UNIVERSAL COLLEGE OF PARAÑAQUE

Structural Steel Design:

Introduction to
Structural Steel Design
ENGR. JOEVANNIE EMMANUEL C. LUMAGAS
Civil/Structural
Instructor

Civil Engineering Department Universal College – LMS Online Portal AY 2020-2021 / 2nd Semester
WELCOME, UCPIANS!
WELCOME TO YOUR ONLINE EDUCATION!
WELCOME, FUTURE ENGINEERS!
HI! I’M YOUR PROFESSOR FOR THIS SUBJECT!
Engr. Joevannie Emmanuel C. Lumagas
Civil/ Structural Engineer
License # 152065

MS in Civil Engineering - Structural (on going)

University of the Philippines - Diliman

BS Civil Engineering
Technological Institute of the Philippines-Manila
Cum Laude
Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Graduate 2016
Class Valedictorian 2016 GWA = 1.46
Engr. Demetrio A. Quirino Academic Excellence Awardee

National Civil Engineering Quizzer

Former Junior Structural Engineer – Meinhardt Philippines Incorporated

Freelance Contractor and Structural Engineer
College Instructor / CE Board Exam Reviewer
STRUCTURAL DESIGN

The structural design of buildings, whether of structural steel or reinforced concrete,

requires the determination of the overall proportions and dimensions of the supporting
framework and the selection of the cross sections of individual members. In most cases
the functional design, including the establishment of the number of stories and the floor
plan, will have been done by an architect, and the structural engineer must work within
the constraints imposed by this design. Ideally, the engineer and architect will collaborate
throughout the design process to complete the project in an efficient manner.
 A good design requires the evaluation of several framing plans—that is,
different arrangements of members and their connections. In other words, several
alternative designs should be prepared and their costs compared. For each framing plan
investigated, the individual components must be designed.
Once the geometry and support conditions of the idealized frame have been
established, the loading must be determined. This determination usually involves
apportioning a share of the total load to each frame.
For the loading shown in Figure 1.2b, the frame will deform as indicated by the dashed line
(drawn to a greatly exaggerated scale). The individual members of the frame can be classified
according to the type of behavior represented by this deformed shape. The horizontal
members AB and BC are subjected primarily to bending, or flexure, and are called beams.
LOADS

The forces that act on a structure are called loads. They belong to one of two broad
categories: dead load and live load. Dead loads are those that are permanent,
including the weight of the structure itself, which is sometimes called the self-weight.
Live loads, which can also be gravity loads, are those that are not as
permanent as dead loads. They may or may not be acting on the structure at any given
time, and the location may not be fixed.
If a live load is applied slowly and is not removed and reapplied an excessive
number of times, the structure can be analyzed as if the load were static. If the load is
applied suddenly, as would be the case when the structure supports a moving crane,
the effects of impact must be accounted for.
Wind exerts a pressure or suction on the exterior surfaces of a building, and because of
its transient nature, it properly belongs in the category of live loads. Because of the
relative complexity of determining wind loads, however, wind is usually considered a
separate category of loading.
Earthquake loads are another special category and need to be considered only
in those geographic locations where there is a reasonable probability of occurrence. A
structural analysis of the effects of an earthquake requires an analysis of the structure’s
response to the ground motion produced by the earthquake. Simpler methods are
sometimes used in which the effects of the earthquake are simulated by a system of
horizontal loads, similar to those resulting from wind pressure, acting at each floor level
of the building.
Snow is another live load that is treated as a separate category. Adding to the
uncertainty of this load is the complication of drift, which can cause much of the
load to accumulate over a relatively small area.
Other types of live load are often treated as separate categories, such as
hydrostatic pressure and soil pressure, but the cases we have enumerated are the
ones ordinarily encountered in the design of structural steel building frames and
their members.
BUILDING CODES

Buildings must be designed and constructed according to the provisions of a building

code, which is a legal document containing requirements related to such things as
structural safety, fire safety, plumbing, ventilation, and accessibility to the physically
disabled. A building code has the force of law and is administered by a governmental
entity such as a city, a county, or, for some large metropolitan areas, a consolidated
government.
Three national code organizations have developed model building codes: The Uniform
Building Code (International Conference of Building Officials, 1999), the Standard
Building Code (Southern Building Code Congress International, 1999), and the BOCA
National Building Code (BOCA, 1999) (BOCA is an acronym for Building Officials and Code
Administrators.)
A unified building code, the International Building Code (International Code
Council, 2009), has been developed to eliminate some of the inconsistencies among the
three national building codes.
 DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

In contrast to building codes, design specifications give more specific

guidance for the design of structural members and their connections. They present the
guidelines and criteria that enable a structural engineer to achieve the objectives
mandated by a building code. Design specifications represent what is considered to be
good engineering practice based on the latest research.
 The specifications of most interest to the structural steel designer are those published
by the following organizations.
1. American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC): This specification provides for the
design of structural steel buildings and their connections. It is the one of primary
concern in this book, and we discuss it in detail (AISC, 2010a).
2. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO): This
specification covers the design of highway bridges and related structures. It provides
for all structural materials normally used in bridges, including steel, reinforced
concrete, and timber (AASHTO, 2010).
3. American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA): The
AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering covers the design of railway bridges and
related structures (AREMA, 2010). This organization was formerly known as the
American Railway Engineering Association (AREA).
4. American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI): This specification deals with cold-formed
steel, which we discuss in Section 1.6 of this book (AISI, 2007).
 STRUCTURAL STEEL

