Steel Frame structures involve the construction of the skeleton of the building using horizontal and vertical steel members. Mild steel is used for this purpose. Mostly such type of strucutres are used in building high-rise, industrial buildings and factory sheds, temporary structures and huge airports.

Advantages of steel frame construction -

Durability

Steel members made up of mild steel are highly durable and strong and can take upto tons of load in one go without failing.

Ductility

Steel is a very ductile material and its deformation takes place in stages. It doesn’t fail suddenly without getting deformed. So, in case of failure there will be certain time available before the member completely collapses.

Light Weight

As compared to wood and concrete, steel structure is extremely light in weight. A typical steel member is 30-50% stronger than the wood equivalent.

Easy manufacture

Steel member can be easily manufactured in large numbers in the factory.

Variety in sections

They are available in various sizes and sections (I section, C section, T section, etc).  Different types of sections are used depending on the type of building and the amount of load to be carried.

Transportation

Manufactured steel studs can be easily transported from the factory to the site without much of ware and tare and damages.

Faster work

Steel frame structure can be easily assembled on site using different joinery such as welding, bolting, riveting. The time taken to build up a steel structure is very less as to that taken by RCC structure.

Resistant to moisture

Steel members when coated with zinc or undergo powder treatment, become extremely resistant to moisture and water.

Resistant to insects and pest

Structural steel components are not affected by the degrading effects of burrowing insects and mammals unlike problem for wooden framework.

Environment friendly

Trees do not need to be cut down for making these steel components. Thus, steel structures are environmental friendly. Moreover, these structures can be assembled as well as de-assembled on site itself without causing any harm to nature.

Disadvantages of steel frame construction -

Thermal conductivity

The transfer of heat in steel studs is extremely high. This causes a lot of waste of energy. Various measures need to be taken to prevent thermal conductivity in these steel members.

Susceptible to fire

On high temperatures or in case of fire, the steel members are prone to failure. Mostly these steel columns are encased in concrete in order to prevent them from failure.

Requirement of insulation

Proper coating and treatment is necessary on steel members to prevent it from the external weather conditions. Moreover insulation is also required to prevent thermal conductivity and waste of energy.

Prone to corrosion

In marine areas, steel studs are prone to corrosion and lose strength.

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