AR12 – 42 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS &

STRUCTURAL SYSTEM- III

S 4 B . A R C H , T H E J U S C O L L E G E O F A R C H I T E C T U R E
LIGHT GAUGE STEEL
CONSTRUCTION
Light gauge steel framing
before the sheeting has
been installed.
• Light gauge steel construction is very similar to wood framed construction in principle - the
wooden framing members are replaced with thin steel sections.

• The steel sections used here are called cold formed sections, meaning that the sections are
formed, or given shape at room temperature.

• This is in contrast to thicker hot rolled sections, that are shaped while the steel is molten hot.

• Cold formed steel is shaped by guiding thin sheets of steel through a series of rollers, each roller
changing the shape very slightly, with the net result of converting a flat sheet of steel into a C or S-
shaped section.

• The steel used here is coated with zinc (called galvanized) or a mixture of zinc and aluminum
(called zincalume or galvalume by some) to protect it from corrosion.

• The thickness of this coating can be varied to suit a range of environments. Typically, marine
environments require the most protection, and dry, arid regions the least.
• The thicknesses of steel used here range from about 1 to 3mm for structural sections, and 1 to
2mm for non-structural sections. The members are sized to roughly correspond to wood members:
2"x4" and 2"x6" are common sizes.

• Like in wooden framed construction, a frame of steel members is first constructed, and then clad
with dry sheeting on both sides to form a load bearing wall.

• Construction with steel follows the platform frame system of house building. Connections between
members are made with self tapping self drilling screws.

• Contractors will usually order pre-punched sections - sections with factory-made holes in them - so
that wires and plumbing can be easily passed through the walls. The gaps between members are
filled with insulation.

• This form of construction can also be used for non-structural framing, such as interior partitions or
external cladding. In fact, this form of construction was originally developed for interior partitions
in offices.
Junction of wall and floor slab.
Note the factory made holes in
the framing members to allow
wiring and piping.
ADVANTAGES OF LIGHT GAUGE STEEL CONSTRUCTION

• Light gauge steel structures have many of the advantages of light wood framed structures:

• They are light, and allow quick building without heavy tools or equipment. Every component can
easily be carried by hand - a house is like a carpentry job on a larger scale. The main tool is a light,
handheld screw gun. Since steel is strong, LGS structures are lighter than wood framed structures
of equivalent strength.

• Their higher strength allows greater spacing between members when compared to wood frame
construction: about 24" (600mm) for LGS vs. about 16" or 20" (400 or 500mm) for wood. Fewer
members translates to quicker construction times.

• It is able to shape itself to any form, and can be clad and insulated with a wide range of materials.

• It is easy to change or modify this construction at any point in its lifespan.

• There are a great range of systems and products catering to this type of construction.
ADVANTAGES OF LIGHT GAUGE STEEL CONSTRUCTION

• Light gauge steel structures are non-combustible, which is a code requirement for some types of
structures.

• Since steel loses its strength in fire quite easily, it must be protected from fire with fire rated
sheeting.

• Light gauge steel structures do not rot, shrink, warp, or decompose like wood structures, and can
be used in areas where there is a probability of termite attack.
DISADVANTAGES OF LIGHT GAUGE STEEL CONSTRUCTION

• Light framed structures allow the passage of sound more readily than the more solid masonry
construction.

• Light gauge steel will lose strength in the advent of fire.

• Adequate fire protection must be used. The easiest form of fire protection is to clad the steel with
fire rated sheeting or drywall
TIMBER FRAME CONSTRUCTION
Light wood framed construction is one of the most popular types of building methods for homes in
the United States and parts of Europe.

It has the following characteristics:

• It is light, and allows quick construction with no heavy tools or equipment.

• Every component can easily be carried by hand - a house essentially becomes a large carpentry
job. The main tool is a handheld nail gun.

• It is able to adapt itself to any geometric shape, and can be clad with a variety of materials.

• There are a huge variety of products and systems tailored to this type of construction.

It has these negative characteristics:

• It is not highly fireproof, as it is made of wood.

• It is not strong enough to resist major wind events such as tornadoes and hurricanes.
Every timber frame home structure is made of a few basic components:

• Studs are vertical wooden members within the walls.

• Joists are the horizontal wooden beams that support the floors.

• Rafters are the sloping wooden beams that support the roof.

• Sheathing are the sheets that are nailed over the studs to connect them securely and form the
wall surfaces.

• Siding is the exterior cladding that covers the walls from the outside.
BALLOON FRAME STRUCTURES

• While this is an outmoded form of wood construction no longer used today, it is good to know
what it is and why it is no longer used.

• In balloon frame construction, if you had a two-storey house that was twenty feet high, you
would use a single 20 foot long vertical stud for both storeys.

• This made the studs heavy and difficult to handle. The second problem was the gap between the
two studs, which acted passageways for the spread of fire from the lower to the upper storey.

• For these reasons, balloon frame construction has been superseded by platform frame
construction, which is superior in all respects.
PLATFORM FRAME STRUCTURES

• This is the sequence you would follow to erect a 2-storey platform frame house.

• Erect the ground floor platform, a horizontal wooden platform over the foundation.

• Build all the walls up to a height of one storey.

• This can easily be done by building each wall flat - on the floor platform - and then tilting it vertically.
Build the next floor platform.

• Erect the next set of vertical walls in the same manner on the top of the second platform.

• Build the sloping roof over the walls.

• As you can see, this system uses shorter, lighter studs that are easy to handle. It is much easier to
build walls flat and then tilt them into place. Since each floor is a separate horizontal platform, this
makes it convenient for construction workers to move around. These platforms also break the
vertical spread of fire.
• The only disadvantage of platform frame vs. balloon frame construction is that wood shrinkage plays
a bigger role in platform frames.
CONCRETE FRAME STRUCTURES
CONCRETE FRAME STRUCTURES

• Concrete frame structures are a very common - or perhaps the most common- type of modern
building internationally.

• As the name suggests, this type of building consists of a frame or skeleton of concrete.

• Horizontal members of this frame are called beams, and vertical members are called columns.

• Humans walk on flat planes of concrete called slabs.

• Of these, the column is the most important, as it is the primary load-carrying element of the
building .

• If you damage a beam or slab in a building, this will affect only one floor, but damage to a column
could bring down the entire building.
T HA N K YO U