Professional Documents
Culture Documents
STRUCTURAL STEELWORK
NAKHALI VILLA
Prepared by: PG
SHEPHERD GILMOUR
CONSULTING ENGINEERS
Grosvenor Business Tower
Dubai, UAE
Tel: (+971) (0) 44479765
Fax: (+971) (0) 44479764
1.1 Definitions
"Engineer" shall mean The Shepherd Gilmour Partnership or their Authorised Representative.
Where a Clerk of Works or resident Engineer is employed on the site, they shall be considered
as the Engineer's Representative.
“Client” shall mean the person or company who is commissioning the works and is named as
the “Employer” in the Main Contract.
“Main Contractor shall mean the person named as “The Contractor” in the Main Contract.
"Contractor" shall mean the Structural Steelwork Contractor or Sub Contractor when used in this
Specification.
Where this Specification refers to a British Standard or Code of Practice it shall be understood to
mean the latest edition of that Standard, including all amendments.
If the Contractor has qualified his Tender by the use of the BCSA National Structural Steelwork
Specification (The Black Book), then this is acceptable except where there is a conflict and this
Specification shall apply unless written agreement has been issued by the Engineer.
Unless otherwise stated, the whole of the Steelwork Contract shall comply with BS 5950.
Where the requirements of the British Standard conflicts with Local Authority byelaws or this
Specification, then this specification shall be deemed to apply.
The Contractor shall be deemed to have visited the site prior to tendering and is satisfied as to
the nature of the site, access for plant and materials, accommodation of materials and all other
matters which may affect the amount of the Tender. No claims for extension of time or
additional payment arising from lack of knowledge of the site, or local conditions, will be
considered.
1.7 Sub-Letting
If the Contractor intends to sub-let the works or any part thereof (including drawing office work),
this shall not be done without the written approval of the Engineer. The Contractor shall state in
the Tender which parts of the works it is intended to sub-let and the names of the persons or
firms it is intended to use.
1.8 Insurance
The Contractor shall insure for and indemnify the Client against any loss or claims in respect of
any injury or damage to any person or property in connection with the works. The policy will be
open for inspection by the Client or their Representative, and will provide cover as specified in
the Contract documentation with no maximum limit on the number of claims.
The Contractor shall submit with the Tender an outline programme for the works and shall
indicate within the programme the periods of time allowed for the preparation of general
arrangement drawings, preparation of fabrication drawings, the time required from date of order
to commencement on site, and total on site time to completion of the works. The number of site
visits included for the completion of the works should also be indicated.
The Contractor shall state with the Tender the weight of steelwork inclusive of all necessary
fittings. Unless separate rates and weights are given at Tender stage any subsequent Contract
variations will have costs calculated on a proportional weight basis, using the original Tender
weight and price. Where such variations necessitate alteration to completed steelwork detail
drawings, then such alteration shall be based on an additional cost of 2½% of the tonnage rate
for each new / or amended member where detailed using Strucad or similar and a cost of 5% of
the tonnage rate for each amended member where hand detailed, subject to a minimum charge
of 10% of the rate for one tonne of the relevant steelwork.
Any steelwork which in the opinion of the Engineer is unsatisfactory because it does not comply
with this Specification or accepted good practice shall be removed from the site and shall be
replaced or rectified to the Engineer’s satisfaction at the Contractor's expense.
Inspection by the Engineer shall not relieve the Contractor of his liability for rectifying any
defects in materials or workmanship subsequently found.
1.13 Liaison
In the event of the tenderer being successful in the bid for the Works they shall immediately
assess the Engineers drawings and provide a list of any further or outstanding information
needed to enable commencement of arrangement drawings or computer model and shall visit
the Engineer’s office to discuss the project requirements in detail. Formal technical query
sheets from the Contractor shall be issued electronically by Email and not by fax; such queries
shall be sent to the Engineer’s Project Leader. The Contractor shall allow 5 working days for a
response to queries.
The steelwork subcontractor is to prepare general arrangement plans, sections, and elevations as
appropriate showing sizes of the individual steel members reactions, dimensions, offsets, levels,
setting out etc; and should liase with the Engineer both before and during the preparation of
these drawings. Shepherd Gilmour drawings shall not be used as GA / marking plans.
The drawings shall contain sufficient information to enable the Engineer to establish that they
comply with the specification and design. Prior to the preparation of such drawings the
Contractor shall make arrangements to contact and visit the Engineer to discuss these drawings.
Fabrication drawings shall be prepared by the Contractor on the basis of the arrangement
drawings described above.
