Steel Column Resting on Concrete Slab 1

[srazahz]

I have a question regarding a scenario where an HSS steel column, which was supposed to rest on a steel I beam, will be resting on a concrete slab between the beam and the column.
Is that an acceptable practice, or is it better to connect it directly to the beam?

 

[jayrod12]

Depends on what forces you are trying to transfer. Is it strictly gravity loads, or are there uplift and shears to deal with?

 

[CANPRO]

Is it a solid concrete slab, or a slab on steel deck?

 

[srazahz]

The column is taking gravity loads as well as lateral loads.

It is a concrete hollowcore slab that becomes solid just below the column, there is no steel deck.

In my opinion, it was best to just connect the column directly to the beam, but apparently they want to put a slab in between.

 

[KootK]

In my opinion, it was best to just connect the column directly to the beam, but apparently they want to put a slab in between.

I know of no prohibition on this so it's surely possible. That said, I would vastly prefer to take the column directly to the beam as well. Trying to pass significant vertical and lateral concentrated loads into plank and, nearby, back out of the plank is difficult. If this is a plank bearing location where the plank is perpendicular to the beam, then it'll be a mess to deal with where adjacent plank spans abut one another. If the plank runs parallel to the beam, then you've got camber to deal with. Lastly, unless you can force your column to land in the middle of the plank, your connection will likely be pushing into a grout key and it can be a challenge trying to figure out how to deal with that without considering it a free edge.

 

[racookpe1978]

Who is the "they", and what project group do they represent (foremen, financial, contractor, scaffold-builders, schedulers, or "real steel design engineers"?)