ShakeOut Day Special: Building Resilience for Earthquakes — AMA Highlights

Simpson Strong-Tie was excited to join the annual Reddit AMA event hosted by experts in the Pacific Northwest last week to bring awareness to the International ShakeOut Day happening on October 19, 2023. This worldwide occasion sees millions participating in earthquake drills at work, school or home, emphasizing earthquake safety with the “Drop, cover & hold on!” practice. Our panel consisted of scientists and preparedness experts from government agencies in Washington and Oregon. They focused on addressing inquiries related to earthquakes, tsunamis, the ShakeOut drills and general preparedness, covering both structural and nonstructural aspects, including ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning activities in the Pacific Northwest. 

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Connecting Engineers, Innovation, and Fun: Simpson Strong-Tie’s Topgolf Event in Utah

The Simpson Strong-Tie structural steel team held an event earlier this year at Topgolf in Vineyard, Utah, to host 65 engineers. The view from the green range at this new Topgolf location was breathtaking with snowy peaks, and the view inside was not bad either, since you could see our Yield-Link® moment connection.

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Mechanical Anchors: Screw vs. Expansion: — Which Is Right for Me? 

Not all post-installed mechanical anchors are created equal. There are key differences between screw and expansion anchor types — differences that include how they gain their holding strength, installation requirements, and overall anchor performance. In the following post, field engineers Todd Hamilton, Chris Johnson and Derek Gilbert compare the two anchor types. 

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How to Accommodate Misplaced Shearwall Anchorage

For several years, the Simpson Strong-Tie Strong-Wall® research and development team has kicked around the idea of developing an “adapter” that would allow for field substitutions or accommodate misplaced Strong-Wall anchorage.

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Introducing Two New Connectors for Mass Timber Construction: E20/3 Angle Bracket and MTWS Washer Strap

We’ve added two new connectors to our expanding lineup of brackets and straps for mass timber / CLT manufacturers, specifiers and contractors. Introducing the E20/3 angle bracket and MTWS mass timber washer strap.

Both connectors are pre-engineered and code listed for a variety of applications in cross-laminated timber (CLT) and other mass timber projects. Designed to simplify and speed installation, the E20/3 angle bracket and MTWS washer strap are widely available to buy off the shelf, making them a more cost-effective and convenient solution than expensive, custom-fabricated components.

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Field-Adjustable Sloped and Skewed Hangers — Introducing New LSSR Sizes

With the recent introduction of our new LSSR rafter hangers for 2x lumber, we thought we’d provide some background on how these new hangers were developed and why.

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How a Top US Homebuilder Turbocharged Market Growth and Managed the Job Start Process with the Scalable LotSpec Solution from Simpson Strong-Tie

As one of the top 10 private homebuilders in the US (and one of the top 25 overall), Gehan Homes has explored its fair share of technologies promising efficiency and productivity gains. When it came to pulling home designs, plans, elevations, and options into full job start packets (JSPs), the Texas-based homebuilder managed to generate about 400 JSPs per year before the productivity cost of eight hours each began to limit growth.

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Yield-Link® Moment Connections in the Great White North

Resiliency is a term which is becoming more commonplace within the field of structural engineering, not just in North America but worldwide. As part of a nation that prides itself on being progressive, engineers in seismic zones of Canada are already exploring innovative solutions that may help create economic structures with resiliency in mind. But what do we mean by resiliency?

In the fields of engineering and construction, resiliency is the ability of a structure to absorb or avoid damage without suffering complete failure. Structural resiliency is the ability of a building or structure to remain sufficiently sound and intact following a shock event as to allow  rapid resumption of normal use.

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Case Study: Gruening Middle School’s Seismic Damage Repair Solution

It can be a challenge to repair an earthquake-damaged structure.

During the 7.1-magnitude 2018 Anchorage earthquake, Gruening Middle School in Eagle River sustained more damage than any other school in the Anchorage School District. Review of the school showed the existing masonry walls suffered damage and separation from the roof. During the retrofit design, the Reid Middleton structural engineering team (Anchorage) determined the masonry walls weren’t adequately reinforced to meet current code requirements. They were seeking an easy-to-install strengthening solution that wouldn’t add significant weight to the building.

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Building Safe and Strong with Flood-Resistant Construction Workshops

Flooding is one of the few natural disasters that occur commonly throughout all regions of North America. The causes of floods can differ depending on the region, but the impact is nearly always the same. Recent floods have caused billions of dollars in damage annually to structures near the coast as well as inland.
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