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The Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative (SDII) is a multi-year industry/academic partnership to advance the seismic performance of steel floor and roof diaphragms utilized in steel buildings. Its approach involves pursuing better understanding of diaphragm-structure interaction, design approaches, and 3D modeling tools providing enhanced capabilities to designers utilizing steel diaphragms in their building systems.
SDII was created through collaboration between the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), with contributions from the Steel Deck Institute (SDI), the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), and the Steel Joist Institute (SJI), and in partnership with the Cold-Formed Steel Research Consortium (CFSRC). Other affiliates included researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Virginia Tech, Northeastern University, and Walter P. Moore.
Steel-deck diaphragms have a number of strengths, such as low weight, use of recycled material, competitive cost, and proven performance, according to Jay Larson, managing director of AISI’s Construction Technical Program.
“The objective of SDII is to move the practice forward through the adoption of new design specifications for diaphragms and the creation and use of tools that allow engineers to understand and optimize in their designs of steel diaphragms for steel buildings,” said Larson. “We anticipate the research undertaken by SDII will provide innovative new solutions that significantly advance current design practices and result in safer, more optimized, and cost-effective steel solutions for building construction.”
Benjamin Schafer, CFSRC director, also announced a new website, which has been launched to keep the design community informed of advancements resulting from the research as well as provide an educational tool for those interested in learning more about the use and design of steel deck diaphragms. It includes:
- introductions of engineers and other design professionals to the seismic design of steel deck;
- provides web resources for steel deck diaphragms;
- discusses the past performance of tested steel deck diaphragms; and
- explores challenges in simplified models for steel deck.
