In construction, steel is one of the most widespread materials used across the realms. Its significance is paramount, especially in megastructures like skyscrapers or industrial sheds. Fabricated in quality-controlled settings, steel structures are known for exceptional resilience, creep resistance, flexibility and versatility. Steel has a high strength-to-weight ratio making it less expensive than concrete structures, and also the fabrication of steel is easier, while concrete structure demands a higher level of sophistication, expertise and a much larger amount of time compared to the same size of steel buildings, making concrete for high rise building less feasible.
Why Save Steel in Construction?
Over-usage or insensible use of steel results in huge capital losses. Saving on steel is important as it directly translates into cost reduction, reduces environmental impact by ensuring less material wastage, consumes less energy and maintains better structural integrity and performance. Here’s how to save 10 % steel with structural excellence.
Steel Material Saving Techniques
By using the structural excellence of prefabricated steel buildings, one can save steel up as much as 10%. Here are key strategies that should help:
Design Optimization
Design optimization is an advanced, super-efficient way of designing a construction project. Construction work uses detailed design work of each element- from the mainframe to columns, slabs, beams, channels, louvres, ventilators etc. By using advanced engineering software like computer-aided design (CAD), and finite element analysis (FEA), the load and stress pathways can be simulated, making the most efficient design. This reduces the chances of using excess steel in areas with low stress. Another technique is to create precise bar bending schedules to minimize cutting and wastage of reinforcement bars.
Right Steel Grades
The design and analysis simulations lay the foundation for the next steps. Steel grades vary in tensile strength, and different elements have different load-bearing requirements. By choosing the right steel grade for a specific element and component, unnecessary steel material can be avoided and reduce material wastage. Choosing the steel for targeted application prevents over-engineering and is cost-efficient.
Fabrication Technologies
Steel structure fabrication involves various manufacturing processes like cutting, bending, welding, rolling, forming and assembling. By using precision technologies, steel fabrication can be efficient and reduce waste. These technologies are:
- Additive Manufacturing
- Laser cutting
- Automation and robotics
- 3D Modeling
Smart Sections
At the designing stage, the sections of structural components can be optimized smartly. For instance, the hollow sections reduce volume where load impact and stress are less. Likewise, the tapered design reduces cross-sectional area and distributes the load more efficiently.
Conclusion
By carefully selecting the appropriate steel grade, optimizing structural design, using smart sections and supporting elements, and employing advanced fabrication techniques, a significant amount of steel can be saved. These methods of structural excellence are applied by manufacturers like Kaizen. By implementing the best techniques, intelligent designs and advanced software, Kaizen has earned a reputed name for fabricating and assembling steel structures.
