Composite floor and composite steel stud wall construction systems

Abstract

A joist-and-deck floor construction system uses open-web steel joists (OWSJ) having continuous top-chord cap plates to facilitate continuous placement of corrugated steel deck over the OWSJs and to allow shear connectors to be field-applied to the cap plates, through the lower flutes of the deck, to achieve composite structural action between the OWSJ and a concrete floor slab poured over the deck. A composite steel stud wall construction system has a bottom track perforated to receive reinforcing dowels projecting from a concrete support element, such that infill concrete may be placed to a desired height within the stud assembly to give the lower ends of the studs a significant degree of structural fixity. The stud wall can also be constructed on top of steel floor deck, prior to placement of floor concrete.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 120, of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 112,911, filed on Apr. 25,2005, and the specification of said earlier application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to floor and wall construction methods and systems using steel floor and wall framing members, and relates in particular to composite floor construction using steel joists supporting concrete-topped decking in conjunction with composite steel beams and wall construction systems using light-gauge steel stud framing members. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Load-Bearing Wall Construction [0003] In conventional construction of multi-storey structures comprising load-bearing walls, platform framing technique is used. As the name suggests, platform framing relies on the floor assembly to provide a platform for subsequent framing construction. The ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0051] Increased joist capacity and floor stiffness-or, alternatively, the ability to use lighter and more economical joists to achieve required structural strength and stiffness-through composite construction;

[0068] Reduced steel stud costs (and / or enhanced structural strength and stiffness) resulting from stud fixity at the bottom track location.

Problems solved by technology

The fact that subsequent floor construction follows the completion of the floor assembly below means a significant delay in waiting for the concrete to cure.

This very premise, however, creates eccentricity in the loading, and significantly reduces the load-carrying capacity of the bearing wall.

With significantly increased spans associated with these more common systems, the eccentric bearing details become costly and complicated.

The limitations of this composite beam include the minimal thickness of cover concrete available for composite action, the expense of the extension, and the amount of welding required for composite action.

In either case, perimeter stud walls are not designed for errant vehicles running into buildings.

The use of shelves (usually in the form of angles) for deck support increases the cost of the composite open-web joist system in several ways: Expensive shelve angles; Discontinuous steel deck; Excessive connections over joist support; and Slower deck installation.

However, the proper connections to the free-standing concrete wall or masonry wall require expensive details, in the absence of which a hinge joint forms at the junction of the lower concrete / masonry wall and the light-gauge steel stud wall, often leading to unsatisfactory performance or failure.

While this method may be advantageous a fast means of providing a building envelope, tilt-up walls typical provide poor insulation qualities an a limited choice of exterior wall finishes.

This typically delays subsequent wall construction to allow for the curing of the floor concrete.

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