AISI | AISI and Steel Framing Alliance Commend Decision to Include Light-Frame Cold-Formed Steel Questions on P.E. Exam

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For Immediate Release

September 25, 2009

AISI AND STEEL FRAMING ALLIANCE COMMEND DECISION TO INCLUDE LIGHT-FRAME COLD-FORMED STEEL QUESTIONS ON P.E. EXAM

Washington, D.C. –- The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Steel Framing Alliance (SFA) commend the decision by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) to include questions on light-frame cold-formed steel (CFS) construction on the exam that determines Professional Engineer accreditation. The questions will be included on a new 16-hour Structural exam that will be launched in April 2011. This is the first time that cold-formed steel construction practices will be part of the exam.

Jay Larson, P.E., F. ASCE, managing director, construction technical for AISI, said: “Engineers and specifiers are increasingly confronting CFS design issues in their daily practice. They need a better understanding of the key aspects of CFS design and construction to keep them current. This fact was brought home to NCEES representatives after they surveyed licensed structural engineers from across the U.S. to determine the subjects most relevant to current professional practice. We are pleased that CFS questions will be included on the new exam, and we look forward to working with NCEES, the Steel Framing Alliance and the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) to provide input to the engineers who are involved in developing the content and grading the exam.”

Don Allen, director of engineering, Steel Framing Alliance, said: “Including the topic of cold-formed steel on the P.E. exam has been a long-term goal of both the SFA and the CFSEI. The exam section on CFS framing will be included in the breadth of knowledge modules administered during the morning sessions of both the Vertical Forces and Lateral Forces test days. The new questions will fit very well with efforts now underway by SFA and CFSEI to develop resources for engineers.”

Allen said that there are several CFSEI documents that will be useful for engineers who are preparing for the exam, such as the CFSEI Shearwall Design Guide, Tech Notes on steel deck diaphragms on CFS floor framing, updates of notes on CFS connections, and new framing Tech Notes on specific applications.

The new 16-hour Structural exam will be divided into two eight-hour components offered on successive days. Each component will have a breadth module (morning) on a comprehensive range of structural engineering topics, and a depth module (afternoon) that will focus on a single area of practice. On the first day, the CFS framing section will cover one or more of the topics of framing, connections, or web crippling. On the Lateral Forces breadth of knowledge module, the CFS questions will cover light frame shearwalls or metal deck diaphragms. The new exam will replace the current Structural I and Structural II exams, which will be administered for the last time in October 2010.

AISI’s codes and standards work is conducted under the Construction Market Council of AISI’s Steel Market Development Institute, which oversees the industry’s investment in advancing the competitive use of steel by meeting the demands of the marketplace. AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 24 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 138 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI’s member companies represent over 75 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s Web site at www.steel.org.

The mission of the Steel Framing Alliance is to enable and encourage the widespread, practical and economic use of and preference for cold-formed steel framing in residential construction and to expand the use of steel framing as a load-bearing element in commercial construction. Based in Washington DC, the SFA’s national network of members represents the full spectrum of trades and professions within the construction industry and virtually every product category. For more information, visit www.steelframing.org.

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