Metal Buildings built to suit.
Metal buildings did not grow popular until steel could be commercially produced to an affordable cost. Today, metal buildings are usually a very economical alternative to more expensive buildings, without sacrificing aspects such as safety, durability, strength and appealing aesthetic features. The by far most common metal used in the building industry is steel, since steel offer a wide range of desirable properties without being as expensive as for instance titan. Entire buildings can be created from steel, where weight carrying parts, walls, roofs and protective covering are all made from different types of steel. Weight carrying parts must for instance be exceptionally strong and sturdy to support the weight of the construction, while walls need to withstand long time wear and tear from the elements. Larger pieces of steel must be as light-weight as possible, in order to decrease the total amount of stress that is placed on the weight carrying parts.
You have probably noticed commercial steel buildings, such as riding arenas, exhibitions halls and gymnasiums, but metal buildings are actually much more widespread than that. Today, metal buildings can be obtained in a wide range of styles and designs and they are therefore appreciated by everyone, from homeowners to congregations and governmental entities. When you purchase a metal building you can get it with a decorative coating in order to make it match existing buildings on a ranch or in a shopping district or neighbourhood. Some of the most popular coatings of today are stucco, wood, stone panels and different types of bricks. This is the reason why this why this type of buildings today can be a great addition to any vicinity. Sports arenas, malls, recreational facilities, barns and even churches and other places for worship are just a few examples of building types that are frequently constructed in metal. The government and military also commission a lot of their new properties to be constructed in metal, since metal buildings are safe, durable and can withstand a wide range of different attacks. Military as well as civilian airports and aircraft hangars are more often then not metal buildings, since all types of aircrafts – from helicopters to blimps – require a very high safety standard to avoid fires and explosions. In the agricultural field, metal buildings are appreciated for their complete resilience towards all types of malevolent fungus and animals, from mold and mildew to termites, powderpost beetles and carpenter ants.
While an entire building can be created from metal, combining metal with other materials are also very popular. Many skyscrapers are for instance the result of weight carrying metal bars and durable concrete walls. Ready available metal was imperative for the sky-scraper bloom that begun in Chicago and New York and spread to the rest of the world. Today, you will find skyscrapers in all major cities where space is rare and building lots expensive. Before the end of the 19th century, buildings taller than six stories were very rare since the conventional architectural and engineering constructions were incapable of carrying the weight of higher buildings. The Pyramids in Egypt and the Eiffel tower are two notable exceptions, but none of these buildings were used for apartments or offices and the techniques used varied significantly from those used by contemporary house builders. When creating a multi-story building for people to inhabit, the traditional house building techniques suitable for two or three stories can not be used.
To find out why metal buildings are so remarkably strong and durable, we must look at the physical compilation of the metals. Steel is by far the most common metal in this industry, due to its supreme capability and the fact that it can be easily varied in order to fit different parts of the construction. In a high-quality metal building, different types of steel are used for different parts. Steel is an alloy consisting chiefly of iron and carbon, and the properties of the steel will vary depending on the iron-carbon ratio. The carbon atom locks the structures formed by the iron atoms, and hinder them from sliding over each other. This carbon addition is therefore what makes steel much stronger than pure iron and suitable as building material. By varying the carbon content, it is possible for the steel producers to vary the properties of the steel. The iron-carbon ratio will affect properties such as hardness, ductility, elasticity, weight, brittleness and tensile strength. A type of steel that is optimal for the making of steel roofs might for instance be less suitable when constructing weight carrying bars. Steel with a high carbon content will be very strong, but also more brittle than steel containing a lower amount of carbon. Steel with very high carbon content – 1.5 percent or more – is known as cast iron.
When steel is produced, it is heated several times to create strong and durable steel with the desired carbon content. The most stable form of iron (at room temperature) is a form called ferrite iron. Ferrite iron is soft and contains only a small amount of carbon. It is impossible for ferrite iron to dissolve more than 0.021 wt % of carbon at room temperature. If this type of iron is heated up above 910°C, it will however undergo a dramatic change and become capable of dissolving up to 2.04 wt % carbon. After this transition, it is no longer called ferrite, it has become austenite iron. Steel producers will therefore heat up ferrite until it turns into austenite and then quickly cool it off with water or oil. If the newly formed austenite is cooled of rapidly enough, it will have no time to turn back into ferrite and the carbon will be stuck within the alloy. The metal alloy that is formed during this process is very strong, but also very brittle. To make it suitable as a building material the steel producers need to process further and make it more soft and ductile. By re-heating the metal, tiny imperfections within the alloy can be removed and internal stress will settle. This process is commonly known as tempering and the end result is so called tempered steel.
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