Beam Design using the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual

A quick introduction from Seán

In this tutorial, Dan Ki is going to walk us through the design of a steel beam using the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Construction Manual.

This is our first design tutorial that uses the AISC Steel Construction Manual and our first non-Eurocode design tutorial. Considering the large readership EngineeringSkills has in the US, I'm hoping that we can publish many more non-Eurocode tutorials and design guides in the future.

So, if you're one of our US-based readers (or you just happen to use non-Eurocode design guides) and would like to contribute to EngineeringSkills, we're especially keen to hear from you. Get in touch here.

If you're looking for the Eurocode version of this beam design tutorial, you'll find that here.

Now, over to Dan!

Dr Seán Carroll CEng MIEI, FHEA

Founder of EngineeringSkills.com

As a new structural engineer, one of the first tasks you might receive will likely be to design a beam. Beam design is a task structural engineers will regularly perform, and as such, it is important to learn how to design them efficiently and gain proficiency.

One of the other goals of this tutorial is to get you comfortable navigating the AISC Manual. This tutorial will also provide a light refresher on the basic beam limit states.

1. The AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) Manual

The AISC Steel Construction Manual (the Manual) is a performance-based standard that has evolved and developed since its first publication in 1927 in an effort to codify and standardise steel design. The Manual is the de facto standard for steel design in the US and is adopted by all national and local building codes (and some international building codes).

Navigating the Manual

Though technically comprised of 17 Parts, the Manual can broadly be thought of as being composed of 3 general sections:

• Parts 1-15: References, requirements, and guides for the design of various structural steel members, components, and systems.
• Part 16: Specifications and Codes:
  • Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, AISC 360-10 (the Specs)
  • Specification for Structural Joints Using High-Strength Bolts (RCSC)
  • Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings, AISC 303-10
• Part 17: Miscellaneous Data and Mathematical Information

Our discussion today will be limited to the design of non-composite beams under uniaxial flexure and will focus on Parts 1-3 of the Manual and Chapters F and G of the Specs.

We also assume a basic knowledge of the elastic and plastic theory of beams. If you need a quick refresher, refer to The Stress-Strain Curve & Plastic Hinges in Beams (1/2)