Scope of AISC 360
AISC 360-22, the Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, covers the design and construction of structural steel buildings and other structures. Published by the American Institute of Steel Construction, the current edition is AISC 360-22. It is adopted by IBC and SBC and is the operative steel design standard for projects in the US, Saudi Arabia, and many other jurisdictions. AISC 360-22 supports both Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) and Allowable Stress Design (ASD) approaches, though LRFD is the standard approach for new design in most applications.
Member Design — Chapters D through H
AISC 360-22 Chapters D through H cover member design for all loading conditions. Chapter D covers tension members (yielding of gross section and fracture of net section). Chapter E covers compression members (flexural buckling, torsional buckling, flexural-torsional buckling, and local buckling). Chapter F covers flexural members (yielding, lateral torsional buckling, flange local buckling, web local buckling). Chapter G covers shear (uniform force method for beams, shear panels). Chapter H covers members under combined loading — biaxial bending, combined axial and bending — using the interaction equations that govern most primary structural members in our tower and support structure projects.
Connection Design — Chapter J
Chapter J covers connections comprehensively: bolts (bearing-type and slip-critical), welds (fillet, groove, and plug/slot), connected elements (block shear, bearing, net section), and concentrated forces on webs. The component-by-component approach of Chapter J is the foundation of all our connection design work. Every bolt and weld calculation in our design reports cites the specific Chapter J equation and provision number, enabling rapid and unambiguous verification by reviewing engineers in any jurisdiction that recognises AISC 360.
Stability Design — Chapter C
AISC 360-22 Chapter C covers stability design using the Direct Analysis Method (DAM) as the primary approach for stability verification. DAM requires applying reduced stiffness (0.8EI and 0.8AE) in the analysis model and notional loads to capture the effects of initial geometric imperfections. This method, combined with properly determined second-order effects (P-Δ and P-δ), provides a more accurate representation of actual structural behaviour at the limit state than the older effective length method, particularly for moment frames and tall structures susceptible to sidesway amplification.
Seismic Provisions — AISC 341
For structures in Seismic Design Category C and above, AISC 341 Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings supplements AISC 360 with ductility requirements, capacity design rules, and enhanced material toughness specifications. We apply AISC 341 on all seismically governed projects, including the Antalya seismic-zone entertainment supports (Seismic Design Category D) and the Ontario replacement structure which required seismic lateral system compliance with the current NBC/AISC framework.