Types of Structural Steel Frames in Buildings
Types of Structural Steel Frames in Buildings
In today’s technologically advanced world, the focus is fixated on developing sustainable elements that are not only harmless to the environment but are also equally efficient. Everybody wants to invest in a structure that requires minimum maintenance on a low budget. In this process, steel as a component, has an important role. It is widely known for being highly corrosion resistant and also upholding enormous load.
Steel is used as a primary raw material in the construction industry. Steel frame is applied as a building technique, assembling horizontal I-beams and vertical columns. It creates a ‘skeleton frame’ that supports the walls, floor and roof of the building. Using steel frame in construction, provides several advantages that makes the structure durable, economical and quick to assemble.
Using steel frame in construction, provides several advantages that makes the structure long lasting without any obstacles. The major advantage is that no pest or insect can affect it. Steel is lighter and stronger than the usual wooden frames, which is important for its durability feature. Being invariable is another important advantage of steel. Harsh effects of weather change can not alter the quality of it, which makes it imperishable.
Steel frames can be of different categories, based on their purpose and manufacturing process. There are mainly three types, such as long span, wall bearing and skeleton frame.
- Long Span: The long span steel frames are used to build massive structures where a wide space is required without any pillar for support. The standard span of it is approximately 12m. It allows multiple installation services making room for more floor space. This technique is widely used in areas where taller arches and heavier loads are required. It is further categorised into 4 types.
- Truss: It is a triangular-shaped formation that helps to carry the roof load and also provide horizontal stability. In this system the connection is made at the nodal point. It is widely implicated in aircraft hangers, auditoriums, theatre, warehouses, etc.
- Girder: It is used as the main horizontal beam that supports the vertically concentrated load. The spanning length of the structure solely depends on it. It usually consists of an I-beam cross section, containing two load-bearing flangers. This technique is often applied in building bridges.
- Arch: The formation can be created as solid or open web arches, such as three-hinged, two-hinged or fixed arches.
- Rigid frame: The rigid steel frame is fabricated to uphold both bending and shear forces. It is formed by connecting straight or curved beams with rigid joining. It is also used as a lengthy frame in the entire extent of the structure, in place of the pins or hinges.
- Wall bearing: Wall bearing technique is mainly used for bearing interior and exterior wall-loads. Masonry walls widely depend on the wall bearing steel frames. The walls are attached by using steel plates and anchor bolts. The lower depth beams provide a clear roof space. It is widely used for building houses to uphold any horizontal load.
- Skeleton frame: A series of steel beams and columns are adjoined together to form a grid like structure that supports the building’s interior floors, exterior walls and carries all loads to the foundations. The most common material used for steel structure building construction is mild steel that can bend without cracking due to its molecular arrangements, increasing its flexibility.
The variants of structural steel framing system are mainly adopted for medium to massive structures, warehouse, aircraft hanger, commercial or residential buildings. Steel frames possess an unmeasurable flexibility that plays an important role incase of any catastrophe like earthquake or ghastly winds. The setbacks of the steel framing system occur usually after an extended use. Its features like durability and flexibility makes it the perfect choice for the modern age construction industry.
Regardless of how good the steel is, it is difficult to guarantee the quality of the steel structure if fabrication problems exist. Therefore, it is important to choose an experienced steel structure manufacturer in order to ensure the quality of the raw materials. Having said that, if you are looking for top steel structure manufacturers, contact Pinax. Taking into account the project’s needs, our industry experts choose appropriate steel, fabricating equipment delivering to you buildings of excellent quality.