Structural steel detailing has evolved as a critical engineering approach in the construction industry, requiring great precision.
1. Introduction
Steel detailing is the preparation of detailed plans and drawings for steel structures. These drawings guide the erectors know where and how to erect the fabricated steel members on the job site. Even a minor mistake might result in a significant loss of time and money.
2. Steel Detailing
Figure 1: Steel Detailing 1
Steel detailing is an important and necessary step in steel construction. Steel detailing provides a communication that collaborates key stakeholders such as architects, contractors, fabricators, and others who are involved in the project at any level.
Figure 2: Steel Detailing 2
Creating comprehensive steelwork drawings serve as a guide for the erection of the steel buildings.
3. Scope of Steel Detailing works
Structural steel detailing entails the development of comprehensive drawings for our fabrication similar as plans, estimates, and other necessary reports and activities. There are two sorts of drawings used in this process: shop drawings and erection drawings.
The erection drawings specify the placement coordination of each steel component within the structure and detailed dimensioned plans. It is the construction site steel erector who refers these drawings in the steel detailing process, in order to know how and where to build with the fabricated steel pieces. Included in the erection drawings are dimensional plans to identify the steel members, in addition to all work required on the site including bolting and anchoring.
Figure 3: GA 3d Drawings
Shop drawings on the other hand are more detailed. Each steel component, such as columns, beams, braces and purlins are meticulously detailed in the shop drawings. This describes how steel fabricators should make each component. Component dimensions and sizes, bolting, welding, material specifications, and other details required for each component’s fabrication are all included in the shop drawings.
With its decades of experience, Novelty Steel is responsible for the design, strength, and integrity of steel constructions. For the fabrication and erection of steel members, structural steel detailing aids in the creation of detailed structural drawings, design plans, and a range of construction documents.
Steel detailing is a vital link in the project’s communication chain and to avoid any kind of misunderstandings during or after the construction process, providing a universal communication ground between the architect, general contractor, client and Novelty Steel.
Figure 4: Shop Drawings
With steel detailing, comprehensive shop drawings may include for each piece:
- Size
- Material description
- Required dimensions
- Surface preparation
- Bolting
- Welding
- Painting requirements
- Manufacturing conventions
- Special fabricating guidelines.
4. Conclusion
Traditionally steel detailing was carried out manually by pencils, rulers, templates of circles, triangles, drafters, drafting machines, etc. Later, these primitive methodologies were substituted by Computer Aided Designing (CAD), a specific software used only for designing in 2D and 3D which are nowadays integrated within a BIM interface.
Knowledge Hub
