Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Euro Inox
Nickel Institute
www.nickelinstitute.org
SWISSINOX
Informationsstelle für nichtrostende Stähle
ISBN 2-87997-143-8 www.swissinox.ch
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
Contents
1
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
1 Introduction
Stainless steel is generally selected as a The erection procedure for stainless steel
construction material because of its superi- components needs to be planned in writing,
or corrosion resistance or attractive surface paying particular attention to:
finish in combination with an excellent • the properties of the material and the
strength to weight ratio [1,2]. implications for erection,
This information leaflet outlines good • the conditions on the site,
site practice for erecting or installing both • requirements for special tools or equip-
architectural and structural stainless steel ment,
components. Austenitic stainless steels are • the possible need for trial installation,
almost always the preferred grades for • the stages of erection in relation to other
these applications; however the guidance construction work,
is also applicable to ferritic and duplex • the weight of parts, suitable lifting points
stainless steels. This leaflet amplifies and and any requirement for auxiliary tempo-
explains the mandatory requirements on rary supports or braces.
erection in the forthcoming European stan- It is essential to maintain the corrosion
dard EN 1090 which covers the execution of resistance of stainless steel at each stage of
steel structures [3, 4, 5]. the construction process. As finished stain-
Stainless steel structures can be con- less steel structures are not usually painted
structed on site using welded joints, bolted or treated in any other way, it is also import-
connections or other special mechanical ant that the surface appearance is not
fastening methods. changed or damaged during the manufac-
turing, fabrication, transportation or erec-
tion processes.
A unique combination of
corrosion resistance,
high strength and visual
appeal make stainless
steel an ideal material
for exposed structures.
2
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
2 Site conditions
Erection should only start when the con- • limitations on dimensions or weights of
struction site meets certain safety require- components that can be delivered onto
ments. Relevant issues which need to be the site,
considered include: • details of adjacent structures which may
• adequate access to the site and within the affect the erection process.
site,
• provision and maintenance of hard stand-
ing for cranes and access equipment,
3 Erection planning
3
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
Based on an explicit
erection method state-
ment, stainless steel
structures can be erected
safely and within a mini-
mum of time
4
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
5
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
5 Erection drawings
Erection drawings should show all neces- For cold formed members and sheeting,
sary details concerning the fixing of steel or installation drawings are necessary to con-
bolts to the foundations, methods of adjust- vey information such as the type of fasten-
ment, the fixing of stainless steelwork and ers and washers and sequence of fasten-
bearings to their supports and welding, if ings including special installation notes for
used during erection. They should also the type of fasteners (e.g. drilled hole diam-
show details and arrangements of any eter and minimum torque). Information
steelwork or other temporary works neces- such as seam and sidelap joints and the
sary for erection purposes to ensure the location of expansion joints should also be
stability of the construction or the safety of included.
personnel.
6 Tolerances
Stainless steel is usually used in an exposed tighter tolerances may be needed for stain-
manner for architectural reasons. This less steel structures. PrEN 1090-2 [4] con-
implies that slacker tolerances for carbon tains tables of erection tolerances given as
steel which can be overcome by shims or a permitted deviations for the nodal positions
little forced fit may not be so acceptable in and straightness/flatness of erected
many stainless applications. Therefore, components. These are divided into two
classes. Whilst both classes should meet the
dimensional criteria necessary for stability
of the structure, the tighter tolerance class
may be specified if more accurate fit-up is
required for other reasons.
The thermal expansion of austenitic stain-
less steels is approximately 50% more than
that for carbon steel [7]. Due consideration
should be given to the thermal expansion of
large stainless steel structures both in
specifying erection tolerances and in
checking them on frame completion.
As stainless steel struc-
tures are usually visible
and the visual surface
quality is important,
tight tolerances have to
be respected.
