AEC TECH NEWS: Steel Tube Institute and SCIA release free HSS design software

Columbia, Md. —The Steel Tube Institute (STI) announced the release of SCIA Design Forms HSS Tools Pack, a new software for the design of hollow structural sections (HSS) members and connections. Developed in conjunction with SCIA, a global leader in structural design software that supports the BIM process, the SCIA Design Forms HSS Tools Pack is a suite of engineering checks to aid engineers in the design of HSS beams and columns, as well as their connections. The SCIA Design Forms HSS Tools Pack is being made available at no charge to STI Professional Members.

“There are a lot of advantages to designing with hollow structural sections,” said Kimberley Olson, P.E., Technical Consultant for the Steel Tube Institute. “This new software gives structural engineers a tool for automated calculations that may be missing in their current design packages.”

Unlike other engineering software that may be a “black-box,” the SCIA Design Forms output shows the formulas and methods used in the calculation, so results are completely verifiable. HSS Calculations Reports can be shown as a brief summary of the results or as a detailed output, which includes all the formulas that were used to derive the calculation.

The SCIA Design Forms HSS Tools Pack, includes checks for:

• WF Beam to HSS Column Shear Tab Connection
• WF Beam to HSS Column Moment Connections
• Through Plate
• Continuous Beam with Cap Plate
• Directly Welded
• HSS Simply Supported Beam—Straight/Curved
• HSS Column, including Filled Composite Column
• HSS Column Base Plate

The calculations cover all required limit states according to AISC 360-10: Specification for Structural Steel Buildings.

For more information on the SCIA Design Form HSS Tool Pack, visit: www.scia.net/hss.

To learn how to become a professional member of STI, go to https://steeltubeinstitute.org/hss/membership-manual/membership.