Steel columns erection is a crucial stage of construction, a task for an experienced steel erector. Call +1 773-917-8998 for a free price quote, today!

What are the features of a professionally done steel column erection?

The steel column is an actual backbone of the steel-framed house construction. Steel columns transfer the shear, the axial load, and the flexure of the whole building to the foundation. Get it right, and the steel-framed house will stand long and tall.

For something that important, you’d want an experienced structural steel erector to do the job.  Here’s our expert’s guide to steel column erection, as done by Structural Beam, your local steel column erector in Chicago, Il.

Steel columns erection, step-by-step flow

The preparation

• The prefabricated steel columns and beams arrive at the steel erection site beforehand, along with fixtures, shims, nuts, and bolts, preferably a day before, so the erection gang can get on erecting steel columns right after arriving at the site.
• Structural steel members, including the steel columns, are placed in a well-thought-out order.
• Having all primary structural steel members prefabricated, cut to the size, welded, and punched in the steel fabricator’s workshop greatly reduces the length of the steel columns’ erection process and the erection costs due to fewer paid working hours on site.
• Structural Beam is your local one-stop steel structures erection specialist in Chicago, Il. area, we can handle the full cycle of steel-framed building construction projects. Work with the best, support the local businesses, call us today for a free estimate!

The gang

• The basic steel-framed building erection involves a few workers and some heavy machinery.
• The steel erection team is called a gang, and it is led by the engineer and supervised by a “competent person”, whose function is to preserve the safety on the steel erection site, a place notorious for hazards and accidents, and promptly interfere if needed to restore safe working conditions.
• Led by a qualified erection engineer, the gang is going to erect the steel frame. All the tools of the trade have to be brought to the site beforehand.
• In the case of steel-framed house construction, it usually takes a light crane to make it all happen.

• The steel column erection starts with placing column bases so the anchor bolts go through the holes and bolting the bases to the anchor bolts, thus affixing the columns to the foundation and creating the backbone of the steel frame structure.
• The anchor bolts for the columns were placed when the foundation was poured/foundation walls were completed. The anchor bolts constitute a part of a column base connection, perhaps the most important of all in the whole structure. Column base connections transfer the shear, the axial load, and the flexure of the whole building to the foundation, bearing all those construction loads.
• Beams are lifted up either with a help of a crane or by jacking, placed in the position, and bolted to the columns, without tightening, so the resulting steel frame structure can be then aligned by the gang according to the erection engineer’s commands.
• The alignment takes place and the gang persuades the frame to take the right shape, right after that all bolts are tightened and the steel columns’ erection is pretty much completed.
• In some cases, welding is used to connect the beams to the columns. It’s done by certified welders, using quality welding torches, and following the best practices of the trade.

Structural steel erection projects like this require highly qualified erection workers, educated and regularly trained and practiced together as a team. At Structural Beam, we have a well-rehearsed and very experienced steel frame erection team with many successfully completed projects under the belt.

Getting it all done by a local, experienced, and reputed one-stop structural steel solutions provider has many benefits to it, to name a few

• Overall building construction cost reduction due to simplified logistics
• Responsibility concentration with one company, you get one company in charge of the whole project, no “responsibility gaps”
• Overall comfort for you as a client, you can just sit back and relax, knowing that everything is under control.

Structural Beam services include both fabrication and erection of structural steel columns. If you are in the Chicago, Il area and looking for a local one-stop structural steel solutions provider near you, choose the reputable company with long experience on the market.

What is steel structure erection?

Technically speaking, it’s an assembly of structural components – primary and secondary structural steel members into a steel frame on the construction site. Fabricated beams and columns are brought to the site and put together by bolting (or welding). Structural Beam is your local, Chicago Il. one-stop structural steel solutions provider, we do fabrication and erection of structural steel frames.

What is a column erection?

It involves bolting of the columns’ base to the anchoring bolts of column base connection, and bolting of steel beams to the column, sometimes connections can be done by welding, too. Column erection is an integral part of steel-framed building construction. We do it at Structural Beam, call 773-917-8998 today for a consultation!

What does a competent person do in steel erection?

A competent person is designated by the employer and is in charge of the safety measures at the steel erection site. His function is to identify hazardous conditions, and he’s endowed with the power to interfere and take corrective measures to promptly restore safety. At Structural Beam, we care for the safety of our team members and for the quality of our erection jobs as much as we care for the safety of future occupants of the houses we build.