Structural Steel (also called steel profiles) are the backbone of steel manufacturing industry. Designers, architects and engineers choose different sections according to their aesthetic and structural quality – their choice depends on size, weight and shape. This means that manufacturers such as steel manufacturing service companies can process steel into almost any shape or size, but this requires additional costs. On the other hand, in the whole steel structure and manufacturing process, you will see many common steel sections, and these sections will appear in the structure every day. Steel has strong versatility and can be molded into many different shapes. Now Let us read about these shapes below.

What Is Structural Steel?

Structural steel is a kind of steel used to manufacture various shapes of building materials. Many structural steel shapes take the form of slender beams with specific cross-section profiles. The shape, size, chemical composition, mechanical properties (such as strength, storage method, etc.) of structural steel are specified in the standards of most industrialized countries. Most structural steel sections, such as I-beams, have a high second-order moment of area, which means that their cross-sectional area is very hard, so they can withstand high loads without excessive sagging.

Different Shapes of Steel Sections

How often do we pay attention to the geometry of steel profiles used in buildings and realize the importance of shapes? These sections are marked by their cross section shape profile. Here are some common parts.

Angle steel

Structural steel sections with angles can be equal or unequal. Both are right angles, however, the unequal parts have different sizes of axes, making them L-shaped. This section is stronger (up to 20%) and has a higher strength to weight ratio. The inclined section is used for residential buildings, infrastructure, mining and transportation. They are available in a variety of lengths and sizes. Now the benefits list below.

1. Provide high structural capacity in the connection to resist bolt/weld shear.
2. The height is preferred as the supporting member of the truss because they provide a good axial bending capacity (tension/compression) combination.
3. You can place it back to back to create a virtual tee section.

Tapered flange beams (I-shaped section)

The tapered flange beam is of I-shaped section and also has various sizes. In construction, these are usually used for cross sections of beams. Although they have a fairly high resistance ratio, they are generally not recommended when there is pressure along their length, because they are not resistant to torsion (torsion). Its benefits show below.

1. Compared with solid rectangular or square section, the steel saving rate is high.
2. Common components – can be used for most structural component applications.
3. The steel structure design manual defines a wide range of section availability to achieve optimal structural design.
4. It provides good compatibility for the connection with other primary or secondary members.

Steel parallel flange channels (U-shaped section)

These U-shaped beams are U-shaped, with right angles, and a bit like a seam nail. They have many different sizes, however, the length of both sides is always the same and parallel to each other. They also provide a high strength to weight ratio and have a similar use as inclined sections.

1. When bending is not a key factor, the ideal I-shaped substitute saves almost half of the steel.
2. When using a multi-component system, it provides high structural bearing capacity. For example, floor joist systems, purlins in roof Truss, and so on.
3. You can place it back to back to create a virtual I-shaped section.
4. Provide good compatibility for connecting to other steel members and concrete/brick surfaces.