The drawings shall be carried out using dimensional and technical formats, which meet with the
detailing and production requirements of the steelwork contractor.
Duplicate copies of all drawings shall be submitted to the Engineer for inspection at least ten
working days before they are required to commence fabrication. Any fabrication prior to this
inspection shall be at the Contractor's own risk. The Engineer shall inspect the drawings to
assess if they comply with the Specification and Engineer's drawings and shall respond within
the 10 day period. This shall not relieve the Contractor of responsibility for any discrepancies,
errors and omissions due to misinterpretation of the Engineer's drawings and calculations.
The Contractor shall be responsible for the accuracy of all dimensions where the steelwork
interfaces with existing construction. The Contractor shall obtain dimensions from site before
preparing working drawings. No dimensions will be checked by the Engineer.
2.4 Connections
Beam end connections are to be flexible end plates, web cleats, or seating cleats unless the
arrangement drawings or associated documentation indicates moments are to be developed in
the connections or indicate if fin plates are acceptable.
The Contractor will be responsible for the design of all connections for the loads and moments
supplied by the Engineer either on the drawings, or by calculation sheets, and shall take into
account all secondary effects such as moments induced by eccentricity of connections.
The Contractor shall provide calculations to substantiate the connections it is proposed to use.
The design of all connections shall take into account any loading due to the Contractor’s erection
plant or erection methods, which are in excess of the design loadings supplied by the Engineer.
If typical details of connections are shown on the Engineer's drawings, the Contractor must
ensure that they are practicable for the method of fabrication and erection proposed and advise
the Engineer of preferred alternative connections.
Where bolts are used for fixing of steel floor plates, centre distances shall not exceed 450mm.
H.S.F.G. bolts, when used, are to be installed with load indicating washers. The washers are to
meet the requirements of and be installed in compliance with BS 7644-1 : 1993.
All bolted connections will be made with a minimum of two bolts. Connections which rely on a
single bolt between two connected members will not be allowed, except at the ends of double
span purlins or side rails, and for tubular bracing using correctly tensioned H.S.F.G. bolts.
Connections, which incorporate both bolting and welding, will not be acceptable.
Site welding, Plasma cutting, or oxy-acetylene burning will not be acceptable without the express
permission of the Engineer, in writing, unless such welding, cutting or burning works are
indicated on the drawings. The Contractor shall provide full Method Statements for all welding,
The Contractor shall include in the Tender for the supply of two hard copies of all final drawings
and a CD copy for record purposes, to form part of the Health & Safety File.
3.0 MATERIALS
3.1 General
All materials to be incorporated in the finished works are to be new and must comply with the
relevant British Standard, and shall be fit for the purpose for which they are intended to be used.
NOTE! All structural hot rolled sections shall be to BS EN 10025-2 unless agreed otherwise and
shall also comply with the EU Directive on Construction Products CPD 89/106/EEC with either
appropriate CE marking or evidence that the steel is compliant.
The following gives the required steel quality for UB and UC Sections.
The steel subgrade has been selected based on standard green book connections with a
minimum K value of 1 for UB’s and 2 for UC sections, to table 3 of BS 5950-1. Should the
contract fabricator detail a connection such that K is less than these values, then the steel
quality should be adjusted to suit.
Sections which are not listed are to be in a compliance with the document ‘Selecting a Suitable
Steel Quality to BS 5950 : 2000:Pt1’, issued by Corus in October 2004.
All structural tubes shall be to BS EN 10210 and shall be S355 grade and J2H quality.
When requested by the Engineer, the Contractor shall supply mill rolling and Test Certificates for
the steel supplied.
All bolts to be incorporated in the finished works are to be zinc plated to BS7371 or sheradized
to BS4921. Bolts used in galvanised construction are to be spun galvanised or otherwise
treated to attain the same resistance to corrosion as spun galvanising.
Where bolts are used in slot holes they shall be provided with a washer under both head and
nut, and shall be provided with lock nuts.
4.0 FABRICATION
4.1 General
Where practical, all welding shall be carried out under cover at the Contractor's fabrication
shops, using jigs and manipulators so that as much of the welding as possible is carried out in a
downhand position. Cleaning of welds shall be carefully carried out using techniques which will
not result in weld damage. Chipping, grinding or mechanical cleaning of welds will not be
permitted other than for removal of weld slag. Where material is located by using tack welds,
then these welds will be cut out such that they are not included in the finished weld.
If requested, welding procedure sheets shall be submitted to the Engineer or Testing Authority
for approval before fabrication commences. The procedures shall be in accordance with BS
EN15609-1:2004 and tested in accordance with BS EN15614-1:2004.
