A 14-section interactive reference guide covering the core structural engineering standards used daily in practice and on the PE Structural exam. Includes AISC 360 steel beam and column design, ACI 318 concrete flexure and shear, ASCE 7 load combinations, seismic ELF, wind loads, wood design, foundation bearing capacity, steel connections, and deflection limits.
Each section targets a core structural design discipline: standards overview and design philosophies (ASD vs LRFD), ASCE 7-22 LRFD and ASD load combinations with live load reduction, AISC 360-22 steel beam design (compactness, LTB limits, shear), steel column design (effective length K-factors, Chapter E strength, biaxial bending interaction), ACI 318-19 concrete flexure (Whitney stress block, beta-1 factors, min/max steel limits), ACI 318-19 concrete shear (Vc, Vs, stirrup spacing), AWC NDS-2024 wood design (adjustment factors, CD table, deflection limits), foundation bearing capacity (Terzaghi equation, presumptive bearing values, frost depths), seismic ELF design (ASCE 7 Section 12.8, base shear, story force distribution, R factors), wind loads (velocity pressure, Kz table, MWFRS pressure coefficients), steel connections (bolt shear/bearing, weld design, block shear, minimum weld size), deflection and serviceability (AISC and ACI limits, Branson equation, camber, vibration), special inspection requirements (IBC Chapter 17), and a comprehensive quick-reference table of selected W-shape capacities, ACI minimum beam depths, LRFD load factors, seismic R factors, and wind velocity pressure.
Use the Prev / Next buttons at the bottom, or press the arrow keys on your keyboard. Click the ☰ menu button in the top-right to open the table of contents and jump to any section. The gold progress bar at the top tracks your position through all 14 sections. Mouse wheel scrolling advances slides when you reach the top or bottom of the content.
This guide references ASCE 7-22, AISC 360-22, ACI 318-19, AWC NDS-2024, TMS 402-22, AISC 341-22, and IBC 2021. Many jurisdictions adopt slightly older editions — confirm the adopted edition with your local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) before applying code-specific values. Seismic design category provisions and special inspection requirements may differ between editions.
The AISC φMn table values assume compact sections with Lb = 0 and Fy = 50 ksi — apply LTB reductions for unbraced lengths exceeding Lp. ACI minimum beam depths assume normal-weight concrete and Grade 60 steel; multiply by (0.4 + fy/100,000) for other steel grades. Wind velocity pressures assume Exposure C, flat terrain (Kzt = 1.0), and ground elevation factor Ke = 1.0 — adjust Kz for other exposure categories using the tabulated values in Section 10.
ASCE 7-22 Section 2.3.1 provides seven LRFD combinations. The most critical for typical floor beams are: 1.2D + 1.6L + 0.5(Lr or S or R) [governing for dead + live], and 1.2D + 1.6(Lr or S or R) + (L or 0.5W) [governing for roof live]. Dead-only load factored at 1.4D for self-weight check. Seismic combination: 1.2D + 1.0E + L + 0.2S.
Calculate the unbraced length Lb between lateral bracing points. If Lb ≤ Lp = 1.76 × ry × √(E/Fy), the full plastic moment Mp applies (no LTB reduction). Between Lp and Lr, moment capacity decreases linearly to 0.7FySx. Beyond Lr, elastic LTB governs. For W-sections with Fy=50 ksi, Lp is typically 5–9 ft depending on size.
Per ASCE 7-22 Section 12.8, V = Cs × W where Cs = SDS/(R/Ie). SDS is the design spectral acceleration (short period), R is the response modification factor (8 for special moment frame), and Ie is the importance factor. The minimum Cs = 0.044 × SDS × Ie. Once V is found, distribute forces vertically: Fx = CvxV where Cvx = wxhxk/Σwihik.
ACI 318-19 replaces the actual parabolic concrete stress distribution with a rectangular stress block of depth a = β₁ × c, where c is the neutral axis depth. Stress intensity = 0.85f'c. The moment capacity is φMn = φ × As × fy × (d - a/2) with φ = 0.90 for tension-controlled sections (εt ≥ 0.005). The block depth a = As×fy / (0.85×f'c×b).