16 December 2009
SCI upgrades Eurocode software for stainless steel
 The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) has launched an extended version of its Eurocode 3 stainless steel design software, which now covers the design of laser-welded and hot-rolled stainless steel sections. Additionally, an electronic database of Montanstahl hot-rolled and laser-welded section sizes is integrated into the software.
SCI materials manager Nancy Baddoo says, ‘Unlike carbon steel, there has never been a standard range of section sizes in stainless steel, making it challenging to design in a material which is favoured for its excellent corrosion resistance and strength. Montanstahl produces stainless sections in the same sizes as European and US standard carbon steel sections, thus making it easier for designers to move from designing in carbon to stainless steel.’
The ‘Structural Steel in Construction’ software was originally developed in 2005 under an EU-sponsored project and calculates section properties and member capacities for cold-formed stainless steel members subject to axial tension, bending or axial compression. Users define the loading, section geometry, member geometry and material grade, after which the section properties and member resistances are calculated. It was subsequently developed to include cold-worked material, align to the Eurocode for structural stainless steel (EN 1993-1-4) and include a fire-resistance design facility. More than 2000 users have registered with the software since 2005, and it continues to attract 50 new registered users each month.
The latest revision extends the software’s application to hot-rolled and laser-welded channels, I-sections, T-sections and angles (equal and unequal), as well as cold-formed and hollow sections. The online section database now contains more than 500 section sizes and allows users to select a particular section from the Montanstahl range. The calculation engine consists of four modules: a gross section properties calculator, a section classification and effective section properties calculator, a member capacities calculator and a fire resistance calculator.
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