Steel Construction Research Articles

Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the construction of timber, concrete, and steel check dams in Akita, Japan: An input-output analysis.

To mitigate global warming, replacing concrete and steel with timber as the primary construction material for construction projects, such as check dams, is being promoted in Japan and other countries. Timber check dams have more limited installation sites than concrete or steel dams because of installation conditions such as locations less susceptible to debris flows and locations where there is constant running water. However, even when the installation conditions are met, engineers and contractors are reluctant to select timber as a construction material because of its high construction cost. In this study, an input-output table was used to compare the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the construction of a timber check dam at the design stage with those associated with the construction of concrete and steel check dams to quantitatively evaluate the added value of timber utilization (in addition to its construction cost). The results revealed that replacing concrete and steel check dams with timber check dams could reduce GHG emissions by 61% and 34%, respectively. This study demonstrated the possibility of evaluating the GHG emissions associated with a construction project at the design stage. Moreover, it highlights the importance of considering the GHG emissions associated with construction materials when selecting the most appropriate materials for public works projects.

Weight Optimization of the Electric Bus Carbody Structure

Car body is a lightweight construction unit in the form of welded steel construction, has high strength and rigidity against dynamic loading without a fixed change in shape. In this study, the design of the car body bus frame consisted of roof, mascara, side wall, end wall, front part, and underframe. All of these components are designed using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2020 software. The frame material used is SS201. For data retrieval purposes, weight calculations are used in Autodesk Inventor. In the study, we succeeded in making the car body design according to regulations, measuring the weight of the car body, and optimizing the car body. The results showed that with a little optimization on the side wall frame, the weight of the car body bus can be reduced by 11.7% from the initial weight of 461.5 kg to 407.4 kg without changing its characteristics.

Retraction notice to ‘Experimental study on seismic performance of two-segment replaceable link with channel splicing plate’ [Journal of Constructional Steel Research 215 (2024) 108540]

Retraction notice to ‘Experimental study on seismic performance of two-segment replaceable link with channel splicing plate’ [Journal of Constructional Steel Research 215 (2024) 108540]

Environmental assessment of steel warehouse: a case study in Pato Branco, Brazil

This article investigates the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in steel constructions in Brazil, combining a bibliometric analysis and a case study of industrial warehouses. The bibliometric analysis revealed the scarcity of studies using LCA in this context, with a lack of environmental assessments aimed specifically at steel warehouses in Brazil. The case study compared two warehouse projects, assessing the environmental sustainability of Pratt (PTP) and Howe (HTP) truss structures. The LCA was conducted using the functional unit “total steel mass of the shed”, the SimaPro 9.0 software, and data from the international Ecoinvent v3.3 database, applying the ReCiPe 2016 method from a hierarchical perspective. The results showed that the Howe truss project had the lowest environmental impact in all indicators, including the extraction of raw materials, the manufacture of materials and the construction of the shed. This pioneering study addresses a type of construction that is widely used in Brazil and essential for economic development, offering a methodology that can be replicated in other projects and contexts.

An overview of climate changes and its effects on health - from mechanisms to One Health.

Human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, widespread deforestation, soil erosion or machine-intensive farming methods, manufacturing, food processing, mining, and construction iron, cement, steel, and chemicals industry, have been the main drivers of the observed increase in Earth's average surface temperature and climate change. Rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, ecosystems disruption, agricultural impacts, water scarcity, problems in access to good quality water, food and housing, and profound environmental disruptions such as biodiversity loss and extreme pollution are expected to steeply increase the prevalence and severity of acute and chronic diseases. Its long-term effects cannot be adequately predicted or mitigated without a comprehensive understanding of the adaptive ecosystems. Studying the complex interaction between environmental aggressors and the resilient adaptive responses requires the exposomic and the One Health approaches. The problem is broad and affects the whole ecosystem, plants, pets and animals in addition to humans. The central role of the epithelial barrier, microbiome, and diet as key pillars for an adaptive tolerogenic immune response should be explored for increasing resilience at the individual level. A radical change in mindset worldwide, with sustainable solutions and adaptive strategies and climate-resilience and health equity policies at their center, should be achieved quickly through increased awareness based on solid scientific data.

