The Application of Stainless Steel in Building Structure

Stainless steel has always been an excellent material showing the modern image of advancing with the times in the history of construction application for about 90 years so far. It has had a huge impact on international architectural design. It gives the building long-term durability and sustainability, and enhances safety and reliability. Practice has proved that as long as the stainless steel material is selected and maintained correctly, it will last the same life as the building structure, or even several hundred years. Therefore, for any design that requires a long life, stainless steel is an attractive, low-cost, high-yield and environmentally friendly material.

Stainless steel has been used in construction since the 1920s and has a history of about 90 years. Nowadays, stainless steel has been used in all aspects of building structure, the amount of use is increasing, and the scope of application is also expanding. Some applications are visible from the outside, such as curtain walls and roofs. Stainless steel is both beautiful and functional. There are also some applications that are invisible from the outside, but are closely related to safety, such as fixings of masonry structures, protective isolation columns and safety railings.

Stainless steel is favored because of:

Stainless steel has good corrosion resistance

High strength, good formability,

Excellent impact resistance, explosion-proof and seismic performance

Good wind and fire resistance

The surface types, colors and patterns are very rich

Various sizes and product forms are easily available

Simple maintenance and easy repair

long lasting

Green and environmentally friendly, with good sustainability

One Canada Place in Canary Wharf, London, was built in 1991 and was designed by Cesar Perry Architects. The facade is made of 316 stainless steel, with No. 4 polished and fine linen embossed patterns.

In the history of nearly 90 years so far, stainless steel has always been an excellent material showing a modern image that keeps pace with the times, and it has had a huge impact on international architectural design. It gives the building long-term durability and sustainability, helping to enhance safety and reliability. Many stainless steel landmark buildings that have gone through 40-90 years have well proved that as long as the stainless steel materials are selected and maintained correctly, their life span will be the same as that of the building structure, or even several hundred years. Therefore, for any design that requires a long life, stainless steel is an attractive, low-cost, high-yield and environmentally friendly material.

The Chrysler Building in New York, built in 1930, is the first application of stainless steel in large high-end roofs, and it is also a landmark building that proves the advantages of stainless steel in long life.

The most common stainless steels in the field of building structures are 304 and 316 and their low-carbon grades 304L and 316L. When materials with a section thickness of 3.2 mm and above need to be welded, the grade of low carbon tape L should be used.

An early construction project built more than 60 years ago was constructed of 302 stainless steel, which is equivalent to modern 304 stainless steel. Although 304/304L and its early grade 302 have been widely used in building structure applications in history, 316/316L stainless steel is increasingly used in outdoor and sheltered areas, and sometimes even better corrosion-resistant stainless steel is used.

This is because the use of snowmelt salt in the world is increasing, the population is concentrated in coastal areas, and the pollution level and rainwater acidity in developing countries are high. These factors have led to increased environmental corrosion. The shaded area is more corrosive because it accumulates pollutants in the environment but is not washed by rain.