Most typical nonstructural partitions are specified and constructed in accordance with the industry or manufacturers’ design tables and would not require additional, formal engineering input on a project-by-project basis. The manufacturers’ design tables are based on engineering principles and tests. However, there are projects where the requirements are outside the limits of the manufacturers’ design tables.
The North American Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Framing – Nonstructural Members (AISI S220) was developed in 2011 by the AISI Committee on Framing Standards to help clearly delineate and eliminate confusion between the engineering principles and requirements for cold-formed steel structural membersand nonstructural members. As such, provisions formerly in North American Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Framing – General Provisions (AISI S200) for material, corrosion protection, base steel thickness, product designators, manufacturing tolerances, product identification, member design, member condition, installation, connections, and miscellaneous for nonstructural members were moved to AISI S220. However, use of the more stringent requirements for structural members that are in AISI S200 for nonstructural members should be permitted, since these should demonstrate at least equivalent performance for the intended use to those specified in AISI S220.
AISI S220 recognizes that the consequence of failure for a nonstructural member is less severe than for a structural member and, consequently, permits a lower reliability for nonstructural members.