Susan DeSilva
CHARACTERISTICS OF STEEL STRUCTURE

1. THE STEEL IS TOUGHNESS, GOOD PLASTICITY, UNIFORM MATERIAL.

Steel is high structural reliability, suitable for bearing impact and dynamic loads, and excellent seismic performance.

The internal structure of the steel is uniform, close to an isotropic homogeneous body.

The actual working performance of the steel structure is more in line with the calculation theory.

Therefore, the steel structure has high reliability.

Compared with concrete and wood, the ratio of density to yield strength is relatively low.

Thus, under the same stress conditions, the steel structure has a small section, lightweight, convenient transportation, and installation, and is suitable for large spans, high heights.
2. THE STEEL STRUCTURE IS HEAT-RESISTANT AND NOT FIRE-RESISTANT.

When the temperature is below 150°C, the properties of the steel change little. Therefore, the steel structure is suitable for hot workshops, but when the surface of the structure is exposed to the heat of about 150°C, it should protect by heat insulation panels.

When the temperature is between 300℃ and 400℃, the strength and elastic modulus of the steel will decrease significantly, and the strength of the steel will tend to zero when the temperature is around 600℃.

In buildings with special fire protection requirements, the steel structure must be protected by refractory materials to improve the fire resistance level.
3. THE STEEL STRUCTURE HAS WEAK CORROSION RESISTANCE.

Especially in the environment of the humid and corrosive medium, it is easy to rust.

Generally, steel structures must be de-rusted, galvanized, or painted, and regularly maintained.

For offshore platform structures in seawater, special measures such as “zinc block anode protection” are required to prevent corrosion.
4. THE HIGH DEGREE OF MECHANIZATION OF STEEL STRUCTURE MANUFACTURING AND INSTALLATION.

Steel structural components are natural to manufacture in factories and assembled on site.

The factory mechanized manufacturing of steel structural components has high precision, high production efficiency, fast site assembly, and a short construction period.

The steel structure is the most industrialized.
5. HIGH STRENGTH AND SEISMIC RESISTANCE

Compared with ordinary reinforced concrete structures, steel structures are superior in inhomogeneity, high strength, fast construction, good seismic resistance, and high recycling rate.

Steel has many times higher strength and modulus of elasticity than masonry and concrete, so the mass of steel members is light under the same load conditions.

From the aspect of being destroyed, the steel structure is a flexible damage structure with large deformation foreshadowed in advance, which can detect the danger in advance and thus avoid it.