A Unified Design Method for Overhanging (Gerber) Steel Girders

Please note that this recording is from an earlier date.

Webinar  - 0.075 CEU

Duration: 1 hr 2 m

Presented by Vahab Esmaeili, Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Alberta

Used for decades in the roof framing of large single-storey buildings, overhanging steel girders form the backbone of cantilever–suspended-span (Gerber) construction. In this system, girders in alternate bays extend beyond the columns to support adjacent spans, enabling negative moments at the column lines and producing a more balanced bending moment distribution. This arrangement results in lighter framing, reduced deflections, simpler connections, and more efficient erection, but also introduces complex stability challenges. The lack of a unified design approach in North American steel standards—such as CSA S16-24 and AISC 360-22—combined with recent failures, has raised concern among structural engineers.

To address these concerns, a research programme at the University of Alberta was undertaken, including full-scale testing and advanced numerical modelling of overhanging girders. This presentation summarises the research findings, which include a unified design method to predict the moment resistance of overhanging girders and recommendations to prevent net-section fracture at tension flanges in the presence of bolt holes. Examples are also provided to demonstrate practical applications.

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