Cold-Formed Steel Engineering

With experience from 1993 and formed as a separate company in 1996, K2 Engineering, Inc. has specialized solely in the engineering of cold-formed steel structures, helping builders, architects, framing suppliers and contractors, and property owners throughout the Southeast in scoping, specifying, designing and erecting a wide variety of commercial, industrial, and residential cold-formed steel framing applications.  K2 Engineering, Inc. has engineers licensed in the states of: Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Florida.

Here are some of the services which K2 Engineering offers:

• Interactive, on-line software tools made available at no cost and no registration required:

Note: These tools have recently (May 2010) been updated to consider and evaluate the effects of distortional buckling.  Distortional buckling, long known as a common failure mechanism for studs and joists in bending, was codified into the 2007 AISI Cold-Formed Steel Design Specifications (ANSI S100-2007).  Since it results in lower values of Allowable Bending Moments, most SSMA (Steel Stud Manufacturers Association) manufacturers have been hesitant to update their selection tables for fear of losing market share to competitors who haven't updated their selection tables to account for distortional buckling.  Said another way, most selection tables available today are NOT COMPATIBLE with the 2007 AISI code and their use may result in UN-CONSERVATIVE SELECTIONS.  Please consult the footnotes of your preferred vendor's selection tables and see which AISI codes they are based upon.  If not AISI 2007, your vendor is likely presenting out-of-date and un-conservative data.  The tools below each have a switch to turn on/off the consideration of distortional buckling to allow you to gauge the impact that distortional buckling has on your selection.

To read a technical discussion of Distortional Buckling, Click here. (Document is in MS-Word format. Shaffer and Pekoz, Cornell University)

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to analyze/select curtainwall studs.

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to analyze/select load-bearing wall studs.

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to determine Curtainwall Wind Pressures using ASCE 7-05 Methodology.

   Note: ASCE 7-05 is a publication of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is the most current definitive guide for computing Wind loads on structures.

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to analyze/select headers above openings in curtainwall or load-bearing walls.

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to compare costs of different wall framing configurations.

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to analyze/select curtainwall studs configured as parapets.

   Note: SSMA (and most manufacturer's) Curtainwall Stud Selection tables are NOT applicable to parapet configurations.  A parapet configuration may allow a lighter and/or less wide stud to be used.

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to analyze/select floor joists.

Excel File - Stud Sections Sorted by Section Efficiency, Grouped by Stud Width
Excel File - Stud Sections Sorted by Section Efficiency, Overall

Note: All stud sections are not the same as regards section efficiency (bending strength per unit of weight).   For example, a lighter 8 inch deep stud might perform as well (or better than) a thicker 6 inch stud which weighs more per foot.   One way to compare them is to rank them according to their bending strength (Allowable Bending Moment) versus weight.   These two Excel spreadsheets (above) do just that, allowing you to compare studs and select the most optimal stud for your application.   Optimal studs weigh less and generally cost less, a savings that goes to your bottom line.

Click here for an interactive, on-line tool to evaluate seismic loads on curtainwall studs.



• Cold-Formed steel curtainwall and in-fill design for structural steel and masonry buildings

To view a sample ASEC 7-05 wind pressure calculation (in a PDF file), click here.

To view a sample AISI S211-07 design calculation for a curtainwall stud (in a PDF file), click here.

• Load-bearing floor, joist, beam, and column framing, and shear wall framing designed to withstand ASCE 7-05 wind loads

• Composite decking and floor design (elevated concrete slab)

• Numerous, richly detailed assembly and connection drawings (in isometric view)

     To view a sample curtainwall construction details drawing (as a PDF file), click here.
     To view a sample building deflection accomodation details drawing (as a PDF file), click here.
     To view a sample curtainwall elevation drawing (as a PDF file), click here.
  
     Note: some browsers and firewalls may block these files.  You may have to change some security settings in order to view these files.
  

• Consulting on issues peculiar to Blast Loading and UFC (Unified Facilities Criteria) design standards

   To view a sample drawing depicting blast-resistant opening details (as a PDF file), click here.

