In modern cities, there are many thousands of structures and buildings
that are used as places of residence and business alike. Some of these
structures tower hundreds of feet above the streets they are situated
adjacent to, and have a majestic appearance among the lower surroundings.
These colossal symbols of human ingenuity could not possibly exist
without an equally colossal amount of framing and plating. All buildings
must have a frame like this to hold its own weight against the earth's
gravity. As a result, many manufacturing companies have risen to meet the
structural requirements of those who wish to build structures. Many
metals have been used to forge these structural necessities with,
although the most cost-effective solution to make structure supplies with
is now steel. This alloy is not very expensive and offers excellent
strength at the same time. Steel is formed into many different parts for
structures, and many buildings' framework is 100% composed of steel.
Possibly the most common and important usage of steel in a structural
environment is for beams. Steel beams, when bolted or welded together,
are the basic units for constructing the inner framework of almost all
buildings. One of the sturdiest types of steel beams is the I-beam, which
is named because it looks like the serif letter -œI-•. I-beams have two
flanges (the serifs), and a web (the center section), and the flanges act
as a pressing surface for large amounts of weight, or other I-beams. The
web is what makes the I-beam such an effective design - a vertically-
oriented thin strip of steel sealed between the two flanges very strongly
supports vertical forces on the beam. Steel I-beams are capable of
handling twisting and bending very well, and thus make very effective
building support elements. Steel is used for more than just one type of
beam, however. S-beams are very similar in design to I-beams, as they are
also called S-section I-beams. The only difference between the I-beam and
S-beam is that the inner edges of the flanges are rounded instead of
square, giving the cross-section the appearance of the upper half of a
letter -œS-•. Many steel manufacturers have grown very fond of this
structural design because it is one of the most structurally effective
beam designs known for constructing solid buildings.
Other elements of buildings are comprised of steel as well. Building
foundations constructed out of concrete simply are not stable enough for
buildings that are hundreds of feet tall. So, steel rods are welded
together into a lattice shape to enhance the tensile strength of the
concrete slab that the building will be resting on. These rods are
commonly referred to as rebar, which is a portmanteau of the words -
œreinforcement-• and -œbar-•, and is named such for the large amount of
reinforcement the rods provide when sealed into a concrete slab as a cage
or lattice structure. Some warehouse-type buildings even use ribbed steel
sheets for their roofing. Steel manufacturers find that construction
companies are some of their largest customers because of the many uses
they have for the metal, and for the price, it offers the best strength
and resistance to extreme conditions. Al Rat is a Houston native who
simply loves writing. I enjoy writing articles about anything and
everything that interests me - I hope others will be interested too!
For more information on structural steel tube, beams, plate and more,
check out my favorite structural steel supplier, Metals Supply Co., at
www.metalssupply.com
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