After a three-year absence, Virginia Tech is offering its popular two-day course on topics related to wood construction. On May 17–18 in Blacksburg, VA, the Structural Design Topics in Wood Construction course will address wood truss design, in-service performance, and installation concerns. The course content is intended for engineers involved in the design of wood construction projects, residential designers, metal-plate-connected (MPC) wood truss designers, engineered wood product (EWP) designers, general contractors, and building code officials, plan reviewers, and inspectors.
Overview of Course Content
The selection of the 12 topics has been guided by good practice design including consideration for how structural design and applicable codes, material properties, and well-defined professional specifications can impact in-service outcomes. Six of the 12 topics are related to wood trusses. Participants will earn 15 hours of continuing education credit and a certificate at the completion of the course. The topics and instructors are as follows.
Impact of Wood Quality on Physical and Design Properties of Lumber
Joseph Loferski, Professor, Virginia Tech
Discussion includes: wood density, density variation, juvenile wood/mature wood distribution, proportion of heartwood/sapwood, fiber length, fibril angle, compression wood, knots, and grain.
Design Values for “Multi-Species and Country Grademarked” Lumber
Frank Woeste, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech
Discussion includes: interpretation of grade stamps, methods to calculate fastener and connector values, and ways to specify design values for wood trusses, wall framing, shear walls, and other applications.
Design of Loadbearing Tall Wood Studs for Wind and Gravity Loads
John “Buddy” Showalter, P.E., Senior Engineer, International Code Council
Discussion includes: a loadbearing stud wall design example based on the allowable stress design methods outlined in AWC’s 2018 National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction and 2018 Wood Frame Construction Manual along with ASCE 7–16 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures to demonstrate standard design checks for limit states of strength and deflection.
Mitigating Wood-Framed Egress Stair Stringer Failures
Scott Coffman, Construction Science & Engineering, Westminster, SC
Discussion includes: available wood-framed stair stringer prescriptive information to form a rational approach of egress stringer design and evaluation for use in high live load applications.
Permanent Truss Bracing: Engineered and Prescriptive Design
Frank Woeste, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech
Discussion includes: considering either an “engineered” permanent bracing design or permanent bracing design accomplished by specifying a “prescriptive” method (2020 BCSI) with supplemental bracing instructions for the contractor as applicable.
Errors in Substituting Dead Load for Live Load in Wood Design
Scott Coffman, Construction Science & Engineering, Westminster, SC
Discussion includes: taking into account in-service performance impacted by differential deflection, long term creep, and the load duration factor.
Specifying Roof and Floor Trusses per ANSI/TPI 1–2014
Chawn Duty, P.E., UFP Site Built
Discussion includes: ANSI/TPI 1–2014, Section 2.3.2.4, in the context of what information is required in Construction Documents and provided by the Building Designer, to what extent it is commonly and sufficiently provided, and how Building Designers can improve their specifications when applicable.
Floor Vibration Research Summary & Design Options to Minimize Annoying Vibration Complaints
Frank Woeste, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech
Discussion includes: practical steps to improve floor joist, I-joist, or wood truss floor vibration performance by design methods and floor construction.
Tall Mass Timber and the Building Code
John “Buddy” Showalter, P.E., Senior Engineer, International Code Council
Discussion includes: research and development conducted in support of new tall mass timber construction types IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C in the 2021 International Building Code (IBC).
Fire-Resistance Design of Mass Timber Members and Connections
John “Buddy” Showalter, P.E., Senior Engineer, International Code Council
Discussion includes: noncombustible protection for mass timber in Types IV-A and IV-B construction as well as the two options for demonstrating compliance with the fire-resistance rating requirement for connections.
Balcony and Deck Design Update per the 2018 IBC/IRC
Frank Woeste, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech
Discussion includes: “good practice” design measures for redundant protection of the wood-framing in-service as well as new provisions for deck joist-to-ledger or -beam connections and corrosion protection of deck fasteners and connectors.
Durability Issues—Decay, Insects and Design/Detailing for Durability
Joseph Loferski, Professor, Virginia Tech
Discussion includes: the types of organisms and insects that can cause structural deterioration and ways to select materials and detail buildings to mitigate the risks.
The course is sponsored by the Virginia Tech Continuing and Professional Education Department, Virginia Tech. All participants will receive a copy of the 2020 Building Component Safety Information Book (BCSI). For more information and to register, visit the Structural Design Topics in Wood Construction course page online.
Frank Woeste, P.E., is Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech and a wood construction consultant. Frank, along with his colleagues, has developed and presented continuing education programs for more than 30 years. He is a member of the ANSI/TPI 1 Project Committee for revision of the truss design standard and the AWC Wood Standards Design Committee, and serves as the Consumer Representative (Alternate) of the ALSC. Comments are welcome and can be sent to fwoeste@vt.edu.