Most Common Types of Steel Used in Building Construction

Mild steels aren’t always right for this role, not if the soft alloy can’t support a structural load. How about rigid carbon steels? Well, we can’t automatically assume this type of steel is right for the job, not if that material is rigid. A strong wind blows, then the structure sways, and the rigid alloy fractures. So just what types of steel are used in building construction?

Sourcing Common Structural Steels

Robust carbon steel beams support tall buildings. Special additives, like manganese, imbue the alloy with strength and improved durability. The beams and sheet sections are cast as industry-standard shapes, as profiled I-beams and L-shapes. In that metal base, the alloy ingredients ensure superior mechanical strength, but it takes more than a dense material to make an alloy a natural choice in the building construction sector. Still, the carbon additive does promote joint weldability while the other additives enhance parts workability.

Selecting a Load-Supporting Mild Steel

Viewed by many as the default building construction alloy, mild steel fits snugly into the structural sweet spot as a steadfast and durable framework metal. It’s malleable, so expect the alloy to bend and shape when a unique structural design calls for frame curves on a building. Mild steel is also ductile, plus the metal is gifted with enhanced plasticity. In terms of building sway, this alloy will sway like a tree in a storm when high winds are a problem. Additionally, the mild steel gridwork inside the building acts as a vibration absorber, so the alloy is always part of a design portfolio when a structure is raised inside an earthquake zone.

Hidden Reinforcing Steel

That’s right, reinforcing steel or ‘Rebar’ is concealed inside poured concrete. The metal rods are tied together and possibly welded in place. They occupy the foundations of a structure, the concrete walls of buildings, and the concrete panels in bridges and tunnels. Made from carbon steel, the rods also act as tensioning mechanisms. Importantly, this type of steel needs a certain amount of flexibility before it can be used as a tensioning rod, so the bars are commonly tempered via a heat treatment process.

Heat treatment technology adjusts the ingrained material characteristics of building construction steel. Tempering and quenching stages harden the alloy then imbue it with ductility. Annealing processes function in a similar manner by removing work stress and alloy hardness. At the end of the day, though, it’s the content inside the steel beams and all of its associated construction elements that decides how well the alloy serves its purpose. Structural steel, however, is the go-to option when the building requires a really robust backbone.

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