6
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
7
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
Steel components damaged during off- porary stiffening devices to maintain indi-
loading, transportation, storage or erection vidual member stability during lifting.
need to be restored to conformity. For stain- Sleeved slings will assist, but dedicated lift-
less steel components, it may prove difficult ing points integrated into the structure are
to undertake the specialist correction work a better solution.
necessary on site, thus necessitating the All handling equipment should be
return of the damaged component to the cleaned shortly prior to its use with stain-
fabrication works, or even its replacement. less steel components. It is therefore advis-
Hence, the emphasis is on using sound han- able to plan and schedule the handling of
dling methods to minimise the likelihood of stainless steel components because, if han-
damage in transit. dling equipment is used on an uncontrolled
basis, this cleaning is often neglected and
Plastic slings on the lift-
ing gear and film protec-
contamination results.
tion of the stainless steel Stainless steel should be protected from
components prevent fer- direct contact with carbon steel lifting tackle
rous contamination and
or handling equipment such as chains,
mechanical damage
hooks, strapping and rollers or the forks of
fork lift trucks by the use of isolating mater-
ials such as light plywood or suction cups.
These requirements should be developed
into work instructions for site lifting oper-
ations that can be appended to the erection
Thin gauge cold formed components and method statement, and used to brief the
sheeting may be particularly prone to edge site team.
damage, twisting or distortion if handled as Contact with chemicals, including dyes,
individual items. Hence they are often best glues, adhesive tape, undue amounts of oil
packaged into bundles for transit, as nested and grease should be avoided. If it is neces-
components are likely to be more robust. sary to use them, their suitability should be
However, care should be taken to avoid either checked with their manufacturer, or
localized damage to unstiffened edges at tested by applying them to a trial piece of
lifting points or other zones where the total equivalent stainless steel.
weight of the bundle is imposed on a single There can be certain health hazards in
unreinforced edge. lifting stainless steel components in that
Completed stainless steel members are the cut edges may be rather sharp. If this
likely to be slender increasing the likeli- hazard cannot be avoided by protecting the
hood of localised damage from single point cut edges, it should be identified when the
lifting of long components. As is common- erection and handling methods are devel-
place with comparable carbon steel struc- oped and suitable protective equipment
tures, consideration should be given to the issued to site personnel.
use of spreader beams and additional tem-
8
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
9
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
Colour
Stainless steel and carbon steel can be of
similar colour, for example when freshly
machined, cut or abraded and, in such
conditions, are difficult for the untrained
eye to tell apart.
Magnetism
Ferritic and duplex grades of stainless
steel are magnetic. Austenitic grades of
Easy-to-use electro- stainless steel in the annealed (softened)
chemical test methods
state are not magnetic, though they have
are available to find
out whether a stain-
a tendency to exhibit some magnetic
less steel grade is properties when they are cold worked.
molybdenum-contain- The partial magnetic attraction exhibited
ing (left) or not (right).
by components with complex shapes is
usually non-uniform, and is more marked
at formed corners or near drilled holes or
machined faces. This uneven distribution
is often useful in confirming the steel as
For a complete analy- an austenitic type because this variation
sis of the alloy,
in attraction to a magnet does not occur
special hand-held
devices are available, with other stainless steels, carbon steels
which indicate its che- or metals like aluminium.
mical composition.
Corrosion resistance
A large drop of tap water left on a steel
surface overnight will normally produce
rust staining on a carbon or low alloy
steel, but not on stainless steel.
10
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
11
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
8 Erection methods
The erection of the steelwork should be car- All temporary bracing and temporary
ried out in accordance with the erection restraints should be left in position until
method statement, ensuring stability at all erection is sufficiently advanced to allow
times. their safe removal.
Stainless steel structures generally Each part of the structure should be
require no special erection techniques pro- aligned as soon as practicable after it has
vided care has been taken in the fabrication been erected, and final assembly complet-
process to ensure that the members are ed as soon as possible after that.
straight and free from excessive weld dis- Permanent connections should not be made
tortion at the connection (otherwise site fit- between components until a sufficient part
up problems will arise with attendant of the structure has been aligned, levelled,
expensive site-correction costs). Through- plumbed and temporarily connected to
out the erection of the structure, the steel- ensure that components will not be dis-
work should be made safe against tempor- placed during subsequent erection or align-
ary erection loads, including those due to ment of the remainder of the structure.
erection equipment or its operation and Alignment of the structure and lack of fit
against the effects of wind loads on the in connections may be adjusted by the use
unfinished structure. of shims. Shims should be secured where
they are in danger of coming loose. For
stainless steel structures, shims should be
made of stainless steel. They should have
similar durability to that of the structure
The erection techniques
used for stainless steel and be of a minimum thickness of 2 mm if
structures are essentially used in an external environment. If shims
the same as those for are used to align structures composed of
carbon steel structures
coated material, the shims should be
protected in a similar manner to provide
the specified durability.
