K-SERIES

   Open-web steel joists are defined as simply supported trusses, typically featuring parallel chords; they support loads uniformly distributed via the floor or roof steel deck, as well as point loads resulting from equipment support.

   They are typically braced against lateral buckling by the steel deck itself, as well as by bridging angles installed between the joists.

 

Standard Key Specifications

The structural limitations and dimensional profiles of standard K-Series joists include:

• Depth Range: 10 inches to 30 inches (254 mm to 762 mm), increasing in 2-inch increments.

• Maximum span of up to 60 feet, a standard bearing of 4 inches and bearing depth of 2 1/2 inches.

• Span Range: Typically spans lengths from 8 feet up to 60 feet (2.4 to 18.3 m).

• Maximum Uniform Load Capacity: Limited to 550 plf (8.02 kN/m) for ASD, or 825 plf (12.03 kN/m) for LRFD.Material Strength:

• Designed using a minimum yield strength of 50 ksi (345 MPa) for the top and bottom chords.

 

KCS-SERIES

 

   KCS-Series steel joists are a specialized variation of standard K-Series open web steel joists designed with constant moment and constant shear capacities across their entire length.

   Unlike standard K-Series joists, which are optimized strictly for uniform loads, KCS (K-Series Constant Shear) joists provide the structural flexibility needed to support concentrated, non-uniform, or moving loads at unspecified or variable locations along the chords.

Primary Advantages

• Load Flexibility: Ideal for supporting rooftop units (RTUs), monorails, conveyor systems, or heavy hanging mechanical equipment where exact positioning is unknown during the initial structural design phase.

• Simplified Engineering Docs: Eliminates the need for structural engineers to draft repetitive, complex load diagrams for every minor concentrated load on contract drawings.