Atlas Tube’s NEW HSS Connections Hub™ Makes HSS Connections Easier Than Ever

Our complimentary HSS Connection Calculators and Typical HSS Details Library help engineers and detailers design efficient HSS connections.

Zekelman Industries

We’re making HSS connection design easier.

HSS continues to grow in popularity. Due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, ability to accommodate long unbraced lengths, and exceptional torsion resistance, HSS makes up an estimated 18% of the current domestic structural steel market. Atlas Tube produces both standard and Jumbo-sized squares, rounds, and rectangles, and engineers can count on the availability of HSS for their next project.

Currently, one of the most common challenges we hear about HSS is that many engineering resources and software packages do not fully support a wide variety of HSS connection types, which can make design and detailing more challenging and fabrication costlier. We know engineers value efficiency and precision over all else, so we developed an online HSS connection resource center to fill this gap.

Atlas Tube is proud to introduce our new HSS Connections Hub™. Designed by engineers for engineers and free to use, the Connections Hub features downloadable Typical HSS Connection Details and corresponding HSS Connection Calculators. When combined, these resources simplify HSS connections for engineers and fabricators alike. All resources are based on the newest edition of the AISC Steel Construction Manual (16^th Edition, 2023). Able to accommodate various splice, shear, and moment connections, the HSS Connections Hub will help make your design and fabrication processes more efficient.

The Atlas Tube HSS Connections Hub’s free resources help engineers improve HSS connection efficiency.

With the HSS Connections Hub, you can:

Explore fabricator-friendly Typical HSS Connection Details.

Providing typical details for HSS connections from scratch consumes valuable time for structural engineers and detailers. HSS connection details designed from scratch require revisions from connection detailers and fabricators for constructability. When revisions and redesigns need to happen, projects become delayed and everyone involved loses.

In the HSS Connections Hub, structural engineers can leverage a growing library of efficient Typical HSS Connection Details for a wide range of HSS connection types, keeping connections simple while saving time and effort in the design process. These details can be downloaded in PDF, AutoCAD (.DWG) and Revit formats, so they can be directly integrated into existing engineering libraries and software platforms. At launch, our library of Typical HSS Connection Details provides 34 connections for WF BM–HSS Column Shear Connections, WF BM–HSS Column Moment Connections, HSS Beam Shear Connections, and many more. Our unique library of Typical HSS Connection Details facilitates efficient connection design, reduces redesign requests, keeps projects on schedule, and keeps fabrication costs down.

Say goodbye to custom-built spreadsheets with HSS Calculators.

Currently, engineers and detailers are likely to use a variety of software tools and customized spreadsheets for even the simplest of HSS connections. This process creates the possibility of errors, requires maintenance, and forces engineers and detailers to prepare manually created, time-consuming calculation reports. In many cases, spreadsheets are custom designed for an individual project and contain many project-specific requirements. These project-specific elements often remain in the calculations and result in increased fabrication costs on future projects where requirements differ.

The HSS Connections Hub features 20 Connection Calculators that clearly outline each calculation step and perform utilization checks while cross-referencing the AISC Steel Construction Manual. Each calculation (or set of calculations) can be easily exported and shared with the project team as a report for the project’s EOR, saving time compared to spreadsheets. The Atlas Tube development team regularly adds more calculators to support additional connection types, increasing efficiency for users.

The Connections Hub’s collection of Connection Calculators supports multiple HSS connection types.

Utilize additional Atlas resources to support your team.

In conjunction with HSS Connections Hub Typical HSS Details and Connection Calculators, the Atlas Tube team is available to share training resources and provide project-level support. Our HSS education materials and group of HSS specialists will optimize the value of what HSS can do for your next project.

In addition to connection tools, Atlas provides resources to learn about and leverage the superior strength-to-weight ratio of HSS. One of the benefits HSS can offer over wide-flange sections is the feasibility to reduce the amount of steel used in a structure, thus lowering that structure’s overall cost and embodied carbon. Atlas Tube’s HSS vs. Wide Flange Comparison Tool helps engineers pinpoint those weight savings based on individual column loads when comparing wide flange and HSS sections.

From concept design support to firm-wide education, our Atlas Engineering Experts Team advises teams on HSS design, connection design, Connections Hub use, product availability, and more. Our team of structural engineers has decades of experience and is eager to help any engineer curious about maximizing the benefits of HSS in structural projects.