NIVERCA, JANISSARIES M.

CE-4301

HISTORY OF STEEL IN CONSTRUCTION

The use of steel for structural purposes was initially slow. The Bessemer
process in 1855 made steel production more efficient, and cheap steels, which
had high tensile and compressive strengths plus good ductility were available
from about 1870, but wrought and cast iron continued to satisfy most of the
demand for iron-based building products, due mainly to problems of
producing steel from alkaline ores. These problems, caused principally by the
presence of phosphorus, were solved by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas in 1879.
It was not until 1880 that an era of construction based on reliable mild
steel began. By that date the quality of steels being produced had become
reasonably consistent.
The Home Insurance Building, completed in 1885, was the first to use
skeleton frame construction, completely removing the load bearing function of
its masonry cladding. In this case the iron columns are merely embedded in
the walls, and their load carrying capacity appears to be secondary to the
capacity of the masonry, particularly for wind loads. In the United States, the
first steel framed building was the Rand McNally Building in Chicago, erected
in 1890.
The Royal Insurance Building in Liverpool designed by James Francis
Doyle in 1895 (erected 1896-1903) was the first to use a steel frame in the
United Kingdom.

SOURCE OF STRENGTH OF STEEL

The carbon content of steel is between 0.002% and 2.14% by weight for
plain iron–carbon alloys. These values vary depending on alloying
elements such as manganese, chromium, nickel, tungsten, and so on. Basically,
steel is an iron-carbon alloy that does not undergo eutectic reaction. In
contrast, cast iron does undergo eutectic reaction. Too little carbon content
leaves (pure) iron quite soft, ductile, and weak. Carbon contents higher than
those of steel make a brittle alloy commonly called pig iron. While iron
alloyed with carbon is called carbon steel, alloy steel is steel to which other
alloying elements have been intentionally added to modify the characteristics
of steel. Common alloying elements include:
manganese,nickel,chromium, molybdenum, boron, titanium, vanadium,tungst
en, cobalt, and niobium. Additional elements, most frequently considered
undesirable, are also important in steel: phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, and traces
of oxygen, nitrogen, and copper.

CAST IRON VS. STEEL

Casting offers exceptional capacity for design detail, often eliminating
the need for additional fabrication and assembly. Many materials can be cast,
including several types of metals and synthetics, but iron and steel in
particular feature excellent mechanical properties for a wide range of
applications.

While cast iron and steel may appear similar on the surface, they each
have distinct advantages and disadvantages from production to application.
Understanding these advantages and disadvantages and choosing
appropriately can mean the difference between unforgiving strength and
durability and fractured or deformed parts that will quickly lose their luster.

Iron and steel are both ferrous metals comprised of primarily iron
atoms. In manufacturing, however, it’s not that simple—there are many
different alloys and grades. To understand them, it’s important to distinguish
between the iron used in everyday products, and the scientific element iron
(Fe). The elemental iron is the stuff that’s found in nature, typically in an
oxidized form that requires intensive processing called smelting, to extract.

Pure elemental iron is too soft to be useful in most applications. It gets

harder, and therefore more useful, when it’s alloyed, or mixed, with carbon.
In fact, carbon composition is the main distinction between cast iron and steel.
Cast iron typically contains more than 2 percent carbon, while cast steel often
contains between 0.1–0.5 percent carbon.

The following table provides a general overview of the qualities of each

material. While there are many different types of iron and steel to consider,
this table focuses on gray iron and carbon steel—two of the most common
forms of each metal.

Quality Cast iron Cast steel

Castability ✔

Ease of ✔
machining
Vibration ✔
damping
Compressive ✔
strength
Impact ✔
resistance
Corrosion ✔ ✔ (stainless alloys)
resistance
Wear resistance ✔ (depending on ✔ (depending on application)
application)
Cost ✔