What Are Some Of The Ways That A Structural Steel Fabricator Assembles Structural Steel?

Professionals who work in the structural steel fabrication industry typically do a lot of different things with structural steel, including sourcing it, cutting it, bending it, assembling it, and much more. These professionals typically know about the best methods to use when working with structural steel in various ways. You might know that these professionals use high-end cutting tools in order to cut through metal, for example. You could be wondering about the different ways that structural steel fabricators assemble structural steel in order to build structures after they have cut and prepared the structural steel for use. These are some of the ways that these professionals typically do their jobs. 

Welding

One of the most common assembly methods is welding. Various types of welding equipment and processes are used, but the most common is stick welding. Stick welding is popular for structural steel construction for a few reasons. Stick welders are easily portable and can be brought on scaffolds, ladders, and scissor lifts, which might be needed during the construction process. Stick welding is effective at joining together structural steel as well, so it's a good choice in order to build strong, durable, and long-lasting structural steel buildings.

Of course, not all welding happens on-site when a structure is being built from structural steel. Some welding might be done in the shop to attach different metal components together. Then, the assembled parts might be transported to the construction site, and additional welding might be used for assembly, or one of the assembly methods below could be put to use.

Using Adhesives

In some cases, believe it or not, adhesives are used during the structural steel assembly process. For example, structural adhesives are very commonly used to create load-bearing joints. This helps strengthen these joints and hold them together so that they can handle the weight of the structure. This can be a highly effective method of assembly, but it's critical for the right adhesives to be used. Then, you can ensure that the adhesives will keep a strong hold over time and that they will not be negatively affected by things like being exposed to moisture.

Using Rivet Construction Methods

A rivet is a fastener that is specifically designed to join together multiple pieces of metal. In some cases, just one rivet is needed. In others, multiple rivets might be needed, such as when working on bigger projects or using heavier pieces of metal. Either way, rivet construction methods are commonly used in addition to the methods above to build strong structural steel buildings.

Contact a local structural steel fabrication service to learn more.