C+S February 2020 Vol. 6 Issue 2 (web)

The introduction of rigid frame engineering made it simple for users to customize a fabric building to their specifications, rather than settling for a pre-engineered size.

pre-engineered, standard-size offerings. In many ways it created a new market segment of its own. Of course, the beauty of rigid frame design is that it really is not a new concept at all. Rather, it’s a long-established construction type that is universally accepted in the building industry. Contractors and engi- neers alike understand exactly how the rigid frame structure works, the software that designs it, and how it will function in a real-world environment. In other words, it provides a level of certainty that was often lacking with web truss structures. Optimized Engineering Customization can be a scary word for cost-conscious consumers in any market, as that word is often perceived synonymously with “more expensive.” Perception was reality with old-school fabric structures, where any necessary modifications to pre-engineered designs—such as thicker cords or adjusted jigs—could be done, but usually only at a significant cost. Rigid frame design turns that traditional fabric building process on its head, always beginning with a clean sheet. Using finite element analysis (FEA) software, engineers work with the client to input pre- cise building dimensions while accounting for risk category codes and site-specific requirements related to wind, snow or seismic loads. The result is an efficiently rendered design that is optimized not only for the building’s intended use and location, but truly for each and every detail of the customer’s specific project.

Creating a customized rigid frame with FEA gives fabric building suppliers much more structural flexibility to add lean-tos, mezzanines, sidewall doors, and other features to a building design. Where rigid frame really separates itself, however, is with its ability to quickly and accurately provide framing models to handle collateral loads and hang- ing loads for items like fire suppression systems, cranes, or conveyors. By calculating stresses, pressures, and deflections based on the antici- pated loads, the software generates an optimal design with the appro- priate I-beam depths and thicknesses. Different frames within the same building are varied depending on their location and expected loads. And because this is all part of the basic engineering, there is no added cost to customize, and material costs are limited to only what is needed in the design. Rigid Strength Rigid frame engineering leads to an end result that is simpler and more durable as well. Common fabric framing alternatives like steel trusses or aluminum I-beams/box beams require a more complex system of web connections to hold the frame together. These frames are also thin- ner, making them more vulnerable to corrosion than thicker I-beams, particularly in the case of hollow-tube frames that can rust from the inside out. Additionally, while aluminum beams are limited in their span reach, a rigid frame allows for much longer clear span designs since the solid steel beams can withstand greater compressive and tension forces.

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february 2020

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