6 AISC_PART 16_A_Spec. L-App1 (165-191)_15th Ed.

_2016 2016-11-30 3:08 PM Page 167 (Black plate)

16.1-167

CHAPTER M
FABRICATION AND ERECTION

This chapter addresses requirements for shop drawings, fabrication, shop painting and
erection.
The chapter is organized as follows:
M1. Shop and Erection Drawings
M2. Fabrication
M3. Shop Painting
M4. Erection

M1. SHOP AND ERECTION DRAWINGS

Shop and erection drawings are permitted to be prepared in stages. Shop drawings
shall be prepared in advance of fabrication and give complete information necessary
for the fabrication of the component parts of the structure, including the location,
type and size of welds and bolts. Erection drawings shall be prepared in advance of
erection and give information necessary for erection of the structure. Shop and erec-
tion drawings shall clearly distinguish between shop and field welds and bolts and
shall clearly identify pretensioned and slip-critical high-strength bolted connections.
Shop and erection drawings shall be made with due regard to speed and economy in
fabrication and erection.

M2. FABRICATION

1. Cambering, Curving and Straightening

Local application of heat or mechanical means is permitted to be used to introduce
or correct camber, curvature and straightness. The temperature of heated areas shall
not exceed 1,100°F (590°C) for ASTM A514/A514M and ASTM A852/A852M
steels nor 1,200°F (650°C) for other steels.

2. Thermal Cutting
Thermally cut edges shall meet the requirements of Structural Welding Code—Steel
(AWS D1.1/D1.1M) clauses 5.14.5.2, 5.14.8.3 and 5.14.8.4, hereafter referred to
as AWS D1.1M/D1.1M, with the exception that thermally cut free edges that will
not be subject to fatigue shall be free of round-bottom gouges greater than 3/16 in.
(5 mm) deep and sharp V-shaped notches. Gouges deeper than 3/16 in. (5 mm) and
notches shall be removed by grinding or repaired by welding.
Reentrant corners shall be formed with a curved transition. The radius need not exceed
that required to fit the connection. Discontinuous corners are permitted where the
material on both sides of the discontinuous reentrant corner are connected to a mating
piece to prevent deformation and associated stress concentration at the corner.

Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, July 7, 2016

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
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16.1-168 FABRICATION [Sect. M2.

User Note: Reentrant corners with a radius of 1/2 to 3/8 in. (13 to 10 mm) are
acceptable for statically loaded work. Where pieces need to fit tightly together, a
discontinuous reentrant corner is acceptable if the pieces are connected close to
the corner on both sides of the discontinuous corner. Slots in HSS for gussets may
be made with semicircular ends or with curved corners. Square ends are accept-
able provided the edge of the gusset is welded to the HSS.

Weld access holes shall meet the geometrical requirements of Section J1.6. Beam
copes and welds access holes in shapes that are to be galvanized shall be ground to
bright metal. For shapes with a flange thickness not exceeding 2 in. (50 mm), the
roughness of thermally cut surfaces of copes shall be no greater than a surface rough-
ness value of 2,000 μin. (50 μm) as defined in Surface Texture, Surface Roughness,
Waviness, and Lay (ASME B46.1), hereafter referred to as ASTM B46.1. For beam
copes and weld access holes in which the curved part of the access hole is thermally
cut in ASTM A6/A6M hot-rolled shapes with a flange thickness exceeding 2 in. (50
mm) and welded built-up shapes with material thickness greater than 2 in. (50 mm),
a preheat temperature of not less than 150°F (66°C) shall be applied prior to thermal
cutting. The thermally cut surface of access holes in ASTM A6/A6M hot-rolled
shapes with a flange thickness exceeding 2 in. (50 mm) and built-up shapes with a
material thickness greater than 2 in. (50 mm) shall be ground.

User Note: The AWS Surface Roughness Guide for Oxygen Cutting (AWS C4.1-77)
sample 2 may be used as a guide for evaluating the surface roughness of copes in
shapes with flanges not exceeding 2 in. (50 mm) thick.

3. Planing of Edges
Planing or finishing of sheared or thermally cut edges of plates or shapes is not
required unless specifically called for in the construction documents or included in a
stipulated edge preparation for welding.

4. Welded Construction
Welding shall be performed in accordance with AWS D1.1/D1.1M, except as modi-
fied in Section J2.

User Note: Welder qualification tests on plate defined in AWS D1.1/D1.1M clause
4 are appropriate for welds connecting plates, shapes or HSS to other plates, shapes
or rectangular HSS. The 6GR tubular welder qualification is required for unbacked
complete-joint-penetration groove welds of HSS T-, Y- and K-connections.

5. Bolted Construction
Parts of bolted members shall be pinned or bolted and rigidly held together during
assembly. Use of a drift pin in bolt holes during assembly shall not distort the metal
or enlarge the holes. Poor matching of holes shall be cause for rejection.

Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, July 7, 2016

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
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Sect. M2.] FABRICATION 16.1-169

Bolt holes shall comply with the provisions of the RCSC Specification for Structural
Joints Using High-Strength Bolts Section 3.3, hereafter referred to as the RCSC
Specification, except that thermally cut holes are permitted with a surface roughness
profile not exceeding 1,000 μin. (25 μm), as defined in ASME B46.1. Gouges shall
not exceed a depth of 1/16 in. (2 mm). Water jet cut holes are also permitted.

