A new technical brief released by the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) and the Applied Technology Council (ATC) provides a comprehensive overview of the seismic design of cold-formed steel (CFS) framed buildings. The document is based on topics covered in the recently released American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) standard, AISI S400-15, North American Standard for Seismic Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Systems, 2015 Edition.
NEHRP Seismic Design Technical Brief No. 12, “Seismic Design of Cold-Formed Steel Lateral Load-Resisting Systems: A Guide for Practicing Engineers” is available for free download at http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.GCR.16-917-38. The Applied Technology Council managed the development of the document and contracted with cold-formed steel experts in industry and academia to create and review the technical content. Two of the three authors―Robert L. Madsen of Devco Engineering, Inc. and Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., of The Johns Hopkins University―are members of AISI’s Committee on Specifications (COS) and Committee on Framing Standards (COFS). Madsen is also chair of the AISI COFS Lateral Design Subcommittee, which developed AISI S400-15.