STRUCTURAL STEEL EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL

TECHNICAL INFORMATION & PRODUCT SERVICE

JUNE 1992

What Design Engineers Can Do

To Reduce Fabrication Costs
This Tips was printed from an article that appeared in
the AISC magazine "Modern Steel Construction." A
complimentary subscription to "Modern Steel
A compilation ofcomments from
Construction" may be obtained by contacting AISC,
Chicago.
experienced fabricators across
Bill Dyker, manager of engineering, and John the country
D. Smith, vice president of sales, with AISC-
member Garbe Iron Works, Inc., Aurora, IL: ing the column size to eliminate the need for such
When welding base plates to columns in the plates. The costs to design, detail, approve and
shop or field, designs should not show "all-around" fabricate doubler plates could be offset by the cost
,illet welds unless the weld is required to resist a of a heavier column.
moment or a large uplift. Usually, welds as shown on Designs should not arbitrarily call for stiffeners
Page 4-130 of the AISC Manual of Steel Construc- in webs of columns at moment connections. With
tion, ASD--Ninth Edition are adequate. Similar con- the variety of computer programs available, (e.g.
sideration should be given to attaching cap plates to AISC's CONXPRT program), the designer should
columns. be able to describe
Designs, espe- on the drawings which
cially CAD generated Avoid framing conditions that cause columns require stiff-
issues--should be deep copes at the ends of beams. eners and the stiffener
reviewed to ascertain The cost for a few extra pounds of sizes. Again, perhaps
that all pieces can be a slight increase in the
erected without undue
steel per foot for a deeper beam unit weight of a col-
restraints Also, the re- often will be easily offset by the umn would offset all
viewer should be alert savings from not having to design the costs--detailing
to avoiding framing through fabrication--
conditions that cause
and fabricate special connections associated with web
deep copes at the and cope reinforcements. stiffeners. These
ends of beams. This costs really begin to
solution occurs especially when relatively shallow escalate when doubler plates are needed along with
beams support deep beams and both beams may or stiffeners. Further complicating the situation and
may not be at the same elevation. The cost for a few adding to costs is when connections must be pro-
extra pounds of steel per foot for a deeper beam vided for beams attaching to column webs in the
often will be easily offset by the savings from not vicinity of stiffeners.
having to design and fabricate special connections Designers should not arbitrarily call for beam
and cope reinforcements. connections that virtually fill the "T" distance of
If beam-column moment connections require beam webs when lesser connections will accom-
doubler plates in the column web, consider increas- modate the loads.
 Partial Penetration Groove Weld Full Penetration Groove Weld

i
Total Cost Per Weld Total Cost Per Weld
$145 $350
Amount of weld in partial-penetration weld calculated using ,it/6 + 1/8.
Costs include: preparation; root pass; backup bar or back gouge;
cleaning of welds between passes; cut-off of run-out tab;
weld material; and inspection.
Average wage rates calculated at $60/hr.

Source: Drawings courtesy of Garbe Iron Works; calculations courtesy of American Bridge

When designers run into an uncommon framing
condition, they should consult a fabricator for ideas
on how to solve the problem.
Designers should not call for A325-SC bolts
unless they are meeting the criteria for the use of
such bolts as listed in the ASTM A325 Specification.
In its publications, AISC is placing more emphasis
on using bearing type connections. This will be
reflected in the forthcoming revised Engineering
For Steel Construction.
Galvanizing should be limited to members whose
exposure to the elements could result in structure
failure from excessive rusting and/or where painting
is impractical. Whether or not it is the intent of
Masterspec, its wording in regards to galvanizing
calls for pieces to be galvanized which do not fit the
aforementioned conditions. Galvanized steel re-
quires special fabrication and has an inherently
higher cost.
Designers should not arbitrarily include
Masterspec or other standard specification sections
in the design documents, as many times such
sections conflict with the drawings. Similarly, when
designers prepare their standard details and job
notes, they should present information pertinent to
the project. Standard job notes should be updated
periodically to reflect current industry practice.
Keep base plates and column sizes as uniform
as possible without grossly oversizing.
Do not specify high strength steel "here and
there"--keep it in groups, e.g. "columns" or "main
girders."
Keep connections, angles, and plates as stan-
dard as possible with the fabricator allowed to
choose bolted or welded.
Show steel plainly on structural drawings with-
out blending it into the architectural design.

