhengr;

You are 100% right, no one should do the reading for anyone else ! But i think you got me wrong ! What i meant is that i want to buy these references and start the hard working hetr, i would start with a decent review of the structural analysis, ASCE ... , then i'll move to steel structures (salmon), AISC design guides, design of welded structures.

That is what i would do and i thought that you guys would give your thoughts about it.

I am seriously interested in every single openion on this regard not only the kootk's, and as i am a new one here seeing "congrats kootk" on the homepage, i was curious to read some of his previous comments and i think he is doing a good job. That what was the compliment for !

 

[maneesha0702]

Nobody has mentioned a book by Louis Geschwinder Unified Design of Steel Structures. The second edition refers to 14th Edition. I really think it is the best book.

 

[maneesha0702]

Sorry. In my eagerness to reply I did not mention clearly that the second edition of the book Unified Design of Steel Structures refers to the Steel Construction Manual 14th Edition.

 

[smokiibear]

@njlutzwe
Did you only guess that Salmons book is digital. I see some garbage sites that reference a PDF out there for it, but the closest I come to finding it is coursesmart.com, which only provides rental and not ownership. Are you aware of anywhere else to obtain digital?

Thanks,

 

[Guastavino]

smokiibear, you caught me! My apologies. I assumed it had a digital version, but I guess it doesn't after I looked more closely. I hope they come out with a 6th edition, and it's about time that they do, but no release date is listed anywhere that I can find. I would hazard a guess future editions will have a digital version because it seems all things are headed that way, but that's another assumption by me...sorry about that.

 

[smokiibear]

Thanks, njlutzwe. Disappointing confirmation, but that's what I was perceiving. Suprised the 6th edition has arrived yet.

 

[KootK]

If I was the author of the world's best steel textbook, I wouldn't dream of letting it go digital. We're all grownups here, conversing anonymously. I'm sure we all know what becomes of royalties once reference materials go digital.

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.

 

[smokiibear]

I understand that dishonesty is possible, but I've spent several thousand on digital material in the last few years, and I woudn't hesitate to buy a good book. I really don't know the music industry, but has you tube destroyed the royalties of musicians?

 

[KootK]

has you tube destroyed the royalties of musicians?

For the most part, musicians never got the royalties. They make their money on concert tickets and merchandising. It's the record labels whose royalty income has been decimated. And it has. While not many people lose sleep over record label profits, attendance at concerts would certainly suffer in the absence of record label promotional support.

I'm not accusing you of anything here smokiibear. I'm just offering an explanation for why Mr. Salmon may be taking his time going digital. I've also spent a small fortune on digital reference material. I like digital for a number of practical reasons including portability and search-ability. But I'd be a hypocritical liar if I were to claim that I'm legally entitled to each and every one the 3000+ structural engineering PDF files that I have in my digital library. It's human nature to give in to temptation in the absence of immediate consequences. That's why I still eat tiger tail ice cream despite a gene pool bubbling over with type two diabetics.

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.

 

[smokiibear]

Thanks for sharing, KootK. I took/take none of your comments offensive. I really appreciate your comments and the group here. I do understand the sentiment about digital. At various times over the years I've had to clean house and/or buy things I obtained that I wanted to keep.

Keep the conversation coming....it's enjoyable.

 

[KootK]

I took/take none of your comments offensive.

Truly, I am glad to hear that.

Keep the conversation coming....it's enjoyable.

A discussion of steel texts without mentioning Galambos would be inappropriate: Link. Steel isn't mentioned in the title, oddly, but it's about nothing else.

What most engineers lack, when it comes to steel design, is a good handle on overall stability theory. Galambos, again, is good for a short lesson on the basics: Link. And, if you read this one cover to cover, you'll pretty much be able to derive the AISC manual from first principles: Link.

Circling back to the practical, the hands down, best practitioner book that I know of is a steel text assembled by Andrew Metten: Link. The only way to get a copy is to email him directly. It's also Canadian-centric but I would argue that it wouldn't matter much. The book doesn't dwell on designing steel members. Rather it deals with designing steel buildings. Diaphragms, anchorage, fire resistance, bracing, computer modelling, economics, durability...

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.

 

[TLHS]

Andy Metten's book is the only one I won't indiscriminately lend out. I'm worried I won't be able to replace it.

There are a few details and assumptions he makes that I don't agree with, but I agree that it's the best book about how to design a building I've ever seen, especially in a Canadian context. He straight up talks about how practicing engineers make assumptions to simply code requirements, neglect things that are non-governing or neglect code requirements that aren't practical. It's not about how to use the code or calculate capacities, although it touches on those. It's about how to actually do design work. Instead of designing a beam in six pages of calculations, it designs a building by identifying the major load paths and governing loads in a couple of calcs, picking your governing members by inspection or rough numbers, practically sizing the small handful of critical members using tables and then making sure you can build it. I've seen books that try to do this before, but they've always end up seeming like summaries that are skipping the real design work. His book is conceptual while also being detailed.

He attempts to explain the thought process rather than merely demonstrating design.

On occasion he teaches a steal class in Vancouver for SEABC.

 

[TLHS]

I don't have Galambos, but in a similar vein I'd recommend Guide to Stability Design Criteria for Metal Structures. It's basically a source book for the codes. It's both theoretical and practical. It has complicated theoretical formulas you're likely never going to use as well as practical approaches with helpful tables and diagrams. It uses international codes and academic sources to discuss all sorts of standard and non-standard arrangements as they relate to stability and buckling.

The book is basically a survey of the current practical understanding of stability theory as it relates to metal construction.

If you want to understand how the code requirements for web buckling in girders were derived, you'll find it in here. If you have a curved, tapered, non-symmetrical shape in bending and want to figure out how to calculate a lateral torsional buckling capacity, you'll likely find it in here too.

If you can't find it, it's got extensive lists of references and source documents to track down what you want.

It's also an incredibly readable book. It's something you can sit down with and read a few chapters of if you want to learn something new.

You definitely don't need it for standard design, but I think it's a great if you want a deeper understanding.

 

[KootK]

Andy Metten's book is the only one I won't indiscriminately lend out. I'm worried I won't be able to replace it.

Yes, and the binding is rather tenuous I'm afraid. At the first sign of loose pages, I'll be heading to the scanner.

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.