12
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
9 Site welding
10 Surface protection
Surface protection may be specified to pro- walling and cladding panels, it is essential
tect the surface from superficial damage for the surface to be effectively protected.
and prevent contamination during fabri- Unlike with carbon steel, surface defects
cation, transportation, on-site storage and cannot be disguised by a coat of paint. This
erection. Surface protection will minimize is particularly important for textured,
and sometimes completely eliminate the coloured or painted surfaces as on-site
need for cleaning before handover. repair of defects is not usually possible.
Components, for which appearance is Properly planned work instructions in
unimportant, such as concealed structural method statements are very important, and
applications, need minimal surface protec- operatives must be competent with experi-
tion. Superficial damage is less critical and ence of handling and installing such com-
may not necessarily lower the resistance to ponents.
atmospheric corrosion of the stainless Surface protection usually takes the form
steel. Contamination, particularly by car- of an adhesively applied plastic film. The plas-
bon steel, will cause staining as the carbon tic film needs to be easy to apply, effective
steel particles rust. Unless the associated and removable without leaving deposits on
deterioration in appearance is of concern, the surface. The film manufacturer’s advice
little protection is required other than fol- should be sought on the choice of film mater-
lowing general good practice. ial, type of adhesive and the maximum time
For stainless steel components where that can be allowed before removal of the
appearance is crucial, such as curtain film. Prolonged exposure to heat, sunlight
13
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
or pressure can make stripping the film diffi- • mechanical protection standards
cult and cause adhesive to be retained on required to cater for the amount of hand-
the stainless steel surface, leading to conse- ling and associated abrasion or impacts
quent cleaning problems. This becomes a in the workshop, during transportation
greater concern if the building is located in a and on site
region of the world which experiences high • protection against airborne and water-
levels of sunlight. borne pollutants, such as alkaline con-
Film manufacturers give typical warranty crete dust arising on site or acid rainfall
periods of 6 months against both the deteri- • requirement to withstand degradation by
oration of the glue and the plastic (span- UV light during storage and after installa-
ning from production at the coating manu- tion
facturers to removal on site). • type of surface to be protected (the adhe-
sion level required is related to the sur-
face contact area and steel thickness)
• cost.
In special cases the likelihood of physical
damage arising from other construction
operations can be minimised by screening
the location and designating an exclusion
zone around it, perhaps with a permit to
work procedure if other operations do have
to take place within the zone.
For exterior applications, It is generally advisable to specify the Protective films may have been applied to
the protective film
lowest level of adhesion possible to satisfy the surface of the stainless steel to assist
should be of a UV resist-
ant type, which remains
the project’s requirements. If previous lubrication and protection during forming
intact and does not tear experience is not available to assist such and fabrication. Films for use on architec-
easily (left). Protective decisions, trial specimens can be prepared tural components must be suitable for
plastic film for interior
and tested in simulated conditions. remaining on the surface for an extended
use, which is exposed to
sunlight for an extended
If construction work is continuing around period of time without deteriorating upon
period of time, can the finished stainless steel structure after exposure to external atmospheres and sun-
become difficult to strip the coating has been stripped off, consider- light. In some cases, for example thicker or
leaving traces of adhe-
ation should be given to applying a new heavier components, a double layer of film
sive on the stainless
steel surfaces, which are
adhesive film in vulnerable areas until all may be applied to afford additional protec-
time-consuming to adjacent construction work is complete. tion.
remove (right). There is a close relationship between film Localized removal of the film may be
and adhesive type, adhesion level and film required to allow local welding, but these
thickness. The following factors need to be areas should be re-covered with patches of
considered when determining the most comparable film material, after cleaning.
cost-effective combination: The film should be kept in place for as long
as possible, total film removal preferably
14
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
If the stainless steel forms part of the ‘hid- A typical procedure for cleaning cold rolled
den’ structure, any cleaning, if required, will (2B) stainless steel is:
be minimal. However, deposits of dirt, or • Rinse with water to remove loose dirt.
