2023 CFSEI EXPO | MAY 8-10, 2023 | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Cold-Formed Steel Q&A

Cold-formed steel design is not typically a course topic offered at universities. Therefore, an engineer is on her/his own to self-educate. How does one self-educate? Possibly by attending a seminar or webinar on a specific topic, but sometimes all that’s needed is a quick answer to a specific project question.

How do you find that quick answer? Many engineers take advantage of the highly successful CFSEI “Ask an Expert” page on the CFSEI website or the CFSEI Hotline at 1-800-79STEEL. The inquiries we receive cover the gamut of cold-formed steel applications and we respond to them promptly.

In this session, we’ll review a few of these most-asked questions, such as:

Should loose straps be a concern?
Does gypsum between the steel plies impact the screw connection strength?
How does one design a shear wall for force transfer around openings?
What is the yield strength used to design a member in 1989?

You may have a few cold-formed steel questions of your own, and we’ll answer them in this interactive Q&A session. We guarantee you’ll learn something new.

Roger LaBoube, Ph.D., P.E.

Roger LaBoube, Ph.D., P.E

Dr. Roger A. LaBoube is Curator’s Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and former director of the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures at the Missouri University of Science & Technology. Dr. LaBoube holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He has an extensive background in the design and behavior of cold-formed steel structures. His research and design activities have touched on many facets of cold-formed steel construction, including cold-formed steel beams, panels, trusses, headers, and wall studs as well as bolt, weld, and screw connections. Dr. LaBoube is active in several professional organizations and societies. He serves as chairman of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Committee on Framing Standards and is an emeritus member of the AISI Committee on Specifications for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members. He is a registered professional engineer in Missouri.

Jennifer Zabik, P.E., S.E.
Bennett-Pless Engineering

Jennifer Zabik, P.E., S.E.

Jennifer Zabik, P.E., S.E. is associate and vice-president of Bennett-Pless Engineering. She has been practicing structural engineering for 18 years in the state of Florida and is registered in over 25 states, as well as Puerto Rico. She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Florida. She served as chair of the CFSEI Executive Committee in 2016. Jennifer has also served as chair of the ASCE-SEI LAD Committee and has been an active member of the ASCE-SEI CFS Committee. She is a co-author and contributor to two design guides with ASCE: “Bracing Cold-Formed Steel: A Design Guide” and “CFS Connections to Other Materials: A Design Guide.”