The behavior of steel columns

The pillars steel are vertical elements that take the loads given by the floors, beams or other elements that rest on them and transmit them to the foundations. They are part of the structural resistance elements that ensure the strength and stability of buildings. And their lengths are greater than the dimensions of the cross sections.  They carry the load, mainly through axial compression.

There are several types of compression members, the column being the best known. Steel posts are often slender due to the high strength of the material.

The pillars steel – their manufacture and use

Steel poles are used in the composition of industrial halls or civil constructions with a metal skeleton.

Metal poles are generally used in structures that have special loading and/or operating conditions. The metal pillars can be made with different shapes in cross section. This depends on the types of steel products used in their execution. Thus, metal poles can be made with a simple or compound cross-section.

Types of metal poles

According to the shape of the cross section: poles with rectangular section, poles with square section, poles with „T” section, poles with double „T” section, poles with „L” section, poles with star section, poles with circular section, poles with tubular section;

In practice, the failure of a steel column is associated with buckling. This is related to the slenderness of the pole.

The buckling behavior is thus characterized by the deformations developed in a direction (or plane) normal to the loading that produces them. When the applied load is increased, the buckling deformation also increases. Buckling occurs especially in limbs subjected to compressive forces. The resistance of a transverse section to buckling is represented by its radius of gyration.

For the design of light metal halls in the field of civil, industrial, agricultural constructions and other types of light metal structures, it is recommended:

– the distribution of the pillars in the construction plan should be as uniform as possible; if, for functional reasons, it is necessary to remove a pillar, it is recommended to place support beams to ensure the continuity of the structure.

– the pillars are made with a constant or variable height section, using: laminated profiles, sections composed by welding, openwork, or cold-formed thin-walled profiles.

In practice, the columns are subjected to a combination of compression and bending.

Buckling resistance and true stress are related to the size of the cross section. That is why iterative design procedures must be used.

The most efficient shape for a pole is the circular hollow section, followed by the square tube.

To obtain an offer and information about steel poles, we invite you to contact us at the email address office@h-metal.ro.