History of Light Gauge Steel

invoice of Light Gauge firebrandHistory and Development of Light Gauge Steel Within the grammatical bend IndustryAt the end of World War Two, many countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Germany were suffering from an acute hold shortage. It was at this while that the custom of groundless propose vane was introduced into the bodily structure industry by development it as a cladding system within the building of steel shut in pre-fab houses. These pre-fabs were poorly intentional with little insulation make cold bridging and ultimately condensation and dampness within the interior of the buildings. This has guide to many of these buildings universe dismantled and tralatitious brick homes constructed in their place. Despite this, with improved insulation, clarification pot steel has continued to be employ as an infill structure on multi storey buildings built from hot trilled steel or concrete rears. Commercial and retail buildings in partic ular continued to benefit from its various capabilities, utilise it as a cladding system which batch be boded into many different shapes. In the USA, since 1990 over 20% of all affordable homes are now built using this rule acting and it is still growing year on year (Koones, 2006). However, in the UK, we are not using advances in technology as we should be, meaning the buildings that we construct are responsible for almost half(prenominal) of our carbon copy emissions, half of our water consumption, around a third of our landfill waste and a quarter of all raw materials apply in the UK (Smith R A, et al. 2003). This means that the UKs sustainable development targets cannot be met without a fundamental change to the trend in which buildings are constructed. The national targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions and the drive for buildings that generate zero carbon in ope dimensionn present a huge challenge to the building industry (Corus. Sustainable Steel edifice). These drivers hold up forced the industry to radically change the way in which it constructs its buildings developing other forms of eddy to comply with new building regulations and sustainability issues.Advances in technology have led to improved building spirits modify many of the problems that were associated with deject gauge steel in previous buildings to be overcome. Other forms of construction have also evolved, most of which are now capable of be make upd in a manufacturing plant and shipped to the billet ready for assembly. These are known as Modern Methods of structure (MMC) and their use has been encouraged by Government and the construct enquiry Establishment (BRE) due to their impact on the environment and benefits to the end user. In 2006, the MMC market split was 414 meg for volumetric (establish on manufacturers selling price), 52,797 tincture frame units (houses and commercial), 61 million for vague gauge steel frame (which equates to around 6,100 units ), 750 SIPS units (estimate) (BRE 2nd March 09).Today the properties of light gauge steel are being utilised, not only as a cladding system barely as a complete building product, replacing bricks and blocks with thin studs of steel wintry together to form non-load bearing or load bearing borders. The studs that are used are formed by crimp the strips of galvanised, light gauge steel into the required shape, of which there are many. The most common shape being C sections which are usually formed for use within walls. These vary in size from 40 225 mm and between 0.56 3.2mm in diameter depending on whether or not they are to be used in exterior, interior, load bearing or non-load bearing elements of the building. The steel used is galvanized, providing it with a protective cultivation for midland applications and has a standard coating of G275 (275 grams/m2). As it is only suitable for interior applications whence the stallion light gauge steel structure has to be en unlike able within a protective covering. This is referred to as the envelope or a warm frame structure and is formed using insulation and a protective vapour barrier. The warm frame structure enables the building to have excellent thermal properties, excel the minimum U-Value levels of the Building Regulations 2000. Within the UK the design code for light gauge steel is BS9590 part 5 European design code is Eurocode 3 part 1.3 these are intended to be set of skillful rules for the design of buildings using this regularity of construction.Light gauge steel has the best strength to weight ratio over any other building material and these high strength to weight ratios equate to cardinal tonnes of steel achieving the same performance as 120 tonnes of concrete (SCI, 2007) and as a consequence of its light weight, dependant on ground conditions, less substantial foundations, even the use of prefabricated ground beams assembled to form the foundations whitethorn be suitable. Its light weight also inevitably means fewer deliveries to site, in turn causing less disruption to the local community.There are a number of ways in which the elements of a light gauge steel building can be constructed, one of which has taken its name from timber framed buildings where each element of the building is cut to length and fixed together on site. This is referred to as stick building and is a very labour intensive manner which, along with a carpenter for timber frames, requires several years of training. This is similar to traditional construction but instead replacing the bricks and plaster with light gauge steel, a good method for one off buildings but it also prevents the benefits gained by off site manufacture to be achieved. The opposite to stick building is the volumetric system. This is the most manufactory based form of construction and involves the delivery on site of, usually, a complete room in full fitted out with all fixtures and fittings. This minimises on site insta llation work and only requires the individual pods to be fixed together increasing the rate of construction of the building. This form of construction is very good for buildings where a recurrent style of room is required such as student accommodation blocks or a hospital. When the design of a building is more complex then the cost of producing individual pods significantly rises. The factory based fabrication of the pods ensures a high standard of workmanship with a precision of +0 to -2mm tolerance being