Structural Steel Construction
Structural steel is an
economical construction material for building applications. It offers high
ratios of strength to weight and strength to volume. Thus, structural steel has
the advantage of permitting long clear spans for horizontal members and requiring
less floor space for columns than other common construction materials.
It also can be used in
combination with reinforced concrete to provide cost-effective building
components. For large industrial buildings, where the structural frame can be
exposed, it is often the material of choice.
The design of a
structural building frame involves the following principal steps:
- Select the general configuration and type of structure (Sec. 1).
- Determine the service loads as required by the applicable building code (Art. 5.1.2).
- Compute the internal forces and moments for the individual members (Sec. 5).
- Proportion the members and connections.
- Check performance characteristics, such as deflection, under service conditions.
- Make a general overall review for economy of function.
- Prepare complete design drawings delineating all structural steel requirements.
Designers, in addition
to performing these steps, should also have an appreciation of the complete
construction cycle to assure a practical and economical design.
This includes
understanding the needs of other disciplines and trades, types and availability
of the materials used in steel of construction, applicable codes and specifications,
the role and responsibilities of the fabricator and the erector, and a designer’s
own responsibilities in the area of quality assurance.
The other principal
parties involved in structural steel construction are fabricators and erectors.
Erectors frequently act as a subcontractor to the fabricator. Fabrication operations
convert the mill materials into shipping pieces ready for erection at the jobsite.
These operations are generally performed in a shop. The pieces are sized and
shaped to the dimensions shown on detailed shop drawings that are prepared by
the fabricator and approved by the structural designer. Shop attachment of
detail pieces (stiffeners, connection materials, etc.) to the individual
shipping pieces is most frequently done by welding. Generally, the fabricator
is responsible for moving the fabricated material to the jobsite. The
fabricator determines the size of shipping pieces, with the concurrence of the
designer, at the time the shop drawings are prepared.
Erectors receive the
material and the position and connect the steel into its final location at the
project site. Erectors may have specific equipment on unique projects with
which they are able to perform cost-effective operations. Such equipment may require
attachment points or stiffening of the frame elements, in which case approval of
the designer is requested.
Structural steel
consists of hot-rolled steel shapes, steel plates of thickness of 1⁄8 in or
greater, and such fittings as bolts, welds, bracing rods, and turnbuckles. The owner
and the engineer should understand fully what will be furnished by the fabricator
under a contract to furnish ‘‘structural steel.’’ To promote uniformity in bidding
practices, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) has adopted a
‘‘Code of Standard Practice for Buildings and Bridges’’ (American Institute of Steel
Construction, One East Wacker Drive, Suite 3100, Chicago, IL 60601-2001). Additional
design guides are shown in Table 7.1.
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