Trainer to the Pros — How Simpson Strong-Tie Educates the Industry Michael Weber Did you know that Simpson Strong-Tie offers free education and training to the construction industry? Indeed, we do. For several decades, Simpson Strong-Tie has made a commitment to supporting the development of our industry, and each year we educate tens of thousands of industry pros —... Read More January 2020 Issue #12246 Page 114
Adjustable Hanger or Custom Hanger — You Make the Call Randy Shackelford It would be a lot simpler for designing engineers if structural connections were always for members at right angles to one another. Often, connections have to be designed for supported members that are at a skewed or sloped angle rather than perpendicular to the header. In these cases, the... Read More December 2019 Issue #11245 Page 104
Epilogue to 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation: Designing Great Software Joe Kannapell Reviewing our 50-year journey tells us much about software. Now let’s recap how good software becomes great: 1. Continuity of development: Note our three distinct programs, each one totally rewritten to tackle larger objectives. Yet each was based on 15+ years of experience with the... Read More November 2019 Issue #11244 Page 8
AWC and ICC Launch Mass Timber Education and Training Robert Glowinski As you’re likely aware, mass timber has received incredible attention in the last year. With interest in mass timber and its use spreading throughout the United States construction industry, the American Wood Council (AWC) and International Code Council (ICC) are working together to... Read More November 2019 Issue #11244 Page 94
ASCE 7-16 Changes That Impact Truss Designs MiTek Staff 2018 International Building Code (IBC-2018) is the latest version of the I-Code which is starting to be used or adopted in the United States and in other nations. While both the 2012 and 2015 IBC referenced the 2010 edition of ASCE 7, the 2018 IBC refers to the 2016 edition of ASCE 7,... Read More November 2019 Issue #11244 Page 112
Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation, Part XV Joe Kannapell Part XV: Busted at Bahama Breeze Finally, we would know if we won the business, when we were summoned to a Bahama Breeze restaurant outside Atlanta. Had we been busted for showing “not ready for prime time” software, defying MiTek policy? Over lunch we were told that ITW had been... Read More October 2019 Issue #11243 Page 8
Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation, Part XIV Joe Kannapell Part XIV: Whole House Launched Pacing nervously outside the truss office, our best software “brain” was physically sick. Another failed demo could end his career. He worried because, after 6 frustrating years, our $50 Million OptiFrame program may not be ready for primetime. And... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 8
Is This Happening at Your Plant? Glenn Traylor At a recent TPI 3rd Party Audit, the In-Plant Inspector (IPI) and I were inspecting trusses coming off the line as is normal in an audit. A stacked truss caught my eye, mainly because the top plate did not line up with the plate on the opposite side of the truss. Upon careful examination, indeed... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 38
Enhancing Product Neutrality in Building Energy Codes Robert Glowinski The wood products industry has taken great leaps in generating greater awareness regarding the advantages of wood products in construction; however, people often overlook wood’s good performance in building energy efficiency. With pressure mounting to combat carbon emissions and reduce the... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 92
Bucket Lists for Structural Engineers and Some Resources for Helping Cross Post-Frame Off Your List David Finkenbinder Bucket lists are mentioned regularly today, which got me to thinking – what about a bucket list for structural engineers? ASCE and others have put together lists of engineering wonders of the modern world, so those seem like a good start for sights to see. But for a practitioner, I’d... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 108