Part 1: General Concepts - Advantages and disadvantages - Ref. P.

26

Typical Fireproofing Profiles

Wire mesh

Outline of
fireproofing
profile
Shallow Beam Shallow Column

Deep Beam Deep Column

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.27

Iron – very reactive (O, S, Cl). Therefore, found in nature as ores (oxides, sulfides, carbonates, chlorides).

Iron - 26th element in the periodic table.

Iron – 4th most abundant naturally occurring surface element.

Mild steel (low carbon) < 0.25% C, Medium carbon steel 0.25%C - 0.45%C , High carbon steel 0.45%C - 1.5%C

Impurities are present in the ores that iron is found in.

Cast iron – term usually defines as carbon content of 2% or greater.

Oxidation process during smelting produces slag on surface which is skimmed off (waste that absorbs and
contains the impurities).

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.28

Thermal treatments – quenched and tempered steel (heat treated steels) – increase hardness.

Increased carbon content = increased strength, but too much can lead to brittle behavior and make welding
difficult.

Varying carbon content yields varying microstructures.

Above 2% carbon changes microstructure such that when heated is a transition point for phase change
(remember cast iron is defined as > 2% C).
Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.29

Carbon Equivalent (CE)

Primarily a measure of weldability.

High CE value can lead to weld cracking if precautions are not taken.

Precautions - Pre-heat, post-heat, min. single pass weld size, weld sequence, restraint details.

Some steel grades have maximum carbon equivalent limits (ASTM A992 – max. CE = 0.45) (Seismic steel)

6
4
5
3

2 1
Example of Weld Sequence Balancing to minimize residual
stresses due to weld metal shrinkage after cooling.
 Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.30

Total strain (% elongation)

Stress = P/A
(tensile
load/x-sectional Elastic range
Plastic range Strain hardening Necking
area)

Fu
Yield point

Yield plateau
Fy
Fracture

Ultimate tensile strength

1
Modulus of elasticity
g

(Young's modulus)
in

Fracture strength
E
yield

E = 200,000 MPa Yield strength

for steel
after
load
If un

Yield to tensile ratio = Fy/Fu

Strain = ∆/L = change in length/original length

(also = % elongation)
Permanent deformation
if unloaded after yielding
Typical Stress-Strain Curve for Structural Steel
Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.30

Necking

Fracture

Tension coupon

span

Notch

Test coupon

Fracture point Impact of specific energy

Charpy Impact Test

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.30

Test Coupon Locations for Tensile Tests Either

location
1/2 1/2

1/2

1/2
2/3 1/3

1/2
1/2
As per CSA
1/3 2/3 G40.20-04

1/4 1/4
Super light beams
1/4 1/4 or beams with
flanges less than
150 mm wide

1/2
1/2

2/3 1/3

W- & HP-shapes (ASTM A6/A6M)

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P. 30 & 35
 Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.33

Bolt Tension

Ultimate tensile resistance, Tu Direct Tension

Approx. 0.8Tu Torqued Tension

Fracture
Linear Elastic Range

A325 – 1” dia. or less, Fu = 825 Mpa

A325 – greater than 1” dia., Fu = 725 Mpa

A490 – Fu = 1035 MPa

Bolt Elongation

Tension-Elongation Curve for High Strength Bolts

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.34

CSA G40.21-04, Structural Quality Steel (chemical composition, mechanical properties, etc.)

CSA G40.21-04 is usually coupled with CSA G40.20-04.

CSA G40.20-04 General requirements for rolled or welded structural quality steel (dimensions, mass, rolling
tolerances, testing, etc.)

Example: 300W – Fy = 300MPa, W = weldable steel

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.35

G – Primarily intended for bolted applications, or welding under carefully controlled shop conditions . Not common and
availability will be limited. Have to go back to HSC 6th ed. to find listing . Historically available in 230G, 350G, 400G.

W – most popular

WT – popular with lifting lugs in industrial applications

“T” portion of the designation indicates low temperature steel (fracture resistant, notch tough steel – recall Charpy
impact test values)

AT – popular with bridges – forms a protective barrier to the elements due to initial oxidation of surface (painting not
required – less maintenance)

Q & QT – hardened (heat treated) steel commonly used for wear plates to line chutes and hoppers for material
handling (ores, oil sands, etc.) – heated to upper transformation temperature, cooled by liquid emersion or liquid
spray, reheated to temperature below the lower transformation temperature and cooled by air or liquid.
Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.35

Notes on heat treatment temperatures and process for Q and QT steels

Upper tansformation temperature - Depends on carbon content (approx. 800OC at 0.3% carbon). The temperature at
which the austenitic phase can exist. Below this temperature ferrite will start to form (mixture of ferrite and austenite).

Lower transformation temperature (723OC for > 0.02% carbon) - The temperature at which ferrite and pearlite (<
723OC) transform to ferrite and austenite (> 723OC).

Pearlite = mixture of alternating strips of ferrite and cementite in a single grain.

Quenching involves rapid cooling from the upper transformation temperature which results in a martensitic structure
that possesses a super-saturated carbon content in a deformed body-centered cubic (BCC) crystalline structure
termed body-centered tetragonal (BCT) with much internal stress. Thus quenched steel is extremely hard but brittle -
usually too brittle for practical purposes.

Tempering involves reheating quenched steel to a temperature below the lower transformation temperature then
cooling. The elevated temperature allows very small amounts of spheroidite to form, which restores ductility, but
reduces hardness. Actual temperatures and times are carefully chosen for each steel composition.

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.38

Resistance - yield strength, Fy & ultimate tensile strength, Fu.

Ductility – one of the many benefits of steel construction that we take advantage of for design – requires careful
consideration of details when it comes to connection design in order to to maintain ductility for specific applications –
particularly with welding details and geometry of cut-outs, etc.

Toughness - Charpy V-notch impact test - Categories of WT, QT, AT steel (notch tough steel, low temperature steel).

Hardness - Brinnel, Vickers, Rockwell hardness tests.

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.39

Rolling Process
Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.43

Beam

Column

Shim allowance to
accomodate over-roll
in beam above Post

Example of how Rolling Tolerances may Affect Connection Design

Part 1: General Concepts - Composition and grade - Ref. P.43

Bolted flange plate moment connection

Column Beam

Shim allowance to accomodate

over-roll in beam and ease of
installation of beam

Example of how Rolling Tolerances may Affect Connection Design

Part 1: General Concepts - Classification and identification - Ref. P.46

Groupings for Tensile Properly Classification - In some material specifications (CSA G40.20-04, ASTM A6, etc.) the
tensile property requirements vary for different sizes of shapes due to mass effect, etc. For the convenience of those
using the specifications the various sizes of shapes have been divided into groups based on section thickness at the
standard tension test location (webs of beams, channels, and zees; legs of angles; and stems of tees).