STRUCTURAL STEEL FRAMING

John B. Hertz, Architect

NCARB Certified
 STRUCTURAL STEEL FRAMING

Excellent overview for Steel buildings in England:

• https://www.steelconstruction.info/Multi-stor
ey_office_buildings
• https://www.steelconstruction.info/Framing_s
chematics
 Two options: Structural Steel Framing and Cold-
Formed Steel Framing (Light weight metal framing):

Cold Formed Steel Framing Structural Steel Framing

 Structural Steel Framing
Traditional system with:
• steel columns (hollow tubes or I-beam)
• steel beams (I-beams) with bolted/welded
connections
• steel trusses (open web joists - bar joists)
• The inter-floor system consists of steel panels
(metal decking 1 ½” – 3” deep) topped with
concrete – composite decking
• The first floor is a reinforced concrete slab with
concrete footings for column support
• This system is capable of long spans
 BAY SPACING
• Typical bay sizes from 25x40 to 40x60 feet (ratio
of 1:1.25 to 1:1.5 is most efficient).
• If the open web joists are less than 40 ft they
don’t require bolted connections ($). At 40ft in
length, joist depth is about 24”

• In this example the beams run the shorter

direction and the joists the longer one
 BEAM CHARACTERISTICS

Examples
• A primary beam has between a 1:13 and a 1:15 ratio of depth to
span, therefore a 40 foot beam would be 32 inches deep
• For a composite beam where the beam ties into the concrete
slab poured over metal floor decking, through the use of sheer
connectors the same 40 foot beam would be 28 inches deep,
which is about the same depth as the open web joists spanning
30 feet perpendicularly
 OPEN WEB JOISTS
• Open web joists are popular as they are very efficient
while permitting passage of mechanical services,
with the capability of ceiling to be attached directly
to the bottom chords
• Factors which play into joist spacing are: floor load
above, decking span capability, and joist bearing
capacity
• Spacing often falls between 2′ and 10′ with 4′ spacing
being one of the most common in large buildings
• A common rule of thumb is to keep joist span less
than 24 times the joist depth.
OPEN WEB JOISTS
OPEN WEB JOISTS
COMPOSITE DECKING
• Type B is 1 ½ inches deep; Type N 3 inches deep
• Deeper decking means longer spans between
joists
• Trade off between cost of deeper and thicker
decking plus deeper joists to carry the additional
load compared to fewer joists (labor cost is much
less)
 Cold-Formed Steel Framing
• Light weight systems may have columns or framed
bearing walls and lightweight beams that are
perforated for mechanical system ducts and electric
systems.
• Limited spans of 20-24 ft make this system best used
for apartment buildings, hotels and small commercial
spaces, although a 40 foot span could be broken up
with secondary beams
• The flooring system consists of steel panels (decking)
topped with concrete like for structural steel
• The first floor is a reinforced concrete slab with
footings as the walls are load bearing
Cold-Formed Steel Framing
STRUCTURAL STEEL WITH COLD-FORMED STEEL
• Cold-formed steel is used for the exterior of the
building
• It can be framed between columns or outside of the
column bay
• These walls are non-structural