Case Study of Supplemental Steel Structures

Supplementary steel provides essential connections between building steel or ground to pipe supports and component supports of power and processing plants. This type of structure is usually with steel members less than 10 feet in length and sustains temperature within the range of the ambient conditions and the pipe or component. Being a connection, the standards and Codes provide an array of stress and geometrical checks that share that of a building and of a pressure boundary. Therefore, the applied engineering mechanics utilized in the analysis of supplemental steel configurations, including but not limited to beams, columns, and frames along with their welded or bolted connections, stretches across multiple engineering disciplines. A study of load cases and load case combinations is performed across multiple configurations of assemblies with industry assumptions incorporated. With the mitigation of sag of pipe systems, study of analytical stress and geometrical checks are evaluated to find any correlations of governing criteria. Additionally, the utilization of two types of structural steel design fundamentals and provisions, Allowable Strength Design (ASD) and Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD), are investigated with supplemental steel structures which stem from design considerations of steel buildings. This case study in the analysis of supplemental steel structures provides segue to highlighting how Codes and Standards utilized within the field that overlap other fields.

Using Videos in Blended E-Learning for a Structural Steel Design Course

Conventional methods of teaching structural engineering topics focus on face-to-face delivery of course materials. This study shows that using video-based e-learning in delivering an undergraduate Structural Steel Design course satisfactorily achieved most of the course learning outcomes. Video-based e-learning with animations and simulations gives students a profound understanding of the course intricate design materials. To gauge the effectiveness of video-based e-learning of the course, an online evaluation was conducted by sixty-eight undergraduate students at the United Arab Emirates University using Blackboard. The evaluation consisted of an online survey that was accessible by students who took the structural steel design course in the academic year 2019 using instructional videos provided to them as Quick Response (QR)-codes. The structural steel design course has six learning outcomes (CLOs), and the performance of students in the six CLOs was compared with that of students who took the same course in the academic year 2018 using the traditional face-to-face lecturing method. The survey data was statistically analyzed, and the results revealed that students’ performance improved, and most of the CLOs were attained. Video-based e-learning with animations resulted in better learning outcomes compared to face-to-face lecturing. Accessing the course instruction videos anytime and anywhere is one of the remarkable benefits to the students studying through the e-learning approach.

Topology Optimisation in Structural Steel Design for Additive Manufacturing

Topology Optimisation is a broad concept deemed to encapsulate different processes for computationally determining structural materials optimal layouts. Among such techniques, Discrete Optimisation has a consistent record in Civil and Structural Engineering. In contrast, the Optimisation of Continua recently emerged as a critical asset for fostering the employment of Additive Manufacturing, as one can observe in several other industrial fields. With the purpose of filling the need for a systematic review both on the Topology Optimisation recent applications in structural steel design and on its emerging advances that can be brought from other industrial fields, this article critically analyses scientific publications from the year 2015 to 2020. Over six hundred documents, including Research, Review and Conference articles, added to Research Projects and Patents, attained from different sources were found significant after eligibility verifications and therefore, herein depicted. The discussion focused on Topology Optimisation recent approaches, methods, and fields of application and deepened the analysis of structural steel design and design for Additive Manufacturing. Significant findings can be found in summarising the state-of-the-art in profuse tables, identifying the recent developments and research trends, as well as discussing the path for disseminating Topology Optimisation in steel construction.

Software implementation of section class and resistance calculation for general loading case

In this paper, the problems arising in implementation of the cross-section class and resistance according to Eurocode, especially for classes 1 and 2 of the steel sections, are presented for general loading case. As Eurocode assumes full plastification of the section, regardless of corresponding strain in the material, it is inevitable to find the position of the plastic neutral axis for ultimate limit state of the section. But, for this purpose, one cannot use the Eurocode's expressions for section resistance. Moreover, solution and strategies used in the steel design module of the Matrix 3D are presented in the paper.

A Detailed Comparison of Various Steel Types - Stainless Steel, Structural Steel and Aluminum Steel

Steel, compared to iron is an alloy of iron with commonly a few percent of carbon to enhance its strength and fracture resistance. The use of stainless steel in the design of structures remains a relevant discussion across different areas. In fact, the importance of structural steel in the glocal world has applications in virtually every sector. Also, aluminum steel has been used widely in residential applications, commercial buildings, and vehicular (automotive) designs. A close comparison of these three sheets of steel will give enlightenment about what brings them together and their applications for such characteristics they possess that seem alike. Many researchers argue about the possibility of their sustainability both in terms of cost, availability, fire resistance, and fabrication. Understanding their behaviors following their comparison will provide accurate answers to these propositions. This paper compares the stainless, structural, and aluminum steels in terms of usage, properties (chemical and mechanical), compares exclusively the structural and stainless steel design provisions, reviews recent research activities, and highlights the important developments.