Steel as a construction material is one of the most used and this is due to the number of advantages it offers compared to other alternatives. When using it, it is possible to lift structures of great complexity and height, which amaze the entire planet. which are your main benefits? From Ferros Texar, we explain them to you below.
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The main advantages of steel as a construction material
The characteristics of steel make it suitable for construction. This iron and carbon alloy adapts to almost any structure that you want to create. It will maintain its shape for long periods of time, is capable of withstanding high temperatures, can be easily welded and has high hardness, among other qualities. All of them combined offer you these advantages.
It is a sustainable material
It is a material that can be easily recycled, since just melt it again. In addition, it is biodegradable and during this process it does not generate polluting elements. In this way, you can build structures that respect the environment without major complications, which prevents you from having to resort to more expensive alternatives.
High durability
The durability of steel depends, as with other materials, on the maintenance you carry out. If this is the right one, structures can last indefinitely. Furthermore, in certain circumstances, the material does not require any care. However, try to carry out periodic checks to anticipate problems that may appear.
Good ductility
It is capable of withstanding deformations without ceasing to fulfill its structural purpose. It is lengthened or reduced without damage appearing or fractures both on the surface and inside. This makes it difficult for a strong blow to break the steel and allows it to withstand high loads without problems. Furthermore, depending on the temperature to which it is exposed, it contracts or expands.
Easy to combine
El steel can be welded with a wide variety of materials, a process that is carried out with astonishing ease. This allows structures to be erected in less time and provide them with certain characteristics, such as lightness or resistance. By being able to combine several construction elements, you have all kinds of possibilities before you.
Furthermore, it is a material that allows prefabrication of certain parts of the structure, with the savings in construction times that this entails. It also helps achieve greater precision and accuracy throughout the process.
Beyond welding joints, steel allows other alternatives, such as screws or rivets. It is very good when it is going to be used simultaneously with other materials, especially metals. This is a quality that you will find in the Steel sheets what we offer you in Texar Ferros.
Resistance
Present a great resistance against malformations and other damages. This is why steel is present in constructions located in regions hit by natural disasters. When kept in good condition, the building structure can withstand an earthquake or hurricane. In addition, it facilitates the lifting of less heavy structures, but not more fragile due to this circumstance.
It is uniform
Its uniformity is due to the fact that Its properties are not altered over time. This does not happen with other metals, such as copper, which change over the years. Thus, the steel will continue to maintain its durability or resistance for years after it has been placed. A real advantage when it comes to building safe structures over the decades.
It is a versatile material
The physical and mechanical properties of steel mean that it is used in all types of structures. Thanks to its versatility, You can use it to raise a block of flats, bridges or any other building. This advantage facilitates experimentation and contributes to innovation in the construction sector.
The disadvantages of steel
Despite the benefits it offers, steel is not a perfect material. It has some disadvantages that you should also take into account, since they will fully affect any structure in which you include this material.
Fire related problems
It can withstand a fire without problems, but Your resistance and flexibility will be reduced. If you are exposed to more events like this, you will continue to lose this ability. Likewise, it has been proven that it is a good conductor and spreader of fire. It spreads heat throughout its structure at high speed and it is possible to reach the temperature at which it begins to soften.
Also increases the temperature of rooms in which there is no fire, something that causes flames to appear on very flammable targets.
It is not advisable to stretch it
Another disadvantage you will encounter arises when the steel takes on a slender column shape. In these cases, your ability to support heavy weights is compromised. This is because the compression to which it is subjected increases the chances of elastic buckling, which will cause damage to the structure or bending.
Furthermore, the slenderer the column, the greater the risk of buckling. To solve this, it is necessary to use a large amount of steel to make the supporting element. In this way, it becomes more rigid and resistant. Another alternative is to use material profiles with properties that prevent the appearance of this problem.
It is sensitive to corrosion
Although stainless steel resists corrosion, There are other types that do not have this quality. The disadvantage manifests itself when exposing the material to the outside. Little by little, the effects of rain will degrade the outer layers, so it is advisable to carefully choose the most appropriate class for each use.
Advantages of steel construction
1. Reliability
Steel structures are very reliable. The reasons for this reliability include consistency and uniformity in properties, better quality control because of factory manufacture, large elasticity, and ductility. If different specimens of some type of steel are tested in the laboratory for yield stress, ultimate strengths and elongations, the variation is much lesser than other materials like concrete and wood. Further, because of truly homogeneous and elastic material, steel satisfies most of the assumptions involved in the derivation of the analysis and design formulas and the results obtained and reliable. This may not be the case in concrete structures because of heterogeneous material, cracking and non-linearity of stress-strain relationship.
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2. Industrial behavior
Rolled steel sections are manufactured in factories. Also, the members may be cut and prepared for assembly in factories wile only joining of these components is carried out at the site by installing rivets or bolts and by welding different components. Sometimes parts of the structure are also assembled in the factories, that is, there is a great adaptation to prefabrication. Manual errors reduce greatly in such cases, the speed of construction increases, and the total cost reduces.
