CFSEI to host free webinar on results of seismic testing on multi-story cold-formed steel structures

Washington, D.C. — The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) will host a free webinar on “CFS-NEES: Putting Cold-Formed Steel Framing to the Test” on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The webinar will cover the significant, game-changing results of a three-year research project designed to increase the safety of buildings that use lightweight cold-formed steel for their primary framing during a seismic event. The webinar is designed for architects, engineers, building officials and contractors. Participants are eligible for 1.5 Professional Development Hours.

The free webinar will be conducted by Robert Madsen, P.E., Senior Project Engineer at Devco Engineering, Inc. in Corvallis, Ore. Madsen was the design engineer for the two structures tested during the CFS-NEES project. Devco Engineering, Inc. developed the design calculations and drawings for the project. The webinar will cover:

What is CFS-NEES: What the project entailed, its goals, and methods used.

Structural Design, Gravity System: Type of system used, load criteria, and methods used to determine member sizes and design connections.

Structural Design, Lateral System: The type of LFRS used, design assumptions, and the methods used for design and detailing each component of the LFRS.

Testing: The full-scale program, test results, and how those results compared with the predicted design methods.

Madsen is chairman of the AISI Committee on Framing Standards (COFS) Lateral Design Subcommittee, which is leading an industry-wide effort to develop a new standard—AISI S400, North American Standard for the Seismic Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Systems. The standard will provide a platform for the growth of new cold-formed steel seismic force-resisting systems. A founding member of CFSEI, Madsen is chairman of its Technical Review Committee, a position he has held since 2006. In that capacity, Madsen and his team are charged with reviewing the content for all CFSEI Technical Notes, which provide technical information to engineers and designers for the safe and efficient design of cold-formed steel structures. In May 2014, Madsen was named the recipient of CFSEI’s 2014 Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes the significant contributions of an individual who has volunteered time, talent and resources to the cold-formed steel industry.  

More information on the webinar and registration details are available at www.cfsei.org.