Algorithms automatically take care of the different phases of the design

In the spring, Weckman adopted Tekla design software, while also looking into other ways to streamline the steel hall design process at the 60-year-old family-owned company. Parametric or algorithm-assisted design saves time right from the offer stage.

Weckman Steel is a Finnish family-owned company that has been designing and manufacturing steel halls for more than 40 years and is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022. Weckman is a trusted partner in Finnish industry and agriculture, as well as in specialised applications such as padel and riding halls. In spring 2022, Weckman replaced the Autodesk design software it had been using with Tekla, a favourite among structural engineers.

“We work on well over a hundred hall projects every year, so we wanted to streamline the entire design process,” says Product Development Director Antti Alanko from Weckman Steel Oy. At first, Weckman’s designers were only vaguely familiar with parametric or algorithm-assisted design, after Ilari Pirhonen of Sweco had introduced its benefits in the design of concrete bridges.  “We started to think about whether algorithms could also be used in the design of steel halls.”

Sweco was a familiar partner for Weckman from previous projects, so it was easy to ask them for advice on the introduction of Tekla. According to Ilari Pirhonen, technology manager for parametric design at Sweco, Tekla is better suited for steel structure design than Autodesk is. For example, joints between two steel parts can be defined by pre-programming, and it is possible to customise the program with your own tools and automation. “In addition to this, using the same design software as most external structural engineers and engineering firms makes the work smoother.”

Algorithms automatically take care of the different design phases

The decision was also made to improve the steel hall design process with an automation system that makes the use of Tekla more efficient. “We created a set of three algorithms for Weckman that automatically perform the different steps of the design process,” says Pirhonen.

The first algorithm carries out the so-called basic design, i.e. models the steel profiles of the hall in Tekla. The second algorithm adds joints to the frame model. “That was the most difficult part,” Pirhonen says. There are about a dozen different types of joint, with the same number of variations within each one. Lastly, the third algorithm transfers the hall to the FEM program for strength calculation verification and reporting.

Each step of the development project has been carefully defined, as the complexity of the task was known in advance. “The development project naturally takes a lot of time, but Sweco’s project management has worked well and moved things forward in an orderly manner,” says Alanko.

At each stage, the client was first given a manually modelled prototype to evaluate, as there are countless options for implementing a given joint. “For each joint, it is necessary to find an option that is as cost-effective as possible from the perspective of production, while at the same time performing well in terms of strength,” says Pirhonen. All the free parameters, i.e. the adjustable dimensions and other characteristics of the halls, were also selected together.

Modelling time reduced by up to 90%

The introduction of new design software and algorithms always requires training, which is why Sweco’s experts visited Weckman to train the company’s designers on site. “We made pre-built templates in Tekla and linked the programs to each other so that all the settings are correct and the databases are where they should be,” Pirhonen says.

Sweco’s structural engineers also tested the design tool themselves in the design of a standard steel hall. “The design time of the steel frame, from reading the initial data to the final model, was reduced to about a tenth of what it would have been without the algorithms,” says Pirhonen. This is followed by the preparation of production drawings, verification and reporting of strength calculations and modelling of project-specific details. “With the set of algorithms, it is possible to model different steel halls, complete with joints and loads, in just a few minutes.”

Indeed, Pirhonen is convinced that the planning process could not have been streamlined to the same extent by any other means. Implementing the design tool would also have been an impossible task for an ordinary software company. “The specification of the algorithms required considerable experience in the design of steel structures. After all, a computer only does what it is programmed to do.”

The progress of the development project has been so promising that Weckman is convinced that further development of the parametric design process is worthwhile. “The tool is already a good addition to the offer calculation for our halls and allows us to calculate the weight of the steel in the frame very quickly,” says Alanko. The cooperation will continue with the development of details and drawing automation. “The automation of working and structural drawings is the next step in our efforts to reduce the hours spent on design.”