any contamination, should be still removed • Wash with water containing soap, deter-
from the surface of the steel. gent or 5% ammonia, using a soft, long
Stainless steel surfaces which have been fibre brush if necessary.
protected by an adhesive film do not nor- • Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
mally require cleaning. • If required, remove with water with over-
If stainless steel surfaces have not been lapping strokes, working from top to
protected by an adhesive film or have been bottom.
left exposed for a time after removal of the Any cleaning materials or brushes used
film, then they should generally be cleaned must not contain or produce chlorides.
prior to handover in order to achieve When cleaning polished surface finishes,
maximum corrosion resistance and the cleaning movement should be in the
aesthetic appeal. same direction as the grain.
Different cleaning procedures are fol- If iron contamination is suspected, it can
lowed depending on the surface finish, cor- be detected and removed on site; ASTM
rosion risk and function of the component. A380 [11] gives a suitable detection
These procedures should be set out in work method. Embedded iron can be removed by
instructions appended to the general erec- either pickling or passivation. Both are
tion method statement. carried out after degreasing (removing oil,
15
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
grease and other organic contamination). bouring stainless steel components such as
Many of the cleaning techniques used for skirting boards or kick plates are installed.
bare stainless steel should not be used on Otherwise, special measures will be needed
chemically coloured/painted stainless to control run-off from wet trades taking
steel, as the colouring systems are more place in areas adjacent to and above loca-
delicate than the steel surface. Specific tions where stainless steel components are
advice should be sought from suppliers. installed. Grouting of structural compon-
Site repair of these finishes is not usually ents made of stainless steel will bring
possible, and therefore the planning of hand- alkaline products directly into contact with
ling and installation needs to be especially them, and the implications of this will need
thorough to prevent damage arising. to be addressed.
The strong acid (chloride-based) solutions Care must be taken to ensure that any
sometimes used to clean the masonry and cleaning materials or rinsing agents used
tiling of buildings should not be permitted do not adversely affect surrounding mater-
to come into contact with any metal, includ- ials e.g. blockwork, other metals, insulation
ing stainless steel. If such contamination or caulking compounds [12, 13].
does happen, the acid solution must be
washed off immediately with large amounts
of water. If practical, operations should be
sequenced so that any ceramic tile fixing
and cleaning is completed before neigh-
Localized rust staining was caused by iron particles from a disc, which had previously been used on carbon steel
(left). If ferrous contamination has occurred, it can be removed by on-site pickling (right) [12]
16
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
If dissimilar metals are in contact with mois- should be agreed with the stainless steel
ture present, then there is a risk of bimetal- supplier. However, these methods can be
lic corrosion. To avoid this risk, direct con- difficult to install reliably and require care-
tact between stainless steels and other ful attention to detail. The figure overleaf
metals and alloys should be avoided, if pos- shows an isolation detail at a bolted con-
sible. If dissimilar metal contact cannot be nection, accompanied by installation notes.
avoided, then it is general good practice to It is essential to use stainless steel fas-
provide insulation between the materials, teners for connecting stainless steel com-
although this is not always necessary in ponents (cf. box overleaf).
benign environments, and in some cases is If stainless steel is to be welded to car-
impractical. As an alternative, it may be bon steel, the corrosion protection applied
possible to circumvent the risk of corrosion to the carbon steel component or structure
by preventing the ingress of water that must continue over the cleaned weld zone
might otherwise act as the electrolyte. and extend at least 20 mm onto the stain-
The method adopted to avoid electrolytic less steel, with the layers of a coated appli-
contact or prevent ingress of water will cation suitably lapped over.
