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QuickFrames Q&A: Top Questions Answered

In this post, we follow up on our March webinar, Innovative Structural Steel Solutions, Part 2 — QuickFrames, by answering some of the interesting questions raised by attendees.

During the webinar, we explored QuickFrames, a pre-engineered, adjustable framing solution that simplifies structural support for rooftop and floor openings in commercial buildings. We examined common market challenges and the limitations of traditional angle iron and channel steel frames, emphasizing the need for more adaptable framing solutions. By comparing QuickFrames to traditional welded steel frames, we highlighted its fully customizable, bolt-on design, simplifying coordination, eliminating field fit-up issues, and reducing labor, installation time, and overall costs.

90 Years Later — How the Long Beach Earthquake Changed California’s Approach to School Construction

On March 10, 1933, around dinnertime, a magnitude 6.4 (Mw) earthquake struck the Long Beach area of California just before 6 p.m., causing widespread damage and resulting in 120 fatalities. This earthquake became a turning point in the way that earthquakes and their impacts were understood and addressed in the western US.

Simpson Strong-Tie Engineer to Talk on Mass Timber Construction and Design

Simpson Strong-Tie is proud to announce that one of our product engineers, Bonnie Yang, Ph.D., P.E., CFS, has been invited to give a public lecture on mass timber connections. The date of her lecture will be March 3 at 11 a.m. PST. Yang’s lecture will be part of a Mass Timber mini-lecture series hosted by the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University in partnership with the Mississippi Forestry Association.

Questions Answered: Designing Cladding Connections with Greater Flexibility Using the Edge-Tie™ System

On November 9, 2022, we hosted the second in a two-part series on the latest solutions for creating cladding connection designs for structural steel buildings. The second webinar provided a technical overview of the Edge-Tie system. Simpson Strong-Tie R&D engineers Abhishek Kulkarni and Fayad Rahman discussed the performance evaluation testing and design parameters for a façade attachment method that uses adjustable bolted connections without any field welding.

Rachel Holland : New Co-Host of The Structural Engineering Channel Podcast

The Structural Engineering Channel Podcast is an invaluable resource for engineers no matter where they are in their career journey. Simpson Strong-Tie is proud to announce our very own US Southwest Engineering Supervisor Rachel Holland has been selected as the next co-host for the well-regarded podcast series. Continue Reading

The Legacy of Loma Prieta

Every year on October 17, we take a moment to reflect on the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The 6.9-magnitude earthquake was one of the most powerful and costly quakes to shake the San Francisco Bay area since the 7.9-magnitude earthquake of 1906. The quake caused an estimated $6 billion in damage and, tragically, resulted in 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries.

Many of those casualties were due to failing infrastructure when sections of the Nimitz Freeway collapsed.

Simpson Strong-Tie was founded in Oakland, California — practically in the heart of the Bay Area. Earthquakes were never far from the minds of our founders. It’s why even before Loma Prieta our mission was to provide solutions that help people design and build safer, stronger structures. However, it’s safe to say the earthquake not only reinvigorated our mission but inspired countless structural engineers who would go on to define the next 30 years of Simpson Strong-Tie research and development into community resilience.

ICC-ES Report Update for Composite Strengthening Systems™

We’re pleased to announce that our Composite Strengthening Systems (CSS) code report, ESR-3403, has been revised to recognize Simpson Strong-Tie fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) for concrete diaphragm applications. These FRP fabrics can be used to strengthen diaphragms for in-plane shear, flexure (chords), and axial tension (collectors) to resist seismic or wind loading.

Improve Your Structural Steel Designs with the Yield-Link® Software Webinar Series

With the introduction of the Simpson Strong-Tie Yield-Link® moment connection for steel construction, the engineering and software development teams at Simpson Strong-Tie created multiple design tools to support users in their specification of the Yield-Link technology. These tools range from a connection modeling guide and plugins for designers to detailing software add-ins for detailers. The Yield-Link moment connection simplifies structural steel design while providing a connection that keeps steel buildings strong and safe.

2020 Simpson Strong-Tie Scholarship Students’ Questions Answered

Every year Simpson Strong-Tie hosts our scholarship students at our home office. It provides the students with an opportunity to meet face to face with experts in the industry, have one-on-one sessions with mentors, and tour our manufacturing and testing facilities. Not surprisingly to anyone, 2020 threw a pandemic-sized bucket of water on our annual plans. We needed to think outside the box to provide these students with opportunities to ask the questions they would have normally brought to California.

Risk-Taking Innovation Leads to New FRP Strengthening Application

At Simpson Strong-Tie, we’re always seeking out new opportunities for innovation while helping customers find solutions to new challenges. In fact, “relentless customer focus” and “risk-taking innovation” are two of our nine company values. These two values recently came into play with a challenge to test our Composite Strengthening Systems™ FRP products in a new application on a 17-foot-tall concrete column.