Industrial steel buildings: role and functioning of their secondary components

A steel structure such as an industrial building is made up of a set of steel elements assembled together by welding or bolting. In terms of mechanical behavior, it must be capable of withstanding the actions to which it is likely to be subjected and for which it is designed, i.e., in all cases :

• permanent loads: its own weight and that of all the elements it must support;

• climatic actions: wind, snow, temperature ;

• accidental actions: fire, earthquakes, shocks, etc;

• but also, for some of them, operating loads such as overhead crane actions, if any.

First, the terminology specific to this type of construction is provided.

Next, the way in which climatic loads act on the structure is explained.

Finally, the path of forces through the structure is described in detail, to help you understand the static equilibrium of all its constituent elements: what actions are applied to each of them, and to which other elements does it transmit them?

This document is divided into two sections. The first, which is the subject of this text, concerns so-called "secondary" elements. These include the building envelope (cladding and roofing), cladding rails, purlins, ridge purlin and gable posts. The second deals with the main load-bearing elements: porticos, gable structures, wind beams, purlins, stability bearings, column feet and foundations.

As a design is rarely unique, alternative solutions are proposed if they exist, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Although relatively simple, this type of structure provides a good understanding of the general operation of steel frames and, above all, the role of each of their constituent parts. Indeed, most of the explanations provided in this article are applicable to many structures of much more complex or different types.