Product Specifications

The following information is provided to show typical engineering, manufacturing and construction specifications for structural components for all applications of building projects including residential and commercial.  Please note that the following is an example for different types of projects in Canada, in the province of British Columbia.  Similar descriptions would be used but reciting local standards pertaining to specific countries and states/provinces.  The product shall be designed in conformance with Canadian National Building Code and International Building Code standards and by-laws.

General Notes:

PART 1 - GENERAL

1.1 Description of System

This custom, pre-engineered building structure system is made from cold-formed steel structural members, structural steel sections and welded plates.  The building contains moment-resisting roof trusses connected to corrugated steel side wall panels in the transverse direction and the combination of the walls and their diaphragms sheathing panels in the longitudinal direction.  Gravity loads are transferred from the roof through load bearing wall panels to concrete foundation strip footing.

World Wide Homes' cold-formed metal design, R.A.P.I.D. Building System™, in addition to being quick to assemble, is also very strong, economical, durable, energy efficient and environmentally sensitive, allowing a large range of building applications.

The R.A.P.I.D. Building System™ uses modular components that can be used for single or multiple story structures.  The system can be used for cost-effective construction of residential homes, multi storey apartment blocks, mobile housing (civil and military), warehouses, farm, commercial and industrial buildings.

1.2 Related Work

1. Sheathing materials.
2. Insulation
3. Accessories (e.g. brick ties, furring channels, metal lath)
4. Non-load bearing steel stud and sheathing assemblies.

 

1.3 Referenced Standards

The cold-formed steel structural elements, members, assemblies, and their connections and details, structural steel sections and welded plates shall be designed and manufactured and erected based on and in compliance with:

1. British Columbia Building Code 1998
2. National Building Code 1995
3. S136-01 North American Specification for the design of Cold-Formed steel structural members (Approved in Canada by the Canadian Standards Association(CSA), in the United States by the American Iron and Steel Institute(AISI), and in Mexico by CANCERO).  N.B.:  A Registered Professional Engineer shall review application of this specification to a specific project.  This specification provides an integrated treatment for allowable strength in the design(ASD), Load and Resistance Factor Design(LRFD), and Limit States Design (LSD).  This is accomplished by including the appropriate resistance factors ( ø ) for use with LRFD and LSD, and the appropriate factors of safety ( Ω ) for use with ASD.
4. AISC and CSA "Specification for Design, Fabrication and Erection of Structural Steel for Builders."
5. CAN/ CSA - S16.1 "Steel Structure for Buildings."
6. Weld to CSA W59 "Welded Steel Construction Metal Arch Systems" by fabricators qualified to CSA W47.

 

1.4 Structural Design Criteria

WWH RAPID building system is designed to meet:

1. The Specified Design Loads for buildings Including the dead and live load specifications (severe wind and high snow load) in any part of North America and other countries worldwide.  The system will sustain high snow, wind and seismic loads throughout the world.
2. Stability and strength without the need of any kind of shear walls.
3. Bridging to prevent member rotation and member translation perpendicular to the minor axis.  Collateral sheathing may be used to help restrain member rotation and translation perpendicular to the minor axis for wind bearing walls.
4. Components or assemblies to accommodate specified manufacturing and erection tolerances of the structure.
5. Strong connections between light steel framing members using bolts, welding or sheet metal screws.
6. The requirements of specified, thermal, fire rated, and building envelope assemblies.

 

1.5 Submittals

1. Submit two certified copies of mill reports covering chemical and mechanical properties and coating designation of steel used in this work.
2. Submit two copies of shop drawings.
3. Each shop drawing submitted shall bear the stamp and signature of a qualified professional engineer registered in Canada in the Province of British Columbia.
4. Include all necessary shop details and erection diagrams.  Indicate member sizes, locations, and thickness exclusive of coating, coatings, and materials.  Include connection details for attaching framing to itself and for attachment to the structure.  Show splice details where permitted.  Indicate dimensions, openings, requirements of related work and critical installation procedures.  Show temporary bracing required for erection purposes.
5. Indicate design loads.
6. Do not fabricate until all submittals in 1.5.2 are reviewed.
7. Submit two copies of field review reports as required in inspection section.

