#universal beam

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Out of all the various types of steel available in the market, structural steel is perhaps one of the most used steel. Just by looking at the name, you will understand that this steel is primarily is used for the construction industry.

Although this popular steel is used for a variety of building purposes, it is chiefly used in a technique called steel framing. Steel framing facilitates fast & easy construction of modern framed buildings.

Did you know? Structural steel forms the backbone for many new construction projects and renovation purposes as well. Architects, Designers & Engineers use different types of structural steel sections (according to their weight, profile & size) for structural qualities and aesthetics.

What is Structural Steel?

Structural steel is a type of carbon steel (2.1% carbon) that is used in a variety of construction projects. An increasing amount of carbon percentage in the steel results in the material having low ductility and high strength.

You will find steels having a carbon percentage ranging around 0.31 to 1.50. But these are usually mild and high-carbon steels that are used for mechanical engineering purposes.

So, as you can see the percentage of carbon does have the final say on the kind of steel you can use for construction purposes. As discussed earlier, Structural steel is the best choice for almost every construction project out there.

How is Structural Steel Created?

Here is a simple way to help you understand how structural steel is created:

Firstly, raw iron ore is crushed. The crushed iron ore goes through a sorting process and multiple refining processes. These processes are designed to sort out the best grades of iron.

The sorted iron ore is then put into a blast furnace and heated. The reactions inside the furnace ensure that most of the impurities are removed and the pure iron trickles down to the bottom.

The pure molted iron received from the furnace is taken out and heated to include other materials like zinc and manganese that deliver different properties for construction projects.

What are the Different Types of Structural Steel Shapes?

Architects, contractors and construction professionals often use various types of steel that differ in weight, size & profile according to the construction project.

Universal Beam

The I-beams, H-beams or simply Universal beams are a type of structural steel that is primarily used in civil and construction engineering. According to the shape, the beams get their name.

For example, an upright beam gets the name “I” due to its “I-shape” whereas a beam on its side gets the name “H” due to its “H-shape”.

Parallel Flange Channels

This U-shaped channeled beam features right-angled corners which resemble the shape of staples. Parallel flange channels come in a variety of sizes.

But, one interesting feature to notice in these channels is that both the sides are parallel and of the same length. They also boast of excellent strength to weight ratio and are quite similar to angled sections.

Angled Sections

In this type of structural steel, you will either get unequal or equal sections. Although both the sections are right-angled, the unequal section features a different sized axis which results in an L-shaped section. Angled sections are mostly used in mining, transport, residential construction and infrastructure.

Tapered Flange Beam

Taper flange beams are another type of structural steel that basically feature I-shaped sections. These beams feature high resistance ratios but do not possess good torsion-resistant properties. So, if these beams are used in places where the pressure is present along the beam’s length then it will eventually fail.

Flat Sections

This is perhaps one of the most versatile types of structural steel section. Did you know? Flat sections are usually referred to as plates. These plates are added to other sections as a strengthening tool.

Apart from these, you will find structural steel in other shapes like Universal Columns, Rectangular Hollow sections, Circular Hollow sections and more.