All You Need to Know About Structural Steel and Its Relevance in Residential Construction
Posted on: 10 February 2021
When most people outside of the construction industry think of steel structures, they either envision shed-like buildings characterised with corrugated roofing or large commercial skyscrapers with metal and glass finishes. While structural steel is versatile enough to suit both these applications, this is not the breadth of its usability.
This material has steadily made its way into residential construction. You may be surprised to learn is that even if a house is made of brick, concrete and so on, it can still be built on a structural steel frame. This means you do not have to sacrifice your preferred aesthetic to employ this building material in your project. Here is all you need to know about structural steel and its relevance in residential construction.
What is structural steel?
In basic terms, structural steel is an alloy that is renowned for its excellent strength to weight ratio. This means that it is ideally suited for construction applications since it is lightweight enough for seamless workability while simultaneously being strong enough to bear loads that are more than its intrinsic weight.
Because structural steel is an alloy, it is available in a variety of options. One common option is carbon steel, which has a high carbon content and is suited for the manufacture of pipes.
The second type of structural steel that you may come across is forged steel, which is manufactured by exposing solid steel to both thermal and mechanical forces. In terms of robustness, forged steel is one of the strongest metals you can consider for your residential construction project.
Is structural steel rust-resistant?
Unfortunately, unprotected structural steel is vulnerable to corrosion. Nonetheless, this does not mean that this material won't be a great choice for your residential project. To protect the structural steel, a protective coating is applied to the material, which safeguards against the risk of the framing failing down the road.
What advantages does structural steel offer your construction project?
The most recognisable benefit of employing structural steel is its unprecedented strength. But this is not the only advantage that it offers. This material is capable of spanning great lengths without the need for supporting columns, which is great if you want large, spacious interiors that are not disrupted by load-bearing walls.
In addition to this, structural steel offers your building easy adaptability, which allows you to reposition walls down the road if you feel the need to change up the interior layout of your home without engaging in an extensive renovation project. Contact a structural steel supplier for more information.
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