 

1.6 Structural Framing

1. All framing members shall be shop fabricated for field bolted assembly unless otherwise noted on erection drawings.
2. All building parts shall carry an identifying piece mark for easy field identification.
3. All welding shall be done in accordance with the American Welding Society "Structural Welding Code-Steel"/ Canadian Welding Bureau specifications.
4. Submit shop drawings to the design structural engineer for review prior to fabrication.  Shop drawings to show all details and material specification and to be signed and sealed by specialty professional engineer for connection design.
5. The contractor is responsible for all temporary bracing required for construction loading and stability until the project is completed.
6. Erect structural steel to (CAN/CSA -S16.1-M.89)

 

1.7 Primary Members

Primary framing shall include roof trusses and wall panels, and end wall panels.  Steel used in the fabrication of built-up primary structural components shall have a minimum yield of 36 KSI.  Hot rolled primary structural members shall have a minimum yield of 36 KSI.  Cold rolled structural members are Ga 20 to Ga 10 and shall have a minimum yield of 36 to 50 KSI.  Primary framing shall be shop fabricated and include all holes required for attachment for secondary members and bracing.

1.8 Secondary Members

Secondary structural framing shall include the purlins, clips, flashing, interior partition walls and finishing panels, walls and roof sheathing panels, and other secondary structural parts.

PART 2 - PRODUCTS

2.1 Materials

1. Steel shall have metallic coatings that conform to one of the following ASTM Standards:
   

   A525M General Requirements for Steel Sheet, Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) by the Hot-Dip Process [Metric] A591/591M Steel sheet, Electrolytic Zinc-Coated, for Light Coating Mass Applications A792M Steel Sheet, Aluminum-Zinc Alloy Coated by Hot-Dip Process, General Requirements [Metric]

2. Steel shall conform to the requirements of CAN/CSA-S136 and shall be identified as to specification, type, grade and mechanical properties.
3. Roof and wall members forming part of the exterior building envelope shall have a minimum coating of Z180 galvanizing in accordance with A525M.  Other coatings (e.g. aluminum-zinc alloy) providing equal or better corrosion protection may be used.
4. Interior members not forming part of the exterior building envelope shall have a minimum coating of Class C electro galvanizing in accordance with A591.  Other coatings providing equal or better corrosion protection may be used upon engineering approval.
5. Sheet metal screws shall have a minimum coating thickness of 0.008 mm of zinc or cadmium.  Other coatings providing equal or better corrosion protection may be used.
6. Welding electrodes shall be of 480 MPa minimum tensile strength series (e.g. E480XX, E480S-X).
7. Zinc rich paint for touching up welds and damaged metallic coatings shall conform to CGSB 1-GP-181M.
8. The wall panels shall be fabricated in profiles shown on the drawings.
9. Insulation shall be as noted in drawings and contract specs.
10. Trim shall be fabricated from the same material, thickness and finish as the respective interior and exterior sheets.
11. Notched metal closures shall be provided to close off the flutes of the exterior sheets at head, sill, and base.
12. Fasteners shall be supplied in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations to meet the load requirements outlined, and to maintain a weather-resistant installation.

 

2.2 Manufacturers

1. Qualified and approved manufacturers to bid the work of this product.
2. The products shall meet the requirements of the specifications.

 

PART 3 - EXECUTION

3.1 General

1. Fabrication and erection shall conform to the approved shop drawings.  Modifications required to accommodate as-built conditions (other than minor dimensional changes) shall be submitted for engineering approval.

 

3.2 Shop Structural Detail and Connection Notes

1. Companies engaged in welding shall be certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau to CSA Standard W47.1.  Companies shall have welding procedures approved and welders qualified for the base material types and thickness that are to be welded.
2. Fabricate structural steel to CAN/CSA-16.1-M.89.
3. All welding will be performed in conformance with CSA Standards W59.1989 and/or ANSI/AWS D1.3, whichever are applicable and using electrodes in accordance with CSA Standard W48 series on welding electrodes, (E70-XX).
4. The sizes and length of welds shall be not less than those specified by design requirements and detail drawings.  The location of welds shall not be changed without engineering approval.
5. Preparation of material as in clauses 5.3 CSA W59-1989 to be followed.  For material less than 0.118" thick, shop drawings may show nominal weld leg sizes.  For such material, the effective throats of weld shall not be less than the thickest connected part.
6. Assembly to be in accordance with clause 5.4 CSA W59-1989.
7. Quality of welds shall be in accordance with clause 11,5.4 W59-1989.
8. Paint all hot rolled steel with one coat of primer(see 3.3.6).  Touch-up welds with zinc rich paint.
9. All field connections shall be bolted.  All primary bolted connections shall be furnished with high strength bolts conforming to A.S.T.M. A-325.  Splices not shown on the shop drawings will be rejected.
10. All secondary bolted connections shall be furnished with machine bolts conforming to A.S.T.M. A307.  All bolts to be cadmium plated, unless otherwise noted.
11. Steel screws shall be of the minimum diameter indicated on the shop drawings.
12. Penetration beyond joined materials shall not be less than 3 exposed threads.
13. Thread types and drilling capability shall conform to the manufacturer's recommendations.
14. Screws covered by sheathing materials shall have low profile heads.
15. All welding shall be done by shielded metal-arc method in accordance with the requirements CAN/CSA W59.  The welding operators shall be currently certified under CAN/CSA W47.1 for the work they are performing.

