The American Iron and Steel Institute has published a new research report, “RP23-02: Influence of Support Attachment Pattern on the Out-of-Plane Buckling Capacity of Steel Deck.” RP23-02 is available for free download in the AISI Design Resources section at www.buildusingsteel.org.

The research was undertaken to determine if the diaphragm testing used to develop AISI S310-20, North American Standard for the Design of Profiled Steel Diaphragm Panels, 2020 Edition, could be verified for new buckling limit states that will be required for higher-strength steel deck fasteners currently in development.

“This research provides more accurate predictions of strength and stiffness for higher-strength fasteners, which will lead to more reliable and robust structures and more economical and sustainable design solutions for steel deck,” said Jay Larson, P.E., F.ASCE, managing director of AISI’s Construction Technical Program.

Larson noted that RP23-02 is the result of a project selected through AISI’s Small Project/Fellowship Program, which identifies and provides funding for research projects that will significantly impact the reliability, performance and cost-competitiveness of cold-formed steel in construction. The research is conducted by project teams, which include a student, an academic advisor from the student’s academic institution and an industry advisor.

The RP23-02 project team included Divyansh R. Kapoor, graduate research assistant and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; Kara D. Peterman, associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; and Brian Bogh, industry advisor and senior research engineer at NUCOR/Vulcraft Group.