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PurdueX: Connections in Steel Structures

Understand steel connection behavior and explore connections with eccentricities, concentrated forces, and moments.

Connections in Steel Structures
8 weeks
2–3 hours per week
Instructor-paced
Instructor-led on a course schedule
This course is archived
Future dates to be announced
Connections in Steel Structures

About this course

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Connection design is a critical component of structural design. Understanding how to design steel connections for any combination of axial, shear, and moment loads is fundamental to effective building design.

This course will cover the design of steel connections with an emphasis on eccentrically loaded bolted and welded connections, moment connections, and connections transferring concentrated forces.

Students will leave this course with an in-depth knowledge of relevant limit states as well as a familiarity with the AISC360 (American Institute of Steel Construction) provisions for simple and moment connections. This course is best suited for students with an undergraduate civil engineering background including a basic steel design course and will build on these concepts.

Students will learn from a top researcher with over 20 years of experience in the field. Professor Varma focuses on teaching through exploring example problems and applications of fundamental concepts, encouraging his students to both understand the principles of composite behavior and be able to apply these concepts in realistic design scenarios.

This course is available to practicing engineers for 1.5 CEUs for learners completing the course on the verified track.

At a glance

  • Institution: PurdueX
  • Subject: Engineering
  • Level: Advanced
  • Prerequisites:

    Recommend completing an undergraduate steel degree design course.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Welding, Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Shear (Sheet Metal), Steel Design

What you'll learn

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  • Design simple connections using standard AISC approaches
  • Evaluate eccentrically loaded bolt and weld groups using elastic and ultimate strength approaches.
  • Understand special provisions for moment and concentrated forces connections.

Syllabus

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Week 1: Connection Design Review - Bolted Connections

Review bolted connection basics including force transfer mechanisms, bolt shear and bearing, and slip critical connections.

Week 2: Connection Design Review – Welded Connections

Review welded connection basics including types of welding, AISC360 provisions for fillet welds, and weld limit states.

Week 3: Eccentrically Loaded Bolts – Elastic Method

Introduce eccentrically loaded connections and detail the elastic design method for eccentrically loaded bolt groups.

Week 4: Eccentrically Loaded Bolts – Ultimate Strength Methods

Introduce the ultimate strength method for eccentric design and contrast it to the elastic method. Develop design tools to calculate the strength of an eccentrically loaded bolted connection.

Week 5: Eccentrically Loaded Welds – Elastic Method

Discuss applying the elastic method to weld design and develop design tools to calculate the capacity of an eccentrically loaded weld group.

Week 6: Eccentrically Loaded Welds – Ultimate Strength Method

Apply the ultimate strength method to eccentrically loaded weld design and develop a design tool to evaluate the capacity of a weld group using this method.

Week 7: Moment Connections and Concentrated Forces

Introduce moment connections and applicable limit states. Discuss designing for concentrated forces and appropriate stiffener design.

Week 8: Exam Review

Who can take this course?

Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.

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Free

Price

$750 USD

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