New design aid for hollow section joints

MSH connections: Never before has it been this easy to plan hollow section joints
Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes is now offering planners and structural engineers its new design aid for hollow section joints. This standard reference work includes type-tested load tables and software tools designed to support calculations for hollow section joints – and is a must for every design and engineering office.

Düsseldorf, 20 March 2012. Many engineers have long wanted an easy aid to support them in verifying joints with MSH sections – but so far, such a tool has not been available. Now, though, the established design aid for type-specific joints in steel structural engineering for open sections – a guide that has been used and appreciated for decades – is also available in a version for hollow sections.
Commissioned by Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes, the Aachen engineers Feldmann + Weynand GmbH have developed the first type-tested design aid for hollow section joints, working in close collaboration with the Karlsruhe competence centre for tubes and hollow sections, KoRoH GmbH. The aid consists of a reference work with type-tested load tables for standardized joints and a user-friendly software package. It enables users to undertake preliminary computations of joint types quickly and accurately, and also enables them to produce reliable calculations and verifications for individually designed joints with just a few mouse clicks – based, of course, on the new Eurocode 3. This makes the current manual calculation method quite unnecessary. Dr. Stefan Herion from the Karlsruhe competence centre for tubes and hollow sections (KoRoH GmbH), which was involved in the project, is confident: “The planning tools mean that it is now much easier to take account of hollow sections in design work, and to offer a genuine alternative to the open sections.”

A straightforward, time-saving solution
The type-tested load tables contain almost 3,000 type-specific joints for standard hollow section dimensions. The guide has more than 100 pages of information offering a practical introduction to the calculation of hollow section joints. Once users have grasped the basics, they will never again want to work without the accompanying software, which provides further support. The software also calculates structural load resistances for individually designed joint geometries, and provides interactive feedback on whether the joint complies with the operative standards. In the event of errors, the engineers are given advice on how to rectify the entered data. These calculations provide the basis for structural calculations which stand up to scrutiny. “This new design guide should finally put an end to the argument that calculating hollow section joints is too complicated,” Dr. Klaus Weynand from the responsible Aachen engineers’ office says confidently.

New challenge: Eurocode 3
MSH sections have many advantages over open sections. For example, torsional-flexural buckling is rarely a relevant factor, smaller quantities of filler materials are needed, and the unbroken surface makes for a more aesthetically appealing finish – to name just some of the plus points. And yet structural engineers still often work with open sections. Their main argument is the additional time – and therefore cost – involved in designing MSH hollow sections. And they are worried that the effort involved might increase as a result of the new standards and regulations imposed by Eurocode 3, which is scheduled to come into effect as part of the building supervision system in mid-2012. The Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes design aid already takes account of the new regulations: in other words, it provides real assistance in designing constructions made from MSH hollow sections cost-effectively and in compliance with the relevant standards.

Future technical modifications will be directly integrated into the software as versions are updated, and will thus be passed on to users. The tables and software are available free of charge in the Internet at www.vmtubes.de/cop.

About the company:
Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes, a Vallourec Group company and manufacturer of seamless hot finished tubes is a world leader in premium tubular solutions primarily serving the energy markets, as well as other industrial applications. With over 22,000 employees, integrated manufacturing facilities, advanced R&D, and presence in more than 20 countries, Vallourec Group offers its customers innovative global solutions to meet the growing energy challenges of the 21st century. In 2011, the group sales amounted to €5.3 billion. Listed on NYSE Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0000120354, Ticker VK) and eligible for the Deferred Settlement System, Vallourec is included in the following indices: MSCI World Index, Euronext 100 and CAC 40. In the United States, Vallourec has a sponsored Level 1 American Depository Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R2094, Ticker: VLOWY). The ratio of Vallourec ADR to ordinary shares is 5:1.

Press contacts:

Technical Press
Daniel Paschke
V & M DEUTSCHLAND GmbH
Theodorstr. 90
D-40472 Düsseldorf
email: Daniel.paschke@vmtubes.de
Phone: +49 211 960 – 37 91
Fax: +49 211 960 - 23 45
www.vmtubes.de

Corporate Press Germany
Friederike Gräfin v. Bassewitz
V & M DEUTSCHLAND GmbH
Theodorstr. 90
D-40472 Düsseldorf
email: Friederike.bassewitz@vmtubes.de
Phone: +49 211 960 – 2774
Fax: +49 211 960 - 2351
www.vmtubes.de

Corporate Press international
Caroline Philips
Vallourec Group
27 avenue du Général Leclerc
F-92660 Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex - France
Phone: +33 1 41 03 77 50
email: caroline.philips@vallourec.fr
www.vallourec.com