Industrial steel buildings: role and functioning of their main components

A steel structure such as an industrial building is made up of a set of steel elements assembled together by welding and bolting. In terms of mechanical behavior, it must be capable of withstanding the actions to which it is likely to be subjected and for which it is designed, i.e. :

• permanent loads: its own weight and that of all the elements it must support;

• climatic actions: wind, snow, temperature ;

• possibly operating loads (infrequent for this type of structure), except in the case of overhead cranes;

• accidental actions: fire, earthquakes, shocks, etc.

Structural components can be divided into secondary and main elements. The former having been explained in a previous article, it is now time to study the latter, i.e. common porticos, gable structures, wind beams, gable purlins, stabilities, as well as column feet and foundations.

As before, the path of forces through the structure is described in detail, so as to understand the static equilibrium of all its constituent elements: what actions are applied to each of them, and to which other elements does it transmit them?

As a design is rarely unique, alternative solutions are proposed, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Although relatively simple, this type of structure provides a good understanding of the general operation of steel frames and, above all, the role of each of their constituent parts. In fact, most of the explanations given in this article are applicable to many more complex structures of different types.