Differences between American and Chinese steel structure workshops

The following are the differences between Steel structure workshops in the United States and China in terms of steel structure design drawings, material selection, and installation processes:

Steel structure design drawings
Design depth and expression: Steel structure design drawings in the United States are usually more detailed and precise, with clear and strict annotations on the dimensions, connection methods, weld requirements, and other details of the components. They may even include explanations of temporary supports and installation sequences during the construction process; On the basis of meeting basic design requirements, Chinese design drawings may be relatively concise, and some details are often deepened by construction units based on their own experience and conventional practices
Design specifications and standards: The United States has its own set of mature steel structure design specifications, such as ANSI/AISC 360-10 "American Code for Design of Building Steel Structures". In the design, the structural performance under various working conditions will be fully considered, and the calculation methods and values of component strength, stability, etc. are different from those in Chinese specifications. For example, in the design of axial tension components, the American standard considers two ultimate states: gross section yield and net section fracture, while Chinese standards generally consider the net section yield state, and the American standard is relatively more comprehensive
-Drawing review and approval: The drawing review process in the United States is relatively strict and complex, usually requiring review by multiple professionals and institutions, including structural engineers, architects, owner representatives, and relevant building authorities, to ensure the safety and compliance of the design; China also has strict regulations for drawing review, but there may be differences in the specific process and participants compared to the United States

Material selection
Types and standards of steel: The commonly used steel standards in the United States include ASTM A36/A36M, ASTM A572/A572M, etc. There are many subcategories of steel, and different grades and properties of steel will be selected for different application scenarios and structural requirements; China mainly relies on steel standards such as Q235 steel in GB/T 700-2006 "Carbon Structural Steel" and Q355 in GB/T 1591-2018. The classification of steel is relatively comprehensive, and one national standard content may correspond to multiple American standard steel grades
Steel performance requirements: American standard steel has different requirements from national standards in terms of strength, toughness, and other aspects. For example, the yield strength grades of steel in American standard ASTM A572/A572M include five grades: GR42 (290), GR50 (345), GR55 (380), GR60 (415), and GR65 (450), and their impact toughness is not a routine requirement for products, which will be separately proposed when engineering needs are met; The national standard steel determines the grade based on the yield strength and divides the quality level according to the impact toughness requirements at different temperatures, providing clearer regulations on impact toughness and other properties
Material supply and sources: Due to insufficient steel production in the United States, a large amount of foreign steel is imported; China is the world's largest producer of steel, and most of the steel used in building steel structures is domestically produced, with ample supply and diverse choices

Installation process
Connection method: Welding technology is more commonly used in Steel structure workshops in the United States, believing that welding can reduce the number of connections, improve the overall strength of steel, and save labor, material, and time costs; Most of the steel structure connection points in China use bolt connections, which have the characteristics of high reliability and strong maintainability
Installation accuracy requirements: In the installation process of steel structures in the United States, the installation accuracy of components is extremely high. High precision measuring instruments and advanced installation techniques are usually used to ensure the overall stability and safety of the structure; The installation accuracy of steel structures in China is also constantly improving, but in some small and medium-sized projects, due to cost and technical conditions, the installation accuracy may be slightly lower than that in the United States
Construction management and quality control: The American standard has stricter quality acceptance standards for steel structures, involving multiple aspects such as material properties, weld quality, component size accuracy, anti-corrosion and fire prevention treatment, and the acceptance procedures are also more complex; On the premise of ensuring structural safety, China has relatively flexible acceptance standards and focuses on controlling key parts and important indicators. In addition, there are certain differences between the two countries in terms of safety management and progress control during the construction process due to their respective management systems and cultural backgrounds