Holes in steel decking--SD53

SD53 sheets acts as longitudinal tensile reinforcement similarly to conventional bar or fabric reinforcement does in concrete slabs. Consequently, holes in SD53 sheets, to accommodate pipes and ducts, reduce the effective area of the steel decking and can adversely effect the performance of a slab. Some guidelines for holes are:

• Place holes in the central pan of any sheet, with a minimum edge distance of 15mm from the rib gap.

• Holes should be round, with a maximum diameter of 150mm.

  
  

• For slabs designed as a continuous slab: space holes from an interior support of the slab no less than one tenth of a clear span.

Note: In the event of SD53 ribs being cut for larger penetrations, sufficient reinforcing steel and detailing is required to replace lost SD53 ribs. Attention to propping at these locations is essential.