Residual Stress Characteristics in Spot Weld Joints of High-Strength Steel: Influence of Welding Parameters

This study examines the residual stress characteristics of spot welding in newly developed high-strength steel for automotive body construction through experimental and numerical methods. The effects of sheet thickness, nugget size, and the presence or absence of spacers on residual stress distribution and fracture stability were evaluated. Measurements using XRD and HDR revealed tensile residual stress below the yield strength at the nugget center. A numerical analysis system corroborated experimental findings, demonstrating that larger nugget sizes reduce tensile residual stress at the nugget center, enhancing fracture stability. However, for nugget sizes of 3 (t: thickness), high tensile stress at the nugget edge compromised stability, while sizes of 3.5 or larger improved fracture resistance. The study also found that thicker sheets increased fracture safety with larger nugget sizes, and the presence of spacers induced tensile stress through spring-back effects, which shifted to compressive stress as the nugget size increased. These results provide critical insights into optimizing welding parameters to improve the structural integrity of automotive components.

Problems of monitoring critical elements of scaffolding

Scaffolds are temporary structures that include anchors, elements, and platforms that are used during the construction of steel or concrete structures to support equipment or workers at height. Since these structures have aimed to guarantee safety and support workers at heights, the stability of scaffold systems is of significant importance. These systems have some disadvantages. For example, they are sensitive to vibrations. This feature reduces their stability under service-, cyclic-, or earthquake loadings. Furthermore, the vibrating nature of scaffolds can impose additional axial loads and consequently additional moment loads on the scaffold columns and decrease the safety of workers and increase the accidents of use of them. In this paper, a review of some research has been performed that aimed to solve this problem and improve the stability of scaffolds. These articles have investigated the behaviour of anchors and joints and the influence of imperfections and inaccuracies on scaffolds. A summary of research has been presented that has proposed new methods for predicting the behaviour, damage, and collapse of scaffolds using some structural health monitoring (SHM) methods. Finally, the research gaps and limitations of previous studies have been investigated, with a focus on monitoring and solving the problems of the scaffolds and critical elements so that these problems can be solved and evaluated in future studies.

Vibration in Floors Induced for Human Walking: Comparison of Two Design Guidelines

The design of floors must fulfill not only the requirements for the Ultimate Limit State but the Serviceability Limit State, which affects, among other factors, the comfort of the users. Due to the modern design of floors and changes in the use of buildings, the effect of human walking and the vibrations induced by this activity can be a determinant factor in the correct design of a floor. National codes are mainly focused on the Ultimate Limit State and give brief recommendations for the Serviceability Limit Sate. In parallel, several design guidelines have been published to assist in the design phase of floors. In this work, we compute the dynamic response of floors excited by human walking using two guidelines, The American Institute of Steel Construction Design Guide (AISC) and the European Guidelines on Human-Induced Vibration of Steel Structures (JRC-ECCS). To compare both design guidelines, we transform the maximum acceleration obtained with the AISC guidelines in velocity and then compare the maximum velocities for different values of natural frequencies, modal masses and damping ratios of the floor under evaluation. The similarities and differences in the response of the floors are studied, as well as the tolerance limits imposed by the guidelines that indicate if the floor design is correct for the comfort of the users.

Preliminary Evaluation of Nickel Silicide (NiSi12-wt%) Laser Cladding for Enhancing Microhardness and Corrosion Resistance of S355 Steel

S355 construction steel, a commonly used mild steel due to its exceptional strength, is prone to environmental degradation, especially pitting corrosion in highly corrosive marine environments. To address this vulnerability, applying a surface layer of nickel silicide (NiSi) cladding on such components could offer a solution, given that NiSi-based alloys are known for their high corrosion resistance and exceptional mechanical properties. Thus, the present study has investigated the corrosion resistance and microhardness of the NiSi12-wt% cladding deposited onto substrates of S355 steel using laser metal deposition. An accelerated ASTM G48 corrosion test and a Vickers microhardness test were conducted in a solution of 6% ferric chloride (FeCl3) solution at room and elevated temperatures to represent marine environments, with uncladded sheet substrates exposed to the same test environments as a reference. All exposed S355 steel samples, with and without cladding, underwent microhardness testing and were characterized using light optical microscopy (LOM) and low-voltage field emission scanning electron microscopy (LVFESEM). The findings indicate that the NiSi12-wt% cladding significantly enhances the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the S355 steel samples, showcasing its potential for use in marine and industrial environments where corrosion and mechanical wear are expected.

