ASTM A6/A6M covers mill requirements for structural steel, including dimensional tolerances on the cross-section of structural shapes, the quality requirements and the type of mill conditioning permitted. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and the work required either when supplied material does not meet the tolerances specified or when more restrictive tolerances are specified.

• 1.0. General Content and Format of ASTM Standard Specifications for Steel Products
• 1.1. Cross-sectional and Straightness Tolerances
• 1.2. Surface Condition
  
• 1.3. Ordering Steel
• 1.4. Other General Information

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges cover the requirements for fabrication of structural steel. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations.

• 2.1. Material Identification and Traceability
• 2.2. Cutting and Finishing Steel
• 2.3. Use of Heat in Fabrication
• 2.4. Bolt Holes
• 2.5. Correction of Fabrication Errors
• 2.6. Other General Information

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, the Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges, AWS D1.1/D1.1M, and other existing specifications and codes cover tolerance requirements for the fabrication and erection of structural steel. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations.

The structural steel fabrication industry has traditionally achieved a remarkable degree of dimensional accuracy in the fabrication and erection of steel structures. This is particularly evident when considering the variety and levels of skills essential to coordinate and perform the planning, detailing, fabrication, and erection of many unique and complex steel buildings, bridges, and other special structures.

• 3.1. Member Cross-sectional Tolerances
• 3.2. Member Straightness Tolerances
• 3.3. Element Location Tolerances
• 3.4. Erection Tolerances
• 3.5. Other General Information

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings covers requirements for the design of structural steel members. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations. Additional information on specific topics of interest can be found in the AISC Design Guide Series.

• 4.1. AISC Specification Requirements
• 4.2. Requirements in Other Related Specifications and Codes
• 4.3. Stability Bracing
• 4.4. Special Design Considerations
• 4.5. Composite Design
• 4.6. Built-up Member Design
• 4.7. Design of Angles
• 4.8. Other General Information

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings covers requirements for the design of structural steel connections. Additional recommendations can be found in the AISC Steel Construction Manual. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations with regard to general issues in connection design, fabrication, and erection. For bolting- and welding-specific issues, refer to the FAQs in Section 6 and Section 8, respectively.

• 5.1. Bolt Holes
• 5.2. Single-plate Connections
• 5.3. Other General Information

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and the RCSC Specification for Structural Joints Using High Strength Bolts cover requirements for the use of bolts in structural steel connections. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations. Some of the discussion is taken from Bolt Bulletins published by RCSC.

• 6.1. Economical Suggestions
• 6.2. Ordering Bolts
• 6.3. Bolting Component Testing and Pre-installation Verification Testing
• 6.4. Handling and Storage
• 6.5. Bolt Installation
• 6.6. Methods for Pretensioning Connections
  
• 6.7. Faying Surfaces
• 6.8. Inspection
• 6.9. Bolt Tension Calibration
• 6.10. Washer Requirements
• 6.11. Other General Information

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and various ASTM material standards cover requirements for the use of anchor rods and base plates. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations. Additional information is available from AISC Design Guide #1: Base Plate and Anchor Rod Design (Second Edition, Fisher and Kloiber, 2006) and #10 Erection Bracing of Low-Rise Structural Steel Frames (Second Edition, Fisher and West, 2020).

• 7.1. Anchor Rods
• 7.2. Base Plates
• 7.3. Embedded Plates

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and AWS D1.1/D1.1M cover requirements for the use of welding in structural steel connections. AISC Design Guide 21 contains useful discussion, background, and recommendations regarding welding. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations.

• 8.1. Economical suggestions
• 8.2. Groove Welds
• 8.3. Fillet Welds
• 8.4. Plug and Slot Welds
• 8.5. Repairs
• 8.6. Welding Procedure Specification (WPS)
• 8.7. Other General Information

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and AWS D1.1/D1.1M cover requirements for the inspection of welding in structural steel connections. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations.

• 9.1. Non-Destructructive Examination (NDE) Methods
• 9.2. Other General Information

The AISC Specification and various Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) documents cover requirements for the painting of structural steel. The FAQs in this section include a discussion of portions of these provisions and subsequent recommendations.

Both the Steel Structures Painting Manual, Volume 1, Good Painting Practice (5th Edition) and Volume 2, Systems and Specifications (8th Edition, 2000) provide a knowledgeable framework for the selection of suitable paint systems and establishes appropriate means of achieving the desired result in both the shop and field. The proper design of a total paint system suitable for the end use of the product is clearly identified as a fundamental design prerogative of the owner, architect and/or engineer.

The Steel Structures Painting Manual and SSPC surface preparation standards serve as generally workable and practical guides for the surface preparation and painting of fabricated structural steel. Although they have removed a great deal of the misunderstandings that once occurred in this area, there are still varying interpretations that may arise. The FAQs in this section provide AISC recommendations for clarification and resolution of several problem areas.

• 10.1. Painting Requirements
• 10.2. Paint Film Thickness
• 10.3. Surface Preparation Requirements
• 10.4. SSPC Surface Preparation Levels
• 10.5. Field Touch-up and Repair
• 10.6. Other General Information

• 11.1. Fire Protection Systems
• 11.2. Steel Exposed to Fire
• 11.3. General Fire Science
• 11.4. Fire Ratings
• 11.5. Codes and Specifications

This section contains the questions and answers from "Blast Resistant Design with Structural Steel - Common Questions Answered", an article written by Anatol Longinow, Ph.D. and Farid Alfawakhiri, Ph.D. The article appeared in the October 2003 issue of Modern Steel Construction and is available online.

Strategies for blast protection have become an important consideration for structural designers as global terrorist attacks continue at an alarming rate. Conventional structures, particularly those above grade, normally are not designed to resist blast loads; and because the magnitudes of design loads are significantly lower than those produced by most explosions, conventional structures are susceptible to damage from explosions. With this in mind, developers, architects and engineers increasingly are seeking solutions for potential blast situations, to protect building occupants and the structures themselves.

The questions and answers that follow offer some explanation of explosions and the potential dangers they present to steel-framed buildings. They cover the historical response of steel-framed structures to blast situations and which types of structural frames, connections and steel shapes best resist blast loads. They also examine strategies designers can use to implement heightened building security and greater structural resistance to blast threats. Design specifications, code requirements, progressive collapse, seismic requirements and composite construction also are considered. Lastly, a list of references on the topic of blast protection is provided, along with information about computer software programs that can aid designers.

• 12.1. General Explosion Science
• 12.2. Physical Security
• 12.3. Blast Resistant Structural Design
• 12.4. Progressive Collapse
• 12.5 Structural Members and Connections
• 12.6. Analysis Methods and Literature Sources