Structural Steel Design
Course Code: CIVE324
Chapter 1:
Introduction to Structural
Steel Design
Textbook: Structural Steel Design, LRFD Method, Jack C. McCormack
Instructor: Eng. Sara Alattieh
Dr.Zaid Al-Sadoon, P.hD., P.Eng
Steel as a Structural Material
• The use of steel as a structural material is a function of the state of the
industrial development, the reason for which steel structures emerged at
the post- industrial era.
• Although used for long time, it is important to notice that structural steel
was produced in commercial quantities only in the 18th century.
• The 19th century witnessed the development of high
strength steel; landmark structures were built during this
period. e.g.: Verrazano Bridge and Eiffel Tower.
Eiffel Tower, 1889
height = 324 m
France
Verrazano Bridge, 1964
Center Span= 1298 m
Total length: 4,176 m
USA
Advantages of Steel as a Structural Material
▪ Steel exhibits desirable physical properties that make it ne of the most
versatile structural materials in use.
▪ For its several desirable properties such as its great strength, uniformity,
light weight and ease of erection, steel is proven as an attractive choice for a
range of structural applications such as high-rise buildings, bridges, towers,
space stations, etc,…
Advantageous Properties of Steel
➢ High Strength
➢ Uniformity
➢ Elasticity
➢ Ductility
➢ Toughness
➢ Additions to Existing Structures
➢ Environmental advantages
High Strength
• Structures made of steel have high strength to weight ratio, hence smaller
weight than their concrete counterparts.
Uniformity
• Steel exhibits quite similar behavior
in tension and compression.
• Concrete is much stronger in
compression than tension.
Elasticity
stress – strain curve for steel as
Idealizes stress – strain curve
determined from tensile test
Ductility
• Steel can withstand excessive deformation without failure under high
tensile stresses.
Toughness
• Being highly strong and ductile steel has the ability to absorb energy.
Additions to Existing Structures
• New bays or entire wings can be simply added.
Environmental Advantages
• Steel’s low weight reduces foundation requirement
• Steel can be recycled indefinitely
• Steel is durable is protected from corrosion
Disadvantages of Steel as a Structural Material
• Despite its numerous advantages, In some applications
• concrete can be the suitable option. For example:
• steel columns are susceptible to buckling hence can’t provide the necessary
strength if suitable bracing is not provided, while concrete columns being
efficient in compression would resist buckling very effectively.
• In marine structures, the use of steel necessitates water
• proofing which adds to the total cost.
1. Maintenance Cost: Steel is susceptible to corrosion when exposed to air,
water and humidity therefore needs be painted periodically.
2. Fire Proofing: Due to their common use in industrial buildings such as
storages, air craft hangers, etc… steel structures are much vulnerable to
fire than their concrete counterparts. Fire reduces tremendously the
strength of steel.
3. Brittle Fracture: Under some loading conditions, steel may loose its
ductility and fail in a brittle manner, particularly at stress concentration
regions.
4. Fatigue: Despite its high strength, steel louses its strength dramatically
under cyclic loading. (Only occur when tension is involved)
5. Environmental Disadvantages:
▪ Production of steel is very high energy consuming
▪ Its lightweight results in lower thermal mass compared to concrete,
hence needs more insulation
▪ Susceptible to corrosion:
▪ Corrosion costs up to 4%of
•gross domestic product(GDP) in some
countries
▪ Every 90 seconds , across the world
• 1 tone of steel turns to rust
▪ Corrosion cost the US economy over $1.1 trillion in 2016.
Common Steel Sections
• Structural steel can be classified into tow groups:
• 1. Cold formed steel: The steel is first manufactured in rods or rolls then
the desired shapes and sections are produced through special treatments.
Common Steel Sections
2. Hot rolled steel: The desired sections are
produced directly by pouring the melted iron
into standard moulds. This type of steel
usually contains residual stresses. Most of
structural sections fall under this category, and
the most desirable shapes are those with large
moment of inertia in proportion to their area.
Common Steel Sections
Steel sections are designated based on their
shapes, dimensions and properties. The most
common sections are:
▪ I – sections: Include both the Wide Flange Beams (W – sections) and the
American Standard Beams (S-sections).
Example:
▪ W 14 x 150, a wide flange column with approximately 14 in deep web
and 150 lb per linear foot.
▪ S 17 x 185, a standard beam with approximately 17 in deep web and
185 lb per linear foot.
▪ L – shapes: Include both the equal angle and the unequal angle.
▪ Example: L6x6x ½ designates an angle of equal 6 in legs
and ½ in thickness.
▪ L4x6x3/4 designates an unequal angle of 4 and 6 in legs and 3/4 in
thickness.
▪ HP sections: Bearing pile sections, example HP 12x74 designates a bearing pile section
with 12 in depth and weighing 74 lb per linear foot
▪ Channel sections: include both the prismatic channel sections and the miscellaneous
channel sections. For example, a C 15x30 is a channel section with 15 in depth and a
weight of 30 lb/ft.
Common Structural Steel Shapes
Examples Summary of Structural Shapes (Text)
Examples Summary of Structural Shapes (Text)
Steel Section Terminology
Waterloo International Terminal, striking long-span roof comprised of
tapering tubular trusses (architect: Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners),
Trebilcock, Peter, 2004.
Stuttgart Airport Roof using tubular column ‘trees’ (architect:
Von Gerkan Marg & Partners)- Trebilcock, Peter, 2004.
Modular construction of social housing in London for the
Peabody Trust (architect: Cartwright Pickard Architects)-
Trebilcock, Peter, 2004.
Terri Meyer Boake, 2012
Grades of Steel
A typical stress-strain curve for steel is depicted
below:
However, the behaviour of steel can be greatly
changed by varying the quantities of carbon and
adding other elements such as silicon, nickel,
copper, manganese. A steel thus obtained is referred
as an alloy steel
Grades of Steel…
Based on the proportions of carbon and the additives in the steel, the American
Society for Testing and Materials has classified steel into several major groups:
❖ Carbon Steels: A36, A53 , A500, A501, A529.
❖ High Strength Low Alloy Steel: A572, A618, A913, A992.
❖ Corrosion Resistant, High Strength Low Alloy Steel: A242, A588, A847.
ASTM Specifications
50 ksi steel is the Predominant type.
1 ksi = 6.895 MPa
Questions ?