The confinement effect of the shell on the axial strength of thin wall circular section concrete filled steel tubes

This study uses experimental, numerical, and finite element (FE) analysis to demonstrate the vertical load-carrying capacity of thin-walled circular section concrete-filled steel tubes (TCSCFST) with core concrete and thin-walled unfilled steel tubes (UF). According to the experimental results, the average load factor of the TCSCFST is NE = 4.92 and NE = 5.52, respectively, based on the theoretical value estimated by Eurocode-4, EN 1994-1-1 (2004) part 1-1 for specimens with heights of 320 and 315 mm. Additionally, according to the experimental testing results, the TCSCFS's axial bearing capacity is improved by an average load factor of NA = 4.92 and NA = 5.51 from the theoretical value calculated for 320 and 315 mm height using the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) design code. The experiment also reveals that, compared to the theoretical value calculated using the AISC design code, the core concrete's axial bearing capacity rises by a load factor of NCA = 26.68 and NCA = 34.01 for 320 mm and 315 mm height specimens, respectively. In order to know whether a core concrete or shell is highly enhanced by the confinement effect, a FE analysis investigation on TCSCFS and UF steel tube is undertaken. The FE analysis result shows that the axial bearing capacity of the core concrete is increased by a load factor of NCF,E = 13.63 and NCF,E = 13.10 for 320 and 315 mm height specimens, respectively, from the numerical value estimated by Eurocode-4, EN 1994-1-1 (2004) part 1-1. In addition, the axial bearing capacity of the core concrete is determined by FE analysis and also increases by a load factor of NCF,A = 21.40 and NCF,A = 20.38 for 320 and 315 mm height specimens, respectively, from the numerical value estimated by AISC. As per the study, the confinement effect of steel enhances the axial bearing capacity of the inner concrete and the shell; however, Eurocode-4, EN 1994-1-1 (2004) Part 1-1, and AISC design codes show more conservative values than the experimental and finite element analysis results.

Practical Design of Cold-Formed Steel Sections by the Direct Strength Method

Cold-formed steel are among the most widely used in steel construction, being extensively employed in roofing and lightweight structures in general. Despite their popularity from a construction perspective, due to the existing manufacturing and utilization facilities, they prove to be quite complex from a design standpoint, as verifying these components involves extensive and complex calculation procedures due to the various global and local instability phenomena that may occur. Among the three design methods presented by the Brazilian standard NBR 7190, this study applies the Direct Strength Method in the development of a computational application that allows for the practical design of cold-formed steel subjected to oblique composite bending. This addresses the vast majority of calculation situations encountered in practice. The application has been tested in various design scenarios, and the results have been compared with those provided by other methods recommended by NBR 7190, showing a highly satisfactory performance.

Many-objective design of tall buildings considering second order effects

This research investigates the application of multi-objective optimization methodologies in the development of economically viable and structurally efficient spatial steel constructions. It emphasizes the significance of optimizing performance alongside cost reduction in practical engineering scenarios. The investigation encompasses the minimization of maximum horizontal displacement, the maximization of the first natural frequency of vibration, the maximization of the critical load factor pertaining to the initial global buckling mode of the structure, and weight minimization as primary objectives. Furthermore, the analysis integrates considerations for both local and global second-order effects. Moreover, it delineates a systematic framework for the selection of optimal designs, employing three distinct evolutionary algorithms grounded in differential evolution, coupled with a multi-criteria decision-making approach.

Stainless Steel Construction for Palm Sap Filtration Using the Buchner Method

Palm sap, the primary raw material for palm sugar and other derivative products, often faces quality issues due to the presence of solid particles, dirt, and microorganisms that accelerate fermentation and spoilage. This study aimed to design and construct a stainless steel filtration device based on the Buchner method to enhance the cleanliness and quality of palm sap. The filtration system employs a vacuum mechanism to expedite the separation of solid impurities, improving efficiency over conventional gravity methods. Laboratory-scale testing evaluated filtration capacity, clarity, and process time efficiency. Results demonstrated that the device significantly increased sap clarity while reducing filtration time. Additionally, the stainless steel construction proved easy to clean and durable for repeated use. This innovation benefits traditional Minahasa farmers in North Sulawesi, enabling them to produce higher-quality palm sugar. The filtration process effectively reduced dust and water content while increasing sugar concentration to 21.3 Brix without requiring extensive cooking. The use of the Buchner method and SS304 stainless steel construction ensures consistent filtration quality, offering a practical solution to improve palm sap processing and enhance farmers' incomes.

