IMPORTANCE OF STEEL AS A STRUCTURAL MATERIAL

Concrete and steel are two of the most common building materials used today . In major constructions however , the two are seldom as a lone material but in combination with each other. Both construction materials have their own characteristics, properties, advantages and Dis-advantages. The following discussion is about the importance of steel as structural material. Steel and concrete are two of the most dominant building construction materials. Concrete can provide a solid foundation for the weight of the building and steel can hold taller structures up. Steel can help builders create structures with more complex designs. However, advances in technology have reduced a lot of the differences between these building materials. Now why steel is preferred over concrete in constrcting the structures. Following comparison between steel and concrete is explaining this. Steel is frame of choice in about three-quarters of the schemes. Concrete frames cost, on average, 6 % more than the steel frames. Site access seems to influence the choice. 70 % of steel frame buildings were on sites classified as Unrestricted while 50 % of the concrete frame schemes were on Restricted sites. All steel cans are 100% recyclable. They can be recycled over and over again, into anything from cars and bicycles to more steel cans. Steel is the only common metal that will stick to a magnet. Millions of steel cans are collected every day by huge magnets that pull them out of dustbin waste. Every household uses approximately 600 steel cans a year. A Frenchman, Nicolas Appert, invented the steel can in 1810 as a way to preserve food for Napoleons army. Steel is the most recycled metal in the UK and in the world. On the other hand, concrete is not recycleble. Once it settles then either it have to disintegrate or demolish but connot be recycle. Steel structures can take longer to build than concrete structures. However, construction contractors save time by fabricating steel structures off-site. Also, advances in steel fabrication have hastened the steel construction process. Steel building quonset huts played a major role in World War II. Steel warranties and guarantees differ from company to company. But, with advancements hitting the construction scenario big time, companies are so confident about the quality of the kits that they offer, that a minimum of 20 year old warranty is usually offered by decent reliable companies. Steel buildings can be expanded within minimal costs.

Advantages of steel Structurs :Steel offers many advantages to the bridge builder, not only from the material itself, but also from its broad architectural possibilities. The following are some of the advantages that steel can offer.

High quality material Speed of construction Versatility Modification and repair Recycling Durability Aesthetics

High Strength to Weight Ratio The high strength to weight ratio of steel minimises substructures costs, which is particularly beneficial in poor ground conditions. Minimum self-weight is also an important factor in trasnporting and handling components. In addition, it facilitates very shallow construction depths, which overcome problems with headroom and flood clearances, and minimises the length of approach ramps.
The Newark Dyke rail bridge, shown on the left, comprises a 77m span bowstring truss with 820 tonnes of S355 steel. The selection of steel was made because of its high strength to weight ratio, which permitted a shallow construction depth and minimised the total weight to be slid into position. The low self-weight also minimised foundation works adjacent to the existing rail line.

This bridge was the first UK steel bridge to be designed for the next generation of 225 Km/hr trains. High Quality Material Steel is a high quality material, which is readily available worldwide in various certified grades, shapes and sizes. The testing regime carried out at the steel mills should give confidence to all clients and engineers who specify steel for their project.

