Fabricated open web steel joist, and manufacture thereof

Claim 1

A fabricated open web steel joist having a pair of ends, a top chord at its upper extremity, a bottom chord, at its lower extremity and a web between said to and bottom chords; said upper and lower extremities being, respectively, at the top and bottom of the joist when the joist is vertically disposed in its normal, load-bearing, orientation; wherein each of said top and bottom chords comprises a pair of generally L-shaped angles, each having first and second legs, and arranged in back-to-back relation, with the first leg of each "L" being horizontally disposed at the respective upper or lower extremity of the joist, and the second leg of each "L" of each pair of L-shaped angles being vertically disposed and thereby presenting a pair of vertically disposed faces opposed one to the other in said respective pair of L-shaped angles; and wherein said web is located between said vertically disposed opposed faces of each of said chords, and extends vertically between said chords; said web being comprised of a plurality of pre-formed bar sections, each of which has a general configuration of a "W", with the ends thereof being located in the top chord in adjacent positions one to another except at the ends of said joist; said joist being of finite length defined by an integral number of panels along the length of the joist; wherein each "W" spans two panels along the length of said joist; and wherein, in the event that there are an odd number of panels in the length of the joist, a single "V" is inserted between two "W"'s within the length of the joist, with the ends of said "V" being located in the top chord in adjacent positions to the respective ends of the next adjacent "W"'s between which said "V" is inserted; and wherein said joist is of a welded construction, where each end and each apex of each "W", and said single "V", if included, is welded to each of said vertically disposed opposed faces of said L-shaped angles forming said top and bottom chords.