How Steel Is Used in Modern Infrastructure Projects
Without steel, it would be very difficult to create skyscrapers, bridges, wind turbines, storage tanks, or any of the other structures that make modern life possible.
Steel is used everywhere because it’s inexpensive, strong, relatively light, and incredibly versatile. It’s used with concrete for reinforcement and load-bearing purposes but also on its own in structures and for decorations.
Framework for Skyscrapers & Towers
Throughout history, buildings were limited in height by the mass of the materials used. If you built too high, the lower levels would collapse under the weight of the material above.
Late in the 19th century, engineers realized this limitation could be overcome by creating a skeleton from steel beams and columns. Floors and walls could then be attached as needed to meet the architectural goals.
Today, every skyscraper is a composite steel-concrete structure. In most skyscrapers, the steel skeleton is wrapped around a concrete core that houses elevators and stairs and acts as a spine that increases stiffness. Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, so sections are poured around steel reinforcing bars (rebar). Concrete bonds weakly to steel, but indentations or ribs on the rebar provide a mechanical key that locks the two together.
Bridges
Some bridges are made almost entirely of steel, while others are concrete with steel reinforcement. The Golden Gate Bridge and the Mackinaw Bridge are examples of steel bridges. Concrete bridges are constructed at a smaller scale but are seen on highways.
All bridges, including steel suspension bridges, require solid foundations. These are invariably poured from concrete, with thousands of feet of rebar used to provide stiffness and resistance to torsional and bending loads.
Wind Turbines
The towers for modern wind turbines put a nacelle, hub, and blades hundreds of feet in the air and must resist high winds and torsional loads. These demands mean there’s no alternative to steel. However, forming the tower in sections in a factory and assembling it on-site helps keep costs down and shortens the construction time.
Interestingly, the base of the tower is bolted to a concrete pad, using steel bolts, of course. And the concrete pad, naturally, is reinforced with steel rebar.
Storage Tanks
Most tanks are assembled from carbon steel, which is inexpensive and strong but susceptible to corrosion. Accordingly, the external surface is usually painted, while the inside might be coated or lined.
An option for outdoor tanks is to fabricate them from a steel that naturally weathers, like ASTM A606-4, A588, or A847 steel. This steel corrodes to form a red outer skin, but the corrosion doesn’t progress to where it affects structural integrity.
In pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and chemical storage applications, tanks are commonly fabricated from stainless steel, which can be more difficult to form than carbon steel but is strong and naturally corrosion-resistant.
Tanks used for storing pressurized gases are fabricated from low-alloy steels, which makes them extremely strong and provides high temperature strength.
Pipelines
Whether transporting water, gas, oil, or other fluids, pipelines are subject to many of the same application challenges as storage tanks. Depending on what’s being moved, they may also need to handle high pressures.
Sections of pipe are often produced by welding along a seam and at the ends unless flanged joints are used. This requires steel with good weldability, which not all grades possess.
King Steel’s Role in Modern Infrastructure
While we serve customers from many industries, a significant portion of the high-quality steel bar, wire rod, and wire products we carry go into infrastructure projects. From roads and bridges to pipelines and wind turbines, we’re proud to be supporting America’s growth and prosperity.
If you’re in the market for steel bar, wire, or rod, you can rely on King Steel. We also offer extensive processing capabilities and a range of warehousing, transloading, and other logistics services to ensure you get what you need when you need it.
Contact us today to discuss your application, or browse our blog for more resources and insight.