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:
TMS 405 “Mini Summit”: Existing Masonry Standards Committee formal working session as part of the 2026 TMS Spring Meeting, April 21-23 in Denver
2026 ICC Leadership Week + Hearings: 2027 I-Code development
Public Comment Hearings – Groups A & B
April 18 – 24
Connecticut Convention Center | Hartford, CT
Errata:
ACI/PCI 319-25 & 320-25: Mostly editorial, though both documents swap in f’ci for f’c in tensile stress limit equations at transfer.
IBC 2015, 2018, 2021 Ch 23 Erratum: Correction to Equation 23-2, deflection of a blocked wood structural shear panel shear wall.
ASCE 7-22 Errata #3: Section numbering in Ch 15, symbol correction in §16.4.1.2, Fig 29.4-7 footnote 3 equation clarified, and other minor editorial corrections.
AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2025 Errata: Issued Feb 10, 2026, these four pages of errata appear to be largely editorial, though some formula changes DO appear.
2. Research Snapshot
Timber beams and columns reinforced with steel and FRP – techniques and performance: A state-of-the-art review
A comprehensive, state-of-the-art review of over 280 experimental studies, this 42-page mammoth endeavor outlines everything practitioners need to know about the ongoing research in this vein. With deep dives on steel and FRP (utilizing glass, carbon, basalt, and a smattering of natural fibers), the authors traverse 63 years of study in this field.
Why it matters: Advice on how to use steel or FRP to strengthen timber beams or columns by 2-3x the unreinforced strength, while gaining ductility as well.
3. Tools & Workflow
ETABS v23.2.0 Released: Enhancements to auto seismic and wind loading, and to the design of composite beams & columns, concrete frames, shear walls, slabs, and steel frames.
IES VisualAnalysis 24.0 Released: Added 2024-2025 design code support for concrete, wood, and steel. Improved support for scripting. New design & reporting features.
Python Script of the Week: OpenSTRAN hit an alpha release with its lightweight 2D and 3D truss & beam FEA Python library on PyPI. Great for use in homebrew tools, skip reinventing the wheel, and get straight to solving your actual problems.
4. Case Study of the Week
Incorrect Section Properties in Structural Analysis Software
During a routine QA check, an engineer noticed that incorrect properties were being applied to a steel section in a proprietary structural analysis software. A rectangular steel section was pulling properties correlating to another, deeper section, overstating the strength and stiffness of members in the structure. This underscores the importance of cross-checking structural models against another source, and not blindly trusting software manufacturers have everything completely correct under the hood. CROSS experts state they have recently been receiving an increase in reports relating to structural analysis and design software.
5. Upcoming Free Live PDH
1.0 PDH, Tuesday, March 10 @ 11 am Central
1.0 PDH, Wednesday, March 11 @ 12 pm Central
1.0 PDH, Friday, March 27 @ 11 am Central
One of the presenters is Alan Humphreys, a real treat of a materials expert!
6. Quick Hits
The International Council of Regulation (ICOR) released guidance on overlapping practice in design fields.
NCSEA just released its new Wood Design Guide.
ASCE 2027 extended the Call for Content deadline to March 18
👋 From the Editor
I’m Eric, the engineer behind StructEd Brief. 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!
📬 Subscribe & Share
If someone forwarded this to you, you can subscribe here:
👉 https://structedbulletin.com
Know someone who’d appreciate this?
Forward this email or share the link above.