The NY Times is down with Steel Connections

The New York Times has a great series of photos showing steelworkers, and inadvertently, connection details of the Freedom Tower (1,776 feet, baby!)  Click through the gallery here. 

Iron worker on the Freedom Tower, credit NYTimes.com.

Shear studs are used to connect beams to the concrete floor structure, effectively bonding the two.  The floor structure then becomes the top flange of the beam, increasing its capacity to resist bending.  This composite beam action is very efficient because it doubles up on usage of the concrete slab's strength.  This allows heavier  loads and longer spans.  Walking on shear studs 75 stories in the air also causes you to become a certified bad-ass, even if you are hooked up to proper safety equipment.

That gusset plate is pretty cool.  What's it gonna do?  You can see the continuous fillet weld connecting it to the top flange of the beam - that bad boy was probably shop welded, as that would be an intense weld to perform in its current place.  As many welds as possible should be done in the shop rather than the field - it's cheaper, easier, and the results are better.  Pre-formed holes indicate it's gonna get bolts.  I assume a diagonal beam will be bolted at an angle perpendicular to the right face of the plate, and a big connector clip will cover all the bolt holes and connect it to the gusset plate.

Flip through the gallery and look for other cool stuff.  If this don't jazz you up, more than you already are for football season, I don't know what will.

In conclusion, STEEL! WOOOO!