Basic Structural Steel Detailing Introduction and Framing Plan

Department of Construction
Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi)
Chapter 1

INDEX

1. Introduction
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Reference
2. Structural Steel
2.1 Properties
2.2 Grade of Steel
2.3 Design Code
2.4 Structural Steel Sections
2.5 Steel Tables
2.6 Identification
3. Structural Steel Drawings
4. Member Schedule

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Objective

The purpose of this manual is for training student

 to interpret structural steel framing and details drawings; and
 to prepare simple connection details for structural steel works.

1.2 References

(a) This manual are based on the following references:

BSI, BS5950:Pt.1: 1990: Structural Use of Steelwork in Building
Alan Hayward, Frank Weare, Steel Detailer's Manual
(b) Hong Kong local practices are also included. Some of the materials are
extracted from the following references:
Hong Kong Buildings (Construction) Regulations
Hong Kong Code of Practice on Structural Use of Steel --- 2011

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(c) The student can get more information on structural detailing and design
from the following references:
Hong Kong Code of Practice on Structural Use of Steel --- 2011

2. STRUCTURAL STEEL

2.1 Structural Steel Properties

Properties of steel affected by chemical composition, heat treatment and

manufacturing process

Chemical composition
 Iron with carbon content < 2% by weight;
 Carbon content varies with grade and thickness;
 Higher carbon increase strength but reduce ductility;
 Small quantities of Vanadium, Aluminum can improve strength and fracture
toughness; and
 Substantial quantities of Chromium and Nickel improve corrosion
resistance – stainless steel.

Heat treatment
 Heat steel to the range of 850°C to 950°C and cool at different rate to produce
steel of different properties;
 Annealing – very slow rate of cooling to produce softest steel;
 Normalizing – cooling freely in air to produce steel of higher strength and
better toughness;
 Quenching – rapid cooling by immersing directly into oil or water to produce
very hard but brittle steel; and
 Tempering – subsequent heat treatment to temperature below 850°C that can
soften the hardened structure and make steel tougher and more ductile.

Engineering properties
 Yield strength – steel remain elastic up to yield strength. Yield strength is
most often used for classification of steel grade and for design purpose;

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 In UK, the grade of steel refers to highest yield strength from steel of the
same chemical composition. For the same grade of steel, the thicker the
section, the lower the yield strength;
 Yield strength quoted in standard is the characteristic strength, ie at 95%
confidence level;
 Ductility – steel deforms substantially without breakage beyond the yield
strength and the breaking load is higher than the yield strength. Ductility is
measured by (1) ratio of elongation and (2) yield to ultimate strength;
 Weldability depends on chemical composition and fracture toughness; and
 Fracture toughness – steel is more prone to brittle fracture under low
temperature, at higher rate of loading, in thicker material and at the heat
affected zone of weld connection.

Documentation
 Mill certificate to show chemical composition and mechanical properties, its
grade and compliance with relevant standard; and
 Certificate of origin.

2.2 Grade of Steel

According to the Hong Kong Code of Practice on Structural Use of Steel --- 2011
the following grades of steel can be used:-

Table 1.1 – Grade of Structural Steel

Grade Nominal Yield Strength, MPa Equivalent Grade in BS4360
275 275 43
355 355 50
450 450 55

The chemical and physical properties of the steel are according to BS EN

Standard.
Grade S275 steel is most commonly used. It is referred to as 'mild steel'.
Grade S355 and S450 are referred to as 'high yield steel'.
Smaller member size can be used if higher grade of steel is used. However, pay
particular attention to deflection and stability. They are usually used in heavily

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loaded members which are not susceptible to deflection and stability problems,
e.g. columns, piles, in composite construction, etc.

2.3 Design Codes

 The Hong Kong Code of Practice in the Structural Use of Steel - 2011
This is the structural steel design code for building works used in Hong
Kong. This code adopts the elastic stress method of design.
 BS449: Specification for the Use of Structural Steel in Building
Before the publishing of the HK 1987 Design Code, it was used for many
years in Hong Kong. Some engineers still prefer to use this code for design.
Elastic method using permissible stresses is adopted in this code.
 BS5950: Pt.1:1990: Structural Steelwork in Building
This code adopts limit state method of design. It is becoming widely used.
Pay attention that certain parts of the code have to be modified to suit the
local conditions.
 BS5400: Pt.3: Code of Practice of Design of Steel Bridge
This is a limit state design code for bridge structure. It is modified by the
HK Highway Department, Structural Design Manual for use in Hong
Kong.

2.4 Structural Steel Sections

Universal Beam (UB)

 I-section, Depth >> Breadth
 uniform flange thickness
 good in resisting bending
 usually used for main beam, may also be used for column required to resist
large bending moment.
Universal Column (UC)
 H-section, the depth and breadth are approximately equal
 uniform flange thickness
 good in resisting compression
 usually used for columns, may also be used for beam with limited headroom.
Universal Bearing Pile (UBP of H-pile)
 H-section with thicker flange and web thickness

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 usually used for piles, may also be used for column.

