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625
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STEEL CONSTRUCTION:
FABRICATION AND ERECTION
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STEEL CONSTRUCTION: FABRICATION AND ERECTION
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1. INTRODUCTION
The objective of this lecture is to give an insight into the fabrication aspects of steel
structures. Optimum design of steel structures can only be achieved if fabrication and
erection are considered together with the functional, architectural and structural
requirements.
To minimize total costs and optimise the design of the steel structure, it is important that
the various disciplines involved work in a coordinated way as a project team during the
various stages.
Fabrication costs do not depend only on the fabrication itself but are also influenced by the
contract scope, contracting procedures and organisation. Costs are very sensitive to the
labour involved in the fabrication. Good design concentrates on minimising material
handling and preparation; in this regard it should be noted that fabrication procedures and
sequencing may be influenced by the protection required to the steelwork. Careful
attention should also be given to other aspects such as material characteristics, distortions
and tolerances.
Engineer's Drawings.
Conditions of Contract.
Technical Specification.
Contract Programme.
2.3 Planning
The success of any contract generally depends on compliance with the requirements of the
project programme; deviations from the programme can have very serious effects on costs;
delays can be traumatic for the other participating trades and subsequently for the client.
The programme is usually made out in bar-line format and based on network techniques,
including critical path analysis.
Essential elements are:
Erection sequence;
Purchasing the material from the steelmill;
Preparation of fabrication drawings;
Material preparation;
Fabrication;
Assembly;
Protective treatment;
Delivery to site.
Each element is planned to a set timescale, and co-ordinated with parallel actions from
other contracts occurring during the same period. If the erection programme imposes
demands for shop fabrication in excess of the fabricator's capacity, then sub-letting of work
will be necessary, coupled with the requisite QA- and QC-assessment.
The time and cost involved in preparing drawings will largely depend upon the degree of
repetition and the complexity of the design; careful consideration of these matters prior to
starting setting out and detail work should result in drawings that, efficiently and
unambiguously, communicate the structural requirements to the workshop operatives and
the site erection team.
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Work stations equipped with modern computer graphics, when used by trained
draughtsmen, can result in higher rates of drawing production. They can also result in a
higher quality of drawing with modifications being more easily incorporated. Longdistance transfer by telephone is possible. Automatic listings of materials and tapes for
numerically controlled (NC) fabrication may also be produced advantageously by these
facilities.
3. FABRICATION PROCEDURES
3.1 Workshop Layout
Fabricators range from small general firms to large specialised producers with different
facilities at their disposal. In either case the fabrication must always be organised in such a
way that the material will pass through a one-way system from receipt to final despatch
(Slide 1). A flow chart, as indicated in Slide 2, shows the main areas of activity in a
modern fabrication shop; the specific activities for a simple steel beam can also be
organised as a production line (Slide 3).
Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Most fabrication shops are equipped with overhead travelling cranes, sometimes remotely
controlled from the shop floor. Mechanised conveyor systems are common in the larger
shops. They can greatly reduce handling costs.
Special facilities must be provided for the storage of flammable materials; pipelines for gas
and oxygen must be installed. Welding areas require a heavy power supply and screening
to protect eyes from ultraviolet glare. Some operations are very dusty and noisy, such as
mechanical chipping and arc gouging. Where possible, they should be separated, therefore,
from the other production areas.
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STEEL CONSTRUCTION: FABRICATION AND ERECTION
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Slide 4
Slide 5
When required, the steel is shot blasted in a separate location, either by hand or
automatically. Sometimes the automatic installations can sense the size of the members.
Paint-spraying (done either by hand or automatically) may follow directly after blast
cleaning, depending on the production programme; if, for example, welding is required
then painting will take place after fabrication.
Circular saw;
Band saw;
Motor operated hacksaw.
By far the most popular choice is the circular cold saw, as its productivity is better than
that of the band saw or the hack saw. These saws are, in many cases, integrated in
automatic sawing lines, equipped with mechanised longitudinal and transverse conveyors
and measuring devices, as shown in Slides 6 and 7.
Slide 6
Slide 7
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A saw can perform within an accuracy of a fraction of a millimetre on length and within a
squareness of 0,2% of the depth of the cut. The most accurate type is equipped with a
swivelling arm enabling the blade to descend onto the bar. The blade speed adjusts itself
automatically on its way through the work piece. A fully automated saw system will be
operated through a computer program.
