The use of stainless steel in structures

TLDR

Over the past 15 years, worldwide revisions of structural stainless steel design codes and growing awareness of its benefits have accelerated its use in construction, moving it beyond specialist and prestige applications despite its higher initial cost, while its distinct physical properties necessitate separate design treatment. The paper aims to describe stainless steel as a structural material, discuss current design provisions, review recent research, and highlight key findings and developments. The authors review current structural design provisions and recent research activities related to stainless steel. The study highlights key findings and developments in stainless steel structural applications.

Abstract

Abstract The past 15 years have seen the introduction or major revision of structural stainless steel design codes throughout the world, and at the same time, interest in the use of stainless steel in construction has been accelerating. Historically the high initial material cost of stainless steel has limited its use primarily to specialist and prestige applications. However, the emergence of design codes, a better awareness of the additional benefits of stainless steel and a transition towards sustainability are bringing more widespread use into conventional structures. Although a number of similarities between stainless steel and ordinary carbon steel exist, there is sufficient diversity in their physical properties to require separate treatment in structural design. In addition to the straightforward differences in basic material properties (such as Young's modulus and yield strength), further fundamental differences exist, such as the nature of the stress–strain curve and the material's response to cold‐work and elevated temperatures; these have implications at ultimate, serviceability and fire limit states. This paper describes the use of stainless steel as a structural material, discusses current structural design provisions, reviews recent research activities and highlights the important findings and developments.