CENGR 520_ STRUCTURAL STEEL DESIGN

LEARNING MODULE #1

INTRODUCTION
 STRUCTURAL STEEL

The term structural steel refers to a number of steel that, because of their economy and desirable
mechanical properties, are suitable for load-carrying members in structures. The customary way to
specify a structural steel is to use an ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) designation.
For ferrous metals, the designation has the prefix letter “A” followed by two or three numerical digits
(e.g. ASTM A36, ASTM A514)

There are three groups of hot-rolled structure steels for use in buildings.
• Carbon steels use carbon as chief strengthening element with minimum yield stresses ranging from
220 MPa to 290 MPa. An increase in carbon content raises the yield stress but reduces ductility, making
welding more difficult.
• 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.
• Quenched and tempered alloy steels have yield stresses to 480 MPa to 690 MPa. These steels of
higher strength are obtained by heat-treating low-alloy steels. The heat treatment consists of
quenching (raid cooling) and tempering (reheating).

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 ASTM DESIGNATIONS
Material conforming to one of the following standard specifications is approved for use according to
Section 501.3.1.1 of NSCP:
Structural Steel, ASTM A36
Pipe, Steel, Black and Hot-dipped, Zinc-coated Welded and Seamless Steel Pipe, ASTM A53,
Grade B
High-strength Low-alloy Structural Steel, ASTM A242
High-strength Low-alloy Structural Manganese Vanadium Steel, ASTM A441
Cold-formed Welded and Seamless Carbon Steel Structural Tubing in Rounds and Shapes,
ASTM A500
Hot-formed Welded and Seamless Carbon Steel Structural Tubing, ASTM A501
High-yield Strength, Quenched and Tempered Alloy-Steel Plate, Suitable for Welding, ASTM
514
Structural Steel with 290 MPa Minimum Yield Point, ASTM A529
Steel, Sheet and Strip, Carbon, Hot-rolled, Structural Quality, ASTM A570 Grade 275,310
and 345
High-strength Low-alloy Columbium-Vanadium Steels of Structural Quality, ASTM A572
High-strength Low-alloy Structural Steel With 345 MPa Minimum Yield Point to 100 mm
Thick, ASTM A606
Hot-formed Welded and Seamless High-strength Low-alloy Structural Tubing, ASTM A618
Structural Steel for Bridges, ASTM A709
Quenched and Tempered Low-alloy Structural Steel Plate With 483 MPa Minimum Yield
Strength to 100 mm thick. ASTM A852 3
 ASTM DESIGNATIONS

NOTE:

Certified mill test reports or certified reports of tests made by the fabricator or testing laboratory
accordance with ASTM A36 or A568, as applicable and the governing specification must constitute
evidence of conformity with one of the above ASTM standards. Additionally, the fabricator must
provide an affidavit stating structural finished meets requirement of the grade specified.

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 PROPERTIES OF STEEL
YIELD STRESS (Fy )
Unit tensile stress at which the stress-strain curve exhibits a well-defined increase in strain
(deformation) without an increase in stress.

TENSILE STRENGTH (Fu)

Largest unit stress that the material achieves in a tension test.

MODULUS OF ELASTICITY (E)

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
Ability of the material to undergo large inelastic deformations without fracture.

TOUGHNESS
Ability of the material to absorb energy and is characterized by the area under a stress-
strain curve.

WELDABILITY
Ability of steel to be welded without changing its basic mechanical properties.
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 PROPERTIES OF STEEL
POISSON’S RATIO (µ)
Ratio of the transverse strain to longitudinal strain. Poisson’s ratio is essentially the same for
all structural steels and has a value of 0. in the elastic range.

SHEAR MODULUS
Ratio of the shearing stress to shearing strain during the initial elastic behavior.

Typical Properties of A36 Steel

Modulus of Elasticity (E) 200,000 Mpa
Yield strength (Fy ) 248 Mpa
Tensile strength (Fu) 400 Mpa
Endurance strength 207 Mpa
Density (ρ) 7780 Kg/m³
Poisson’s ratio (µ) 0.3
Shear modulus 77,200 Mpa
Coefficient of thermal expansion (α) 11.7 x 10^6 / ⁰C

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 STRUCTURAL SHAPES
Structural steels are available of many shapes. The dimension and weight must be added to the
designation to uniquely identify the shape.
e.g. W 40 x 436 refers to W-shape with an overall depth of approximately 40 inches (1000 mm) that
weighs 436 lb/ft (640 kg/m).

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 STRUCTURAL SHAPES

Structural Shape Designation

Wide flange beam (I-beam) W
American standard beam S
Bearing piles HP
Miscellaneous (shapes that cannot be classified as
M
W, S, or HP)
Channel C
Angle L
Structural tee (cut from W or S or M) WT or ST
Structural tubing TS
Pipe Pipe
Plate PL
Bar bar

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 STRUCTURAL SHAPES
Combined Sections
Sections that are made up of combining to basic structural shapes. Also refer to as Built-up
sections.

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 TYPES OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION

There are three basic types of construction and associated design assumptions permitted, and each will
govern in a specific manner the size of members and the types and strength of their connections:

Type 1, commonly designated as rigid-frame (continuous frame), assumes that beam-column

connections have sufficient rigidity to hold virtually unchanged the original angles between intersecting
members.

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

Type 3, commonly designated as semi-rigid framing (partially restrained), assumes that the connections
of beams and girders possess a dependable and known moment capacity intermediate in degree
between rigidity of Type 1 and the flexibility of Type 2.

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 LOADS AND STRESSES
Structures are designed to resist many types of loads including dead loads, live loads, wind loads, and
earthquake loads. The complete design must take into account all effects of these loads, including all
applicable load combinations.
DEAD LOAD and LIVE LOAD

The dead load to be assumed in design consists of the weight of steelwork and all material permanently
fastened or supported by it.

The live load must be that stipulated by the applicable code under which the structure is being
designated or that dictated by the conditions involved.

WIND AND SEISMIC STRESSES

Allowable stresses may be increased 1/3 above the values otherwise provided when
produced by wind and seismic loading, acting alone or in combination with the design dead and live
loads, provided the required section computed on this basis is not less than that required for the design
dead and live load and impact (if any) computed without the 1/3 stress increase and further provided
that stresses are not otherwise required to be calculated on the basis of reduction factors applied to
design loads in combinations.

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 LOADS AND STRESSES
IMPACT LOADS

For structures carrying live loads which induce impact, the assumed live load must be increased
sufficiently by the percentages provided in Table shown below:

Impact loading factors

Support for; Live load increase
Elevators 100%
Cab-operated traveling crane support girders and their 25%
connections
Pendant-operated traveling crane support girders and
10%
their connections
Light machinery, shaft or motor driven 20%
Reciprocating machinery or power driven units 50%
Hangers supporting floors and balconies 33%

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 End of MODULE#1

References:
• NATIONAL STRUCTURAL CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES (NSCP 5th edition).
• NATIONAL STRUCTURAL CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES (NSCP 6th edition).
• FUNDAMENTALS OF STRUCTURAL STEEL DESIGN (ASD 2001 NSCP). DIT gillesania

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