4.4 Identification
Prior to delivery to site, each piece of steelwork shall be clearly marked, indicating its position in
the works, and the direction in which it is to be fixed. Two copies of a complete marking plan
are to be supplied to the Engineer before erection commences.
Where rolled sections are to be used for crane tracks or runways, the section used in each line
of track or rail shall be from the same rolling.
5.0 ERECTION
5.1 General
Steelwork shall be erected to the following tolerances. Erection shall be to “Normal” tolerances
except where “Special” steelwork tolerances are indicated on the drawings.
Erection generally is to be BS 5950:Part 2, but with steelwork tolerances in accordance with the
“National Structural Steelwork Specification” issued by BCSA unless indicated otherwise on the
drawings.
(d) The position of any beam other than crane girders +/- 5 mm
(e) The level of any beam or girder measured at its seatings +/- 5 mm
The top flange of any beam or girder set to a specified camber measured at the point of
maximum camber shall be within a tolerance of +/- 12 mm.
The Contractor will be required to fabricate and deliver the steelwork to site for erection at such
times as may be necessary to suit the Main Contractor's programme and will be responsible for
agreeing such times with the Main Contractor. The Contractor shall supply, in advance of the
steelwork, all necessary foundation bolts, nuts, washers, washer plates and all other holding
down material for casting into the concrete as and when required by the Main Contractor. H.D.
bolt sleeves will be provided by the Main Contractor.
All materials shall be handled, transported and stored by the Contractor in such a way that
mechanical damage to the steel and its protective coating is kept to a minimum. If the material
is to be stored on site, it shall be protected from the weather and carefully stacked with timber
packers in such a way that it is clear of the ground and water cannot accumulate in channel and
beam webs etc. Any protective cover shall allow a free flow of air around the material.
Before commencing erection the Contractor shall ensure that the bases, setting out lines, and
datums are correct.
The Contractor shall use plant and equipment of adequate capacity and of a type suitable for the
work, having regard to the nature of the site, the means of access to the site and any restrictions
on movement about the site, due to excavations for the basements, foundations, services etc.
If the erection plant requires any special provisions such as hard standing, sleeper road, etc., the
extent of the provisions required shall be stated at the time of Tender. The Main Contractor
shall design and provide such hard standings or access roads.
Track laying vehicles shall be used only with the consent of the Engineer and agreement of the
Main Contractor and then only if the intention to use these vehicles was stated at the time of the
Tender.
The erection plant to be used shall be advised to the Enginer and before any plant or equipment
is brought to the site. The Contractor shall inform the Engineer and the Main Contractor of his
intentions and ensure that the site is, in all respects, ready for the erection of the steelwork and
to receive the plant in question.
The Contractor shall provide a competent and experienced Supervisor, resident on site
throughout the erection period, who shall act as the authorised representative of the Contractor.
The Supervisor shall oversee the work and be responsible for all erection procedures. Copies of
all drawings, specifications and other working documents shall be available on site at all times.
Where cutting away of brickwork etc., is required for the erection of new steelwork, the
Contractor shall provide drawings to indicate the position, or if necessary mark out the areas
involved, giving the Main Contractor adequate time for completing the work before the agreed
date for erection.
Erection plant must not be mounted on, nor moved over, any permanent works, without the
consent of the Engineer. The Contractor show that the permanent works will not be
overstressed by the erection plant.
The Contractor shall at no expense to the Contract, replace or rectify to the Engineer's approval,
any material damaged during delivery, unloading, storing, handling and erection.
Oxy-acetylene or plasma cutting equipment must not be used on site without the express
permission of the Engineer. See also 2.7.
After the steelwork has been declared lined, levelled and plumb, and prior to any cladding, wall
construction or floor installation it should be handed over to the Main Contractor for grouting in
of the steel bases and bearings. The Main Contractor shall ensure the space under the steel is
clear of all debris, water and other harmful materials prior to grouting bases and bearings with an
expanding grout such as Conbextra GP.
5.14 Completion
The Contractor shall advise the Engineer, in writing, when the whole or part of the work is
completed on site and handed over to and accepted by the Main Contractor.
6.1 General
The Contractor shall allow the Engineer free access to their fabrication workshops or those of
any Sub-Contractor at all reasonable times for the purpose of inspecting materials and
workmanship. The Engineer may give advance notice to the Contractor of any stage of
manufacture at which it is intended to make inspections, and the Contractor shall inform the
Engineer when these stages are reached, giving sufficient notice to enable the Engineer to visit.
Where specified on the drawings, the Engineer will require the Contractor to make trial
assemblies prior to delivery of any sections of the steelwork it is considered necessary.
