I'm renovating a 1937 building (WPA era) 1

[LFOD]

I'm renovating a 1937 building (WPA era). Some of the floor "slabs" are of a material called GYPSTEEL. They are 3.5" deep precast hollow core gypsum planks spanning between steel beams/girders 8.0'+/-. Has anyone ever come across or have any performance data, properties, etc. for these? Or does anyone know of a source for any information?

 

[Kenneth]

Hopefully, you're not working on the same project as

http://revobiz.dyndns.org/group/seaint/2002c/msg00420.html

If not, maybe he's found some information by now he could share with you...

 

[LFOD]

Kenneth,
Thanks. It's not the same project. In my search for info, on this ancient material, I did find the same archive you reference at the SEAINT site about a month ago and contacted that source. He too had no luck in finding any info. He had an easy way to work around his dilemma.
Mine is not so cut and dry. There's a change of use for the building and therefore an increase in live load. Unfortunately there may be no other way than to do destructive testing.

 

[Mattman]

I have the 18th edition- 1931- of the Kidder-Parker Architects' and Builders' Handbook. It has a few pages, including sketches, of the Gypsteel system, but no load tables. Here's a synopsis: The Gypsteel system consists of 2-1/2" thick precast gypsum planks reinforced with 3/16" cold drawn steel wire at 4" oc. The planks are 24" wide x 29.75" long; basically they span 30". The projecting wires of abutting slabs are twisted together tightly, then the rabbeted space between the planks are filled with a gypsum pour.

There are also 2" Gypsteel ceiling planks, reinforced with flat steel bars, that are hung from the bottom flange of the supporting beams. There were special pieces available for cladding the steel beams and girders as well. The entire assembly, with a 3/4" plaster coating on the underside of the ceiling planks, was good for a 4-hour fire rating in 1931.

Gypsteel roof planks could span up to 7'. Weights varied from 11 psf to 17 psf for the roof planks.

If you need the pages faxed to you, let me know.

 

[LFOD]

Mattman,
Please fax any and all info you might have on this system to me. (631)288.2480
On the original conctract documents it calls for 3.5" thick gypsteel planks. It is in the field as you say 30"+/- spans, the only difference is there's what looks like an inverted TEE beam of the gypsum material supporting the planks spanning between steel.
What a find.
Thanks in advance.

 

[dpa]

Try

http://www.wiley.com/promo/t5a3b

or call 1-877-762-2974. Look for a book called "Structural Analysis of Historic Buildings" by J Stanley Raybun. I am going to order a copy for myself but do not know yet whether it will have exactly what you are looking for. It says it uses original sources back to 1893. For $95.00 it looks like a pretty interesting book.

Dave Adkins