Roger L.Brockenbrough
President
R.L.Brockenbrough & Associates, Inc.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The many desirable characteristics of structural steels has led to their widespread use in a large variety of applications. Structural steels are available in many product forms and offer an inherently high strength. They have a very high modulus of elasticity, so deformations under load are very small. Structural steels also possess high ductility They have a linear or nearly linear stress-strain relationship up to relatively large stresses, and the modulus of elasticity is the same in tension and compression. Hence, structural steels behavior under working loads can be accurately predicted by elastic theory. Structural steels are made under controlled conditions, so purchasers are assured of uniformly high quality.

Standardization of sections has facilitated design and kept down the cost of structural steels. For tables of properties of these sections, see Manual of Steel Construction, American Institute of Steel Construction, One East Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60601 2001 www.aisc.org.

This section provides general information on structural-steel design and construction. Any use of this material for a specific application should be based on a determination of its suitability for the application by professionally qualified personnel.