Instructor

Alexander Newman, P.E., F.ASCE
Mr. Newman is a managing engineer in the Natick, Massachusetts, office of Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, the nation's premier onsulting firm investigating failures of an engineering or scientific nature,where he is responsible for building collapse and failure investigations. During more than 28 years of professional practice, Mr.Newman has designed numerous projects around the country - both new construction and renovations -- that involved steel structures. His diverse engineering and managerial experience includes positions of principal structural engineer with a large A/E firm and project engineering and managerial positions with consulting engineering and contracting firms. He also has worked as Manager of Fabrication Division with a structural and ornamental steel supplier.

 Mr.Newman has authored many publications that appeared in the leading engineering magazines, including a number of award-winning articles. His authoritative reference book Structural Renovation of Buildings: Methods, Details, and Design Examples, was published by McGraw-Hill Book Company in 2001. He is author of another definitive book from McGraw-Hill, Metal Building Systems: Design and Specifications, now in its 2nd edition and translated into Chinese.

Mr.Newman has conducted many educational seminars around the country for design professionals, building officials,owners and contractors. He has provided training for various organizations, professional groups, and government employees, including the U.S. State Department, U.S. Air Force, NASA, and the local chapters of the Construction Specification Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Society of American Military Engineers. Mr.Newman teaches Professional Engineering review courses at Northeastern University.

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Course Description

Steel framing is commonly used in building construction, and its design basics are familiar to many. Still, a lot of questions and uncertainty remain about the most basic issues, as is evident by the lively discussions in the engineering forums and magazines. Should, for example, the corner columns be designed for eccentricities in two directions, or should the beams be assumed to extend to the column centerlines? How do you determine if the existing steel is weld able? What is the shear capacity of an existing rivet group? How do you design tilted open-web joists? This seminar provides answers to these and a multitude of similar practical questions related to design and renovation of steel-framed buildings. The main emphasis is on low- and mid-rise buildings framed with structural steel, but much of the study applies to other steel structures such as open-web joists and loose lintels. The first day is largely devoted to new construction, including designing for lateral loads. Some recent changes in the 2005 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and other authoritative publications are explained and illustrated with design examples. Drawing on decades of consulting and forensic experience, the instructor goes beyond the basics, offering proven design details and exploring some controversial issues not well covered elsewhere. The discussion includes framing for difficult roof configurations, incorporating masonry in structural-steel framing, designing connections for unbalanced loading, torsional loading, designing anchor rods -- and many, many similar topics. The topic of designing steel structures for lateral loading completes the first part of the seminar. The second day is largely devoted to the issues of building renovation and strengthening for lateral loads. Existing iron and steel structures often present many challenges, from their identification to establishing their design capacities. The seminar provides the participants with a broad overview of practical challenges that commonly arise during renovation of steel structures. It includes the topics of code analysis, previous design and construction practices, common problems, evaluation methods, repair and strengthening, and retrofit for wind and seismic loads. Various renovation techniques for beams, girders, columns and connections are examined and illustrated with design examples and case studies. Some difficult issues, such as whether an existing steel building can be economically upgraded to today's code requirements or whether it best be replaced, are explored. There are opportunities to ask questions throughout the whole seminar as well as at the end.

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Learning Objectives

• Learn how to design steel building structures in accordance with 2005 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and other authoritative documents.
• Know the practical methods of strengthening steel members such as beams, columns, and connections.
• Become familiar with early practices of iron and steel construction and the methods of investigating structural condition of steel members.
• Know the cost-effective techniques for lateral-load retrofit of steel-framed buildings.

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Seminar Benefits

• Learn to design various structural steel elements and their connections for complex applications. Become familiar with provisions of the new 2005 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and other authoritative documents
• Explore various methods of strengthening steel framing (floors,beams,
  columns, connections)
• Find out when an upgrade for wind and seismic loading is required and which cost-effective techniques for lateral-load retrofit are available
• Discover how to evaluate fire-damaged steel
• Learn how to determine if the existing steel is weld able
• Study the available methods of investigating structural condition of steel members
• Learn practical methods of designing and reinforcing trusses
• Examine the early practices of iron and steel construction
• Learn how to determine the allowable stresses in existing archaic materials and how load testing can help establish load-carrying capacity of proprietary systems
• Study economical methods of framing structural-steel roofs with complex configurations.
• Learn how to repair earthquake-damaged framing
• Discuss the methods of repairing corroded column bases, joist ends, and other common areas of deterioration
• Discover the available reference material and software for designing steel members quickly and accurately

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Who Should Attend

Structural and civil engineers and other design professionals seeking to broaden their knowledge of steel design and renovation methods. Despite the technical topic, the instruction is kept enjoyable and easy to follow.

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Summary Outline

Day One:

• Introduction
• Some changes in 2005 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and other authoritative documents
• Column eccentricities
• Responsibility for design of connections
• Specifying open-web joists
• Preventing ponding
• Framing for roofs with difficult configurations
• Structural-steel trusses
• Miscellaneous design topics
• Steel lintels and arches
• Design for wind and seismic resistance
• Various types of wall bracing and moment-resisting frames

Day Two:

• Code provisions for steel renovation
• Investigating existing conditions
• Early design and construction practices for iron and steel
• Welding to existing steel
• Strengthening structural steel members
• Reinforcing deteriorated open-web joists
• Evaluation of fire-damaged steel.
• Wind and seismic retrofit of steel-framed buildings
• Strengthening existing connections for moment resistance and repair of earthquake-damaged framing
• Sources of additional information and conclusion

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