The Last Word: How to Repair a Bridge Truss, or Any Sagging Truss Joe Kannapell When a ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD, its fate was never in doubt. But that was not the case when a barge hit the Eads Bridge near St. Louis, MO, another steel arched truss bridge. The Key Bridge lost one of its main supports, while the Eads Bridge lost one of its truss... Read More May 2024 Issue #16298 Page 150
Design Connections: Resilient Designs Cost Less Than You Think Geordie Secord In last month’s article, Designing for Resiliency, I present some of my thoughts on how changing the design approach for wood trusses could aid in making future homes more resilient to the types of climate extremes that seem to be ahead of us. Whether you think that climate change is a... Read More April 2024 Issue #16297 Page 86
The NHERI TallWood Project Simpson Strong-Tie Staff Q & A with Steve Pryor, P.E., S.E., Senior Manager, Testing and Research Operations, Engineering, Simpson Strong-Tie As a research partner in the National Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) TallWood project, Simpson Strong-Tie participated in a series of earthquake shake... Read More April 2024 Issue #16297 Page 108
How Should We Select a 3rd Party Quality Assurance Program? Glenn Traylor As a new year begins, now is the time to ask: do I need a 3rd party auditor? If you don’t have one, then you need to take a hard look at your business. As companies in other industries have learned too, using a third party to conduct all audits throughout an organization (or supplementing... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 33
Why is the Gaps Limitation So Important to Truss Fabrication? Glenn Traylor ANSI/TPI 1 is a practical guide to manufacturing metal plate connected wood truss. It considers rational expectations and reasonable manufacturing capabilities that help ensure a sound product. Due to the nature of wood, cutting equipment and processes gaps do occur. These gaps can cause... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 35
Design Connections: At the Intersection of Reality and the Codes Geordie Secord As I approach four decades in this industry (!), the list of building code and design requirements that seem odd to me continues to grow. I am the first to acknowledge that the primary goal in designing a home is, and should be, occupant safety. But there are some requirements and... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 84
Design Connections: Reducing the Risk of Truss Collapse Geordie Secord Last month’s article, Preventing Truss Collapses, talks about some of the job site mistakes that can lead to truss collapses. I have no scientific data to back this up, but it is my belief that all truss collapses could be prevented by following proper lifting methods and bracing of the... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 84
Are You Providing Enough Information to Avert Failures? Glenn Traylor Recently, when a building owner started getting leaks in the roof and noticed unusual variations in the ceiling, I was asked to do an inspection to determine the best way to correct a deflection problem. Upon inspection, it was very evident that the roof trusses had not been installed correctly... Read More June 2023 Issue #15287 Page 37
Design Connections: Preventing Truss Collapses Geordie Secord Over the many years I’ve worked in the truss business, I’ve had the unfortunate experience of visiting numerous job sites where the trusses have collapsed. Without fail, every one of those collapses has been the direct result of improper bracing, improper hoisting, or a combination... Read More June 2023 Issue #15287
Should We Seal All Engineered Drawings? Glenn Traylor Recently, while conducting an ANSI/TPI audit, a splice caught my eye. When I investigated further, I realized that the bottom chord of the truss I was investigating had a very short, 2” chord segment. I immediately assumed the truss builders had cut a short block to make up for a miss-cut... Read More May 2023 Issue #15286 Page 37