The orientation of the deck relative to the beam is an important consideration in composite design. There are special Code requirements for deck perpendicular to the member versus parallel to the member. RAM Steel Beam determines the orientation of the deck relative to the beam and applies the appropriate provisions. If the orientation is within 10 degrees of being parallel, the program assumes that the orientation is parallel.

• In ASD 9^th ed. design when the deck is parallel to the beam, the concrete within the deck ribs is used in calculating the total horizontal shear, V_h, and the composite section properties I_tr and Str (the Ad² term is used but the I_xx term—the moment of inertia of the concrete in the flute around its own centroid—is ignored). If the angle between the beam and the deck orientation is greater than 10 degrees, the concrete within the flutes is ignored.
• In all other Codes, the concrete within the flutes is ignored in all cases.

The deck orientation also plays an important role in calculating the capacities of the studs as described in Section 10.7.6.