On April 1 at the North American Steel Construction Conference in Louisville, Ky., Atlas Tube released its HSS Connections Hub, a cloud-based suite of engineering resources designed to simplify hollow structural sections connection design for structural engineers and steel fabricators.

Users can sign up for the web-based service for free at connectionshub.atlastube.com. Steel connections and how best to fabricate them can be time-consuming for engineers involving shear and bending interaction and other calculations.

Replacing spreadsheet-based calculations with a tool preloaded that has American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) codes and formulas could save time.

“By providing fabrication-friendly HSS connection designs and calculations, the Connections Hub fills a void for engineers looking to realize benefits of HSS in their designs,” said Jeff Cole, Atlas Tube president. “We will continue growing resources in the Connections Hub so engineers and steel detailers have one trusted source for HSS connection designs that are easier to fabricate and reduce costs throughout the construction process.”

Atlas Tube hollow steel sections were also featured in an AISC demonstration project at the conference, featuring a 3D-printed steel pedestrian bridge with end connections that were additively manufactured using the direct metal laser sintering method and the sections were Atlas HSS.