1. Code & Standards Watch
Updates & New Releases:
AISC/RCSC Design Guide 41 Released: Design guidance for stainless steel bolts, used to connect stainless or carbon steel components.
Working Sessions, Public Comment, & Balloting:
NFPA 5000-2024 & Proposed 2027 Editions: Proposed Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) No 1870 Seeking Public Comments through Apr 24, 2026
2026 ICC Leadership Week + Hearings: 2027 I-Code development
Public Comment Hearings – Groups A & B
April 18 – 24
Connecticut Convention Center | Hartford, CT
ICC 600 - Standard for Residential Construction in High-Wind Regions: Draft available for public comment through June 1
Latest Errata:
Table 3-23 - Beam Case 7 - Point load at midspan of simply supported beam, diagram and M3 equation updated.
Revised L.c to 60 from 70 in penultimate row of Y-Y Axis table on 4-140
And a few other small updates to graphics and callouts
2. Research Snapshot
Model for damage evolution through dynamic stiffness degradation in three wood species subjected to very high cycle fatigue
Three species of wood samples were instrumented up and subjected to more than 19 million loading cycles, pausing to measure the natural frequency as an analog for stiffness along the way. Decreases of 11% to 19% were observed across the different species, with the species that had the higher degradation fitting the “accelerating degradation with increased levels of damage” model researchers applied.
Key Takeaways: Interesting uses for natural frequency observations as periodic damage checks are discussed, as well as the accelerating fatigue damage behavior observed in wood.
3. Tools & Workflow
Faster calculations, back-end architecture upgraded to newer technology
Better 2D plotting
Larger page sizes available, plus more customizable headers & footers
4. Case Study of the Week
Engineering Failures - Lessons to be Learnt in Modern Timber Design
A short compendium of three case studies in timber failures. This report investigates moisture damage due to prolonged exposure of a mass timber structure during construction (due to Covid-19 delays) in New Zealand, a pedestrian bridge collapse in North Carolina, and an ice rink roof collapse in Germany.
The report starts out with very basic principles, then extends them to detailed discussions of each failure. A great read for any structural engineer, whether practicing in wood design or not.
Key takeaways: Wood structures are sensitive enough to moisture that prolonged exposure during construction delays can severely damage main structural components. Wood’s anisotropy must be respected, particularly the very low perpendicular-to-grain tensile strength. Some of the newer wood technologies are suffering from lack of fabricator knowledge, causing potentially catastrophic outcomes. None of these issues are unique to wood, but the sensitivity of wood to many factors we can typically ignore in other materials does mean additional care is required.
5. Upcoming Free Live PDH
1.0 PDH, Friday, April 24 @ 11 am Central
Presented by SGH
Speakers: Qianru Guo & Tom Jaleski
1.0 PDH, Wednesday, May 6 @ 11 am Central
Presented by NoonPi
Register early, same-day registrations seem to not go through on this site
1.0 PDH, Wednesday, May 13 @ Noon Central
Presented by WoodWorks
Speakers: David Butler & Paige Smith
6. Quick Hits
FEMA remains unfunded in the longest partial government shutdown in US history
Hindu Kush M5.8–5.9 quake triggers widespread building damage, highlighting the vulnerability of non‑ductile construction in moderate‑hazard regions.
OSHA posts new forensic investigation summaries, adding fresh case material on design errors, construction deviations, and inspection gaps.
👋 From the Editor
I’m Eric, the engineer behind the StructEd Bulletin. I dig through stacks of journal articles and software patch notes to find useful information for practicing engineers and keep an eye on the scattered code updates & errata for you. I’m just getting started, so if you find this useful, the best way to support the newsletter is to share it with a colleague or post it on LinkedIn. It helps more than you’d think!
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