I am a distributor of cold formed steel products. Lately I have detected a change in the fulfillment of orders from manufacturers. The change deals with the yield strength of steel framing members. In the past, the default for yield strength for members with a thickness of 18 to 43 mils was 33 ksi, and for 54 mils and thicker the default was 50 ksi. It seems now the not all, standards include specific choices that must be made by the designer as well as specifics for what needs to be done to ensure that the system works as intended. The vast majority of the systems has one purpose: to prevent moisture from entering the building envelope as well as contributing to the structural integrity of the structure. One of the other tenants that was violated by this design was to become involved in the methods of construction without the proper knowledge of proper execution.
About the Author
Donald E. Smith, CCS, is AWCI’s director of technical services. Send your questions to him at [email protected], or give him a call at 703.538.1611.