 

3.3 Fabrication

1. Where specified, provide cutouts centred in the webs of members to accommodate services.  Unreinforced cut-outs shall be limited to the dimensions in Table A.  The effect of cut-outs on the strength and stiffness of member shall be considered.
2. Fabrication tolerances for members shall conform to Table B.
3. The steel thickness exclusive of coating shall be marked on each member by embossing, stamping with indelible ink or by colour coding.
4. All fabricated units shall be straight and true without sharp kinks or bends.
5. Headed shear connectors and deformed bar anchors shall be applied in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and the standards or shop fillet welded as per standards.  Procedural control to be in accordance with W59 as a minimum.  Field fillet welds will be rejected.
6. All steel shall be primed except for steel to be encased in concrete, steel to be fireproofed, steel which will receive shear walls, mating surfaces of slip resistant connections and the underside of base plates and bearing plates.
7. Provide the following touch-up for steel in an exterior exposure or which has a finish paint coat.  After erection and after connections are completed, provide a field touch-up coat of primer to all surfaces that had no paint shop coat and have been chipped or scraped.  Touch up with primer and paint all shop coat painted areas that have been chipped or scraped.

 

3.4 Storage of Materials

1. Products shall be protected from conditions that may cause physical damage or corrosion.
2. The Contractor shall be responsible for the protection of all steelwork during shipping, storage and construction.  All small bends and damage shall be reported to the Design Engineer for instructions.  Steel work which is bent, broken or otherwise damaged, shall be repaired or replaced by the Contractor prior to erection to the satisfaction of the Design Engineer at no cost to the Owner.
3. The Contractor shall be responsible for proper scheduling of delivery and erection for all steel, all in accordance with the construction schedule.

 

3.5 Erection

1. Methods of construction may be either piece by piece (stick-built) or by fabrication into panels (panelized) either on or off site.
2. Lightweight steel framing shall be erected true and plumb within the specified tolerances.  Temporary bracing shall be employed wherever necessary to withstand all loads to which the structure may be subject during erection and subsequent construction.  Temporary bracing shall be left in place as long as required for the safety and integrity of the structure.  The Erector shall ensure that during erection a margin of safety consist with the requirements of the National Building Code and CAN/CSA-S136 exists in the uncompleted structure.
3. Erection Tolerances
   1. For the purpose of this section, camber is defined as the deviation from straightness of a member or any portion of a member with respect to its major axis, and sweep is defined as the deviation from straightness of a member or any portion of a member with respect to its minor axis.
   2. For wind bearing walls, out of plumbness shall not exceed 1/500th of the member length.  Out of straightness (camber and sweep) shall not exceed 1/1000th of the member length.
   3. For track, camber shall not exceed 1/1000th of the member length.
   4. Wall panels shall seat into top and bottom tracks.  The gap between the end of the wall panels and the web of the track shall not exceed 0.16inch for wind bearing wall panels.
   5. Align adjacent prefabricated panels to provide surface continuity at the interface.
4. Make all field measurements necessary to insure the proper fit of all members.
5. Cutting of members may be by saw or shear.  Torch cutting is not permitted.
6. Holes that are field cut into lightweight steel framing members shall conform to the requirements of Section 3.3.1 and 3.5.5.
7. Insulation equal to that specified shall be placed in all jamb and header assemblies that will be inaccessible after their installation into the wall.  Insure that insulation is kept dry and not compressed.
8. Handling and lifting of prefabricated panels shall not cause permanent distortion to any member or collateral material, report to design engineer any distortions found.
9. As erection progresses, the work shall be securely bolted up to take care of all loads including wind and seismic during erection.  Any failure to make proper and adequate provisions for loads during erection shall be solely the responsibility of the Contractor.
10. The Contractor shall be responsible for the design of all hooks, erection connections and handling gear.
11. Whenever piles of materials, erection equipment, or other loads are carried during erection, proper provision shall be made to take care of stresses resulting from same.
12. All steel components shall be assembled and erected in accordance with the approved erection drawings and specified reference standards.
13. Structural steel work on concrete shall be carefully located at the proper grade and rigidly secured in place, using steel shims.  All spaces under the steel shall then be filled with non-shrink premix grout as soon as possible and before placing any concrete toppings or precast concrete units.
14. Plumb, level and align individual members of steel work as specified in CAN/CSA-S16.1.
15. Supply all necessary instructions and drawings to other trades for sitting bearing plates, anchor bolts, and other members that are built in with work of other trades.  Supply the necessary material in accordance to the co-ordinate schedule.

