Thermal Expansion

[hafshar]

Have you had experience with thermal expansion of steel building with length of about 120 meter and about 5 floors. how many bays of bracings is enough? how you deal with big expansion loads?

 

[BAretired]

For a building of that size, I would prefer to use one or two expansion joints; that would create essentially two or three separate structures.

BA

 

[hokie66]

I agree with BA. Thermal volume change creates unstoppable forces.

 

[KootK]

One of my early mentors told me to brace about every fourth bay in a steel building. I have found that to be solid advice. You can be more aggressive of course. When I choose to be, I just pay more attention to P-Delta, drag strut elongation, diaphragm deflection etc.

I've done a few projects where we had expansion joints present during construction that were locked up once the building was closed in and tempered. I've always been a bit nervous about that philosophy though. If the heat goes off for an extended period for some reason, maybe all hell would break loose.

The greatest trick that bond stress ever pulled was convincing the world it didn't exist.