The Importance of Structural Steel Detailing

Structural steel detailing is the creation of detailed drawings used for the manufacture and putting up steel members, including drawings, estimates, plans, and other needed documents.  Structural steel detailing can cover a lot of different steel members, including, but certainly not limited to steel columns, joists, handrails, trusses, braces, metal decking, stairs, and steel beams.
 
As such, structural steel detailing is very useful in a whole range of manufacturing and construction businesses like plants, building construction, shipbuilding and naval and marine, and other similar industries.  The fact is, anything that has structural steel will require structural steel detailing.  Further, the inputs of architects, fabricators, engineers and contractors are coalesced into structural steel detailing.  Because detailers are ultimately not responsible for the design and strength of steel members, architects and structural engineers would have to approve any structural steel detailing work before it is made final.

Shop drawings and erection drawings are the two most common types of structural steel detailing work.  Erection drawings show its users, the steel erectors, how to and where to place manufactured steel members; it includes very detailed data on all the necessary processes like installing wedge anchors, bolting and welding

Shop drawings, on the other hand, are used by steel fabricators in manufacturing steel members as structural steel detailing include requirements for making these members.  Structural steel detailing usually has information on specifications, dimensions, sizes, materials needed, and other similar information.

That is why various organizations like the American Institute of Steel Construction have published standards for structural steel detailing, to ensure that it is accurate and correct.

Structural steel detailing is usually done with computers and special software like AutoCAD and other similar computer aided design or computer aided drafting applications.  Nowadays, you can view these drawings in 3D using the same software.

Structural steel detailing may be a very difficult process, but it is very vital to your construction projects.  A structural steel detailing project requires one with knowledge in drafting, geometry, logic, trigonometry, reasoning as well and visualization and communication to be able to create drawings that are accurate and deliver them on time.  On top of that, you will also need to have general engineering knowledge and knowledge in steel fabrication.  In the United States, a majority of structural steel detailers only have a general certification program on CAD operations.  Some are even self taught.  Structural steel detailing is only offered in a few colleges.  Because of these, it would be very difficult to find  inexpensive personnel who can handle detailing projects 24/7.  However, you could find a lot of companies that allows you to outsource structural detailing work, which are reliable and cost-effective.

About the Author:
Eli Loper is the CEO of Traffic Support Inc. Traffic Support is a BPO provider with offices located in both the United States and Cebu City, Philippines.To know more about the services Traffic Support offers, please visit http://trafficsupport.net/services

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