This proposal investigates a new, modular steel floor framing and diaphragm system for commercial building structures with broad applicability, including high seismic zones. The proposed system has key benefits of increasing the speed of construction, including eliminating the pouring of a concrete deck.  This type of system is key to achieving the goals of the AISC “Need for Speed” initiative to reduce the time from conception to occupancy for steel building structures.

Phase I investigated the viability of their design using computational simulation and experimental testing. Phase II will conduct a wide range of prototype structural analyses, including gravity loading, vibration and acoustics tests, viability of the flooring’s use in existing building designs, and assessment of the new flooring’s interaction with the rest of a building’s structural systems.