Rolled-Steel Joist (RSJ)
 small I-sections
 flange slightly tapered
 usually used for short span beams, girt and purlins
T - Section (T)
 cut from UB, UC or RSJ
 good for top and bottom chord of truss
Rolled-Steel Channels (RSC or [ )
 flushed back
 flange slightly tapered
 usually used for short span beams.
Rolled-Steel Angle (RSA or L )
 L-section
 small size equal angles are readily available
 usually used for truss, lattice girder, cleat in connection, etc.
Flats, bars and plates
 usually used in bracing, gusset plate, stiffening plate,
 welded together to form plate girder, box girder, etc.
Castellated Beam
 formed by cutting UB and welded together to form a deeper beam.
 for large span but lightly loaded structure.
 web opening can be used for running of services.
Cold Formed Sections
 formed from thin galvanized mild steel sheet (1.5mm to 3.2mm thick).
 The usual shapes are C or Z sections used for purlins or side rails/girts.
Structural Hollow Sections
 Square Hollow Section (SHS), Rectangular Hollow Section (RHS) & Circular
Hollow Section (CHS or Pipe)
 flushed outlook, aesthetically preferred for exposed structural elements.

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Table 1.2 Abbreviation of Structural Steel Section

Abbreviation Description
UB Universal Beam
UC Universal Column
UBP Universal Bearing Pile
RSJ Rolled Steel Joist
RSC Rolled Steel Channel
CHS Circular Hollow Section
SHS Square Hollow Section
RHS Rectangular Hollow Section
RSA Rolled Steel Angle

2.5 Steel Tables

Full dimensional details for rolled sections are set out in the following British
Standards:

Table 1.3 Standards of Structural Steel Section

BS Sections
BS4: Part 1: Specification for hot rolled sections UB, UC, UBP, RSJ, T, RSC
BS EN 10210: Hot finished hollow sections of non-alloy and CHS, SHS, RHS,
fine grain structural steel
BS EN 10056: Structural steel equal and unequal leg angles RSA or L

Although full dimensions of the structural steel sections are given in the above
tables, steel designers and detailers do not use them directly. The steel industry
publishes handbooks or steel tables for their products. The steel tables contain not
only the detail dimensions of the steel sections, but also provides structural
properties, e.g. elastic and plastic modulus, radius of gyration, etc. and sometimes
capacity tables.

If structural steel sections are specified on the drawing to the relevant standards,
detail dimensions of the section is not necessary to be shown on the drawing.

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2.6 Identification

All steel sections have to be identified on the drawing and the common
convention is as follows:-

Table 1.4 Identification of Structural Steel Sections

Sections Identification Example
UB, UC, UPB, RSJ, [Serial Size] x [Weight(kg/m)] [Abbreviation] 457 x 152 x 82 UB
RSC
The Serial Size is in [Depth] x [Breadth] 356 x 406 x 634 UC
254 x 203 x 81.85 RSJ
102 x 51 x 10.42 RSC
RHS, SHS, RSA [Depth] x [Breadth] x [Thickness] 250 x 150 x 6.3 RHS
100 x 100 x 4 SHS
100 x 75 x 8 RSA
CHS [Diameter] x [Thickness] 114.3 x 5 CHS

The dimensions are usually given in mm. However, it has to note that the figures
given by the serial size are not the exact dimensions of the member.
The above nomenclature and identification are British convention. Different
countries have different conventions.

3. STRUCTURAL STEEL DRAWINGS

The structural steel drawings are usually divided into four parts:
(1) Block Plan, General Notes and Typical Details
It indicates the location of the structure and provides the general
information of the structure, e.g. design code, material specification, fire
resistance and corrosion requirements, etc. For small and simple structure,
these information are shown on the framing plan.
(2) Framing Plan
It is usually in the form of line diagrams indicating the framing of the
structure. Each element is represented by a thick line or double line. The
setting out dimensions and levels of all the elements are well defined. It is
usually presented in plans at each floor level and elevations along each
frame. An example of a structural steel framing plan is shown in DWG
S101

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(3) Connection details

It shows the enlarged details of the connections between members. It
shows the required size and number of bolts, size and length of weld,
thickness and size of gusset plate, etc. An example of a connection detail is
shown in DWG S102
(4) Shop Drawings
According to the framing plan and connection details drawing, the
structural steel fabricator produces another set of drawings showing the
fabrication details of each individual element. It is called shop drawing.
An example of a shop drawing is shown in DWG S103

4. MEMBER SCHEDULE

For a large structure, member marks are systematically assigned to each structural
member of the structure. The member sizes are tabulated in a schedule as shown
in DWG S101.
In the schedule, it not only shows the member sizes but also provides labels to the
end connections of the member and indicates on which drawing the details can be
found. It serves as the bridge between the framing plan and the connection detail
drawings.
For small structure, this member schedule is usually omitted. The member size is
marked directly on the framing plan. The connection labels are circled directly on
the framing plan.

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