Advantages of Steel As A Structural Material
Advantages of Steel As A Structural Material
Advantages of Steel As A Structural Material
1. High Strength
The high strength of steel per unit of weight means that the weight of
structures will be small. This fact is of great importance for long span bridges
tall buildings, and structures situated on poor foundations.
2. Uniformity
The properties of steel do not change appreciable with time, as do
those of a reinforced concrete structure.
3. Elasticity
Steel behaves closer to design assumptions than the most materials
because it follows Hooke's law up to fairly high stresses. The moments of
inertia of a steel structure can be accurately calculated, while the values
obtained for a reinforced concrete structure are rather indefinite.
4. Permanence
Steel frames are properly maintained will last indefinitely. Research on
same of the newer steels indicates that under certain conditions no painting
maintenance whatsoever will be required.
5. Ductility
The property of a material by which it can withstand extensive
deformation without failure under high tensile stresses is its ductility. When a
mild or low-carbon structural steel member is being tested in tension, a
considerable reduction in cross section and a large amount of elongation will
occur at the point of failure before the actual fracture occurs. A material that
does not have its property is generally unacceptable and is probably hard
and brittle, and it might break if subjected to a sudden shock.
In structural members under normal loads, high stress concentrations
develop at various points. The ductile nature of the usual structural steels
enables them to yield locally at those points, thus preventing premature
failures. A further advantage of ductile structures is that when overloaded,
their large deflections give visible evidence of impending failure.
6. Toughness
Structural steels are tough that is, they have both strength and
ductility. A steel member loaded until it has large deformations will still be
able to withstand large forces. This is very important characteristics, because
The first is that it is relatively more expensive to buy than timber due
to the construction method involved.
Steel structures are also harder to insulate as the steel offers no
insulation which means additional insulation methods are required,
therefore more construction costs.
TIMBER
The first is that typically timber constructions are quicker to erect than
steel ones with reduced labour required to do so. This quicker erection
means that timber structures can be built in shorter good-weather
periods whilst the reduced labour can lead to significant cost savings.
Research also shows that timber structures allow for more flexibility of
movement, making them safer in low impact earthquakes.
Recycle and reuse what would otherwise be timber residue into new
products and applications.
Timber performs strongly against fire and gives designers the ability to
confidently create strong, durable, fire resistant timber constructions.
Prone to abiotic forces: Abiotic forces of nature like Sun, Fire, water
etc. can have adverse effect on Timber.
Cracks and fissures: They may occur in various parts of the tree and
may even indicate the presence of decay or the beginnings of decay.