All welds shall be visually inspected to BS EN 970. Unless required by the Engineer, further
testing is not necessary where all the following apply:- connections are fillet welded, the leg
length of the weld is less than 10 mm, the greatest member thickness is less than 20 mm, and
material is grade 275 or 355. If these criteria are not met, then testing shall be carried out as
described below.
Where weld testing is required it shall be carried out to the standards and acceptance criteria of
BS 5950-2 Annex A. Shop fillet welds shall be tested by Magnetic Particle Inspection or Dye
Penetrant Inspection if MPI is impracticable to a total of 10% of the total length of the fillet weld.
Shop butt welds shall be tested ultrasonically for 50% of their length. Site welds shall have
100% testing.
If instructed by the Engineer, an Independent Testing Authority may be appointed for the non-
destructive testing of welds. The Contractor shall liase with the Authority's Representative and is
to provide all necessary co-operation, information, facilities etc., and shall set aside an area of
the workshops where testing may be conducted with a minimum of disruption to the fabrication
programme and any other work which may be in progress in the fabrication workshops. The
extent of the weld testing shall be as required by the Engineer with acceptance criteria as BS
5950-2, unless special weld acceptance criteria has been specified on the drawings or other
contract documentation.
When required by the Engineer, the structure or any part thereof, may be load tested to
determine its satisfactory performance. Any load tests carried out by the Contractor shall be in
accordance with BS 5950.
The Contractor shall be reimbursed for the costs involved in carrying out any tests called for
under this Specification, other than lifting beam testing and except the cost of any test which
produces test results not in accordance with the requirements of this Specification, or becomes
necessary due to the Contractor having failed to comply with the requirements of this
Specification, the cost of all such tests shall be borne by the Contractor.
Before fabrication, the steelwork is to be shot-blasted to remove all loose millscale and rust to
give a preparation grade Sa 2½ to BS EN 12944-4 Appendix A. Blast cleaning may be pre or
post fabrication to suit the Fabricator.
All steelwork shall be painted with one coat of high build zinc phosphate primer giving a dry film
thickness of 80 microns or other approved primer to give equivalent protection. The primer
shall be applied within 4 hours except when water based primers are used, in which case the
primer shall be applied within 2 hours. If such priming does not take place within the specified
period, for example when pre-fabrication blast cleaning is adopted, steelwork shall have one
coat of a compatible blast primer applied to prevent deterioration of the surface finish prior to the
application of the specified primer.
Paint shall be stepped back for a distance of 100mm from all site welded areas. Areas to be
encased in concrete, top flange of composite beams, or contact surfaces in connections using
H.S.F.G. bolts are to be left unpainted. Contact surfaces which become inaccessible after
fabrication (e.g. contact surfaces of shop bolted cleats), are to be given two coats of primer and
brought together whilst the paint is still wet. Where pre-fabrication blasting has been adopted,
all burrs, weld spatter etc., are to be removed and damaged areas are to be restored to
Specification prior to final priming.
After erection, all damaged areas are to be cleaned back to bare metal and all rust removed by
hand or with power tools. Where mechanical wire brushing is used, care must be taken to avoid
burnishing of the steel. The affected areas are then to be brought back to Specification by
touching in with high build zinc phosphate or other approved primer, the new coating overlapping
the existing sound paintwork by a minimum of 50mm all round.
All paint shall comply with the appropriate British or European Standard and comply with the
requirements of DEFRA Process Guidance Note PG6/23. The primer shall be stored under
cover in the Manufacturer’s tins and in accordance with any special recommendations made by
All slings and chains for lifting or handling primed steelwork are to be adequately protected so as
to minimise mechanical damage to the primer coating both at the Fabricator’s workshops and on
site.
The Contractor shall ensure at tender stage that the primer complies with Section. 9.2 of this
specification.
8.0 GALVANISING
Fabrication techniques shall be such as to avoid stress relief during galvanising resulting in
member distortion. If the fabricator or galvaniser considers that distortion is likely, then the
Engineer shall be advised and alternative coatings agreed.
Before fabrication, the steelwork is to be shot-blasted to remove rust, millscale and all
deleterious material, to give a preparation grade Sa 2½ to BS EN12944-4. . After fabrication,
all steelwork shall be delivered to the Galvaniser for treatment. The Fabricator shall ensure that
steelwork generally, and tubular assemblies in particular, are fabricated in such a manner as to
facilitate filling, draining, venting etc., of the galvanised steelwork. Cold-formed tubes shall not
be galvanised.
