In a previous blog we discussed the different Metal Building Systems in the Norsteel Product line. We touched on the basic concepts and terminologies that are important for customers to understand, as they work with their Building Consultant to design the steel building that will ultimately meet all of their requirements.
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As mentioned, Norsteel’s C-Channel Steel Building System, is by far our simplest and most economical steel building system. The C-Channel steel building is aptly named because it is formed from several steel members that have a “c” shape. These are bolted together to form the structural basis for this type of Metal Building system.
We call our Norsteel C-Channel the EasyBuild Steel Building because we began carrying this product line specifically for our Do-it-Yourself Customers who had been asking for a simpler steel building that they could construct on their own.
This blog will provide you with an introduction to our EasyBuild Steel Building Kit. It will give you an overview of the structural support system that gives it strength and the components that give it aesthetic appeal.
In fact, our EasyBuild Metal Buildings are affordable and more efficient on every level. From engineering, to manufacturing, to shipping, and even off-loading and assembly; the EasyBuild is the most affordable choice for simple, clear-span space – Especially when customers are looking for structures up to 35’ in width.
Because it is marketed as a Do-it-Yourself Kit that can be assembled with minimal use of equipment (many of our customers assemble with ladders and scaffolding), the savings continue right into the assembly of the EasyBuild steel building. Handy people can easily follow the DIY instruction manual and blueprints to erect their own steel buildings without the use of heavy machinery or crews of workers. The new, innovative creation of our EasyBuild Foundation Kit further increases savings in time and money by decreasing the amount of concrete that is needed in the foundation.
Our EasyBuild Structures have a hot-dip galvanized steel frame. In fact, all primary and secondary framing members in our EasyBuild model are zinc coated. This zinc galvanizing process prevents rust and ensures a long life-cycle of performance.
The Primary Framing in our EasyBuild Steel Structure consists of galvanized, C-Channels which are bolted together to form the structural basis of the building. Typically, these c-shaped channels are 8” in depth, but this can change depending on the design and location of the steel building. Two C-Channels bolted back to back form the “I” beam that is equivalent to the primary framing of the Rigid Frame Metal Building System.
Tip: In keeping with the simplicity of the EasyBuild steel structure, Interior and Endwall Frames are created equally, and there are no expandable Endwalls.
By far the most functional component of Pre-Engineered Steel buildings is the Clear-Span Primary Framing system. We call these frames “Clear-Span” simply because they require no interior columns or support between the exterior columns. An amazing thing for any customer looking to achieve 100% usable interior space! In fact, it is the Clear-Span Rigid Frame that first revolutionized construction and made metal buildings such an incredibly versatile and innovative investment.
The frame on our EasyBuild steel building has straight vertical columns attaching to straight rafters. These c-channels bolt together to form the I Beams of the steel building – meaning that if you took a cross-section through either a column or rafter section, you would have an I-shape.
In our EasyBuild product line, the primary framing is reinforced with thick metal plates in three specific spots on each frame:
The center point and the haunch are the thickest parts of the primary framing in the EasyBuild Metal Building system simply because these are load bearing spots on the building. It follows that they must support great force, and so, we must reinforce that area with thick steel plates.
Exactly like the Rigid Frame Metal Buildings, the EasyBuild Primary Framing is designed to bear the load for half the bay of the roof on either side of its location and transfer that loading to the foundation.
Tip: Unlike the Rigid Frame, the primary framing components of our EasyBuild steel structures can be bolted together in sub-assemblies on the ground, where work is faster and safer. This requires fewer lifts and fewer connections to be made in the air by our DIY customers.
When we are speaking about the Secondary support system of a Pre-Engineered Metal Building system, we are referring to the Purlins and Girts. These structural members are the steel components that run horizontally across the roof and walls, spanning the primary framing.
Girts and Purlins are essentially the same with the only difference being their location on the building, and they have 2 main functions: To transfer the loads to the primary framing, and to provide a surface onto which the roof and wall panels are screwed.
We refer to the secondary system that provides structural support to the walls of a Metal Building System, as the Girts.
