Advances in High Strength Structural Steel Hollow Sections

by Dr Jitendra Patel

Publisher - CBMM Technology Suisse S.A., Geneva, Switzerland

Category - Engineering & IT

The use of structural steel hollow sections (from welded tubes) are becoming prevalent in modern steel building construction. Available in both hot-finished and cold-formed finished sections they possess good base mechanical properties, structural behaviour and, architecturally, can provide better aesthetics when compared to other structural sections. Widely available in square, rectangular and round formats, typical minimum yield strengths of 355MPa and 420MPa are easily available for hot-finished and cold-formed sections respectively. Due to their high degree of structural versatility and affording better strength-to-weight ratio than comparable structural products, the construction sector has started to demand for more complex shapes, tighter radius corners, higher strengths and/or thicker walls, greater low temperature toughness (CVNs), improved bucking resistance and even better fire design performance. This paper aims to highlight some of the recent advances that are being made by steel and welded hollow sections producers to address some of these market demands. In particular, attention is given to the growing importance of higher strength micro-alloyed steels, the metallurgical benefits afforded to meet these challenges and their role in both hot-finished and cold-formed finished sections. Attention is also briefly given to the economic consideration presented to structural engineers in selecting hot-finished versus cold-formed finished sections. The paper concludes by presenting some potential metallurgical options to further meet future market requirements, specifically for improved fire design performance.

Please login to borrow the book.