UNIT 3
Column is a vertical structural member. It transmits the load from ceiling/roof slab
and beam, including its self-weight to the foundation. Columns may be subjected to a
pure compressive load
Stanchion
A stanchion is a sturdy upright fixture that provides support for some other object .
Stanchions are used for many different purposes including crowd control & waiting lines.
Many different places use stanchions including banks, stores, hotels, museums, restaurants,
concert venues, trade shows & other events.
*Portable posts used to manage lines and queues.
*Fixed posts with decorative ropes
Beam is the horizontal member of a structure, carrying transverse loads. Beam is
rectangular in cross-section. Beam carry the Floor slab or the roof slab. Bram transfer all
the loads including its self-weight to the columns or walls.
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction.[1] It is the main horizontal support of a
structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross
section composed of two load-bearing flanges separated by a stabilizing web, but may
also have a box shape, Z shape and other forms. A girder is commonly used to build
bridges.
In traditional timber framing a girder is called a girt.
Small steel girders are rolled into shape. Larger girders (1 m/3 feet deep or more) are
made as plate girders, welded or bolted together from separate pieces of steel plate
The Warren type girder replaces the solid web with an open latticework between the
flanges. This truss arrangement combines strength with economy of materials and can
therefore be relatively light.
Column bases
Typical column bases, as shown in the figure on the right, consist of a single plate fillet
welded to the end of the column and attached to the foundation with four holding down bolts.
The bolts are cast into the concrete base in location tubes or cones and are fitted with anchor
plates to prevent pull out. High strength grout is poured into the space below the plate.
Typical column bases
Column splices
Column splices in multi-storey construction are required to provide strength and
continuity of stiffness about both axes of the columns.
Splices are typically provided every two or three storeys and are usually located
approximately 600mm above floor level. This results in convenient lengths
for fabrication, transport and erection, and gives easy access from the adjacent floor for
bolting up on site. The provision of splices at each storey level is seldom economical
since the saving in column material is generally far outweighed by the material,
fabrication and erection costs of providing the splice.
Splice connections
COLUMN AND BEAM STEEL FRAMES
Column and beam steel frame structures have a skeleton of steel connected by bolts or
welds that act as the support for the rest of the building. A column and beam frame can be
braced or continuous.
A braced frame has a web of smaller members acting to stabilize and provide rigidity to
the frame, which is generally a simple pin connection. Bracing is added horizontally or
vertically to the main frame, often in shaped patterns to facilitate transferring load
stresses.
A continuous frame is not braced. Bolts or welds create rigid connections capable of
withstanding the design loads without additional frame members. The key advantage to
a continuous frame is the ability to minimize the depth of the beams. In addition, a
continuous frame has aesthetic advantages and promotes accessibility without the need
for triangulated bracing systems or solid wall systems.
Continuous framing is a more durable but more costly choice. A combination of
continuous and braced frame may offer an economical solution.
CONNECTIONS ARE IMPORTANT
The connections between beams and columns, joists to beam, and column to foundation
are the most important, and the weakest, part of the frame. Most structural failures
occur at the connections.
Construction supervisors and contractors must understand this concept. They are
responsible for the correct selection and installation of the appropriate connections
within the frame because the structural engineer rarely designs the connections. At
most, guidelines will be provided with the building plans.
Over time, steel fabricators have developed connection systems that were cost effective
for their own products but that were not appropriate for another fabricator’s frame. A
rather complicated process resulted:
The structural engineer sizes the members.
The steel fabricator designs the connections.
The structural engineer reviews and approves the connections.
Lots of room for error. It is critical for the construction supervisor to be well-educated
and vigilant about connections in a column and beam steel frame.
Beam-to-beam and beam-to-column connections using:
Partial depth end plates
Full depth end plates
Fin plates
Column splices (bolted cover plates or end plates)
Column bases
Bracing connections (Gusset plates).
Simple connections can also be needed for skewed joints, beams eccentric to columns
and connection to column webs. These are classed as special connections and are
treated separately.
The partial depth end plate is easy to fabricate and takes surface treatment well. It
provides 75% of the shear resistance calculated as a percentage of beam resistance and
has a moderate degree of tying resistance. It is only fair in ease of erection, onsite
adjustment, and temporary stability. Partial depth end plate is not the best to use for
skewed joint or eccentric beam designs.
A full depth end plate provides 100% shear resistance and better tying resistance than
partial depth end plate. It also provides better connections for the column web. Also
easily fabricated and surface treated, it can be readily adjusted as needed at the jobsite.
It is not the easiest to erect nor does it give the best temporary stability. This is also not
the best choice for skewed joint or eccentric beam designs.
Fin plates are the easiest to erect and adjust onsite while providing better temporary
stability than a partial or full depth end plate. It is also the best for a skewed or
eccentric beam connection. It also has good tying resistance.
However, fin plates have only 50% shear resistance and have a weaker connection to
the column web than end plates. A long fin plate may require additional stiffening upon
fabrication.
Standard flexible end plate connections
End plate beam to column and beam to beam
connections
Fin plate beam to column and beam to beam
connections
Fin plate connections are economical to fabricate and simple to erect. These connections
are popular, as they can be the quickest connections to erect and overcome the problem of
shared bolts in two-sided connections.
A fin plate connection consists of a length of plate welded in the workshop to the
supporting member, to which the supported beam web is bolted on site, as shown in the
figure below. There is a small clearance between the end of the supported beam and the
supporting column.
Standard fin plate connections details
Lattice girder
A lattice girder is a truss girder where the flanges are connected by a lattice web
The lattice girder type of design has been supplanted in modern construction
with welded or bolted plate girders, which use more material but have lower fabrication
and maintenance costs. The lattice girder was used prior to the development of larger
rolled steel plates.
The term is also sometimes used to refer to a structural member commonly made using a
combination of structural sections connected with diagonal lacing. This member is more
correctly referred to as a laced strut or laced tie, as it normally resists
axial compression (strut) or axial tension (tie); the lattice girder, like any girder,
primarily resists bending.
The component sections may typically include metal beams, channel and angle sections,
with the lacing elements either metal plate strips, or angle sections. The lacing elements
are typically attached using either hot rivets or threaded locator bolts.
Warren type girder
The Warren type girder replaces the solid web with an open latticework between the
flanges. This truss arrangement combines strength with economy of materials and can
therefore be relatively light. Patented in 1848 by its designers James Warren and
Willoughby Theobald Monzani.
Its structure consists of longitudinal members joined only by angled cross-members,
forming alternately inverted equilateral triangle-shaped spaces along its length, ensuring
that no individual strut, beam, or tie is subject to bending or torsional straining forces, but
only to tension or compression. It is an improvement over the Neville truss which uses a
spacing configuration of isosceles triangles.
Images relevant to previous classes