2 Steel Tips June 1992

 I , i I

Thomas Schlafly, Director of Fabricating Don't hesitate to ask a fabricator for alternate
Operations & Standards, AISC: connection types and details that work best and
A few sample connections should be sized at minimize costs and still meet AISC-accepted proce-
the same time that beams are sized to avoid prob- dures.
lems such as requiring more bolts than the connec- Bob Petroski, P.E., vice president/general
tion can handle. manager/chief engineer with AISC-member
Consider and note construction tolerances on Hercules Steel Co., Inc., Fayetteville, NC:
design drawings and provide adjustments in appro- We sometimes find big discrepancies between
priate details. For example, make embedded plates where the architect and the engineer show steel. It
6" to 8" larger than the beam and connect with long is very important that drawings be coordinated
slots to accommo- dimensionally be-
date concrete toler- tween the architect
ances. This will al-
Try not to use a lot of different size and engineer.
low the steel to re- sections to save a small amount of Too many ad-
main in plumb even steel. It may cost more to buy and denda in the job
if the concrete is track the different section sizes than stage create head-
slightly off and will aches for the fabri-
simplify curtainwall is saved by the reduced weight. cator. We like to see
erection. Another ex- a current set of draw-
ample would be to put curb plates on in the field or ings when the job is issued; not a bid set of drawings
to provide other means of adjustment. with a series of addenda.
Shade the pieces coming out of the page in Engineers need to be realistic when it comes to
sketches to catch interferences and difficulties with welding. Don't call for full penetration welds if they're
members in the "third" dimension. not needed. Don't call for continuous welds if you
A good rule of thumb to remember is that the can use intermediate welds. Remember, when
more pieces in a detail, the more expensive it is to there's a lot of welding on light pieces, it can result
fabricate. Also, a in distortion.
pound of weldment Engineers should
is worth about $30 Incomplete design drawings should show non-typical con-
to $60. Likewise, ex- not be released simply to meet a nections on the draw-
pansion joints are ings so all fabricators
very expensive and
schedule. In the long run, it will are bidding on the
should be avoided if cause more delays as the fabricator same design.
possible. is forced to check the design. I don't believe in
Rafters should using a lot of different
be run up hip roofs size sections to save
rather than horizontally, if possible, because the a minimal amount of steel. It sometimes costs more
geometry is much simpler. to buy and track the different section sizes than is
Larry L. Mednick, president, with AISC- saved by the reduced weight.
member Globe Iron Construction Co., Inc., Eugene Miller, retired structural engineer,
Norfolk, VA: formerly with AISC-member American Bridge
Structural and architectural drawings should be Co. and AiSC-member Trinity Industries,
coordinated so they agree (e.g. on details and Houston:
dimensions). Don't call for full penetration welds when partial
Develop details that work to minimize the re- or fillet welds will do the job.
quired coordination between trades, such as those Incomplete design drawings should not be re-
found in AISC's Load and Resistance Factor De- leased simply to meet a schedule. In the long run, it
sign of Simple Shear Connections and Allowable will cause more delays as the fabricator is forced to
Stress Design of Simple Shear Connections (for check the designs and the detailer has to stop and
more information, call 312/670-2400 ext. 433). ask questions.

