Collaborative Research: An Interactive Steel Connection Teaching Tool - A Virtual Structure

该项目由西北大学、诺维奇大学和普渡大学合作，正在创建一个基于网络的互动版本的美国钢铁建筑学会(AISC)雕塑，为美国和海外的学生和教育工作者提供有效的学习机会和全天候的访问。AISC雕塑是一个物理系统，展示了在标准施工实践中发现的48种类型的连接。由于它高8英尺，重近2500磅，学生们并不总是很容易接触到它。此外，如今的学生更习惯使用基于网络的学习工具。这座虚拟雕塑展示了每个连接的特写视图，描述了它可能如何使用、潜在的故障模式、样本计算和现场示例。此外，为了帮助学生可视化每个连接中的应力的三维(3-D)性质，正在创建三维有限元模型。正在设计的交互式工具是为了让其他教育工作者和实践工程师为设计计算和现场实例的数据库做出贡献。提高学生对钢结构连接的理解很重要，因为它们在结构的完整性中发挥着重要作用；许多结构故障都归因于连接故障，包括1977年哈特福德市政中心、1980年堪萨斯城凯悦酒店和2007年明尼阿波利斯I-35W大桥的故障。

This project, which is a collaboration of Northwestern, Norwich and Purdue Universities, is creating a web-based interactive version of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) sculpture to provide an effective learning opportunity and 24-7 access to students and educators in the United States and abroad. The AISC sculpture is a physical system that shows forty-eight types of connections found in standard construction practices. Because it is eight feet tall and weighs nearly 2500 pounds, students do not always have easy access to it. Moreover, today's students are more comfortable with web-based learning tools. The virtual sculpture shows close up view of each connection with descriptions of how it may be used, potential failure modes, sample calculations and field examples. In addition, to help students visualize the three-dimensional (3-D) nature of the stresses in each connection, 3-D finite element models are being created. The interactive tool is being designed to allow other educators and practicing engineers to contribute to the database of design calculations and field examples. Improving student understanding of steel connections is important because they play important roles in the integrity of structures; many structural failures are attributed to connection failures including the failures of the Hartford Civic Center in 1977, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City in 1980, and the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis in 2007.