Have you recently visited the Steel Joist Institute website to see their available technical resources?  From technical guides to design tools, SJI offers extensive content to help specifying professionals using steel joists and joist girders avoid pitfalls and follow their best practice recommendations.

In the November 2023 SEU session, Darrell Marchell, PE, from Vulcraft, and Tim Holtermann, PE, SE, from Canam Steel, on behalf of the Steel Joist Institute, presented Lateral Load Resisting Frames for Steel Joist and Joist Girders.  Darrell and Tim identified how open web steel joists and joist girders can be used in different lateral load resisting systems.  They explained how to effectively specify loads on the contract documents, shared commonly used connection details, and advised ways to reduce manufacturing and construction costs for different systems.

Darrel noted that SJI recently published Technical Digest 11: Design of Lateral Load Resisting Frames Using Steel Joists and Joist Girders.  This publication offers procedures to properly analyze, design and specify open web steel joist and Joist Girder moment frames to resist wind and seismic lateral loads.  The design methodology provided is limited to single-story structures subjected to wind and seismic loads; however, the design procedures are applicable to multi-story moment frames subjected to wind loads.  Darrell shared that two cases following IBC 2006 are presented: one from Charleston, SC with an R=3.5 and one from Jackson, MS with an R=3.0, as well as a sample design of a Joist Girder with moments.  To purchase your copy from SJI click here.

SJI also offers other design tools which are available FREE on its website.  These include a Joist Girder Moment Connection Design Tool which assists specifying professionals with the complex task of designing appropriate connections between joist girders and columns.  SJI also offers webinars where users can learn more about various topics concerning the design and use of steel joists and joist girders.  SJI also has an extensive Resource Library which any design professional would find useful when specifying steel joists on their projects.