The effects of steel yield strength on the structural costs of stanchions

Abstract

This work presents design studies on steel stanchions subjected to axial compression and bi-axial bending. The investigation centred on determining: the variation of cost of erecting a unit weight of steel stanchion with the grade of steel, depicted by the yield strength of the material; the effect of steel yield stress on the cost of short and slender columns and the possibility of introducing a new grade of steel (not provided for in the design code-BS449) that gives the optimum economy in stanchion design. The work also compared the cost of universal beam stanchion with that of universal column stanchion when both are selected for the same work. Results show that the yield stress for the most economical section varies depending mainly on whether the stanchion is slender or stocky. Also the use of universal beam section for stanchions should be restricted to stocky columns where strength rather than slenderness considerations govern the design