The better equipped fabrication shops nowadays have automatic beam-line systems (Slide
8) which are generally linked to the conveyors of the sawing line. The beam (Slide 9)
moves by longitudinal conveyors along the Y-axis, denoted V and X for each flange, while
the web drilling heads move along the Z-axis.
Slide 8
Slide 9
Slide 10
Slide 11
Slide 12
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STEEL CONSTRUCTION: FABRICATION AND ERECTION
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New twist drills are currently available which are capable of higher speeds and greater
efficiency as follows:
Slide 13
Slide 14
Slide 15
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Manual Metal-Arc Welding for fittings and for some profile and positional welding
(Slide 16);
Metal Active Gas Welding (MAG) and Cored Wire Welding with and without gas
(Slide 17);
Submerged Arc Welding (Slide 18) for fully automatic processes; particularly
useful for heavy welding in the flat or horizontal-vertical position and for the longrun welds in plate and box girders.
Electric Arc Stud Welding, principally used in composite construction of steel and
concrete.
Slide 16
Slide 17
Slide 18
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The plates for the girders receive an NDT check for laminations or other defects;
they are then flame cut to the required dimensions and shot blasted.
The girders are firmly clamped into position and tack welded; submerged welding
then follows, the welding heads moving along the weld lines (Slides 19 and 20).
Any stiffeners required are then tacked and welded, usually by MAG welding.
Slide 19
Slide 20
Simultaneous welding of the flanges will reduce distortion.
Slide 21
Unacceptable levels of hardness at the edge of the plate, often caused by burning, can be
removed by planing.
End planing of members is used to get a higher standard of squareness than can be
achieved by sawing. Optical laserbeam methods are used to align the axis of the member to
the cutting head.
Surface machining is only necessary for special bearing surfaces and sometimes for the
slab base plates of columns.
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Slide 22
Close liaison should always be maintained between the QC staff and the Drawing Office.
4. CONCLUDING SUMMARY
Good design makes efficient use of material and makes proper provisions for
tolerances in fabrication and erection.
Good interaction between shop floor and drawing office is indispensable for
economical and efficient fabrication and erection.
Labour should be used as effectively as possible so that labour costs are minimised.
Automatic processes should be used where feasible and appropriate.
Quality control is essential.
5. ADDITIONAL READING
1. Davies, B. J. and Crawley, E. J., Structural Steelwork Fabrication, British
Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA), London, 1980.
2. Arch, W. H., Structural Steelwork - Erection, British Constructional Steelwork
Association (BCSA), London, 1989.
3. Firkins, A., Fabrication Cost of Structural Steelwork, Steel Construction, Vol. 24,
No. 2, Australian Institute of Steel Construction, 1990.
4. Wardenier, J., Design and Fabrication of Steel Structures, Engineering Design of
Welded Construction, IIW 1992, Houdremont lecture, Pergamon Press, 1992.
5. Various authors, Steel Construction Today, Vol. 5, No 3, Steel Construction
Institute, May 1991.
6. Eurocode 3: "Design of Steel Structures": ENV 1993-1-1: Part 1.1: General Rules
and Rules for Buildings, CEN, 1992.
STEEL CONSTRUCTION:
FABRICATION AND ERECTION
1. INTRODUCTION
This lecture is a continuation of Lecture 3.1.1 and concentrates more on the costs
associated with material handling and fabrication equipment; it gives several suggestions of
ways to improve designs to facilitate more economic fabrication.
2. COST FACTORS
Modern programs for the calculation of costs determine the costs of steel structures in
relation to their component parts. For every part, the cost of material, handling, preparation,
welding, bolting, etc. is calculated.
The price of the steelwork, however, is often quoted in cost per tonne for material supply,
fabrication, protection treatment and delivery to site. For simple fabrication the material
cost is often equal to the total cost of preparing drawings, fabrication, treatment and
delivery. For complex structures the cost of fabrication alone can be much more than the
material value.
Typical types of steel structures, in ascending order of cost per tonne, are as follows:
Material 38%
Fabrication 32%
Drawing office 6%
Protection treatment 10%
Delivery 4%
Each item, with the exception of the drawing office input which was discussed in the
previous lecture, is examined in the following sections.
