Steel Educators' Tip Sheet

October 2012


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  Try these teaching aids ...

SLIDE SETS: Teaching Aids for Structural Steel Design Courses
These slide sets can be used for instruction on beams, compression members, tension members, and combined forces. Pick and choose slides to incorporate into your lectures. The slides are divided in the "theory" and "manual" sections; the "manual" sections have been updated to the 14th edition Steel Construction Manual.
Download the PowerPoint slides >>

HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATION: Beam Buckling Models
Use these instructions to make your own models to demonstrate beam buckling modes. All you need is some overhead transparency film and some packing tape for models which will exhibit lateral torsional buckling, local flange buckling, and local web buckling.

Get instructions for this hands-on demonstration >>

SLIDE SHOW: Structures of the Everyday
Designed for architectural lecture courses, these PowerPoint slides contains graphics and information suitable for a variety of courses. This unit includes structural steel shapes, and different structural steel systems such as space frames, beams, open web joists, columns, braces and lintels. There is also an overview of connections.
Download these slides >>


Download the AISC Web-Enhanced Teaching (WET) files>>



What's new on AISC Podcasts?

This past month's podcast features Dr. John Fisher, Professor Emeritus of Lehigh University. Perhaps you're familiar with his contributions to the field, but what about the rumors that he was an undercover CIA agent?

Podcasts are available on iTunes, or listen online or download from the AISC Podcasts website.


SteelDay 2012

This year's SteelDay was a success! Mark October 4 on your calendars for SteelDay 2013.


The fourth annual SteelDay featured 175 events and saw more than 10,000 attendees. For the official press release, click here.

Photo (and delicious cookies) courtesy of Kristi Selden, Ph.D. Candidate, Purdue University

Scholarships and Student Photo Contest

Congratulations to this year's scholarship winners, and the winners of the 2012 SteelDay Photo Contest!


Congratulations to the 2012-13 AISC Scholarship winners! To view a listing and see photos of all of the scholarship winners, click here.
The 2012 SteelDay Student Photo Contest winners have been selected. The grand prize winner is Xiaolong Li of Bucknell University! An article on Li and his winning photo will run in the November issue of MSC (Modern Steel Construction) magazine. To view Li's winning entry and the other notable photos, go to www.aisc.org/studentphotocontest. The photos receiving Honorable Mention will be posted as Steel Shots on MSC's online site on Fridays this Fall.

ACSA/AISC Student Competition

Architecture Students Find a Solution in Steel.


Preliminary information is available for the thirteenth annual Steel Design Student Competition, which is administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and sponsored by AISC. In addition to an open category, a pedestrian bridge with steel as its primary structural material is the challenge for this year's competition. To view the information, click here.

Steel Sculpture Anniversary

Happy 26th to the Steel Teaching Sculpture!


The AISC Steel Sculpture turns 26 on Monday, October 29! View photos and a listing of the universities with a Steel Sculpture on campus at www.aisc.org/steelsculpture. To learn how to start the process to get a steel sculpture on your campus, contact Maria Mnookin at universityprograms@aisc.org.

New "Design Examples" Teaching Aid

Having trouble finding the right design example for class?


This new teaching aid is a condensed set of Design Examples that includes 43 example problems that will likely address topics that are studied in a first semester structural steel design course. To access this teaching aid, click the following link: Steel Construction Manual Design Examples, V14.0.

The "Nuts and Bolts" of Nuts and Bolts
Use SteelWise articles to brush up on your (and your students') steel know-how.

The SteelWise feature in Modern Steel Construction provides practical knowledge on a number of topics, ranging from stability analysis, to how choice of corrosion protection affects connection design, to practical considerations for expansion joints in buildings.

October's SteelWise article provides answers to some frequently asked questions about bolting, and also introduces some of the changes in the 2010 AISC Specification. These changes, such as the reduction in slip resistance when multiple fills are present in the grip, and the use of one equation for slip resistance (i.e., no decision on whether to design for slip at service loads or factored loads), are based on results from new research.

Questions or comments on this Tip Sheet? E-mail strsteel@ecn.purdue.edu Judy Liu, Purdue University

October 2012 Steel Educators' Tip Sheet Tools and Tips