What Is Structural Steel Fabrication?
Steel is used in almost everything. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there, for example, you may not be able to see steel in a concrete building because it's used as rebar and is a reinforcement, but it's there. In order to be used, the steel has to go through various fabrication processes.
Structural Steel
Steel comes in a variety of classifications. While all steel is made up of the same basic parts, those parts can be manipulated and new things added in to get the different kinds of steel. In its most basic form, steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. The properties of steel change as you add or subtract carbon. Those properties can also change when other metals are added in. Structural steel is generally high-carbon steel because the high carbon content will make the steel stronger and less likely to bend and warp under weight. Depending on the requirements of the steel, other metals might be added, like molybdenum, which can make the steel stronger. To use this steel, it will need to be fabricated into the proper shapes. So, what is steel fabrication?
Steel Fabrication
In its most broad definition, steel fabrication is anything that gets done to the metal so that it can be formed into shape. That starts after the steel has been created. Generally, the raw steel comes in long bars or sheets, ready to be manipulated. One of the processes that the steel may go through is rolling. When the pieces of steel get rolled, they get thinner and longer. What started as a bar can turn into a sheet. It isn't necessarily a quick process, depending on how thick the steel was to begin with and how thick it needs to be at the end. Rolling is part of how I beams are formed, which are used in skyscrapers and other construction jobs. The metal is heated and sent through a series of rollers that will form the metal into the I shape. Because the metal is heated, it will bend easier, and the molecules will help to set up crystalline structures that will be strong.
Structural steel is used in bridges, skyscrapers, your house, and many other places. In order to get structural steel, a certain amount of carbon has to be added to iron, and then the metal has to go through various fabrication processes so that it will meet the specific requirements.
Contact a residential steel fabrication service to learn more.
Share