It is true that there is no unified standard for determining the structure of heavy steel and light steel structure, and many experienced designers or project managers often cannot fully explain it, but we can comprehensively consider and judge with some data.
First, the lifting weight of the plant crane: greater than or equal to 25
Second, the amount of steel per square meter: greater than or equal to 50KG/M2, can be considered as heavy steel structure.
Third, the thickness of the main component steel plate: greater than or equal to 10MM, less light steel structure.
Fourth, in addition, there are some reference values: such as the cost per square meter, the maximum component weight, the maximum span, the structural form, the high eaves, the above can provide empirical data when judging whether the plant is heavy steel or light steel, of course, many buildings are now light and heavy steel. But there are some we can be more certain that heavy steel: such as: petrochemical plant facilities, power plant plants, steel structure sports centre, exhibition centers, multi-high-rise steel sructure civil building or super high-rise steel structures.
Fifth, in fact, the national norms and technical documents are not heavy steel said, in order to distinguish the light housing steel structure, perhaps the general steel structure is called "general steel" more appropriate. Because the range of ordinary steel structure is very wide, it can contain a variety of steel structures, regardless of the size of the load, and even include many contents of light steel structures, light house steel structure technical regulations are only for its "light" characteristics and provide some more specific content, and the scope is only limited to single-layer portal rigid frame,such as prefabricated H beam steel structure workshop.
Sixth, light steel is also a relatively vague term, which can generally be understood in two ways. One is the current "Steel structure design Code" (GBJ17-88) in the eleventh chapter of "round steel, small Angle steel light steel structure", refers to the use of round steel and less than L45 * 4 and L56 * 36 * 4 Angle steel made of light steel structure, mainly in the steel lack of age for the use of reinforced concrete structure should not be made of small structures, is now basically not used. Therefore, this steel structure design code revision has been basically inclined to remove. The other is a single-layer solid wall portal rigid frame structure (such as agricultural steel structure warehouse) with light roof and light exterior wall (can also conditionally use masonry exterior wall) as stipulated in the "Technical Regulations for portal rigid frame light house Steel structure", where the light mainly refers to the use of lightweight materials. Since the former has been canceled, the current meaning of light steel mainly refers to the latter.
Seventh, it can be seen that the difference between light steel and heavy steel is not in the weight of the structure itself, but in the weight of the envelope material, and in the concept of structural design is still consistent.