achievable and also minimises the traffic, waste, labour, and time spent constructing the buildings resulting in savings for the developer whilst minimising the impact on the environment.The open circuit board method is another design used with light gauge steel structures. It involves the assembly of the walls, floor or ceiling within a factory based environment and delivered to the site when needed. All insulation, services, cladding and internal finishes are then fitted on s ite. The direct factory based savings for the open panel method is reduced due to the fact that the superstructure of a building only amounts to about 15% of the total construction costs. Any savings made using the system would be modest but the reduced time spent on site related to the use of this method would be where the savings would be made.The closed panel method also involves the production of the elements of the building within a factory but bequeath also have the insulation and vapour barrier fixed to it. The services, internal finishes, doors, windows etc may also be in place and the different elements of the building would only require fixing together on site which is usually achieved, as in other methods, by welding, riveting, screwing or crimping.Costs of MMC have been boring as a barrier to the progression of their use and the Barker Review of Housing Supplies (2004) stated that At the present time, traditional brick and block methods of construction re primary(preno minal) cheaper, in many cases, than modern methods of construction, including off-site manufacture (OSM). Only four years later a 2008 BRE describe (SmartLIFE Lessons Learned), published its findings on a take flight project in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire. It found that light gauge steel construction was in fact, cheaper than the traditional method of brick and block and also that of other MMC used, including timber framed and insulated concrete formwork. According to the SmartLIFE report the advantage of an ongoing partnership and understanding between the light gauge steel manufacturer and the main contractor was a factor in the methods cost effectiveness. The SmartLIFE project was undertaken to find the best ways the UK can deliver a greater volume of sustainable, affordable and high quality homes in less time, using both traditional and innovative methods of construction.In comparison to other MMC, light gauge steels long roof and floor span capabilities also add t o its diversity. Rooms can be changed around within the building by simply moving interior walls which do not require demolition as contrary to other methods. They can also be disassembled and reused or recycled unlike, for example, insulated concrete formwork walls. Whilst there are benefits to using light gauge steel there are also disadvantages including the metallic elements thermal conductivity. Unlike a timber framed building, heat can quickly conduct across a metal stud and with many studs in a wall this can reduce the temperature within a room ensuring the u value of the wall is reduced. To rectify this additional exterior insulation is required at extra cost to the developer. There are also fears about corrosion problems. If the building is not kept within its warm envelope then deterioration of the metal could be a problem. A counter argument is that timber rots far easier and faster than metal and timber can also be a food source for a medley of animals.The electric co nduciveness of the frame also means that extra work is needed to ensure the wiring does not come into contact with the frame. In modular and closed panel construction this would be undertaken in factory conditions and would be easily overcome but with on site installation it inevitably means nevertheless responsibility falls on to the sub-contractor electrician. Perhaps the most serious of its disadvantages is the thermal conductivity of the metal frame and its ability to cause the structure to collapse. To tackle this problem the fixing of two layers of gypsum plasterboard at staggered joints gives the metal frame a fire resistant time suitable to exceed the minimum fire preventative requirements of Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations 2000. The acoustic performance of light gauge steel has also been questioned but the obligatory double layer of plasterboard also takes the level of acoustic performance past the necessary requirements outlined in Part E (Resistance to the passage of sound) of the Building Regulations 2000. The high embodied energy of light gauge steel is also a disadvantage to people who have no knowledge of its reusability and recyclability. To calculate the embodied energy within construction components the World Steel Association uses the system expansion method of lifecycle assessment, which is the preferred approach of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 14040 series of environmental standards. Although it is high in parity to other MMC it is its ability of indefinite re-use and recycling without its qualities ever decreasing which differentiates it from all other methods of construction.Unlike traditional forms of construction light gauge steel benefits from low waste, adaptability, off site manufacture, re-usability, recyclability and option efficiency reservation it one of the most sustainable building methods available within the UK. The buildings that can be produced by this method are light, op en and very adaptable meaning old buildings would not have to be demolished when they are deemed unsuitable. The interiors would be simply rearranged to meet the end users requirements thus prolonging the life span of the building.Light gauge steel can and does exceed the requirements of todays low level building requirements and in conjunction with other methods of construction its benefits are also widened to medium and high rise buildings. However, a number of barriers will have to be overcome if light gauge steel is to become a prominent method of construction. Consumer confidence and the scar of pre-fab buildings will have to be improved upon which can only be achieved by educating the consumer on the benefits of light gauge steel, including its whole life cycle properties. Finally financial aspects will have to be challenged including owe lenders and insurers who will essentially become a part of the education system. 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