In the construction of buildings and installations from metal structures, columns are the basic element, it is on them that all the main external loads are transferred as a result. Even in the process of erecting any structure from metal or non-metal parts, the installation of columns is carried out almost immediately after the preparation of the foundation in strict accordance with the installation diagrams. At the beginning, the columns are set up and leveled, and then all the remaining elements of the frame are attached to them: beams, ceilings, racks, trusses, and so on. For this reason, the manufacture of metal columns is a particularly demanding task, during which high demands must be placed on the quality of welding and the fulfillment of all conditions by workers.
Design and calculation of columns
Almost any column, regardless of the type, is divided into 3 main elements: head, rod and base.
Head
Rod
The middle part of the column, in other words, the working area. If necessary, the rod can be reinforced with stiffeners.
Column base
In most cases, designers use the following profile types to design columns:
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hot-rolled I-beam;
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profile pipe;
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round pipe.
The final size of the cross section is selected after carrying out strength calculations. The columns work in compression, and this type of load is not limiting in terms of reaching the yield strength and subsequent nominal failure. Critical for a column is the loss of its stability, the susceptibility to which is largely determined not so much by its design, but by how the column interacts with other elements of the building (are there cross braces, framework racks, etc.). The constructive solution of the base depends on the type and height of the section of the rod, the method of conjugation with the foundation and the method of mounting the columns.
Column types
There are three types of columns used in building frames:
- columns of constant section;
- columns of variable section (stepped);
- columns of a separate type.
Columns of constant section are used in craneless buildings and in buildings with the possibility of using suspended and bridge electric hoisting mechanisms with a lifting capacity of up to 20 tons, usually with a usable height from floor level to the bottom of roof trusses no more than 12 m.
When using cranes with a lifting capacity of more than 15 tons, stepped columns are used, consisting of two parts, the upper part is usually a welded or rolled I-beam, the lower part consists of a hip and crane branch, which are interconnected either by connections in the form of a solid sheet, or by a through lattice of hot rolled angle bars.
Separate type columns are used in buildings with cranes with a lifting capacity of more than 150 tons and a height of 15-20m. The hip and crane stand in this design are interconnected by a number of horizontal bars flexible in the vertical plane, due to which there is a separation of the load perception, the crane stand perceives only the vertical force from the overhead crane, and the hipped branch collects all the loads from the frame and the building cover.
Production of metal columns at the Tula Metal Rolling Plant
We have extensive experience in the manufacture of columns, and not only in the manufacture, but also in the design of these products. Our design department always analyzes the quality of the received project and gives its recommendations for changing the design. The quality control department controls the entire process of manufacturing columns. Columns are an important structural element of a building. This allows Tula Plant to guarantee the high quality of any product, and also minimizes the percentage of defects in production. Our customers are satisfied with the quality of the manufactured products.