STEEL CONSTRUCTION

Channels – The standard channel has the shape of an unsymmetrical balance consisting of two flanges
on one side. It requires lateral support to prevent its tendency to buckle.

STRUCTURAL STEEL SHAPES

W-SHAPE (WIDE FLANGE) –hot-rolled structural steel section having an H-shape with wide flanges.

M-SHAPE – similar to but not classified as a W-shape.

HP-SHAPE – has flanges and web of equal thickness and used as a load bearing pile.

S-SHAPE (American Standard Beam) – I-shape with sloped inner flange surfaces.

I-BEAM

a rolled metal beam having a cross section resembling the capital letter ‘I’.

FLANGE – a pair of ridges at right angles from the edge of a structural shape to strengthen or stiffen it.

WEB – an integral part of a beam that forms a rigid connection between flanges, etc.

WELDED CONNECTIONS
In welded connection, different elements are connected by heating their surfaces to a plastic or fluid
state. There may or may not be pressure, and there may or may not be filter material. Arc welding is the
general term for the many processes that use electrical energy in the form of an electric arc to generate
the heat necessary for welding.

Types of Welding

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)

In SMAW, the weld is protected by using an electrode covered with a layer of mineral compounds.
Melting this layer during the welding produces an inert gas encompassing the weld area. This inert gas
shields the weld by preventing the molten metal from having contact with the surrounding air the
protecting layer of the electrode leaves a slag after the mold has cooled down. The slag can be removed
by peening and brushing.

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

In SAW process, the arc is not visible because the surface of the weld and the electric arc are covered by
a blanket of granular fusible material (Figure 3.2) to protect it from the surrounding air. In this method, a
bare metal electrode is used as filter material. Compared with SMAW, SAW welds provide deeper
penetration. Also, SAW welds show good ductility and corrosion resistance and high impact strength.

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)

In this process the electrode is a continuous wire that is fed from a coil through the electrode holder. The
shielding is entirely from an externally supplied gas or gas mixture. The GMAW process using CO2
shielding is good for the lower carbon and low-alloy steels which are usually used in buildings and
bridges.

Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)

Types of Welds

The two common types of welds in welded steel structures are groove welds and fillet welds.

Fillet welds are much more popular in structural steel design than groove welds.

GROOVE WELDS

Two different types of groove welds are partial Penetration (single- V) groove and full penetration
(double- V) groove weld.

Grove welds can be used when the pieces to be connected can be lined up in the same plane with small
tolerances.

FILLET WELDS

Depending on the direction of the applied load and the line of the fillet weld, fillet welds are classified as
longitudinal or transverse fillet. In longitudinal filled weld, the shear force to be transferred is parallel to
the weld line; in transverse filled weld, the force to be transmitted is perpendicular to the weld line.

MEANING

Filled welds can be either equal-leg or unequal – leg, the intersection points of the original faces of the
steel elements being connected is called the root of the weld. The surface of the weld should have a
slight convexity. In computation of the strength of the weld, however, this convexity is not considered,
and the theoretical flat surface is used. The normal distance from the root to the theoretical flat surface is
used. The normal distance from the root to the theoretical face of the welds are called the throat of the
weld.

Groove welds are used to connect structural members that are aligned in the same plane. If a groove
weld is to transmit the full load of the members they join, the weld should have the same strength as the
pieces joined. Such a groove weld is known as a complete penetration groove weld. When joints are
designed so that groove welds do not extend completely through the thickness of the pieces joined, they
are called partial penetration groove welds.

Plug and Slot Welds

The principal use of plug or slot welds is to transmit shear in a lap joint when the size of the connection
limits the length available for fillet or other edge welds. Slot and plug welds are also useful in preventin
overlapping parts from buckling.
 TYPE OF STRUCTURAL STEEL
THE TERM STRUCTURAL STEEL REFERS TO A NUMBER OF STEELS THAT, BECAUSE OF THEIR ECONOMY
AND DESIRABLE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES, ARE SUITABLE FOR LOAD-CARRYING MEMBERS IN
STRUCTURES.

Three Groups of Hot-rolled Structural Steels for use in Buildings:

1. Carbon steels

used carbon as the chief strengthening element with maximum yield stresses ranging from 220 Mpa
to290 Mpa. An increase in carbon content raises the yield stress but reduces ductility, making welding
more difficult.

2. High-strength low-alloy steels (HSLA)

have yield stresses from 480 Mpa to 840 Mpa. In addition to carbon and manganese, these steels contain
one or more alloying elements such as columbium, vanadium, chromium, silicon, copper, and nickel.

3. Quenched and tempered alloy steels

have yield stresses of 480 Mpa to 690MPa. These steel of higher strength are obtained by heat-treating
low-alloy steels. The heat treatment consist of quenching ( rapid cooling)and tempering (reheating)

PROPERTIES OF STEEL
Yield stress, Fy is that unit stress at which the stress-strain curve exhibits a well-defined increase in
strain (deformation)without an increase in stress.

Tensile strength is the largest unit stress that the materials achieves in a tension test.

Modulus of Elasticity, E, is the slope of the initial straight-line portion of the stress-strain diagram. It is
usually taken as 200,000 Mpa for design calculation for all structural steel.

Ductility is the ability of the material to undergo large inelastic deformations without fracture.

Toughness is the ability of material to absorb energy and is characterized by the area under a stress-
strain curve.
Weldability is the ability of steel to be welded without changing its basic mechanical properties.

Poisson’s ratio is the ratio of the transverse strain to longitudinal strain. Poisson’s ratio is essentially the
same for all structural steels has a value of 0. in the elastic range.

Shear modulus is the ratio of the shearing stress to shearing strain during the initial elastic behavior.

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION

There are three basic types of construction and associated design assumptions permitted and each will
govern in the specific manner the size of members and types and strength of the connection.

Type 1. Rigid-frame ( continuous frame)- assumes that beam-column connections have sufficient
rigidity to hold virtually unchanged the original angles between intersecting members.

Type 2. Simple framing ( unrestrained, free-ended) assumes that insofar as gravity loading concerned
ends of beams and girders are connected for shear only and are free to rotate under gravity load.

Type 3. Semi-rigid Framing ( partially restrained) assumes that the connections of beams and girders
posses a dependable and known moment capacity intermediate in degree between the rigidity of Type 1
and flexibility of Type 2.