The Steel Joist Institute is excited to kick off its 2018 webinar series. The first webinar, “New Methods for Ponding Analysis of Open Web Steel Joist Roofs,” will feature guest speakers Dr. James M. Fisher, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE who is also the former vice president of Computerized Structural Design, and Dr. Mark Denavit, Ph.D., P.E. It is scheduled for Wednesday, February 21, from 3:00-4:15 p.m. (EDT), followed by a 15-minute Q&A session.

The webinar will review roof ponding requirements in the SJI 2015 Specifications, 2015 International Building Code, American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE/SEI 7-16, 2015 International Plumbing Code, FM Global Resource Catalog, and the American Institute of Steel Construction 2016 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings.

Presenters will discuss the recently updated SJI Roof Bay Analysis 3.0 Tool, which assists the engineer in selecting the most economical joist bay configuration, as well as determines the stability of the bay for roof ponding. The ponding analysis methods implemented in the tool will be introduced and compared to traditional methods of assessment defined within the AISC 2016 Specification.

Additionally, several analysis examples of roofs constructed with joists and Joist Girders will be presented, and will include photographs of roof failures with discussion as to why the collapses occurred.

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Recall the roof ponding requirements within ASCE 7, IBC and FM Global.
  • Describe the limitations of the method of ponding analysis given in Appendix 2 of the AISC Specification.
  • Investigate the stability of simple roof systems for ponding using the SJI Roof Bay Analysis Tool.
  • Identify the main factors influencing the ponding stability of open-web steel joist roofs.

Dr. Fisher is a licensed professional engineer. He received a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin, as well as a Masters and Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of Illinois. Prior to joining CSD Engineers in 1973, Dr. Fisher taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has received numerous industry awards from ASCE, AISI and AISC, including the T.R. Higgins Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and the Kimbrough Award. He is currently the Consulting Engineer to the Steel Joist Institute.

Dr. Denavit is a licensed professional engineer and an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He received a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, as well as a Masters and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Prior to his teaching position, Mark worked as a design engineer with Stanley D. Lindsey and Associates, Ltd. in Atlanta, GA.

Individual and site registration is now available online at steeljoist.org/feb21webinar. Individual registration cost is $75. Each person who registers will receive his or her own link to the webinar, earn 0.15 CEUs or 1.5 PDHs, and receive a certificate of completion from SJI. Site registration is also available for $300, allowing multiple attendees from the same company to utilize one link to the webinar.

For more information visit www.steeljoist.org