The earliest use of iron, the chief component of steel, was for small tools, in
approximately 4000 B.C. (Murphy, 1957). This material was in the form of wrought iron,
produced by heating ore in a charcoal fire. In the latter part of the eighteenth century
and in the early nineteenth century, cast iron and wrought iron were used in various
types of bridges.
The characteristics of steel that are of the most interest to structural engineers
can be examined by plotting the results of a tensile test. If a test specimen is subjected
to an axial load P, as shown in Figure 1.3a, the stress and strain can be computed as
follows:
𝑃 ∆𝐿
𝑓= 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜀 =
𝐴 𝐿
 𝑃 ∆𝐿
𝑓= 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜀 =
𝐴 𝐿
Where
f = axial tensile stress
A = cross-sectional area
𝜀 = axial strain
L = length of specimen
∆𝐿 = change in length
If the load is increased in increments from zero to the point of fracture, and stress and
strain are computed at each step, a stress–strain curve such as the one shown in Figure
1.3b can be plotted. This curve is typical of a class of steel known as ductile, or mild, steel.
The relationship between stress and strain is linear up to the proportional limit; the
material is said to follow Hooke’s law.
Steel exhibiting the behavior shown in Figure 1.3b is called ductile because of its
ability to undergo large deformations before fracturing. Ductility can be measured by the
elongation, defined as
𝐿𝑓 − 𝐿0
𝑒= 𝑥100
𝐿0
where
e = elongation (expressed as a percent)
Lf = length of the specimen at fracture
L0 = original length
The elastic limit of the material is a stress that lies between the proportional limit and the
upper yield point. Up to this stress, the specimen can be unloaded without permanent
deformation; the unloading will be along the linear portion of the diagram, the same path
followed during loading.
Figure 1.4 shows an idealized version of this stress–strain curve. The proportional
limit, elastic limit, and the upper and lower yield points are all very close to one another
and are treated as a single point called the yield point, defined by the stress Fy.
 Figure 1.5 shows a typical stress–strain curve for high-strength steels,
which are less ductile than the mild steels discussed thus far.
The various properties of structural steel, including strength and ductility, are determined
by its chemical composition. Steel is an alloy, its principal component being iron. Another
component of all structural steels, although in much smaller amounts, is carbon, which
contributes to strength but reduces ductility. Other components of some grades of steel
include copper, manganese, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and silicon. Structural steels
can be grouped according to their composition as follows.
1. Plain carbon steels: mostly iron and carbon, with less than 1% carbon.
2. Low-alloy steels: iron and carbon plus other components (usually less than 5%). The
additional components are primarily for increasing strength, which is accomplished at
the expense of a reduction in ductility.
3. High-alloy or specialty steels: similar in composition to the low-alloy steels but with a
higher percentage of the components added to iron and carbon. These steels are
higher in strength than the plain carbon steels and also have some special quality,
such as resistance to corrosion.
 Table 1.1
Property A36 A572 Gr. 50 A992
Yield point, min. 36 ksi 50 ksi 50 ksi
Tensile strength, 58 to 80 ksi 65 ksi 65 ksi
min.
Yield to tensile - - 0.85
ration, max.
Elongation in 8 in., 20% 18% 18%
min.
Different grades of structural steel are identified by the designation assigned them by the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). This organization develops standards
for defining materials in terms of their composition, properties, and performance, and it
prescribes specific tests for measuring these attributes (ASTM, 2010a). One of the most
commonly used structural steels is a mild steel designated as ASTM A36, or A36 for short.
It has a stress–strain curve of the type shown in Figures 1.3b and 1.4 and has the
following tensile properties.
Yield stress: Fy = 36,000 psi (36 ksi)
Tensile strength: Fu = 58,000 psi to 80,000 psi (58 ksi to 80 ksi)
A36 steel is classified as a plain carbon steel, and it has the following
components (other than iron).
Carbon: 0.26% (maximum)
Phosphorous: 0.04% (maximum)
Sulfur: 0.05% (maximum)
STANDARD CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPES

In the design process outlined earlier, one of the objectives is the selection of the
appropriate cross sections for the individual members of the structure being designed.
Most often, this selection will entail choosing a standard cross-sectional shape that is
widely available rather than requiring the fabrication of a shape with unique dimensions
and properties. The largest category of standard shapes includes those produced by hot-
rolling. In this manufacturing process, which takes place in a mill, molten steel is taken
from an electric arc furnace and poured into a continuous casting system where the steel
solidifies but is never allowed to cool completely.
Cross sections of some of the more commonly used hot-rolled shapes are
shown in Figure 1.6. The dimensions and designations of the standard available shapes
are defined in the ASTM standards (ASTM, 2010b).
Other frequently used cross-sectional shapes are shown in Figure 1.7. Bars can have
circular, square, or rectangular cross sections. If the width of a rectangular shape is 8
inches or less, it is classified as a bar.
 Steel pipe is available as standard, extra-strong, or double-extra-strong, with
designations such as Pipe 5 Std., Pipe 5 x-strong, or Pipe 5 xx-strong, where 5 is the nominal
outer diameter in inches.
Round HSS are designated by outer diameter and wall thickness, expressed to three
decimal places; for example, HSS 8.625 × 0.250.
Other shapes are available, but those just described are the ones most frequently
used.
The most commonly used steels for rolled shapes and plate material are ASTM
A36, A572, and A992. ASTM A36 is usually specified for angles, plates, S, M,
and channel shapes; A572 Grade 50 for HP shapes; and A992 for W shapes.
(These three steels were compared in Table 1.1 in Section 1.5.)
Another category of steel product for structural applications is cold-formed steel.
Structural shapes of this type are created by bending thin material such as sheet steel or
plate into the desired shape without heating. Typical cross sections are shown in Figure
1.9.
SHAPE PREFERRED STEEL

Angles A36
Plates A36
S, M, C, MC A36
HP A572 Grade 50
W A992
Pipe A53 Grade B (only choice)
HSS A500 Grade B (round) or C (rectangular)

Table 1.2