8.2 Treatment
The steelwork is to be pickled in an acid bath, dried and then Hot Dip galvanised in accordance
with BS EN1461 to give a minimum coating thickness of 85 microns.
8.3 Handling
All slings and chains for lifting or handling galvanised steelwork are to be adequately protected
so as to minimise mechanical damage to the galvanised coating.
After erection, all damaged areas are to have all rust removed using hand / power tools. The
affected areas are then to be painted with two coats of “Galvafroid” or similar approved zinc rich
paint, to a thickness equal to that of the galvanised coating.
Fire protection requirements for the structure are not indicated on the Engineer’s drawings, refer
to Architects drawings for protection details. Prior to the application of any primers, the
Contractor should advise the Architect and Engineer of the coating type and manufacturer and
obtain written confirmation of the compatibility of the primer with the Fire Protection System.
Unless indicated otherwise on the Engineer’s drawings, at tender stage the Contractor shall
ensure the steel primer proposed for shot-blasted steel is compatible with Nullifire System S
solvent based coating.
It is assumed that steelwork erection will be carried out by experienced specialist steelwork
erectors.
Where Shepherd Gilmour consider special steelwork erection sequences or methods are
required these will be indicated on the drawings or other contract / tender documentation. Such
sequences and method shall be subject to discussions between the Contractors expert steelwork
erectors and Shepherd Gilmour to enable the Contractor to develop Method Statements to meet
Shepherd Gilmour identified requirements. In all other cases the erection shall be deemed not
to require special erection considerations unless the Contractors expert steel erectors advise
otherwise and as such the Contractor may produce Method Statements without further reference
to Shepherd Gilmour.
Should the Contractor decide that the agreed Method Statements to meet the Engineer’s special
erection requirements are not proving to be safe, then the Contractor shall cease work
immediately and dismantle or stay structure which is giving concern. They shall liase with the
Engineer and agree alternative methods in writing prior to proceeding with alternatives.
The Contractor shall be responsible for the stability of the steelwork during erection and until it is
handed over to the Main Contractor for grouting. The Contractor shall provide any temporary
bracings considered necessary to cover the effects of all temporary stresses and conditions
including those generated by erection equipment and operations. No permanent fixings including
final bolting or welding, shall be carried out until the steelwork has been accurately positioned
and aligned. The Contractor, in conjunction with the Main Contractor, must ensure that any
erection procedures, including those used for positioning precast units, panels, walling etc., do
not distort or otherwise overstress the complete frame, or any part thereof. Where the steel
frame has been designed to be dependent upon roofs, floors, walls, cladding etc., for permanent
stability, the temporary bracing shall not be removed until such time as the permanent stability
elements become effective.
Unless noted on the Engineer’s drawings, the Contractor shall provide foundation bolting / plate
designs and details which incorporate 4 No. holding down bolts and shall resist in the temporary
packed and wedged condition a moment of 25 kNm for free-standing columns up to 10 m high
and 50 kNm for free-standing columns between 10 and 15 m high. Columns higher than this and
columns taller than 10 m with height to minimum width ratio of 50 or more shall be stayed. It is
assumed steel erection will cease at a gust wind speed of 12 m/s and site activity will cease at a
gust wind speed of 18 m/s. Steel erection procedures shall be based on the document ‘BCSA
Guide to Steel Erection in Windy Conditions’. Under no circumstances are any columns to be
erected with only two holding down bolts.
The Steelwork Contractor shall include for the provision of temporary safety rails to the perimeter
of all edges and openings unless otherwise agreed with the Main Contractor in which case this
shall be advised to the Engineer, together with the alternative proposal. These rails shall be
fixed so as not to interfere with the installation of flooring and shall utilise either temporary
sacrificial stubs or alternatively clamps to bottom flanges.
The Contractor shall provide holes in all column flanges at 2.1 metres above floor steel level for
lanyard anchorage to resist a load of 15 kN.
The Engineer will indicate on the drawings or otherwise advise of loads or special lifting
requirements for asymmetric members or components. The Contractor shall liaise with the
Engineer prior to erection of such members or components.
The Contractor shall liaise with the Main Contractor to ensure staircases are erected as work
proceeds or can be erected immediately following completion.
The drawn support works proposals and calculations shall be prepared by an experienced
competent person and submitted for inspection to the Engineer who will assess the proposals for
general compliance with the given loadings and construction parameters. The proposals will not
be checked for technical adequacy. The Main Contractor/Contractor shall allow a period ten
working days in their programme for such inspection.
If, during the installation of the temporary works, construction is discovered which is at variance
with that shown on the drawings then work is to cease immediately and advice sought from the
Engineer.