 

3.6 Inspection

1. The lightweight steel framing Design Engineer, Responsible for the production of the shop drawings, shall provide periodic field review during construction and shall submit reports in accordance with section 1.5.5.
   1. The Contractor shall pay for the cost of this field review.
2. Additional inspection and testing of materials and workmanship shall be carried out by qualified Independent Inspection Agency appointed by the Architectural Consultant.
   1. The cost of this additional inspection shall be paid for out of the Cash Allowances for Inspection and Testing.
   2. Any testing or inspection required by the Architectural Consultant because of an error by the Contractor or due to the departure from the contract documents by the Contractor, shall be paid for by the Contractor.
3. Inspection shall include:
   1. Checking that mill test reports are properly correlated to materials.
   2. Sampling fabrication and erection procedures for general conformity to the requirements of the specification.
   3. Checking that the welding conforms to the requirements of Section 3.2.
   4. Checking fabricated members against specified member shapes.
   5. Visual inspection of all welded connections including sample checking of joint preparation and fit-up.
   6. Sample checking of screwed and bolted joints.
   7. Sample checking that tolerances are not exceeded during fit-up or erection.
   8. Additional inspection and testing of welded connections as required by CSA W59.
   9. General inspection of field cutting and alterations required by other trades.
   10. Submission of reports to the Architect, the Project Engineer, the Contractor and authorities having jurisdiction covering the work inspected with details of deficiencies discovered.
4. The Contractor shall provide the necessary cooperation to insure that the inspection can proceed.
5. The inspection provided in this section does not relieve the Contractor of his responsibility for the performance of the contract.  The Contractor is solely responsible for quality control and he shall implement his own supervisory and quality control procedures.
6. Materials or workmanship not conforming to the requirements of the contract documents may be rejected at any time during the progress of work.
7. The Specialty Engineer responsible for shop drawings, or the Specialty Engineer's representative, shall visit the site to review in place the connections and components designed by that Specialty Structural Engineer.  The Specialty Structural Engineer shall be satisfied or take steps to ensure that these connections and components substantially comply with the Specialty Engineer's design.  The Specialty Engineer shall then provide a sealed and signed letter to the Consultant and Engineer to this effect.

 

3.7 Anchors

1. Bolts and nuts shall conform to ASTM-A307 Gr.A or ASTM-A320 Gr.L-7.
2. All nuts to be heavy hex.
3. All anchor bolts must be set accurately in place and held fast by template while concrete is being poured.
4. All anchor bolt sleeves to be filled with grout.
5. All anchor bolts (ASTM-A307) and embedded metals shall be located in plan and elevation to 3mm (1/8") shown on the drawings.  All metal insert surfaces exposed to concrete are not to be painted.
6. Bolt edge distance shall not be less than 4 times bolt's diameter.
7. All dimensions shall be taken from the drawings and field measurement verified by the Contractor.  Be responsible for the corrections of such measurements and report to the Consultant and Engineer in writing all discrepancies between measurements in the field and those shown on drawings prior to commencing work.  Verify location of anchor bolts and embedded steel and ensure that work prepared by other trades is at a proper elevation, on line, level and true.
8. Provide a shop drawing clearly locating all anchor bolts, embedded plates, base plates, etc.