Research on Mechanized Plasma Gouging of Weldable Construction Steels

Grooving or gouging is a process of thermal processing of metals or welded semi-finished products. The gouging process is generally used to process the root of butt welds to remove possible welding defects. The possibility to obtain and characterize the surfaces after manual and mechanized plasma cutting in the field of bridges and viaducts from highways to construction sites in order to increase the quality of butt-welded joints is analyzed in this article. In order to mechanize the process, a linear universal displacement device for welding, cutting, or slitting that ensures the uniform movement of the torch was designed and executed herein. As a result, with the help of this device and the tests performed on a construction steel S355J2 after mechanized plasma cutting, the cut samples obtained facilitated the analysis of the macrostructure and microstructure of the thermally influenced zone and of the intermediate zone between the thermally influenced zone and the base material as well as their hardness. By mechanizing the cutting process, the productivity and quality of the surfaces obtained by this process has increased. The plasma gouging process is an ecological process and by mechanizing it, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Local-global buckling interaction in steel I-beams—A European design proposal for the case of fire

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the developments leading to the proposal of European fire design rules for steel beams with thin-walled I-sections. Thin-walled beams are favoured in steel construction due to their structural efficiency, however they are prone to buckle when subjected to in-plane loads, phenomenon which requires a thorough investigation. The focus lies on addressing the interaction between local and global buckling in these members. This study discusses modifications to the Effective Width Method at elevated temperatures, aiming to rectify underestimation of section capacity on certain cross-sections. Additionally, an overview of lateral-torsional buckling resistance is provided, being a new Effective Section Factor proposed to account for its interaction with local buckling. The paper revisits the European fire design proposal, comparing the improvements of the existing Eurocode 3 Part 1–2 (EN1993-1-2:2005) relative to the recent second generation of Part 1–2 of Eurocode 3 (FprEN1993-1-2:2023) through an extensive numerical study. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed, such as dependency on the section classification and broadening the application scope of these rules to higher steel grades.

Predicting fatigue crack initiation life in typical joints of offshore observation tower structures

ABSTRACT Tubular structures are widely used in steel constructions, such as offshore platforms, because of their superior mechanical qualities, efficient use of materials, lightweight and aesthetically pleasing appearance. The most common failure mode of offshore tubular joints is fatigue damage brought on by cyclic loading during the course of their service life, like wind, wave and equipment vibration. In this paper, the finite element model of the TK-type tubular joint at the stress concentration position is established by analyzing the load and response of the observation tower. The continuum damage mechanics method has been used to evaluate the fatigue crack initiation position and life of the tubular joint, and the crack initiation life of the key nodes has been predicted, which provides theoretical support for ensuring the service safety of the offshore observation tower.

Cover Picture: Steel Construction 4/2024

AbstractThe European Steel Bridge Awards are given by ECCS every two years to encourage the creative and outstanding use of steel in construction of bridges. Among 16 projects received from all over Europe, a winner per category was selected by the expert jury and awarded during the 2024 ESBA Ceremony on 12 September 2024 in Prague. In the category Road and Railway Bridges the “U81 Brücke Nordstern in Düsseldorf/Germany”, submitted by Austria (© MCE GmbH), was awarded. More information regarding the awarded projects are in the ECCS News, p. 242.

Content: Steel Construction 4/2024

Content: Steel Construction 4/2024

Design Aid for Selection of H-Piles

This paper presents design aids for the selection of HP sections for driven piles according to the American Institute of Steel Construction Specification 360-22 “Specification of Structural Steel Buildings.” Graphical aids for the design selection of W-shapes have been provided by Keil (2000), Hosur and Augustine (2007), and Sa’Adat and Banan (2014). However, to date there are no aids available for the design of H-Piles. This work seeks to eliminate that gap by providing the data necessary to create interaction diagrams for combined stresses including compression, bending, and tension in both the strong and weak axes for 50 ksi grade steel HP sections.

Fatigue performance of repair-welded and HFMI-treated transverse stiffeners

Large portions of infrastructure buildings, for example, highway and railway bridges, are steel constructions and reach the end of their service life due to an increase of traffic volume. Repair welding can restore the current welded constructional detail with a similar fatigue strength. However, due to the increase of fatigue loading (traffic), an increase of fatigue strength is needed in such bridge structures. For this reason, the combination of repair welding and high-frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) treatment was investigated in this study in order to quantify the increase of fatigue life by combining both methods. For this, transverse stiffeners made of steel grade S355J2 + N were subjected to fatigue loading until a pre-determined crack depth was reached. The cracks were detected by non-destructive testing methods. Weld repair was realized by removing the material containing the crack and re-welded by a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process, following that post weld treated was applied by HFMI-treatment and the specimens were subjected to fatigue loading again. Hardness profiles, weld geometries, and residual stress states were investigated for both the original and the repaired condition. In the repaired condition without additional HFMI treatment, a similar fatigue life than in the original condition is observed for the specimens. The repair-welded and HFMI-treated specimens reach a significant higher fatigue life compared to the repaired ones in the as-welded condition.