google it, then pick vulcraft, canam, etc and use their load charts. Also the SDI has a design manual. Is this for a slab, or roof, if roof, you need to check for diapham action of the deck if its the lateral system
and look for "Data Sheets". Nicholas J. Bouras, Inc. publishes "Data Sheets" in Modern Steel Construction and has them on their web site. They also have much more useful information for steel decks and open web joists.
I cannot believe that any design engineer who is taking responsibility for a design would blindly accept design charts produced by a manufacturer to justify a design.
Find out the design method for the decking you are using from the manufacturer and do the design calculations yourself. If they do not have a detailed design methodology, go to someone else for your decking.
If the deck manufacturer is a member of the Steel Deck Institute their load tables have already been reviewed by the Institute. If you want to recreate the wheel go ahead. I have been using these tables for over 30 years and have never found any problems with any members of SDI
SDI also publishes a Deck Diaphragm Manual. The data in this manual is backed up with full scale load tests.
Have you discussed this with your insurance company? Does the SDI or the manufacturer explicitly take responsibility for the design, or is there the usual fine print stating that the final responsibility is yours?
rapt....What you are referring to is called "specific reliance". Engineers routinely rely on tabulated values from reputable sources. To rely on such does not violate the standard of care.
While it is prudent to evaluate the methodology from which the companies derive their values on a spot-check or documentative quality assurance effort (much the same that you would do for validating analytical software), it is not necessary to hand calculate each condition. Continuing with the software analogy, if you did this with software, it would defeat the purpose of having and using the software.
So you should mahke sure that the design philosophy being used to develop the tables is correct and check some random cases to make sure it has all been done properly and you are happy with the results in the table! Then you can use the table for a range of cases. As you would/should do with design software.
I will bet that 99% of consultants do neither of the above, for software or design tables! They simply blindly believe the salesman who produced the tables.
I agree with Ron. Many of the materials we use every day in structural design e.g. metal deck, bar joists, purlins and girts etc. are treated as commodities and are from trusted sources. Consultants don't have the time or in many cases the resources to verify the design tables. The tables are not produced by salesmen.
in order to fully verify a specilist area you would need to hire the specilist i.e. the person who created the table. to re create the table again. seems a waste of tme to me. Maybe you could ask for calcs to back up the table?
FYI- If you're in a non-seismic area, the allowable shear values are actually conservative, as they use the seismic factor of safety for their published values. Refer to the Diaphragm Design Manual published by the Steel Deck Institute. The factor of safety for wind is lower than for seismic, meaning that you get higher allowable shear loads for wind.
I believe the question has been answered (use published data from proper sources).
Where the engineering comes into play is knowing your loads,and paying attention to uplift, snow loads etc. and the welds/fastening required.
