Apr 17, 2013
Cast Connex was very happy to have hosted a complimentary Technical Seminar and Luncheon at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel on June 4, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. The event was a great success, with well over 60 practicing structural engineers representing over 40 firms from the Seattle area having attended.
The session was focused on the Design of Seismic-Resistant Braced Frames and on the Retrofit of Seismically-Deficient Frame Buildings. Speakers included Professors Dawn Lehman and Charles Roeder from the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington and Dr. Michael Gray of Cast Connex.
This is not the first technical seminar we’ve hosted outside of our hometown – last December we hosted a similar event in Montreal, Quebec, with guest lecturer Professor Constantin Christopoulos from the University of Toronto. Keep an eye out for (or contact us to request!) future Technical Luncheons in your hometown.
Presentation Abstracts
Research at University of Washington and Recommendations for Seismic Design and Evaluation of Braced Frame
A wide range of experimental and analytical research on the seismic design and performance of Special Concentrically Braced Frames (SCBFs) and Buckling Restrained Braced Frames (BRBFs) have been completed at the University of Washington. More than 40 large-scale braced frame experiments have been completed and a much larger number of nonlinear analyses have been performed. Recommendations for the seismic design of SCBF and BRBF systems with particular emphasis on the connection design have been developed. Current research is extending this prior work to the seismic evaluation and retrofit of older braced frames (designed and built prior to about 1988) that were not designed to current design requirements. This presentation will provide an overview and summary of this work. In particular, the results of prior experimental studies will summarized, recommendations for the design of SCBFs and BRBFs will described, and the inventory of seismically deficient older braced frames and the directions of future work will be noted.
Use of Steel Castings in Seismic and Architectural Design
This presentation will feature a variety of different implementations of steel castings in building structures. Beginning with a short review of custom castings that have been used in primarily architecturally exposed applications, the main topic will focus on off-the-shelf castings that are available for both architecturally exposed structural steel (AESS) and seismic-resistant applications. Technical background will be provided on pin connectors for AESS connections to circular hollow sections, cast steel Special Concentrically Braced Frame connectors for circular hollow section braces, and yielding connectors for new ductile braced frames and the retrofit of seismically deficient structures.
