NEWS: TRUSSTEEL AND ALPINE STRUCTURAL CONSULTANTS RECEIVE THE SFA / CFSEI INNOVATIVE DESIGN AWARD This represents the debut of the prestigious Innovative Design Award, conferred by the Steel Framing Alliance and the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute.
On October 1, 2008, the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI), a unit of the Steel Framing Alliance (SFA), announced the selection of TrusSteel, An ITW Company, and their Alpine Structural Consultants (ASC) unit, based in Haines City, FL , as recipients of their first Innovative Design Award. TrusSteel and ASC provide engineered cold-formed steel (CFS) framing solutions to the building industry.
TrusSteel and ASC received the award for their innovative engineering solutions developed for the Freightliner Research Wind Tunnel Laboratory project. Bill Babich, P.E., TrusSteel Chief Engineer, accepted the award on October 1, 2008, during the 10th Anniversary Dinner of the Steel Framing Alliance, which was held during the Metalcon show in Baltimore, MD.
"We are honored to receive this award", said Bill Babich, in his remarks at the award presentation, "and we want to thank the entire team that gave birth to this unusual project. I am glad that this project is receiving the recognition it deserves, because it really pushes the boundaries on the use of cold-formed steel as a structural system."
Freightliner, the industry leader in over-the-road transportation, has a serious commitment to research and development. When they decided to build a state-of-the-art wind tunnel as a part of their new Laboratory complex to aid in their development of efficient truck and trailer designs, they wanted the structure of the tunnel itself to be state-of-the-art.
Freightliner contacted Gary Derr of Pacific Panel & Steel Truss while the project was in the conceptual stage, seeking his advice on framing solutions. When Gary saw the shape of the tunnel, he asked Freightliner to "let me play with this awhile. The tapering shape and the overall size of the structure would be a real challenge, but I felt certain I could do it with TrusSteel. I knew that this project would take some real creativity on the part of all participants." Gary worked with Freightliner's engineers over the following three years to develop a framing concept with steel trusses that would be, as Gary said, "an answer to their structural and geometric needs as well as easy to erect in the field".
The resulting design of the tunnel frame was to be built entirely from TrusSteel trusses. A combination of roof and floor trusses was engineered to create the roof, floor and walls of the eighty-foot long tunnel. The frames at the opening of the tunnel were 57 ft. wide by 52 ft. tall, and the size of the frames tapered down throughout the throat of the tunnel to 32 ft. by 24 ft. at the narrow end.
Located on the edge of a lake, the tunnel actually projected out over the lake at the intake end. Heavy steel beams were "flown" out over the lake by crane, anchored to the supporting foundation structure, and then the TrusSteel frames were attached. Erection of the tunnel went quickly because of the prefabricated steel truss frames. The tunnel was sheathed in a combination of fiberglass and steel panels.
Gary Derr has owned and operated Pacific Panel & Steel Truss since they opened their doors eight years ago. "We've been with TrusSteel from the beginning, and I am still convinced without a doubt that it is the best CFS truss system on the market. I think that this project proves that it certainly is the most flexible system from the point of view of flexibility of design.".
TrusSteel Fabricator Pacific Panel & Steel Truss, Inc. 1509 B N.E. 106th St. Vancouver, WA 98686 360-213-1600 www.pacificpanelsteeltruss.com
