On Tuesday, September 22, 2015, Atlas Tube participated in kicking off SteelDay from the Emerald City – Seattle, Washington. The focus of the event was the active construction site for the Seattle North Transfer station, a public works project for processing and transferring municipal solid waste (MSW), organic materials, and recyclables. Featuring 90 tons of ASTM A1085 hollow structural sections (HSS) for the long span roof trusses, the North Transfer Station is the largest ASTM A1085 project to date on the West Coast. 

Integrated Design Engineers of Seattle hosted the group in conjunction with General Contractor Lydig Construction (Bellevue, WA). Guests experienced presentations outlining the details of the project as well as a brief explanation of ASTM A1085 presented by Atlas Tube’s resident structural engineer, Brad Fletcher. At the conclusion of the presentations, SteelDay visitors toured the construction site for a first-hand look at the project.

Brad Fletcher, SE addresses the group on-site at the Seattle North Transfer Station

Designed to process 750 tons of public waste each day, the Seattle North Transfer Station project will update the city’s waste and recycling capabilities and enhance its efficiency using modern technology. As highlighted on the tour, the new facility will implement new compaction methods. These methods allow trucks to carry single truckloads equivalent to six truckloads as processed by its predecessor.

ASTM A1085 was selected for the 11 tri-chord roof trusses within the 57,000 square foot Tipping/Transfer building. These trusses, which have a depth of 6 feet and a span of 200 feet, are critical for optimizing floor space. This space will allow for the free flow of trucks entering and leaving the building. The round HSS sections not only boast a modest weight of 3.25 lbs per square foot, they also result in easier maintenance than alternative materials because of their shape. The tighter tolerances of ASTM A1085, compared to ASTM A500, allowed Integrated Design Engineers to design using the full wall thickness of material – resulting in a more efficient design overall.

ASTM A1085 HSS played a critical role in the long span trusses of the Seattle North Transfer Station

For more information about the Seattle North Transfer Station project, or to ask a question about how ASTM A1085 HSS played an important role in the project, please contact us at askbrad@atlastube.com.