Steel Connection Design Approval

[action]

After talking to other engineers involved in the design of structural steel connections, there seems to emerge a major problem involving approval of connections by the Engineer of Record. I know many connection design engineers who have been doing this work for years, but have problems with the EOR rejecting submissions. In some cases, it is due to a missing limit state, but in other cases it seems to be attributed to the design "preferences" of the EOR.
Anybody have suggestions on how to best minimize calculation rejections? Thanks

 

[dougantholz]

Is this one engineer or firm that you are continuing to have a problem with, or is it that every engineer wants it done their way?
As for limit states not all being shown in calculations, I can understand when some engineers want to see all calculations, but it sounds like they are trying to be punitive. TO THE FORUM::: Isn't okay by inspection still valid?
As for what to do with engineers who don't like how something works I might suggest that you sit down and talk with them. If you spend a couple of hours in a meeting working something out with an engineer who you have repeat business with; then you know what they want to see so that you don't have to do work twice.
If this becomes a problem, look into how their contract documents are written. If they approve the connection design for schematic representation only, then they do not have a say in how your connection is as long as you can prove via calculations that it is a valid solution. This only works if you are signing the connection design, otherwise the EOR does have the last say.
Don't let yourself be bullied by an EOR when they are only schematically reviewing things.

 

[JAE]

dougantholz - good points.

Also, I would offer this: Sometimes those "preferences" are subtle detail changes that may seem small at first glance, but can have a major influence on the connection's deformation capability in seimic response.