2.1 Material
Steel supplies can be purchased directly from the steel mill or from stockholders. Generally
the larger quantities, delivery time permitting, should be obtained from the mills, since
their prices can be 10 - 15% lower than the stockholder's. However, for small quantities,
(say less than 10 tonnes) it might be more attractive to purchase from stockholders.
When preparing fabrication schedules, the cyclic production plan of the steel mill must be
considered since certain sections are produced more rarely than those in common use.
The fabricator will aim at minimum waste when ordering steel. He will usually allow, say,
an extra 2,5% to account for waste which he will eventually sell as scrap.
The steel mills base their price per tonne on quantities of 20 tonnes or more of mild steel,
and lengths up to 15 metres, cut to a tolerance of 50 millimetres.
Extra costs per tonne are incurred for small quantities of sections, and for higher grade
steels with tighter specifications.
Plates are ordered to the required thickness and in a range of widths and lengths, with
sufficient cutting and machining margins, minimizing waste as much as possible.
Circular hollow sections (CHS) and rectangular hollow sections (RHS) can be purchased at
a standard price per tonne. Extras are charged for small quantities, higher specifications,
and for a smaller length tolerance.
The cost of steel also depends on the certification required. Additional requirements with
regard to chemical composition, mechanical and toughness properties, e.g. ThroughThickness-Properties (Z grade), result in extra cost.
Bearing these points in mind, the fabricator will make an analysis of all the material
required for the project to ensure minimal extras for small quantities. For the same reason
the experienced Engineer should avoid the use of too many different sizes in his design.
Material costs must also include such stock items as bolts, welding consumables, etc.
2.2 Fabrication
Fabrication will depend on the facilities and equipment available in the works. Working
under a roof will boost productivity because of independence from the weather. The larger
fabricator will install efficient, numerically controlled, production lines (which require no
marking of the steel) for burning, sawing, cropping, drilling, punching and welding. These
machines can be very efficient when run at high utilization rates. Smaller fabricators may
still make templates or mark the steel directly before cutting or drilling.
Slide 23
Slide 24
Though it may add considerably to the transport costs, it is very important to handle the
material with great care after painting.
Extra costs are also incurred by having to provide areas which are to be left unpainted, such
as the bare steel surfaces required for high strength friction grip bolted (HSFG) connections
or for site welding.
2.4 Delivery
It is generally more expensive to transport pre-assemblies than to transport individual parts
of the structure. Extra costs may be incurred if weights or dimensions exceed those
Slide 25
Slide 26
The shipping costs of steelwork sent to overseas destinations can sometimes be more than
10% of the total production costs. Shipping costs are based either on weight or volume of
Slide 27
Slide 28
Slide 29
Slide 30
These complications will not occur if gap joints are used. An eccentric diagonal can be
used in this case, if eccentricity would otherwise exceed that allowable.
Slide 8
e. Crevices, sharp corners and details permitting ingress of water and dust should be
avoided from a maintenance point of view. The structural design should allow for
blasting, painting or other protective treatments.
Slide 31
In many specifications, the inspection method is related to the type of weld without
considering its structural importance. A full penetration weld, requiring a rigorous
inspection, can in many cases be replaced by a more economic fillet weld.
The choice of plate thickness can have considerable impact on the requirements for steel
quality, preheating temperatures, welding electrodes and the inspections required.
4. CONCLUDING SUMMARY
The design engineer should be mindful of the processes used in fabrication and
erection and should ensure that unnecessary cost is avoided.
Material is cheaper when ordered in bulk. Small quantities of different sizes should
be avoided as far as possible.
The number of pieces to be handled should be reduced to a minimum and excessive
stiffening of members avoided.
Allowance should be made for weld distortion and fabrication tolerances.
Automatic fabrication techniques reduce costs.
The cost of delivery, particularly overseas, can be reduced by careful design.
Good quality control is essential but specifications should not be unnecessarily
stringent, since this will increase costs.
5. ADDITIONAL READING
1. Davies, B. J. and Crawley, E. J., Structural Steelwork Fabrication, British
Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA), London, 1980.
2. Arch, W. H., Structural Steelwork - Erection, British Constructional Steelwork
Association (BCSA), London, 1989.