depend on the detail in question and
17
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
Installation notes:
1. During assembly it is important to install the 5. After alignment, the holes in the plates to be
insulating materials as detailed and to avoid attached should be checked to ensure that
damaging them. they are sufficiently well aligned not to damage
the insulating bush around the barrel of each
2. In general, the bolt assembly will be one of bolt as they are inserted.
several in a connection joint. In that case the
connection should be carefully aligned first 6. The detail adopted should ensure that there
using suitable metal drifts or podger span- is sufficient clearance between the bolt bar-
ners. rel itself and the internal diameter of the
holes to accommodate the thickness of the
3. If the bolt assembly is used singly, the con- insulating bush after allowing for adverse
nection cannot be both aligned and held in manufacturing tolerances and some residual
position using a metal drift or podger span- lack of perfect alignment between the holes
ner. In that case, some other means needs to in the plates to be connected. This may be
be adopted to hold the connected parts in checked in a trial assembly of a typical con-
alignment whilst the single bolt is inserted. nection in the works before commencement
It is not acceptable to force the connection on site
into alignment by driving home the bolt itself
as this will damage the insulating bush 7. Immediately after each bolt assembly is com-
around the bolt barrel. pleted it should not be fully tightened until
all bolts in the connection are in position.
4. Prior to bolt installation, the insulating gas- Then the bolts should be tightened in a con-
kets at each bolt location will need to have trolled sequence starting from the centre of
been positioned already. This may require the bolt group and moving outwards.
that the gaskets are secured in their pos-
Stainless steel washers
and insulating bushes itions by adhesive that will not damage the 8. Care needs to be taken not to over-tighten
interrupt the galvanic long term integrity of the gasket material. the bolts as this may result in the insulating
couple and prevent
gaskets and washers being squeezed and
bimetallic corrosion
damaged. Control of the applied torque may
necessitate the use of a calibrated wrench,
or it may be possible to develop a careful
Stainless steel
bolt and nut procedure based on practice on a trial
Insulating washer assembly using a suitably-sized spanner.
Stainless steel washer
18
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
13 Cladding installation
The combination of sheet metal from different batches The use of stainless steel from the same supplier and
may lead to inconsistency in visual appearance from the same batch ensures consistency of the sur-
faces.
19
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
20
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
21
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
14 Fasteners
22
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
23
ERECTION AND INSTALLATION OF STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS
15 References
[1] CUNAT, Pierre-Jean, “Stainless Steel as a Lightweight Material for the Building
Envelope”, Proceedings of the conference Stainless Steel in Structures, Brussels: Euro
Inox, 2000; also available online at www.euro-inox.org
[2] Design Manual for Structural Stainless Steel, Third Edition (Building Series, Vol. 11),
Luxembourg / London: Euro Inox and The Steel Construction Institute, 2006
[3] prEN 1090 – 1 Steel and aluminium structural components. General delivery conditi-
ons, September 2004.
[4] prEN 1090 – 2 Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures. Technical requi-
rements for the execution of steel structures, April 2005.
[5] ENV 1090 – 6, Execution of steel structures. Supplementary rules for stainless steel,
January 2000
[6] prEN 1991, Actions on Structures, Part 1-6: General Actions. Actions during execution
[7] Tables of Technical Properties (Materials and Applications Series, Volume 5),
Luxembourg: Euro Inox 2004; also available as a searchable online data base at
www.euro-inox.org
[8] A visual demonstration of good practice is shown in the video Stainless Steel against
Corrosion, available from Euro Inox on CD-ROM and DVD
[9] EN 1011-3, Welding. Recommendations for welding of metallic materials. Arc welding
of stainless steels, CEN, 2000
[10] CUNAT, Pierre-Jean, Welding Stainless Steel (Materials and Applications Series,
Volume 3), Luxembourg: Euro Inox 2000
[11] ASTM A 380, Practice for cleaning and descaling stainless steel parts, equipment and
systems, ASTM, 1994
[12] CROOKES, Roger, Pickling and Passivating Stainless Steel (Materials and Applications
Series, Volume 4), Luxembourg: Euro Inox 2004
[13] The Cleaning and Maintenance of Stainless Architectural Finishes, Luxembourg: Euro
Inox 2002
[14] BS PD 6484, Commentary on corrosion at bimetallic contacts and its alleviation,
British Standards Institute, 1980
[15] BS EN 10088-1, Stainless steels. List of stainless steels, CEN 2005
[16] BS EN 10088-2, Stainless steels. Technical delivery conditions for sheet/plate and
strip of corrosions resisting steel for general purposes, CEN 2005
[17] EN ISO 3506, Mechanical properties of corrosion-resistant stainless-steel fasteners.
Part 1: Bolts, screws and studs, Part 2: Nuts, CEN, 1998
24
ISBN 2-87997-143-8
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