Girts run horizontally between the frames of the walls and are attached to the columns.
Like the Purlins, the Girts of our EasyBuild Structure consist of galvanized z-channels and the spacing of the Girts, varies with the load imposed on them. The depth of the Girts used in a structure is also determined by the particular loading requirements for that structure. Like purlins, girts are typically 6 inches in depth. Occasionally, deeper secondary members are necessary for specific applications and site locations.
The Girts take the loads imposed on the wall system and transfer them to the frames, which in turn, transfer them to the foundation.
Tip: One last thing to mention when we are discussing secondary structural members of a metal building system, is that the Eave Strut is located at the intersection of the roof and the exterior wall. It acts as both the first Purlin and the last Girt. This is important because the building height for a pre-engineered steel building is always recorded as the measurement to the top of this steel member – It is the eave height that is recorded as the height for the building, not the peak height of the structure.
The final structural support system of the EasyBuild Steel Building is the Bracing system. As its name implies, the bracing system functions to resist the forces of the elements and to transfer these loads to the secondary and primary framing systems. The Bracing System for the EasyBuild Structure is accomplished with a combination of Elbow Bracing and Diaphragm Bracing.
Elbow Bracing, is used to brace the building against forces from the elements. The elbow bracing on the EasyBuild Steel Structure is found between the girts and the primary framing system. Thick steel members are used to provide bridges of additional strength and are bolted and bent into position in the corners from the girts to the primary frames.
Where the bracing goes and how much is needed depends on the design of the building and its location. A structure that is situated in a municipality with high wind load for example, will require more bracing than one in a different municipality with mild wind. Likewise, a structure designed with an open wall, will require more bracing than a structure that is completely closed.
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Another type of bracing that is used to establish structural integrity in a pre-engineered steel building is Diaphragm Bracing. Diaphragm Bracing is inherent in most metal building systems, and results from the presence of the cladding – the exterior panels that cover the primary and secondary framing of the steel building. Cladding provides the building with aesthetically pleasing colour, and it obviously finishes the wall and roof skeleton of the building. In doing so, it provides yet another defensive brace against the loadings that impinge on the structure itself.
Our EasyBuild Metal Building System relies heavily on diaphragm bracing for structural support. This means that the number and size of doors will be limited, especially on the Sidewalls of the building, simply because removing too much of the cladding means compromising the structural integrity of the building.
The wall panels for our EasyBuild Steel Building come in twelve popular colors with a 40-year limited warranty against chipping, cracking, flaking or peeling. The paint has a siliconized polyester finish with a substrate galvanized coating beneath the paint providing further protection against rust.
The wall panels are continuous from floor to eave and meet or exceed required wind loads. These panels are 26-gauge as standard. All wall panels are attached to the girts with screws that come assembled with neoprene washers. The washers eliminate the potential for rust by preventing damage to the sheeting. The heads of the screws are painted to match the colour of the sheeting. They will not rust, tarnish or turn black.
Galvalume roof panels are standard on all our EasyBuild steel buildings. Our roof panels are 26-gauge high-tensile steel with a corrugation depth of 1-1/4”. The Purlin Bearing Rib (PBR) roof system provides a full overlap, which means our buildings are weather-tight, even under extreme conditions.
Rigid-rib panels are designed for long-life and pre-cut to building dimensions. AZ55 Galvalume® is an aluminum/zinc coating, which protects the roof sheeting against rust. It requires no maintenance or painting to retain its original luster and is comprised of 55% aluminum, 44% zinc and 1% silicone.
The AZ55 roof panels have a high aluminum content providing superior protection against rust and backed by a 25-year, limited rust-through perforation warranty. In addition, the self-drilling roof fasteners are stainless steel capped and come fully assembled with a self-sealing neoprene washers for a weather-tight seal and a limited lifetime rust warranty.
Our EasyBuild Steel Buildings come standard with a screw-down Galvalume roof system.
The Trim Package for the EasyBuild Structure is supplied at no additional charge and serves to provide a finished appearance as well as added protection against leaks and the possibility of rodent and insect infestation.
