Preface

Structural design emphasizes that the elements of a structure are to be proportioned

and joined together in such a way that they will be able to withstand all the loads
(load effects) that are likely to act on it during its service life, without excessive
deformation or collapse. Structural design is often considered as an art as well as
a science. It must balance theoretical analysis with practical considerations, such
as the degree of certainty of loads and forces, the actual behaviour of the structure
as distinguished from the idealized analytical and design model, the actual behaviour
of the material compared to the assumed elastic behaviour, and the actual properties
of materials used compared to the assumed ones.
Steel is one of the major construction materials used all over the world. It has
many advantages over other competing materials, such as high strength to weight
ratio, high ductility (hence its suitability for earthquake-resistant structures), and
uniformity. It is also agreen material in the sense that it is fully recyclable. Presently,
several grades and shapes of steel products exist.
Structuraldesigners need to have a sound knowledge of structural steel behaviour,
including the material behaviour of steel, and the structural behaviour of individual
elements and of the complete structure. Unless structural engineers are abreast of
the recent developments and understand the relationships between the structural
behaviour and the design criteria implied by the rules of the design codes, they will
be following the coda1rules rigidly and blindly and may even apply them incorrectly
in situations beyond their scope.
This text is based on the latest Indian Standard code of practice for general
construction using hot-rolled steel sections (IS 800 : 2007) released in February
2008. This third revision of the code is based on the limit state method of design
(the earlier versions of the code were based on the working or allowable stress
method). The convention for member axis suggested in the code is adopted and SI
units have been used throughout the book.
Readers are advised to refer to the latest code (IS 800 : 2007) published by the
Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi. It is recommended that readers also refer
to the latest version of the codes on design loads (IS 875 and IS 1893), dimension
of sections (IS 808 or IS Handbook No. 1, IS 1161, IS 12778, IS 4923, and IS
Sll), specification of steel (IS 2062, IS 8500, IS 6639, and IS 3757), bolts (IS
1364 and IS 4000), and welding (IS 8 16).
viii Preface

About the Book

The objectives of writing this book are: (a) to explain the provisions of the latest
version of IS 800:2007, which has been revised recently based on limit states design,
(b) to provide ample examples so that the students understand the concepts clearly, (c)
to give information on structural design failures and latest developments in structural
steel design, and (d) to provide interested readers with the sources of further reading.
The book completely covers the requirements of undergraduate students of
civil and structural engineering for a course on design of steel structures. Each
chapter comprises numerous tables, figures, and solved examples to help students
understand the concepts clearly. Review questions and exercises given at the end
of each chapter will help students assimilate the ideas presented in the chapters
and also to apply them to get a feel of the results obtained. Case studies of failures
and some important aspects of structural design are sprinkled throughout the text,
to enhance the usefulness of the book.

Contents and Coverage

Chapter 1 provides a brief discussion on the historical developments, steel making
processes, and the metallurgy of steel.
Chapter 2 introduces the design considerations and the role of structural design
in the complete design process as well the loads acting on structures. Many failures
are attributed to the lack of determination of the loads acting on different structures.
Hence, the various loads that can act on a structure are also briefly discussed, as
per the latest Indian codes.
Chapter 3 deals with the design of tension members. Plastic and local buckling
behaviour of steel sections are covered in Chapter 4, as they will be useful in
understanding the design of axially loaded compression members and flexural
members which are covered in Chapters 5 to 8.
The design of beam-columns, which are subjected to both axial loads and
bending moments, is discussed briefly in Chapter 9. The two methods used to
connect the elements of steel structures, namely, bolted and welded connections
are discussed in Chapters 10 and 11.
With the information provided in Chapters 1 to 11, it is possible to design any
type of structure consisting of tension members, compression members, flexural
members, or beam-columns. To demonstratethis, the design of industrialbuildings
is dealt with in Chapter 12.
The design aids presented in the appendix (Appendix D) will be quite useful to
designers and also to students to check the results.
Though care has been taken to present error-free material, some errors might
have crept in inadvertently.I would highly appreciate if these errors and suggestions
for improvement are brought to my notice.

Acknowledgements
I am grateful to my teachers, especially Prof. C. Ganapathy of the Indian Institute
of Technology, Madras, from whom I learnt the subject. I have also learnt much
from Prof. J. Lindner and Prof. Ch. Petersen, while working in Germany as an
 Preface ix

Alexander von Humboldt fellow. My understanding of this subject was greatly

influenced by the books and publications of several authors. These books and
authors are listed in the suggested reading section, at the end of the book. I would
like to apologize for any phrase or illustrations used in this book inadvertently
without acknowledgement.
While attending the presentations and discussions held in the sub-committee,
which prepared the draft of IS 800 : 2007, I received valuable inputs from Dr R.
Narayanan (former head of Education and Publication Division of the Steel
Construction Institute, UK), Prof. V. Kalyanaraman and Dr S.R. Sathish Kumar
(IIT Madras), and other members of the sub-committee. I also learnt a lot from
the discussions I had on several occasions with Prof. A.R. Santhakumar (former
Dean of Anna University and Professor IIT Madras).
I would like to thank the following organizations/publishersfor permitting me
to reproduce material from their publications:
0 American Institute of Steel Construction Inc., Chicago, for extracts from
papers published in Modern Steel Construction and Engineering Journal,
0 American Society of Civil Engineers for quotes from their publications,
Steel Construction Institute, Ascot, UK, for figures from the book Structural
Steel Design (by P.J. Dowling, P. Knowles, and G.W. Owens (Buttenvorths,
19SS),
0 Elsevier, UK, for figures from the book Structural Steelwork Connections by
G.W. Owens and B.D. Cheal (Buttenvorths-Heinemann, 1989),
Canadian Institute of Steel Construction for figures from the book Limit
States Design in Structural Steel by G.L. Kulak and G.Y. Grondin (2002),
0 McGraw-Hill Education for figures from the books Structural Steel Design
by J.E. Bowles (1980), Steel, Concrete, and Composite Design of Tall
Buildings by B.S. Taranath and Handbook of Structural Steel Connection
Design and Details by A.R. Tamboli (1999).
I am privileged and grateful to Dr T.K. Bandyopadhyay (former Joint Director
General, Institute for Steel Development and Growth, Kolkata), for writing the
Foreword to the book.
I would like to thank all those who assisted me in the preparation of this book.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr S. Seetharaman, Professor, Sathyabama
University, Chennai, and former Deputy Director, StructuralEngineering Research
Centre (SERC), Madras, for writing the chapters on Beams and Plate Girders;
Prof. C. Ganapathy for going through the entire manuscript and offering comments;
Ms R. M. Biruntha for her help in working out the examples in the chapters on
Plate Girders and Gantry Girders.
I will be failing in my duty if I do not acknowledge the help and assistance I
received from Ms S. Chithra at all the stages of this book writing project. Lastly, I
acknowledge the excellent support and coordination provided by the editorial team
at Oxford University Press, India.
Dr N. Subramanian