   To view UFC 1-200-01 "General Building Requirements" (as a PDF file), click here.
   To view UFC 3-310-01 "Structural Load Data" (as a PDF file), click here.
   To view UFC 3-310-04 "Seismic Design for Buildings" (as a PDF file), click here.
   To view UFC 3-340-02 "Structures to Resist the Effects of Accidental Explosions" (as a PDF file), click here.
   To view UFC 4-010-01 "DoD Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings" (as a PDF file), click here.
   To view UFC 4-020-01 "DoD Security Engineering Facilities Planning Manual" (as a PDF file), click here.
   To view UFC 4-021-01 "Design and O&M Mass Notification Systems" (as a PDF file), click here.
   To view UFC 4-023-03 "Design of Buildings to Resist Progressive Collapse" (as a PDF file), click here.


• Consulting on issues peculiar to cold-formed steel framing

    Click here to read an article (in PDF format) concerning Section 05400 (Cold-Formed Steel Framing) and how to make sure it is properly addressed.



• Consulting with building inspectors unfamiliar with cold-formed steel framing

Some of the various types of projects recently undertaken by K2 Engineering:

• Design of a 2 story curtainwall system for a building on an Army base subjected to blast loads.

• Design of a 5 story curtainwall system w/ accommodation of building movement.

• Design of complete cold-formed steel structural framing packages (including elevated slabs) for office buildings, medical clinics, motels, commercial buildings, and private residences.

• Design of a framing system to support an EIFS cladding of a 139 foot tall, 120 foot wide Jumbotron scoreboard, with provision for structure movement.

Recent building projects include:

• Armed Forces Reserve Center  Mobile, AL

• University of Mississippi Innovation Center  Oxford, MS

• Fort Stewart Brigade Headquarters (Blast Design)  Fort Stewart, GA

• Port St. Joe Medical Office Building  Port St. Joe, FL

• Meadowbrook Executive Conference Center  Franklin, TN

• St. Bernard Parish Fire Station # 8  Poydras, LA

• United Launch Alliance Booster Assembly Building  Trinity, AL

• Gardendale First Baptist Church  Gardendale, AL

• UAB Student Recreation Center  Birmingham, AL

• Auburn Medical Clinic  Auburn, AL

• Alabama General Contractors Association Headquarters  Irondale, AL

• Alabama Teacher's Credit Union  Gadsden, AL

• Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind  Talladega, AL

• Jordan-Hare Stadium Renovation  Auburn, AL

• Mississippi State University Jumbotron Scoreboard   Scott Field   Starkville, MS

• Fort McClellan Readiness Center     Anniston, AL

• Thyssen-Krupp AIDT Training Center    Calvert, AL

If at any time in the future you should have questions concerning the peculiarities of cold-formed steel structural design or require some engineering expertise including sealed drawings, we would be most happy to talk and/or meet with you to discuss your needs.  Please be aware that this initial consultation is totally at NO COST to you and carries NO FURTHER OBLIGATION on your part.  Further, should your clients or project architect have similar needs we would be happy to consult with them as well.

Other Information which may be of interest:

K2 Engineering, Inc. is a member of the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute, a Council of the Steel Framing Alliance.

To view a sample contract (in a PDF file) that K2 Engineering uses for building design projects, click here.

To view a sample contract (in a PDF file) that K2 Engineering uses for performing on-site framing observations, click here.

To view a list of useful web links pertaining to cold-formed steel engineering & design, click here.

Note: Stud selection tables from SSMA and many manufacturers do NOT reflect the latest AISI and IBC codes and are GENERALLY UN-CONSERVATIVE.  To read more about this, click here.

Note: Here is a note about LEED® 2.2 Credits for Cold-Formed Steel Manufacturers.   To read more about this, click here.

Note: Here is a study concerning sound transmission through cold-formed steel hospital (and healthcare) walls sheathed with multiple layers of drywall. To read more about this (in a PDF file), click here.

Documents describing standard guidelines for engineering of cold-formed steel structures:

CASE 962 National Practice Guidelines for Structural Engineers of Record (PDF format)

CASE 962-B National Practice Guidelines for Specialty Structural Engineers (PDF format)

AISI Code Of Standard Practice for Cold-Formed Steel Structural Framing (PDF format)