Live support chatUnderstanding Diaphragms: Practical Design for Engineers of All Fields
Credit: 3 PDH
Subject Matter Expert: Mahmoud Ahmed, P.E., M.Sc., M.ASCE, GMICE
In Understanding Diaphragms: Practical Design for Engineers of All Fields, you'll learn ...
- How diaphragm systems function within the broader context of a structure
- The principles of diaphragm behavior and the critical role they play in ensuring stability and safety
- How diaphragms help transfer lateral loads to vertical systems, reduce the buckling length of columns and walls, and enhance local stability for beams within floor systems.
- Diaphragm analysis, including different types based on rigidity—rigid, flexible, and semi-rigid—and how these influence the design process
Overview
Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.
Credit: 3 PDH
Length: 65 pages
In any building, understanding the interaction between vertical and horizontal systems is critical to ensuring the safety and efficiency of the structure. Vertical systems include components such as moment-resisting frames, braced frames, shear walls, cantilever columns, and leaning columns. These elements are designed to support gravity loads, resist lateral forces, or manage both types of loads depending on the design requirements.
The horizontal systems, known as diaphragms, are equally essential. These elements—such as concrete slabs, un-topped steel decks, and wood panels—play a vital role in distributing both gravity and lateral loads to the vertical systems. While diaphragms are often associated with structural engineering, their design and analysis are crucial for professionals across various engineering disciplines, including civil, mechanical, architectural, and construction engineering.
This course provides an accessible, in-depth exploration of diaphragm systems, focusing on how these elements function within the broader context of a structure. We will cover the principles of diaphragm behavior and the critical role they play in ensuring stability and safety. Participants will learn how diaphragms help transfer lateral loads to vertical systems, reduce the buckling length of columns and walls, and enhance local stability for beams within floor systems.
The course delves into diaphragm analysis, starting with an understanding of different types based on rigidity—rigid, flexible, and semi-rigid—and how these influence the design process. Engineers will also gain knowledge of how diaphragms are designed using a variety of materials, including reinforced concrete, steel, and wood, with a focus on practical application across industries.
We will guide participants through topics such as:
- Determining reinforcement requirements for concrete diaphragms
- Designing components like collectors, chords, and their connections
- Understanding the design process for untopped metal decks, including fastener selection and thickness
- Exploring steel collector beams, their connections to vertical elements, and splice design
- Applying diaphragm concepts in wood structural panels (WSP), including nailing patterns and configurations for double-top chords and collectors
Additionally, the course addresses alternative diaphragm solutions for complex structures, including truss diaphragms and moment-resisting frame diaphragms, which are valuable for engineers involved in projects where traditional diaphragm systems might not be feasible.
By the end of the course, participants from various engineering disciplines will have a solid understanding of diaphragm systems, empowering them to incorporate these crucial design elements into their own projects—whether they are involved in building design, construction, or systems integration.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Types of Diaphragms: Rigid, Flexible, and Semi-Rigid
- Diaphragm components: chords, collectors, and their connections
- Analysis of flexible diaphragms
- Analysis of rigid diaphragms
- Analysis of semi-rigid diaphragms
- Design of reinforced concrete diaphragms
- Design of untopped steel deck diaphragms
- Design of concrete on metal deck diaphragms
- Design of checkered plate diaphragms
- Design of wood diaphragms
- Design of truss diaphragms
- Design of moment frame diaphragms
Certificate of Completion
You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 15 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.
| This course is applicable to professional engineers in: | ||
| Alabama (P.E.) | Alaska (P.E.) | Arkansas (P.E.) |
| Delaware (P.E.) | District of Columbia (P.E.) | Florida (P.E. Area of Practice) |
| Georgia (P.E.) | Idaho (P.E.) | Illinois (P.E.) |
| Illinois (S.E.) | Indiana (P.E.) | Iowa (P.E.) |
| Kansas (P.E.) | Kentucky (P.E.) | Louisiana (P.E.) |
| Maine (P.E.) | Maryland (P.E.) | Michigan (P.E.) |
| Minnesota (P.E.) | Mississippi (P.E.) | Missouri (P.E.) |
| Montana (P.E.) | Nebraska (P.E.) | Nevada (P.E.) |
| New Hampshire (P.E.) | New Jersey (P.E.) | New Mexico (P.E.) |
| New York (P.E.) | North Carolina (P.E.) | North Dakota (P.E.) |
| Ohio (P.E. Self-Paced) | Oklahoma (P.E.) | Oregon (P.E.) |
| Pennsylvania (P.E.) | South Carolina (P.E.) | South Dakota (P.E.) |
| Tennessee (P.E.) | Texas (P.E.) | Utah (P.E.) |
| Vermont (P.E.) | Virginia (P.E.) | West Virginia (P.E.) |
| Wisconsin (P.E.) | Wyoming (P.E.) | |
Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.
Credit: 3 PDH
Length: 65 pages