Steel Tips June 1992 3

 I

Designers should consult with fabricators when them are just simple common sense, but are often
using a special type of weldment. forgotten.
When design drawings are revised, the changes · For erection stability, if using leveling nuts, do not
should be properly highlighted on a design docu- use less than four anchor bolts.
ment, rather than presented in sketch form. · Place column splices 4' above the top of steel so
Computers shouldn't have the last word in the that perimeter safety cables may be attached
selection of member sizes. Designs should be prag- before the next floor is erected.
matically reviewed to avoid ill-working solutions, · If skewed hole patterns are required, try to skew
such as where a W31 frames into a W12. them in the connection material rather than the
Designers should write specifications for indi- main member.
vidual projects rather than simply using hurriedly · When a job is designed in A572 Grade 50, list the
adopted off-the-shelf specs. small beams (W8xl0, etc.) that can use A36 so
Barry L. Barger, Vice President-Production, the fabricator can take them from stock.
AISC-member Southern Iron Works, Inc., · If making last minute changes, design in A36 so
Springfield, VA: (these comments are excerpted that material may be located quickly from ware-
from his paper, "Practical Engineering In Shop houses.
Fabrication And Erection--How It Can Benefit The · Stop stiffeners shortwhere you can so they do not
Owner," presented at the 1991 National Steel have to be fitted.
Construction Conference) David T, Flicker, retired structural engineer,
Noted below are items typically shown or noted formerly with AISC-member The Berlin Steel
on contract drawings that severely limit or prohibit a Construction Co,, Inc,, Berlin, CT:
full range of connections or may force the exclusive Tubes and pipes make economical column
use of framing angles even if the fabricator is members. They are an excellent choice when stiff-
allowed to choose the ness about both axes
types of simple shear is required.
connections for a Tubes and pipes make economical They can be used
project. In all in- column members. They are an as hollow members or
stances, the problem
can simply be over-
excellent choice when stiffness about filled with concrete
However, there is no
come by showing the both axes is required. And they have great advantage to fill-
required reaction for less surface area than equivalent ing small tubes or pipe
the members on the wide flange members. with concrete. A
contract drawings: TS3x3x1/4 x 10' has
· Requiring 7/8"- a capacity of 37 kips
diameter bolts when 3/4"-diameter are sufficient. when filled with concrete and 33 kips when unfilled.
· Requiring uniformly loaded beams to carry 125% For larger columns, there is an advantage, though.
of the end reaction. For example, a pipe 8" standard column 12' long has
· Using friction bolts (slip-critical) when bearing a capacity when filled with 3,000 psi concrete of 217
bolts are adequate. kips, whereas the unfilled capacity is only 155 kips.
· Specifying the minimum number of double rows Hollow structural sections have a number of
of bolts for each section size. advantages over wide flange shapes:
· Listing unrealistically high reaction multiplication · Tubes and pipes have less surface area than
factors on composite beams. equivalent wide flange members. For example,
While it must be remembered that the engineer listed here for comparison are the surface areas
of record is at liberty to be as conservative as he per linear foot of three common sizes:
wishes, the above requirements will always signifi- W8x31 = 3.89 sq. ft
cantly add to the project's cost and may not be in the TS8x8x1/4 = 2.65 sq. ft
best interest of the owner. pipe 8 std = 2.26 sq. ft
I would also like to give a few tips that may either This can be a significant cost factor if the mem-
make a job go easier and avoid problems. Most of bers require an exotic surface coating or fire proofing.

4 Steel Tips June 1992

 mil
i ....l
AK;GLES END
L . - - - ] •. .z.
THI•U - Z PLATES
Tube Connections
· Tubes offer excellent resistance to torsional forces
and can be used to support eccentric loads such
as relieving angles for brick veneer, stone, or
precast concrete.
· Tubes also make efficient bracing members. They
also can be combined with other structural shapes
to produce some startling aesthetic effects.
· In recent years, tube and pipe prices have be-
come more competitive. Availability, however, is
sometimes a questionmark--a fabricator or sup-
plier should be consulted.
Flagging Changes. Changes on all plans and
shop drawings issued subsequent to the date of the
contract should be flagged so that revisions can be
easily located. Designers, fabricators and erectors
alike should observe this suggestion.
Tolerances. It is essential that erected toleraces
are compatible with systems and materials being
supported by the steel frame so that adjustment for
the trades that follow is possible. The published
fabrication and erection tolerances will usually ac-
complish this. However, if special tolerances are
required, they must be clearly indicated on the
plans.
Multiple details. Shop bolting and welding on
the same beam increases material handling, an
important element in fabrication cost.
i IIIII r l ,,t
L H
TF_E
2 ANGLES
Fillet welds. If possible, fillet welds should be
5/16" maximum, or a size that can be made in one
pass. Oversized welds add unnecessarily to the
cost of fabrication and erection and also may cause
distortion.
Bolt uniformity. Minimizing the number of di-
ameters and types of bolts on a given job lessens
the chance for a mixup in the shop or field and allows
more efficiency in drilling or punching operations.
Anchor bolts. The possibility of foundation
errors will be reduced when the fewest anchor bolt
and base plates sizes are used and when anchor
bolt spacing is kept uniform throughout the job.
Partial depth stiffeners. Consider using par-
tial-depth beam and column stiffeners where they
are adequate rather than full-depth fitted stiffeners.
Composite beams. To make composite beams
economical, at least 6 to 7 lbs. of total beam weight
per stud should be saved.
Relieving angles. The thickness of relieving
angles is normally 5/16" or 3/8". If calculations
indicate a greater thickness than this, the basic
design assumptions should be reviewed and per-
haps a different approach attempted.
Odd sections. Before specifying odd sections,
the designer should contact a local fabricator to
determine their availability.
Steel Tips June 1992 5
 STRUCTURAL STEEL EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL

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Funding for this publication provided by the California Field Iron Workers Administrative Trust.