An Insight into Important Areas of Application of Structural Steel

Steel has been the staple of the construction industry for decades, and for good reasons. It is extremely strong, durable and easy to mold into any shape as desired. This has propelled structural steel as the most used construction material used today, replacing brick and mortar as the main construction material for the present and future.

Below, we shall take a look at the various industrial sectors which make use of structural steel.

Construction

Arguably the most in-demand sector for structural steel, it has been the preferred material for almost all aspects of the construction industry. Major building components such as columns, foundations, frames and more are created using steel for maximum stability. Steel is both corrosion-proof and highly durable, which lends the buildings a highly strong backbone to keep them standing for years. Steel is also used in construction of huge free standing structures such as warehouses and plane hangars.

Ship Building

Every single ship today uses steel as its main material replacing wood that was used centuries ago. Every water vessel, such as small speedboats, luxury yachts, submarines, cargo ships and towering luxury liners are made of steel. Steel is rust-proof, which is a critical requirement for marine vessels as they spend their life floating on water.

Mining

Almost every mining machine available today is built using steel. Steel can withstand high temperatures, making it ideal for machines that work deep underground at high temperatures. Even the buildings in the vicinity of the mine are constructed using steel for protection purposes.

Railways

Almost every main components of a rail system such as tracks, signal systems and train compartments are made using structural steel. They are very strong and don’t deform much over repeated application of pressure, hence it is the only choice for train tracks. Steel offers a good mix of strength and affordable price, hence it is the first and only choice for building train compartments, including interstate railways and subway trains.

Vehicles

The lower price and high durability of steel makes it the perfect material to build vehicles, which include both passenger vehicles like cars and heavy duty transport vehicles like trucks. It is also used in manufacture of engine components such as transmissions, camshafts, engine crankcases and many more. Airplanes don’t come under this category as they are built from aluminum because of its light weight, but the very first passenger aircrafts used to be made from steel.