Prefabrication in controlled shop conditions leads to high quality work at minimum cost. The quality control extends from the material itself and follows on through the processes of cutting, drilling, welding, fit-up and painting. Speed of Construction The prefabrication of components means that construction time on site in hostile environments is minimised. The speed of steel bridge construction reduces the durations of rail possessions and road closures, which minimises disruption to the public using those networks. The light-weight nature of steel permits the erection of large components, and in special circumstances complete bridges may be installed overnight. For example, the Hallen Bridge, is a 500T truss bridge that carries a single-track railway over the M5 near Bristol. Sections were shop-fabricated and transported to site where the bridge was fully assembled off line. The whole structure was then transported into position using multi-wheeled Econofreight vehicles during an overnight closure of the M5. Versatility Steel suits a range of construction methods and sequences. Installation may be by cranes, launching, slide-in techniques or transporters. Steel gives the Contractor flexibility in terms of erection sequence and programme. Components can be sized to suit access restrictions at the site, and once erected the steel girders provide a platform for subsequent operations. Modification & Repair Steel bridges are adaptable and can readily be altered for a change in use. They can be widened to accommodate extra lanes of traffic, and strengthened to carry heavier traffic loads. For example, the Tamar suspension bridge in Plymouth needed widening and strengthening due to increased traffic loads and volumes. The solution was to replace the concrete deck with a new lightweight steel one, and add steel cantilever sections. The result was that the widened 5-lane bridge was only 25 Tonnes heavier than the old 3-lane structure, and was able to accommodate 44 Tonne trucks. Steel bridges can readily be repaired after accidental damage. The photograph (opposite) shows a steel composite bridge over the M5 near Weston that was struck by an over-height lorry. The outer girder was deformed by 400mm over a length of 2.5m, and initially considered Beyond repair. A costly beam replacement scheme would have taken many months and caused severe disruption to the motorway. However, a heat treatment technique, based on the theory of restrained expansion, was proposed by a UK fabricator as a more economic and less disruptive solution. Heat was applied locally in a carefully controlled manner, and over a period of only two days the girder was straightened to within 18mm of its original line. No external forces were applied to bring the girder back on line, and the contract was completed for considerably less than the beam replacement option.

Recycling Steel is a sustainable material. When a steel bridge reaches the end of its useful life, the girders can be cut into manageable sizes to facilitate demolition, and returned to steelworks for recycling. Durability Steel bridges now have a proven life span extending to well over 100 years. The potential durability of steel may be summarised in the following quote by a Mr J.A.Waddell in 1921: The life of a metal bridge that is scientifically designed, honestly and carefully built, and not seriously overloaded, if properly maintained, is indefinitely long.
Steel has a predictable life, as the structural elements are visible and accessible. Any signs of deterioration are readily apparent, without the need for extensive investigations. Corrosion is a surface effect, which rarely compromises the structural integrity of a bridge, and any problems may be swiftly addressed by repainting the affected areas. In addition, the latest coatings are anticipated to last well beyond 30 years before requiring major maintenance.

An alternative form of corrosion protection is the use of weathering steel, as on the Westgate bridges in Gloucester, as shown above left. Aesthetics Steel has broad architectural possibilities. Steel bridges can be made to look light or heavy, and can be sculptured to any shape or form. The high surface quality of steel creates clean sharp lines and allows attention to detail. Modern fabrication methods have removed restrictions on curvature in both plan and elevation. The painting of steelwork introduces colour and contrast, and repainting can change or refresh the appearance of the bridge to appear as new.
Bridges are an essential feature of a countries infrastructure and landscape. Few man made structures combine the technical with the aesthetics in such an evocative way.

This arch-truss bridge connects Incheon international airport to Seoul in Korea (opposite), and has a main span of 540m. Steel was considered the only option for such a high profile site.

Disadvantages of steel:

Heat conductivity. Calculations show that the web of an 18-gauge steel stud is about 31 times thinner than a "two-by" wood stud; however, steel conducts heat 310 times more efficiently than wood. As a net result, a "two-by" steel stud will conduct 10 times more heat than a "two-by" wood stud. Corrosion. Faulty design leads to the corrosion of iron and steel in buildings.

Here are some comments of professionals about steel used as a constructional material, and its advantages in construction. In case of high rise building & industrial projects , if you go for concrete , its cross sections shall be very high. Handling of those sections will be very difficult. In this case steel is cost effective & easily erectable. In fact your construction time will be also shorter.

