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INSTRUCTOR: 
Alexander Newman, P.E., F.ASCE

Purpose and Background

Researchers estimate that 80-90 percent of all buildings in the United States are framed with wood, yet the subject is not taught in many engineering schools. As a result, some engineers wishing to design a wood-framed floor or roof tend to learn on the job, where they may or may not receive up-to-date design information. The discussion addresses the code provisions related to the design of flexural members, including those of National Design Specification® for Wood Construction (NDS®) by American Wood Council, which forms the basis for the wood design provisions in the International Building Code and other authoritative publications. Several step-by-step design examples illustrate practical designs of sawn-lumber joists, laminated-veneer lumber beams, and glued-laminated beams. Drawing on four decades of consulting and forensic experience, the instructor goes beyond the basics, outlining the common areas of controversy and misunderstanding, such as lateral stability and deflection criteria for flexural structural members. He offers practical suggestions for design and detailing of wood beams and joists. Many useful design resources, including software packages and referenced material, are mentioned.

Benefits and Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Recognize practical methods of designing wood beams and joists and work through a number of design examples
• Study advantages and shortcomings of various wood framing systems used in residential and low-rise commercial buildings
• Explore the complex issues of lateral stability and vertical deflection criteria for flexural structural members
• Determine the available design approaches for wood design
• Identify the available software programs, some free and for designing wood beams and joists

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Who Should Attend?

Structural and civil engineers and other design professionals seeking to broaden their knowledge of designing wood beams and joists will benefit from this seminar.

Outline

• Introduction
• Design basics
• Codes and references
• Related design provisions of National Design Specification ® for Wood Construction by AF&PA
• Lateral stability of joists and beams
• Beams and joists of solid lumber
• Design procedures
• Design example: Sawn-lumber joists
• Vertical deflection criteria
• Joist connections to girders
• Beams of engineered lumber
• Structural composite lumber
• Design example: Laminated-veneer lumber (LVL) beam
• Glued laminated lumber
• Design example: Glulam beam

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs

This online course is worth .2 CEUs /2 PDHs. To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 30 days of the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]