Open web steel joist design is now available in RISACalc per the SJI 43rd/44th and 42nd Editions! The available joist series include K-Series, LH-Series, DLH-Series, SLH-Series (42nd Edition only), and KCS joists.
After creating a joist, you can analyze either an existing steel joist shape by selecting ‘Explicit’ or allow RISACalc to design the steel joist size based on your loading and joist series by choosing ‘Optimize’.
Available steel joist shapes are filtered using the new ‘Filter by Length’ feature. With this feature turned on, only sizes with acceptable design spans which exceed the input length will be listed in the Shape drop down.
The analysis for steel joists compares the applied loads as well as self-weight to the allowable joist capacity determined from the standard load and span tables from SJI. Steel joist design in RISACalc considers a 2” bearing seat length on either end of the member per SJI. These values are all reported in the Calculations section of the Detail Report.
In addition to uniformly loaded joists, RISACalc also supports joists with special loading conditions like non-uniform or concentrated loads.
For special loading considerations, you can specify a KCS joist or you can even select a standard joist to which the program will add an (SP) extension onto the shape designation. The (SP) extension denotes a “special joist”, meaning that the joist experiences non-standard load. The calculation details for both of these joist types can be seen in the Calculations section of the Detail Report.
More information about joist design in RISACalc can be found by clicking the Help button in the upper right hand corner of the application.
Additionally, take a look at the video on YouTube specifically on steel joist design in RISACalc.