Safa Masajedian (Ph.D.) In a progressive collapse event, a single structural failure causes a disproportionately large collapse in the structure. Although conventional design of steel frame buildings is relatively well defined, recent building collapses have revealed the need to ensure that a localized failure will not propagate into a disproportionate collapse. This project mitigates the potential for progressive collapse of steel structures with composite floor systems usin

Chris Di Giovanni (M.Sc.) The goal of Chris’ research is to determine the cause of cracking found in the welded joints of a steel platform structure after galvanizing, and to create a mitigation plan for the steel fabricator. A study on the effects of the pickling process prior to galvanizing and the potential effects of hydrogen in the steel has been completed and a fractography study has characterized the type of fracture. A finite element model has also been created to det

Victoria Buffam (M.Sc.) Extended shear tab connections are efficient for both fabrication and erection as they eliminate the need to cope beams, and are therefore extensively used in industry. Stability issues can arise as the extended shear tabs become longer and more slender due to skewed connections or complex geometry. Commonly, designers will resolve this issue by increasing the plate thickness or adding stiffeners to the connection, which increases the fabrication cost.

Riley Quintin (M.Sc.) It is relatively common for torsional loads to be included in the design of members in industrial steel structures. An example of this is a pipe rack structure where design hydraulic events in the pipe cause weak-axis bending in the supporting beam, which is in turn transferred to the column as torsion. Due to a lack of relevant provisions in design standards, stiffeners are routinely added to the connection to ensure the torque is transferred to the ent

Daniel Unsworth (M.Sc.) Dr. Driver, Dr. Leijun Li Concerns have been raised that current Canadian design standards overestimate the strength of welded girders (commonly used in bridges), bringing the safety of the standard into question. Though there is evidence to support the concerns, there is insufficient research on the subject to warrant a change in the standard; further work needs to be done to make an informed decision. If current standards are in fact unsafe, the resu

Dimple Ji (M.Sc.) Dr. Driver, Dr. Imanpour The lateral-torsional buckling design provisions were developed decades ago and, since then, welding and fabrication processes have changed significantly. This leads to concerns that the existing standards may not encapsulate the true behaviour of modern welded girders. The complexity of performing lateral-torsional buckling tests has also resulted in a severe lack of recent experimental test data. An improved understanding of latera