‘It’s tens of millions of calculations just to design one connection
between a piece of structural steel and another piece of structural steel.’
– Greg Lynn
Construction industry moguls get the finer details that differentiate one piece of steel from another. The rest of us look at the steel round bar and agree it’s, well… round. The popularity of steel round bars is due to their ease of fabrication, welding, stamping, and their ability to withstand harsh environments like salt water, chemical and acidic environments, and extreme temperatures.
In the interests of edification and shared knowledge, here’s all you need to know abour round bar.
What Is Steel Round Bar?
A round bar is exactly what it sounds like; it is a long, cylindrical metal bar. Manufactured in a variety of diameters ranging from 1/4″ up to 24”, round bar is also available in a variety of metals besides the relevant hot rolled or cold rolled steel and stainless steel options.
The round bar has a smooth surface and is used for constructions that do not require high-strength reinforced concrete due to poor adhesive factors. It is mainly used on stirrups for beams and columns, pipelines, roads, and small and medium-sized construction projects.
Round Bar – It’s Hot and It’s Cold
- Hot Rolled Steel Round Bar – is typically used in construction applications where precision and finish are not as important.
- Cold Rolled Steel Round Bar – is used for applications where a superior surface finish and exact dimensions are essential.
Steel Round Bars and Strength
The one property that engineers and architects look for in steel products is their strength. This applies very significantly to round bars, where its load-bearing capacity is its superpower.
Depending on the end-use, the loadbearing stats differ – in other words, round bars needed for the construction industry will be stronger than what is needed for the automotive industries, unless you’re Elon Musk and you’re building steel space rockets bound for the outer reaches of space!
Steel Round Bars and Ductility
Because of the ability of the atoms in a product like steel to roll over each other into new positions without breaking the metallic bond, round bars retain aspects of malleability and ductility.
Seriously, think how steel can stretch into a wire without breaking and is malleable enough to take being hammered into a thin sheet without losing its strength. Nuff said.
Steel Round Bars and Elasticity
Referring to steel as elastic sounds like an oxymoron but we’re talking in relative terms here. When steel round bar is used for earthquake resistance, a certain amount of movement has to factor into its tolerance.
Clearly, whatever the external impact, the bars need to accommodate it and have the ability to return to their original positioning. A tall order, but tall buildings, especially, depend on this type of ‘elasticity’.
Steelmor is a leading manufacturer and supplier of stainless steel. Contact us today to talk about your specific requirements.