Deck Safety and Building Code Issues on the Horizon: Turning Challenges into Product Opportunities

摘要

Deck and porch safety continues to be a national problem. Many deck collapses resultingrnfrom gravity loads have been reported in the public media. Research at Virginia Tech andrnWashington State University led to changes in the building code regarding deckrnledgerboard attachment to the building and guardrail attachment to decks and porches.rnMany companies in the decking industry closely tracked these code requirements andrnwere quick to market with new decking and connection hardware products that addressedrnthe concerns.rnMore recently, researchers at WSU have studied lateral loading on decks from seismic andrnwind, as well as from people. It turns out that lateral loads from occupant movement canrnexceed those from extreme wind and seismic events. Seismic and wind loading are limitedrnto parts of the country that have high risk (e.g. south Florida for wind); however, lateralrnloads from occupants can occur anywhere and anytime that there are people on the decks.rnThis presentation will show how occupants initiate lateral loads, and how the deckrnmaterials, construction and geometry have dramatic effects on dynamic amplification of thernloads. Understanding this phenomenon opens many possible product possibilities tornstabilize deck structures, reduce dynamic loads, transfer loads from decks to primaryrnbuilding, and improve durability.rnAs with our earlier work on deck ledgers and guardrails, this research will likely havernimplications on building codes throughout the US. This presentation will give an earlyrn“heads up” to those companies that provide decking products.