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Steel Connection Design 2

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R.A.

R.A.

Structural
Joined
Apr 18, 2021
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I was wondering if anyone knows either of a software program or website to design steel connections in accordance with all requirements of AISC 360, AISC 358, and AISC 341 with a comprehensive calculation report including all formulas and steps of the design. I'm looking for some resources that provide all calcs similar to a hand calculation report, not something like reports of the Bentley RAM Connection.
Appreciate your help.
 
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I usually write these up using Excel or SMath... to better understand the connection.

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik
 
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You may want to explain your reasons and end goals a little better. This question has been asked many times before, and the general feeling is as dik mentions - if you want hand calcs, do hand calcs. If you don't need FEA to analyze your connection, then you don't need software. Do you know how to design the connection you're asking about, or do you want the software to spit out hand calcs you can learn it?
 
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a bit of a dinosaur... I've never used FEM for modelling a connection...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik
 
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For basic connection types, you might like VA Connect. Search "ies vaconnect"
 
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dik -

I don't think he's talking about FEM design. Rather, he's talking about traditional connection design... just done programmatically with the equations and such reported.

There are a number of connection design programs out there. Some built into other software, some stand alone. For the purpose of this repose, I'll limit the ones I know of to the stand-alone programs that focus on steel:

1) You already mentioned RAM's program.
2) RISA has a connection program. Note I was the program director for this product for a couple of years. Though I now work for a competitor to RISA.
3) Civil Bay - I hadn't heard of this one until my latest google check. Looks okay.
4) Steel Tools - This is more like a repository for people to upload their share-ware spreadsheets and such. It might have stuff that you could use.
5) DesCon or DesConPlus - This is sort of the grand daddy of connection design programs. I'm not sure who owns it now. But, the original developer (Omer?) was very well regarded and respected.
6) There was an australian company that did really good connection design, if I recall. But, I don't remember the name and it didn't come up in my internet search.

RISAConnection:
I have a bit of a bias towards RISAConnection as I have so much experience with it. Plus, the interface, results presentation and such were somewhat hard wired towards my preferences. The only drawback with that program is that I don't really trust the current team over at RISA. The developers themselves are brilliant Ukrainian mathematicians and programmers. But, they are not structural engineers. They need structural engineers with knowledge and experience guiding them. I don't have much confidence that the current management at RISA can provide that... as they've gotten rid of most of their most knowledgeable engineering staff since Nemetschek took over.

DesCon / DesConPlus:
DesCon is probably the most highly regarded and well known of these programs. It's interface and output always seemed a little dated to me. But, I haven't seen the latest. A quick perusal of their website suggests that they've updated a good bit.

RAM Connection:
RAM Connection: My sense is that this is kind of a poor man's RISAConnection. Does most of the same stuff (maybe even more total connections), but the interface and the output look kind of clunky.



 
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dik - with some of the new design trends and use of AESS, design geometry can get a bit funky. I haven't faced it myself either, but I've seen quite a few and read the articles...neat projects but it's hard to get efficient results without FEA. For 98% of steel connections, though, you're right - pencil and paper are more than sufficient.

SkyCiv also has a decent connection design module.

My problem has always been that most of what those packages offer are pretty basic. In many cases, they just automate the tables in the SCM. Writing your own "program" (be it in MathCAD, SMath, Excel, etc.) gives more flexibility when you're dealing with a connection that doesn't quite fit into the neat little box the developers imagined when they wrote the software.

(Josh - did you mean "they are not structural engineers"?
 
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pham... not knocking FEM... just haven't had a need for it... wrote my first 2D FEM program 50 years back and my 3D one about 5 years later. Used it for designing 3D piezoelectric gas bearings when I was young and smart... FEM has a purpose...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik
 
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R.A.:
Dik says…, “FEM has a purpose...” But, anyone who thinks they need FEM to design most normal connections, probably shouldn’t be designing connections. Despite the way it is being used these days, FEM is not (should not be) a substitute for knowing how your structures or your details actually function and work. Most connection software just automates the analysis and design process for what any good designer should know how to do longhand and with a bit of knowledgeable and experienced engineering thinking. It seems to me that much of today’s general software allows many people who don’t really have the vaguest idea what they are really doing, pretend they are doing engineering. Get yourself a few good steel design textbooks, the AISC code and their design guides and really learn how to analyze and design in steel and you will likely end up really learning some engineering, instead of just plugging in numbers, for a canned solution which you may not understand or know when the solution isn’t right for the particular situation.

 
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Josh... it was in response to pham... you should focus on connection design fundamentals before you go to software to design stuff... gives you a much better feel and appreciation.

dheng... correct...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik
 
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So we're clear...I'm not advocating the use of FEA/FEM for connection design. As I said...it can be useful in very rare circumstances...but doing it manually or writing your own program (so you understand the subject and what the program is doing) is usually the best way to go. If you have experience and you're just looking for a cost effective way to automate what you already know how to do, then Josh gives a really good list of options.
 
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@pham We?/I understood what you were saying... I think everyone here is on the same track...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik
 
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RISAConnection has a very nice interface and lots of nice features. The tech support staff is responsive.

The program is fairly buggy, however. My main complaint is that it shows checks that don't need to be made. For example, if you click "ignore eccentricity at column," it will still show a check for out-of-plane moment at the column web and include an unsightly Fail message that I have to X-out in the pdf output and hope the EOR doesn't notice or otherwise harass me about. I've found at least a half-dozen things like this.

I can't think of an unconservative error in RISAConnection.
 
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+1 for IDEAStatiCa especially for complex connection it will help you detect problem areas such as plate buckling and stress concentration, etc.. It also has an amazing integration with Revit structure, Tekla and CSI products.

But for simple connection just set-up a MathCAD or excel file. It is easier and cheaper.
 
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Retrograde said:
You might have been thinking of Limcon, which is now a Bentley product.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is what I was thinking of.... Thank you. I never even considered that it could have been bought up by Bentley. Especially considering that it would compete against RAMConnection. Maybe they'll "merge" these two products into one eventually.

PhamEng said:
Josh - did you mean "they are not structural engineers
Click to expand...
Yes, I've now edited my post to include that important "not". Thank you.

 
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