April 19, 2017

(Chicago, IL) - Building designers now have a valuable resource for the design of castellated and cellular beams in AISC’s Design Guide 31: Castellated and Cellular Beam Design. This latest addition to AISC’s design guide series provides technical guidance for the design of steel buildings using castellated and cellular beams.

“Castellated and cellular beams offer some great benefits in steel construction,” said David Dinehart, PhD, professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Villanova University, and co-author of the guide. “Longer spans and the ability to run utilities through the web openings are just two advantages as compared to conventional sections. There are numerous research opportunities to further understand how to gain additional efficiencies from these beams.”

The guide reviews the current state of practice of the design of castellated and cellular beams, including differences in failure modes with traditional beams. Detailed design examples, both composite and noncomposite, are also included.

“This guide provides designers with a comprehensive resource for a state-of-the-art practice that adheres to the 2016 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings,” added Sameer Fares, PE, SE, research and development structural engineer at New Millennium Building Systems, and co-author of the guide. “The web openings in these beams introduce new limit states and unique design considerations.”

A downloadable pdf of the guide is available for free to AISC members and at a price of $60 for non-members by visiting www.aisc.org/dg. A printed version is also available for purchase at the link; the cost is $40 for members and $80 for non-members.