3. Lesser construction time / greater erection speed
Because of the industrial nature of steel construction. Progress of the work is fast making the structures economical. The reason is that these structures can be put to use earlier. The reduction in labor cost and overhead changes and the benefits obtained from the early use of the building contribute to the economy.
4. High strength and light weight nature
The high strength of steel per unit weight means that the dead loads will be smaller. It is to be noted that dead loads are a bigger part of the total loads on structure. When dead load reduces, the underneath members become still smaller due to less weight acting on them. This fact is of great importance for long-span bridges, tall building, and for structures having poor foundation conditions.
5. Uniformity, durability and performance
Steel is a very homogeneous and uniform material. Hence, it satisfies the basic assumptions of most of the analysis and design formulas. If properly maintained by painting, etc. the properties of steel do not change appreciably with time, whereas the properties of concrete in a reinforced concrete structure are considerably modified with time. Hence, steel structures are more durable.
6. Elasticity
Steel behaves closer to design assumption than most of the other material because it follows Hooke’s law up to fairly high stresses. The stress produced remains proportional to the strain applied oft the stress-strain diagram remains a straight line. The steel sections do not crack or tear before ultimate load and hence the moments of inertia of a steel structure can be definitely calculated. The moments of inertia obtained for a reinforced concrete structure are rather indefinite.
7. Ductility and warning before failure
The Property of a material by which it can withstand extensive deformation without failure under high tensile stresses is said to be it ductility. Mild steel is a very ductile material. The percentage elongation of a standard tension test specimen after fracture can be as high as 25 to 30%. This gives visible deflections of evidence of impending failure in case of overloads. The extra loads may be removed from the structure to prevent collapse. Even if collapse does occur, time is available for occupants to vacate the building.
In structural members under normal loads, high stress concentrations develop at various points. The ductile nature of the usual structural steel enables them to yield locally at those points, thus redistributing the stresses and preventing premature failures.
8. Additions to existing structures
Additions to existing steel structures are very easy to be made. Connections between new and existing structures can be employed very effectively. New bays or even entire new wings can be added to existing steel frame building, and steel brides may often be widened.
9. Possible Reuse
Steel sections cab be reused after a structure is disassembled.
10. Scrap value
Steel has a scrap value even though it is not reusable in its existing form.
11. Water-tight and air-tight constructions
Steel structures provide completely impervious construction and structures like reservoirs, oil pipes, gas pipes, etc. are preferably made from structural steel.
12. Long span construction
High-rise buildings, long span bridges and tall transmission towers are made up of structural steel. Industrial buildings up to a span of 90.m can be designed by plate girders or trusses. Bridge spans up to 260.m are made with plate girders. For through truss bridges, Bridge spans of 300.m have been used.
13. Temporary construction
For temporary structures, steel construction is always preferred. Army constructions during war are mostly made out of structural steel. The structures may be disassembled by opening few bolts, component parts are carried to new places are the structure is easily reassembled.
Disadvantages of steel construction
1. High maintenance costs and more corrosion
Most steels are susceptible to corrosion when freely exposed to air and water and must therefore be periodically painted. This requires extra cost and special care. The use of weathering steels, in stable design applications, tends to eliminate this cost. If not properly maintained, steel members can lose 1 to 1.5 mm of their thickness each year. Accordingly, such constructions can lose weight up to 35% during their specified life and can fail under the external loads.
2. Fireproofing costs
Although steel members are incombustible, their strength is tremendously reduced at temperatures prevailing in fires. At about 400ºC, creep becomes much more pronounced. Creep is defined as plastic deformation under a constant load for a long period of time. This produces excessively large deflections/deformations of main members forcing the other members to higher stresses or even to collapse. Steel is an excellent conductor of heat and may transmit enough heat from a burning compartment of a building to start fire in other parts of the building to start fire in other parts of the building. Extra cost is required to properly fireproof the building.
3. Susceptibility to buckling
The steel sections usually consist of a combination of thin plates. Further, the overall steel member dimensions are also smaller than reinforced concrete members. If these slender members are subjected to compression, there are greater chances of buckling. Buckling is a type of collapse of the members due to sudden large bending caused by a critical compressive load. Steel when used for columns is sometimes not very economical because considerable material has to be used merely to stiffen the columns against buckling.
4. Higher initial cost / less availability
In few countries, steel is not available in abundance and its initial cost is very high compared with the other structural materials. This is the most significant factor that has resulted in the decline of steel structures in these countries.
5. Aesthetics
For certain types of buildings, the steel form is architecturally preferred. However, for majority of residential and office buildings, steel structures without the use of false ceiling and cladding are considered to have poor aesthetic appearance. A considerable cost is to be spent on such structures to improve their appearance. Cladding is a covering of metal, plastic or timber put on the surface of a structural member to completely encase it. The cladding not only protects the member but also improves its appearance.
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