Trim is available in six complementary colors.
Norsteel’s EasyBuild Steel Building System is the ideal choice for DIY projects. In fact, we began carrying this product line specifically for our Do-it-Yourself Customers who had been asking for a simpler pre-engineered steel building that they could construct on their own.
Backed by the same theoretical pre-engineered design as our Rigid Frame metal building system, the Norsteel EasyBuild Steel Building provides the same strong engineering and conventional look of its rigid frame cousin, but at the affordable cost of a Quonset or wood structure.
This is because the EasyBuild is a simple construction with fewer options, making it affordable and more efficient on every level. From engineering, to manufacturing, to shipping, and even off-loading and assembly; the EasyBuild is the most affordable choice for simple, clear-span space – Especially when customers are looking for structures 35’ in width or smaller. This has made our EasyBuild Steel Building a very popular choice for garages and backyard shops.
It took us a long time to come up with a DIY product line that measured up to the Norsteel standards. We even put one together ourselves with our consultant team to make sure it was everything that we were hoping for in a do-it-yourself steel building before we offered it to our customers. The EasyBuild Steel Building Kit is a welcome addition to the Norsteel product line.
When you buy a building from Norsteel, we become your partner throughout the construction process. We work with you, or with your general contractor, to ensure that all your building requirements are met. Your project is our project, and we’ll be with you the whole way through.
As fabricators, we do a lot of work with structural steel and aluminum. It’s used extensively in trailers and also makes a great wood substitute for construction. The I-beam is about the most recognizable structural shape, but we’d argue that there are times when you’re better off with a ”C”. Here’s why we think C-channel (or alternatively, C-beam or C-section) is worth considering.
Elephants are strong but dung beetles are much stronger. Sure, the elephant can carry a bigger total weight, but much of its strength goes towards carrying itself. The dung beetle is small but can carry many times its own weight.
Structural steel and aluminum work the same way. A big heavy piece is strong but the geometry of an I-beam is optimized to get the greatest possible strength from the least amount of material. In the I-beam the vertical web resists bending while the top and bottom flanges counter any twisting. (If the flanges are wider than the height of the web it becomes an H-beam. It’s all down to the cross-sectional shape.)
While I-beams are strong, they’re not always easy to incorporate into your fabrication. The problem is that you only have two parallel faces to mount to. Mounting to a face parallel to the web means adding angle to the flanges. C-section channel overcomes this by moving the web out to one edge of the flanges, changing the cross-section from an “I” to a “C” in the process.
C-section thus has three flat surfaces for mounting to. It’s still strong, although this geometry does give up a little of the rigidity of the I-beam. Against that, though, it avoids the use of brackets or angle. That saves money, time and weight, perhaps making it worth moving up to a slightly heavier section.
Structural aluminum is lightweight and easy to work with, plus, unlike wood, it won’t burn. That makes it a good alternative to lumber for framing walls or installing ceiling joints and rafters. Also, being an open section unlike tube material, it’s easily washed clean and drains quickly and easily rather than retaining moisture.
Most trailers are fabricated with aluminum C-section channel for the structural members. It’s lightweight, easy to cut and drill and doesn’t corrode. Plus, three flat faces simplify the addition of panels or other structural components. It’s particularly popular in boat trailers where the ease with which it’s washed down and absence of moisture-retaining areas help ensure a long life. Window and door frames are often fabricated from C-section channel for similar reasons.
Also, as mentioned above, aluminum C-section channel is often used in construction. It’s a particularly good choice where fire is a greater than normal concern.
Say, “structural aluminum” or “structural steel” and we’ll wager most people picture the traditional I-beam. It’s a shape that’s met the needs of fabricators as well as those in construction for generations, but sometimes it makes assembly more complicated than perhaps it need be. That’s why we suggest you consider C-section channel, (or C-beam, whatever works for you). With an additional flat face, C-section material might simplify your design and save you time and money.
Are you interested in learning more about Z-Beam? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!