Steel structural buildings: construction projects usually require many decisions from cost to the choice of material. The key decision is to find the most effective option for your desired needs as well as determining which process and which decisions could produce ideal results. To make it easier, we will discuss the most important decision one has to make and that is which material to use and how the right choice between steel and concrete can make your project turn out as effective as it can be.
Structural steel is one of the most commonly used materials in construction with its prices relatively low steel makes for an amazing choice when it comes to cost. With its recyclable nature steel prices hardly fluctuate, making it much cheaper when compared with reinforced concrete. The steel used in structures and construction is extremely strong, tough and ductile which makes it the best choice when making heavy structures. When we talk about fire resistance steel is a non-combustible material; however, when exposed to extreme temperatures, its strength can be compromised. As mentioned earlier structural steel is nearly 99% recyclable as well as 89% of structural steel used today is created of recycled steel. Due to its longevity steel is used as well as adopted multiple times without any compromise to its structural integrity. Having minimum impact and its environmental nature makes it a growing choice for many structures.
Being a flexible material that can be fabricated into a wide range of designs, steel offers many aesthetic options that other materials such as concrete cannot compete with.
Although steel is relatively cheap but a large cost benefit to concrete is the fact that the prices remain consistent. Concrete structures usually require ongoing maintenance and repairs throughout the lifespan of the structure. Although concrete is a composite material and has high compressive strength, it lacks tensile strength due to which it is reinforced with steel rebar to increase structures tensile capacity and elasticity. Concrete can easily be moulded in many different shapes but it does often face some limitations when it comes to floor to floor construction heights.
Steel may often start to corrode when it comes into contact with water, concrete, on the other hand, is water-resistant and will not corrode.
There are a hundred decisions to be made for a construction project and making the wrong decision can prove to be detrimental. This is why having enough content and research is important. When it comes to steel vs. concrete the decisions vary from project to project and the site for your structure.