User Note: The AWS Surface Roughness Guide for Oxygen Cutting (AWS C4.1-
77) sample 3 may be used as a guide for evaluating the surface roughness of
thermally cut holes.

Fully inserted finger shims, with a total thickness of not more than 1/4 in. (6 mm)
within a joint, are permitted without changing the strength (based upon hole type) for
the design of connections. The orientation of such shims is independent of the direc-
tion of application of the load.
The use of high-strength bolts shall conform to the requirements of the RCSC
Specification, except as modified in Section J3.

6. Compression Joints
Compression joints that depend on contact bearing as part of the splice strength shall
have the bearing surfaces of individual fabricated pieces prepared by milling, sawing
or other equivalent means.

7. Dimensional Tolerances
Dimensional tolerances shall be in accordance with Chapter 6 of the AISC Code of
Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges, hereafter referred to as the Code
of Standard Practice.

8. Finish of Column Bases

Column bases and base plates shall be finished in accordance with the following
requirements:
(a) Steel bearing plates 2 in. (50 mm) or less in thickness are permitted without
milling provided a smooth and notch-free contact bearing surface is obtained.
Steel bearing plates over 2 in. (50 mm) but not over 4 in. (100 mm) in thickness
are permitted to be straightened by pressing or, if presses are not available, by
milling for bearing surfaces, except as stipulated in subparagraphs (b) and (c) of
this section, to obtain a smooth and notch-free contact bearing surface. Steel
bearing plates over 4 in. (100 mm) in thickness shall be milled for bearing sur-
faces, except as stipulated in subparagraphs (b) and (c) of this section.
(b) Bottom surfaces of bearing plates and column bases that are grouted to ensure
full bearing contact on foundations need not be milled.
(c) Top surfaces of bearing plates need not be milled when complete-joint-penetra-
tion groove welds are provided between the column and the bearing plate.

Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, July 7, 2016

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
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16.1-170 FABRICATION [Sect. M2.

9. Holes for Anchor Rods

Holes for anchor rods are permitted to be thermally cut in accordance with the pro-
visions of Section M2.2.

10. Drain Holes

When water can collect inside HSS or box members, either during construction or
during service, the member shall be sealed, provided with a drain hole at the base, or
otherwise protected from water infiltration.

11. Requirements for Galvanized Members

Members and parts to be galvanized shall be designed, detailed and fabricated to pro-
vide for flow and drainage of pickling fluids and zinc and to prevent pressure buildup
in enclosed parts.

User Note: See The Design of Products to be Hot-Dip Galvanized After Fabri-
cation, American Galvanizer’s Association, and ASTM A123, F2329, A384 and
A780 for useful information on design and detailing of galvanized members. See
Section M2.2 for requirements for copes of members that are to be galvanized.

M3. SHOP PAINTING

1. General Requirements
Shop painting and surface preparation shall be in accordance with the provisions in
Code of Standard Practice Chapter 6.
Shop paint is not required unless specified by the contract documents.
2. Inaccessible Surfaces
Except for contact surfaces, surfaces inaccessible after shop assembly shall be
cleaned and painted prior to assembly, if required by the construction documents.

3. Contact Surfaces
Paint is permitted in bearing-type connections. For slip-critical connections, the
faying surface requirements shall be in accordance with RCSC Specification Section
3.2.2.

4. Finished Surfaces
Machine-finished surfaces shall be protected against corrosion by a rust inhibitive
coating that can be removed prior to erection or has characteristics that make removal
prior to erection unnecessary.

5. Surfaces Adjacent to Field Welds

Unless otherwise specified in the design documents, surfaces within 2 in. (50 mm)
of any field weld location shall be free of materials that would prevent weld quality

Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, July 7, 2016

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
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Sect. M4.] ERECTION 16.1-171

from meeting the quality requirements of this Specification, or produce unsafe fumes
during welding.

M4. ERECTION

1. Column Base Setting

Column bases shall be set level and to correct elevation with full bearing on concrete
or masonry as defined in Code of Standard Practice Chapter 7.

2. Stability and Connections

The frame of structural steel buildings shall be carried up true and plumb within the
limits defined in Code of Standard Practice Chapter 7. As erection progresses, the
structure shall be secured to support dead, erection and other loads anticipated to
occur during the period of erection. Temporary bracing shall be provided, in accor-
dance with the requirements of the Code of Standard Practice, wherever necessary to
support the loads to which the structure may be subjected, including equipment and
the operation of same. Such bracing shall be left in place as long as required for safety.

3. Alignment
No permanent bolting or welding shall be performed until the affected portions of the
structure have been aligned as required by the construction documents.

4. Fit of Column Compression Joints and Base Plates

Lack of contact bearing not exceeding a gap of 1/16 in. (2 mm), regardless of the type
of splice used (partial-joint-penetration groove welded or bolted), is permitted. If the
gap exceeds 1/16 in. (2 mm), but is equal to or less than 1/4 in. (6 mm), and if an engi-
neering investigation shows that sufficient contact area does not exist, the gap shall
be packed out with nontapered steel shims. Shims need not be other than mild steel,
regardless of the grade of the main material.

5. Field Welding
Surfaces in and adjacent to joints to be field welded shall be prepared as necessary
to assure weld quality. This preparation shall include surface preparation necessary
to correct for damage or contamination occurring subsequent to fabrication.

6. Field Painting
Responsibility for touch-up painting, cleaning, and field painting shall be allocated
in accordance with accepted local practices, and this allocation shall be set forth
explicitly in the contract documents.

Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, July 7, 2016

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION