Steel users are demanding changes and companies are responding with updates, enhancements, and new products. STRUCTURE Magazine highlighted the following products:
- Amber Freund, Vice President – Operations at RISA Technologies, says that the company’s software receives new features on a frequent basis. “With regards to recent steel-related improvements, the latest releases added the ability to get both analysis and code checks for cold-formed steel face-to-face and tube members,” she says. “Our staff, composed of structural engineers, researched a number of codes and white papers to provide this ability. We added this feature after receiving requests from users who wanted to use face-to-face cold formed shapes but couldn’t find examples of how to calculate their capacity.”
- ClarkDietrich Engineering Services officials would like SEs to know about their TrakLoc Drywall Framing System. The system offers multiple assemblies including the TrackLoc Fixed Length Stud (TLF), the TracLoc Adjustable Stud Assembly (TLA), the TrakLoc Deflection Stud Assembly (TLD), and the TrakLoc Elevator Stud (TLE), according to Chad Casbon, Director of Engineering. “Each system offers the benefit of a snap and lock connection between the top/bottom track and each stud that does not require screws. Also, they all allow installation from the floor, eliminating the need for lifts which saves time and money. We see an increasing number of circumstances where long-length studs need to be stocked in high rise buildings without the problems associated with closing streets and using cranes, for which a major component is cost. Traditional cold-formed steel members can be spliced, but that requires engineering, more labor, and unknown performance in terms of stiffness. TrakLoc offers a pre-engineered solution with minimal labor and is backed by testing that ensures an expected performance. I would suppose that most engineers are not aware of some of these logistical job site problems nor are they likely familiar with potential solutions like TrakLoc.”
- Stuart Broome, Business Manager for Engineering at Trimble Solutions, says that Tekla Structures has been the chosen software solution for steel detailers around the world for many years but more recently has become popular with other disciplines, especially structural engineers. “The fact that it can be used for construction documents as well as shop drawings makes it very appealing to structural engineers, and its ability to model in any material, including cold formed, means that it is extremely versatile.”