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Load Input

The design loads (beam end shear force, moment and axial force are simply typed in the data boxes. For the shear
force the minimum value is 10 kips as required by the AISC-LRFD specification. For the moment connection of two
beams across a girder, entering the moment for one of the beams assigns the same moment to the other side beam,
also. This is because the program assumes that the girder will not share any portion of this moment. for the same
reason, a beam connection to a girder without an opposite side beam will not carry any end moment.

The moments defined for each beam are used for the design of the moment connection of the beam end. For
connections to a column flange these moments are also used for column stiffener design.

Column Splices:

Forces and moments for column splice design are entered on the main screen whether or not the use of seismic
provisions has been activated. However, for seismic design, splice forces and moments must be defined as specified
in: 1. Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings, April 15, 1997, AISC 2. Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel
Buildings (1997) Supplement No.2, November 10, 2000, AISC If one switches back and forth between Using and Not
Using seismic provisions, one needs to redefine the loading each time.

The user may select to use the shear value, Vs entered, or the shear in excess of the frictional resistance to shear at
the splice. Cmin is the minimum compressive column force at the splice. It should not be greater than 75% of column
compressive force due to DEAD LOAD only. Cmin is used to calculate the frictional resistance to shear at the bearing
surface. Coefficient of friction is assumed to be 0.33. Cmin is also used to calculate the tensile force on the tension
side for combined axial compression and moment. If column tension, T is greater than zero, the full value of Vs will be
used regardless of what the user selects or what Cmin value is.

When Seismic Provisions are in use, the program compares the computed tensile flange force and 50 percent of the
expected yield strength of the flange. If the later is greater it is used for weld requirements unless the computed
tensile force is zero. In addition, for Special Moment Frames (SMF), the nominal moment of the smaller column is used
to compute the flange force and used in the design if it controls.

For SMF, there is a data entry box for the user to input the required shear strength of the splice based on the expected
yield moments at the top and bottom of the column. This shear force value will override the shear force that may have
been defined elsewhere.

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Purchase Set up a Descon account. Once the purchase is finalized, the registered users will receive download and installation instructions. The instructions will be sent during our office hours (8-5pm CST/CDT Mon-Fri).

Choose Options All of Descon’s software licensing is priced per seat. One seat allows one user access to Descon software for the duration of the chosen plan. New with Descon 8, additional users that will share a seat can be added as part of an Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP) for a minimal annual addition. The number of seats controls the number of concurrent users. An example of how this would be used in the workplace:

3 users accessing the software, 1 at a time = 1 seat + 2 additional users.

3 users accessing the software, all at the same time = 3 seats

Begin Registered users will receive an email with detailed instructions to download, install and login. Once your users have installed the software, they will login using their unique information. After that, Descon is ready to use and connection designs are just a few clicks away. Users can start by looking for the Quick Start guide in the software.

Support All registered users are able to submit support tickets. Support is provided directly by our development team. Registered users can contact our support team directly within the software, using the feedback button. Responses will be given as soon as possible during our office hours.

From the people who've used Descon

Descon Brace has greatly aided in the design of our connections. The interface is easy to use and the customizability of the connections is supreme. The reporting portion is easy to follow and presentable for a calculation submission. Descon Brace provides great value and should be in every structural engineers software library.

Mark Gardner, P.E., Director of Engineering | bmk Engineering, Inc.

From the people who've used Descon

We have been using DesconWin and DesconBrace for about 8 years. It is very powerful but our main benefit has been speed. We are a design-build firm so we do estimates with a preliminary structure design. We used to estimate 10% of the total weight for connection material. But with Descon software, we can do preliminary connection design so fast that we get a better estimate. More than once we won the bid because we could estimate 7% of the total weight for connections instead of 10%. That little difference has been a key factor for being more competitive and winning more bids, mainly after the 2008 crisis that tightened all budgets.

Hector Ochoa

From the people who've used Descon

The calculations were accepted without comment by the connections engineer and the designers.

Ron Yeager | Steel-Art, Inc.

From the people who've used Descon

Investment on the software provides good return on investment when factoring in countless hours of review time on other methods. … (My Annual Maintenance Plan) provides quick responses to our design questions on projects with fast track schedules and on time commitments.

Eugene Ninnie | CTE-VBMIS Group

From the people who've used Descon

I used the DesconPlus Win and DesconPlus Brace for a recent FAA project. The generated written report was very easy to follow (and explain to others) and the generated dxf was a great tool between engineer and detailers.

Rick Koehler

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