WHERE STEEL FRAME STRUCTURES ARE USED

 

WHERE STEEL FRAME STRUCTURES ARE USED

Steel construction is most often used in 

·        High rise buildings because of its strength, low weight, and speed of construction

·        Industrial buildings because of its ability to create large span spaces at low cost

·        Warehouse buildings for the same reason

·        Residential buildings in a technique called light gauge steel construction

·        Temporary Structures as these are quick to set up and remove

TYPES OF STEEL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

There are several types of steel building construction. Steel construction is also called steel fabrication.

Conventional Steel Fabrication is when teams of steel fabricators cut members of steel to the correct lengths, and then weld them together to make the final structure. This can be done entirely at the construction site, which is labour-intensive, or partially in a workshop, to provide better working conditions and reduce time.

 

Bolted Steel Construction occurs when steel fabricators produce finished and painted steel components, which are then shipped to the site and simply bolted in place. This is the preferred method of steel construction, as the bulk of the fabrication can be done in workshops, with the right machinery, lighting, and work conditions. The size of the components are governed by the size of the truck or trailer they are shipped in, usually with a max length of 6m (20ft) for normal trucks or 12m (40ft) for long trailers. Since the only work to be done at site is lifting the steel members into place (with cranes) and bolting, the work at site is tremendously fast. Pre-engineered buildings are an example of bolted steel construction that is designed, fabricated, shipped and erected by one company to the owner.

ADVANTAGES OF STEEL STRUCTURES

Steel structures have the following advantages:

·        They are super-quick to build at site, as a lot of work can be pre-fabbed at the factory.

·        They are flexible, which makes them very good at resisting dynamic (changing) forces such as wind or earthquake forces.

·        A wide range of ready-made structural sections are available, such as I, C, and angle sections

·        They can be made to take any kind of shape, and clad with any type of material

·       A wide range of joining methods is available, such as bolting, welding, and riveting

DISADVANTAGES OF STEEL STRUCTURES

Steel structures have the following disadvantages:

·        They lose strength at high temperatures, and are susceptible to fire.

·        They are prone to corrosion in humid or marine environments