History
The Structural Stability Research Council was founded in 1944 as the Column Research Council to review and resolve conflicting opinions on the design of steel columns. Subsequent to the success of this effort, the scope of the Council expanded to include a wide range of stability problems of interest in the design of steel and steel-concrete composite structures world-wide. Members of the Council have contributed directly or indirectly to nearly every provision related to the stability of steel structures in the United States, and in a great many cases around the world.
Recent SSRC News
Ted Galambos tests out joist stability.
A detailed history of the Council is available in Johnston (1981), a summary of the Council’s impact on steel design practice in the U.S. through the 20th century is provided by Galambos (2001), on the world by Ivanyi (2000), and in the 75th anniversary history document by Helwig (2019). Technical articles on the history and activities of the Structural Stability Research Council include:
Galambos, T. (2001). The structural stability research council and the stability criteria in the AISC specification. Paper presented at the Proceedings – Annual Technical Session, Structural Stability Research Council, 1-17.
Iványi, M. (2000). SSRC: International cooperation in stability studies: History, achievements and trends. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 55(1-3), 305-323.
Johnston, B. G. (1981). History of Structural Stability Research Council. ASCE J Struct Div, 107(8), 1529-1550.