Aluminum Grating Brace Supporting Members?

[azogr]

Is it common practice to consider aluminum grating attached with screws and saddle clips as bracing the top flange of the supporting framing?

 

[WARose]

I've never considered grating as bracing anything. In a industrial setting: the hold-down clips get knocked off, holes get cut in it (to run piping, etc), and so on. It's not good practice.

 

[haynewp]

Even with welded steel grating I don't assume it provides bracing. I've never found enough sufficient data to qualify it.

 

[12345abc6ttyui67]

I'd never consider grating as bracing. As WARose points out, there are many 'on site' issues which could lead it to being non functional as bracing (let alone if it was even strong enough to begin with!).

Often site will completely remove gratings during certain work scopes to improve access below the deck etc., so if you rely on it, it might not even be there.