But in case of smaller structures & 4/5 storeyed residential structures , going for concrete is cheaper. By SHIVENDRA KUMAR JHA, Project Manager Steel is better, more stronger, takes less space, more compatible, more life span as compared to concrete which will be cumbersome for the same strengt. Also the pace or work with steel will be very high. can complete targets within planned period. By vipin a r, QA/QC Engineer, Thai Jurong Engineering Ltd Both steel & concrete have vital role in construction industries, but their usage may be based as per the requirement of the structure:-

Material property: Steel is strong both in tension and compression while concrete in compression and steel take tension part when working with concrete some times compression too. Weight of steel is light compared to concrete Aesthetic condition:
For Architectural purpose

Structural Complexity
Long span beams and cylinder columns

I agree that concrete is more useful especially for developing countries like Ethiopia because it is locally available and constructed by local workmanships hence it makes cost-effective than steel. By Muluken Belayneh, Structural Engineer-Building, GT Consulting Engineers Best reason why steel is better then concrete :

1. Steel can be recycled ,concrete cannot be recycled.

2. In all advanced countries majority of construction consist of metal (steel , aluminium etc.)and glass .They use very less concrete as because concrete causes degradation of environoment as well as pollution and it is not bio degradeable. By gurminder dhir, Associate Vice President ( Marketing), ISMT Ltd. Steel is far ahead of concrete in all case. It is lighter, durable, cost effective in long term & most importantly very safe during construction. By Biranchi Narayan Acharya, Senior Project Manager, Simplex Infrastructures Ltd steel reduces the cross-section area and gives high strength and also will be cheaper for huge structures By Ajay Hulji, Planning Engineer, Pinkcityexpressway.pvt.ltd.

The argument is tricky one !! Almost like which hand is important Left or Right ?

Of course we cannot deny the steel its importance in construction industry. Concrete is also equally important economically. We can have entire structure built-up by steel but for concrete we cannot have the entire structure just made up of concrete (Yes we can have but ...too big sizes...) By Vikas G. Chaudhari, Manager, Larsen & Toubr

Here is the list of some steel producing countries

Crude steel production (million tonnes): Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 World People's Republic of China European Union Japan United States Russia India South Korea Germany Ukraine Brazil Turkey Italy Taiwan Mexico Spain France Canada Country/Region 2007 2008 2009 2010

1,351.3 1326.5 1,219.7 1,413.6 494.9 209.7 120.2 98.1 72.4 53.5 51.5 48.6 42.8 33.8 25.8 31.6 20.9 17.6 19.0 19.3 15.6 500.3 198.0 118.7 91.4 68.5 57.8 53.6 45.8 37.3 33.7 26.8 30.6 19.9 17.2 18.6 17.9 14.8 573.6 139.1 87.5 58.2 60.0 62.8 48.6 32.7 29.9 26.5 25.3 19.7 15.7 14.2 14.3 12.8 9.0 626.7 172.9 109.6 80.6 67.0 66.8 58.5 43.8 33.6 32.8 29.0 25.8 19.6 17.0 16.3 15.4 13.0

17 18 19 20

Iran United Kingdom South Africa Belgium

10.1 14.3 9.1 10.7

10.0 13.5 8.3 10.7

10.9 10.1 7.5 5.6

12.0 9.7 8.5 8.1

Top steel exporter in 2008 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 China Japan Ukraine Germany Russia Belgium South Korea Turkey Italy France United States Taiwan Netherlands Country 56.3 36.9 28.6 28.6 28.4 21.2 19.7 18.5 18.0 17.1 11.9 10.0 10.0 Volume

Conclusions: Brussels - World crude steel production reached 1,414 million metric tons (mmt) for the year

of 2010. This is an increase of 15% compared to 2009 and is a new record for global crude steel production.

As the production of steel is increasing day by day. Its shows the future constructions of the world. In future, with the further advancement in technology, the trend of concrete construction may ends. When the recently faced problems with steel will overcome, then surely Steel will be the mostly world wide used constructional material. Presently, scope of construction with steel in Pakistan is very low. It is due to high costs of steel in Pakistan. But, in future steel may be the mostly used constructional material in Pakistan as well because of its advantages and characteristics.