Featured image: Dr. Wei-Wen Yu, center, with his daughter, Dorothy, left, and Dr. Joel Burken, Curators’ Distinguished Professor and chair of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T. Photo courtesy of Joel Burken.
On July 10, Dr. Wei-Wen Yu, Curators’ Distinguished Professor emeritus of civil engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, celebrated his 100th birthday. Yu’s career includes publishing the groundbreaking textbook on cold-formed steel (CFS) design and over 100 articles and technical reports related to CFS.
Author of Go-To Reference for CFS
In 1960, Yu earned a Ph.D. in structural engineering from Cornell University. He worked as a research engineer at the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) in New York City from 1960-1967 and credited this position for forming the foundation for his interest in CFS.
In 1968, Yu joined the Missouri S&T faculty as an associate professor of civil engineering. Yu’s textbook, Cold-Formed Steel Design, co-authored with Roger LaBoube and Helen Chen, and has long been a go-to reference for engineers in this discipline. It is currently in its fifth edition.
Dr. Wei-Wen Yu published this groundbreaking textbook on cold-formed steel (CFS) design.
Establishes Center for CFS Structures
In 1990, Yu formed Missouri S&T’s Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures, which was renamed the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures in 2000 in his honor.
“This center was unique in that it had a technology transfer function and a key role for 30 years to serve the cold-formed steel industry,” said the former director of the Wei-Wen Yu Center Dr. Roger LaBoub. “It provided a comprehensive information resource for manufacturers, designers, educators, researchers, students and users.”
Wei-Wen Yu Center Transitions to the Future
The association and corporate sponsors of the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures (CCFSS), which included the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) announced that CCFSS is closing its doors after 30 years.
CCFSS programs will continue under the management of various sponsoring organizations. A new report titled “Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1990-2020)” outlines the scope and administration of those programs. The report is available for free download.
Additional Resources
- Steel Industry Celebrates the Legacy CCFSS and Transitions to the Future
- New Publication: “Cold-Formed Steel Design-Fifth Edition”
- How Do You Connect Cold-Formed Steel Framing to Other Materials?