Steel Joist Submittals

[abusementpark]

Should open web steel joist shop drawing submittals be stamped?

I know that I never seen them stamped. But as far as whether or not they SHOULD be stamped, I'm not sure. The EOR usually sizes the joists based on the tables given in a joist manufacturer's catalog, but gives a net uplift design requirement for the which the joist supplier must consider. It seems like the uplift portion of the joist should be stamped somehow.

 

[Ron]

In my opinion, the joists are repetitively produced, manufactured products based on engineering and exemplar testing. The EOR should request their engineering submittal for the design tables given in their catalog, but it is not necessary to submit signed/sealed calcs for every job.

The uplift condition is somewhat different and should either be done by the EOR with info from the joist supplier or done by the supplier, signed and sealed for the project.

The EOR should have basic quality assurance documentation from the joist manufacturer on file to validate his reliance on their product information.

 

[abusementpark]

How would the EOR do anything about the uplift condition? I never even know what size members I am getting when I specify a specific joist.

 

[Ron]

The uplift condition for joists is controlled by the lateral bracing of the bottom chord, and the compression of the first diagonal. The first diagonal is usually not a big issue, so the lateral bracing of the bottom chord will likely control. The Steel Joist Institute gives guidelines on designing for uplift and most manufacturers will give you the maximum spacing of the braces for the noted uplift criteria, or you can figure out yourself based on the guidelines.