The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) has produced a series of short videos to answer the most frequently asked questions about cold-formed steel framing that are directed to its Steel Hotline, 1-800-79-STEEL. The videos are posted on the CFSEI website at www.cfsei.org.

The Steel Hotline provides complimentary expert assistance on all topics related to cold-formed steel framing, ranging from sourcing cold-formed steel material for projects to design assistance and questions about support and training. In 2017, the Steel Hotline’s team of experts responded to more than 3,700 inquiries from engineers, architects, building officials and contractors.

To expedite and expand the technology transfer process, CFSEI is taking the most commonly asked questions from the Steel Hotline and answering them individually in videos that are less than three minutes in duration. The first 12 videos feature responses from Roger LaBoube, Ph.D., P.E., Director of the Wei-Wen-Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Framing at the Missouri Institute of Science and Technology, and an internationally recognized expert on cold-formed steel framing.

The posted videos cover the following topics:

1. What is and when does AISI S220 (North American Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Framing – Nonstructural Members) apply?
2. Web holes: How do I reinforce large web holes in cold-formed steel framing members?
3. Do you have a detail for ___?
4. Strap bracing: Should the strap be attached to the intermediate studs?
5. Can I place an MEP opening in a sheet steel shear wall and if so, where can I place it?
6. What do I do if my bearing stiffener width-to-thickness ratio exceeds the limit of AISI S100 Section C3.7.1 (which addresses the end-one-flange and interior-one-flange load conditions)?
7. Does membrane fire protection apply when an HSS section is used as a boundary element?
8. What is and when does AISI S400 (North American Standard for Seismic Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Systems) vs. AISI S240 (North American Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Structural Framing) apply?
9. What is an acceptable gap in the stud-to-track connection and how is that gap limitation accomplished?
10. Why does the minimum delivered thickness only have to be 95 percent of the design thickness?
11. How important is it to consider torsion for a cold-formed steel C-section?
12. Are there floor vibration criteria in the AISI standards?

More videos will be posted during 2018.