Structural steel decking system and method of securing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845599-B2
Application number	US-201514689109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2015
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention included structural decking systems with at least a four-layered seam and methods for manufacturing and assembling structural decking systems with at least four-layered seams. The decking panels may be provided with an edge having an exposed “male lip” with two layers, and an opposite edge having a “female lip” with two layers. Individual panels may be coupled together by placing the female lip of a first panel over the male lip of an adjacent panel, thus creating an unjoined seam. In order to couple the panels together, the panels may be secured through various couplings configurations. The couplings may be formed by deforming, cutting, and/or welding the seam. Not only do the couplings help prevent vertical separation between adjacent panels, the couplings minimize lateral shifting along the seam, and ensure a desired level of shear strength in the seam and across the structural decking system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a structural roof or wall decking system for providing diaphragm strength to a building, the method comprising:
assembling a first structural decking panel to at least one of two or more support members, wherein the first structural decking panel comprises:
a plurality of uniform first decking panel flutes, wherein each of the first decking panel flutes comprise a first top flange, a bottom flange, and webs; and
at least one edge comprising a male lip formed in the bottom flange of one of the plurality of uniform flutes, wherein the male lip comprises:
a first male layer;
a second male layer;
wherein the second male layer is folded over the first male layer in a closed configuration or an open configuration to form the male lip with two layers; and

assembling a second structural decking panel to the first structural decking panel by placing a female lip of the second structural decking panel over the male lip and securing the second structural decking panel to at least one of the two or more support members, wherein placing the female lip over the male lip occurs without having to rotate the structural decking panels and without having to bend or deform the female lip or the male lip during placement, and wherein the second structural decking panel comprises:
a plurality of uniform second decking panel flutes, wherein each of the second decking panel flutes comprise a top flange, a bottom flange, and webs; and
at least one edge comprising a female lip formed in the bottom flange of one of the plurality of uniform flutes;

wherein assembling the female lip of the second structural decking panel over the male lip of the first structural decking panel creates a seam with four or more layers and wherein the male lip and the female lip have tolerances to allow for alignment of the female lip over the male lip along the length of the panels with spaces between the male lip and the female lip;
wherein the male lip and the female lip are generally perpendicular to a plane formed from the first structural decking panel and the second structural decking panel, and extends from the bottom flange of the first structural decking panel and the bottom flange of the second structural decking panel; and
forming one or more couplings in the male lip and the female lip of a portion of the seam with four or more layers in order to couple the first structural decking panel to the second structural decking panel, and wherein the one or more couplings provide shear strength in the seam.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the female lip comprises:
a first female layer;
a second female layer; and
wherein the second female layer is folded with respect to the first female layer to form a v-shaped or u-shaped female lip with two layers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the one or more couplings comprises shearing and deforming the male layer and the female layer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first structural decking panel and the second structural decking panel are formed from metal sheets with thicknesses of 22 gage steel or greater thicknesses, and wherein the first structural decking panel and second structural decking panel are manufactured by:
forming the plurality of uniform first decking panel flutes in the first structural decking panel and forming the plurality of uniform second decking panel flutes in the second structural decking panel from the metal sheet in a flute roll forming process using flute rollers; and
forming the male lip in the first structural decking panel and forming the female lip in the second structural decking panel in a lip roll forming process using lip rollers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more couplings are tabs, top-seam welds or side-seam welds in the seam; and wherein the top-seam welds or side-seam welds are formed through the four or more layers of the portion of the seam and wherein the tabs are formed in the portion of the seam by shearing through the straight surfaces in the four or more layers.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first male layer and the second male layer are straight sections without additional bends.

Assignees

• Nucor Corp

Inventors

• Bogh Brian Hansen
• Brown Christopher Lawrence
• Martin Jeffrey Reino

Classifications

• E04C2/322 Primary

  with parallel corrugations · CPC title

• E04B2103/06

  of metal · CPC title

• E04C2/08

  of metal, e.g. sheet metal (E04C2/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E04B5/32 Primary

  Floor structures wholly cast in situ with or without form units or reinforcements · CPC title

• E04D3/364

  by folding of the edges · CPC title