Overview of the MBMA/AISC Design Guide — ''Frame Design Using Web-Tapered Members''

Abstract

The Metal Building Manufacturers' Association (MBMA) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) are finalizing a new addition to the AISC Steel Design Guide series entitled Frame Design Using Web-Tapered Members (Design Guide). This document presents a comprehensive and up-to-date approach to the design of frames using web-tapered members. The methods provided are applications of, and extensions to, the 2005 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. The new Specification does not include an appendix with provisions for the design of tapered members, unlike previous AISC Specifications dating back to 1978. The new design guide is intended to fill that gap. The recommendations are based on current and recent research into the behavior of web-tapered members. A significant amount of this research was conducted by the document's coauthors at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the preparation of this document. The major sections of the Design Guide are: 1. Introduction, 2. Web-Tapered Member Behavior, 3. Design Basis, 4. Stability Design and Analysis Requirements, 5. Member Design, 6. Frame Design, 7. Annotated Bibliography, 8. Appendices.