Foreign steel sections

[longisland]

Hi all,
I'm designing a portal frame & my client told me to use some steel sections from Australia.
What conversions do I need to do to perform in order for me to use the foreign sections?
Our Ultimate limit state factors is 1.4D + 1.7L & I was told Australia Code is similar to Canadian Code which adopts 1.25D + 1.5L.
I believe there is no problem in section size & section modulus. What about yield strength & material factor?

thanks

 

[rlflower]

Often, it is a cost factor when deciding where to obtain strucural steel. Steel from a mil that is not in the United States may offer structural steel at a lower price; however, it may well be a lower cost only because of less stringent quality control guidelines.

When dealing with steel materials from a mil that is not in the United States, remember to check for quality control. Obtain the mil certs and inquire about quality control in that mil.

-Richard L. Flower, P. E.

 

[PXC]

I think the PDF at this link is the one that lists all the section properties including yield and ultimate strengths. If not, please persevere, its somewhere there, but I do not find it a friendly site.

http://www.onesteel.com/productspecs.asp?specID=79

Australian codes tend to be very similar to USA and UK ones and some clauses are identical. Likewise load combinations. I sometimes think our Australian codes are driven by acedemics who insist on putting their own stamp on overseas codes in order to make them "better" (read "more complicated&quot.

However I assume that your structure is in USA in which case you presumebly must comply with USA codes, not Australian. All you require is steel section properties and material grades.

Feel free to check for quality but I do not expect any issue at all there.

 

[dbuzz]

I agree with PXC's comment that you will need to design your structure to suit your local/national requirements, so all you will need are the material and sectional properties.

Most Australian section are "Grade 300 PLUS" (yield strength of 300 to 320 MPa). Some older sections are "Grade 250" (250 to 260 MPa), so be careful that your sections are not old stock.

Download information on chemical composition, material properties and section properties for Australian sections at

http://www.onesteel.com/publications.asp.

Also, download a paper showing comparison of Australian to international steel grades (for plate at least) at

http://www.steel.org.au/members/pdfdocs/sc_v33n2_june99_evolution.pdf.

In answer to you question, typical ultimate load cases in Australia are 1.2D + 1.5L (+ W), for maximum gravity load, and 0.9D + 1.5L (+ W), for stability in overturning (ref. AS1170). This is used in conjuction with a material reduction factor of 0.9 for structural steel (ref. AS4100), so the nett effect is similar to your 1.4D + 1.7L (+ W).

 

[dutchie]

just a note to support rlflower,

Sections obtained from overseas should be carefully checked for rolling defects and conformity to the tolerances of the destination country.

We have just recently completed construction of a large steel structure with out of country rolled shapes and rejected several peices for roll defects, including one beam which had a longitudinal crack along the junction of the web and flange.

good luck
dutchie

 

[dbuzz]

The Australian steel production and fabrication industries are world class. In 2001:
• Australia produced 0.8% of the world’s steel
• Australia was ranked number 22 in world production
• OneSteel, Australia’s major producer, was the world’s 29th biggest steel producer
• Australia produced 3% of the world’s DRI/HBI
• Australia contributed 19% of the world’s DRI/HBI shipments
• Australia is the world’s largest exporter of iron ore
Source: Australian Government; Department of industry, Tourism and Resources (

http://www.industry.gov.au/)

 

[longisland]

Hi all,
Thanks for the input.
P/S: I was wondering anyone here who has experience working in Far East; I'd appreciate if anyone can share his/her experience.