Metal Deck Table File Format

Files of user-defined metal decks may be created using a simple text editor. Use spaces, not tabs, between data items. The file name must have the extension .DCK.

CAUTION: Do not use a word processor as it might embed control characters into the file.

The file has the following format:

The character in the first line indicates the system of units used in the table: an E indicates English (US Imperial) units and an S indicates SI units.

The fields on each subsequent line of the file describe the Deck Name and its associated properties. Each field is separated by a comma and one or more blanks, in the following format:

Deck Name, Hr, RibSpacing, Wr, AcRib, Ybar, Profile Type

where:

Deck Name: the name of theHr deck type (19 alphanumeric character or less).
Hr: the nominal rib height (in. or mm).
RibSpacing: the rib spacing (in. or mm).
Wr: the average width of concrete rib (in. or mm).
AcRib: the area of concrete in the rib per foot or per meter of deck width (in.²/ft. or cm²/m).

Note: This value is used for the calculation of the self-weight of the concrete in the deck ribs, for AISC ASD section properties, and for BS 5950 transverse reinforcement calculation.
Ybar: the distance from the bottom of the deck to the centroid of the concrete area AcRib (in. or mm).

Note: This value is used only for AISC ASD, and may be left blank otherwise (except for Australian decks, which should use a value of 0.0).
Profile Type: A value of 1 indicates an Open-rib Profile (Open Trough Profile); a value of 2 indicates a Closed-rib Profile (Re-entrant Trough Profile).
Note: This value is used only for BS 5950-3.1:1990 Amendment 1:2010 and Australia AS 2327.1, and may be left blank otherwise.

Hr and Wr are used to calculate the allowable shear stud values per Chapter I of AISC Manual of Steel Construction (ASD and LRFD), Clause 17.7 of CAN/CSA S16, Clause 5.4.7 of BS 5950: Part 3: Section 3.1: 1990, or Clause 6.6 of Eurocode EN 1994 1-1. Rib Spacing is used to determine the practical spacing and number of studs along a beam. Hr, AcRib, and Ybar are used to calculate the transformed section moduli. See the following figure.

Note that even though the figure seems to indicate that AcRib is the area of concrete in one rib, AcRib is actually the area of concrete in the rib per one foot of deck width if in English units, or per one meter of deck width if in SI units. For example, if the table is in English units and the ribs are spaced 12" on center, AcRib is equal to the area of concrete in one rib; if the ribs are spaced 9" on center, AcRib is equal to the concrete in 1.333 ribs (1.333 = 12.0 / 9.0).

Deck cross sectional properties

The following is an example listing of a RAMDECKS.DCK file:

E
ASC 3W, 3.000, 12.000, 6.000, 18.000, 1.625		
ASC 2W, 2.125, 12.000, 6.000, 12.750, 1.122		
ASC B,  1.500, 6.000, 2.062, 6.188, 0.788		
ASC N,  3.000, 8.000, 3.125, 14.063, 1.660		
NewMillennium 3.0CD, 3.000, 12.000, 6.000, 18.000, 1.604		
NewMillennium 2.0CD, 2.000, 12.000, 6.000, 12.000, 1.056		
NewMillennium 1.5CD, 1.500, 6.000, 2.063, 6.188, 0.803		
VERCO W3 Formlok, 3.000, 12.000, 6.000, 18.000, 1.625		
VERCO W2 Formlok, 2.0625, 12.000, 6.000, 12.375, 1.089		
VERCO B Formlok, 1.500, 6.000, 2.125, 6.375, 0.794		
VERCO N3 Formlok, 3.000, 8.000, 3.125, 14.063, 1.660		
VULCRAFT 3VL, 3.000, 12.000, 6.000, 18.000, 1.604		
VULCRAFT 2VL, 2.000, 12.000, 6.000, 12.000, 1.056		
VULCRAFT 1.5VL, 1.500, 6.000, 2.125, 6.375, 0.809		
USD 3.0 LokFloor, 3.0, 12.0, 6.0, 18.0, 1.583
USD 2.0 LokFloor, 2.0, 12.0, 6.0, 12.0, 1.056
USD 1.5 LokFloor, 1.5, 12.0, 6.0, 9.0, 0.792
USD 1.5 B-Lok, 1.5, 6.0, 2.25, 6.375, 0.794
Flat Slab, 0.0001, 0.0001, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0