Steel building questions.

[Oakridgewelding]

I'm starting to build a 52 by 53 red iron steel frame shop for my welding and repair shop. I know we have a lot of experience on this forum. Some background on this is. I bought a used building, and it included the original set of blueprints. The plans call for a X 1/4 brace in the roof. The plans call it a .... WC4A 1/4 inch brace. I can't find anything online that tells me exactly what that is. Ai just explains its bracing a quarter of the way thru the building. Would anybody have any steel erection experience that could tell me exactly what I need? Cable? Doesn't seem like that would work in a push/ pull situation. 1/4 round with threads on the end? That seems right to me but need confirmation. The building didn't come with the bracing either.

 

[Fordy20]

An "X" brace in the roof is exactly that - two rods in the form of an X. Needed to keep the building from "racking" from live and wind loads.

 

[Oakridgewelding]

An "X" brace in the roof is exactly that - two rods in the form of an X. Needed to keep the building from "racking" from live and wind loads.

Yup I understand that. Just wondering the wc4a spec stands for. Engineer told me it's cable but that can't be right.

 

[docmirror]

WC is wire cable, 4 is 4/16th or quarter in, i think the A is 'uncoated 304 SS'. the spec is rare, only used in nuclear const where i saw it last. Could be 316 SS,possibly.

 

[wh]

I would think the correct size cable in tension would hold the building from racking.

 

[88Sooner]

I'm starting to build a 52 by 53 red iron steel frame shop for my welding and repair shop. I know we have a lot of experience on this forum. Some background on this is. I bought a used building, and it included the original set of blueprints. The plans call for a X 1/4 brace in the roof. The plans call it a .... WC4A 1/4 inch brace. I can't find anything online that tells me exactly what that is. Ai just explains it’s bracing a quarter of the way thru the building. Would anybody have any steel erection experience that could tell me exactly what I need? Cable? Doesn't seem like that would work in a push/ pull situation. 1/4 round with threads on the end? That seems right to me but need confirmation. The building didn't come with the bracing either.

 

[88Sooner]

In my 47 yrs erecting steel buildings and the first 17 were Butler Buildings Farmstead 1 slope wall and Farmstead 2 straight wall never had any brace rods in roof and they are all still standing. Get 3 or 4 roof sheets screwed down with structure square and your good to go

 

[Oakridgewelding]

WC is wire cable, 4 is 4/16th or quarter in, i think the A is 'uncoated 304 SS'. the spec is rare, only used in nuclear const where i saw it last. Could be 316 SS,possibly.

Thank you. This ain't a nuclear site so I don't I'll have to worry with the A rating.

 

[Oakridgewelding]

In my 47 yrs erecting steel buildings and the first 17 were Butler Buildings Farmstead 1 slope wall and Farmstead 2 straight wall never had any brace rods in roof and they are all still standing. Get 3 or 4 roof sheets screwed down with structure square and your good to go

Thank you. That would be nice but the engineer drew them so I figure the county will require them. As I'm working for the public it's trown me into a different league then if it was just my personal shop.

 

[Jim.ME]

Thank you. This ain't a nuclear site so I don't I'll have to worry with the A rating.

I believe turnbuckles sized to the cable strength are used to tension the cables.

 

[Oakridgewelding]

I believe turnbuckles sized to the cable strength are used to tension the cables.

Believe that's correct. Then plans are vague on some of these details. I think I can use closed loop eye bolts thru the hillside washer, Two ccable clamps on each end of the cable and it should pass.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Believe that's correct. Then plans are vague on some of these details. I think I can use closed loop eye bolts thru the hillside washer, Two ccable clamps on each end of the cable and it should pass.

Probably so. U bolts on the dead end of the cable.

 

[docmirror]

Im going to opine that racking only becomes a problem when the footprint aspect ratio increases. A 24x60 could have issues with wind currents that are not present in a nominally near square style.

As for materials used, I would still advise 304 SS commercially avail with SS Hardware for tension. In the age of crap materials from China, anything that meets the ISO for SS would give me peace of mind at reasonable cost. YMMV

 

[urbancase]

My shop is a steel frame, not sure on what they are referring to. My center bay in my shop has a x brace in it both sides of roof and both walls. It goes diagonal from one corner to the other full length. To me o think that what they are saying as I put equal tension on them.

 

[a49deere]

Thank you. That would be nice but the engineer drew them so I figure the county will require them. As I'm working for the public it's trown me into a different league then if it was just my personal shop.

So is it "Your welding and repair shop"? Or "You're working for the public"? I'm confused, if it's a public building they allow someone to erect it that has to ask on a public forum how to erect it? That's scary!!

 

[moresmoke]

Coould “A” in this instance stand for aircraft? As aircraft cable is a pretty common moniker.

 

[Fordy20]

In my 47 yrs erecting steel buildings and the first 17 were Butler Buildings Farmstead 1 slope wall and Farmstead 2 straight wall never had any brace rods in roof and they are all still standing. Get 3 or 4 roof sheets screwed down with structure square and your good to go

These are pre-engineered buildings. If they’re engineered not have brace rods, that’s fine. But if they’re engineered to have brace rods, you would be foolish not to use them. There’s a reason why buildings fail underload.

 

[docmirror]

Coould “A” in this instance stand for aircraft? As aircraft cable is a pretty common moniker.

Possible, but aircraft cabling usually follows MIL-spec-xxxxxx. Aerospace stds are in AS9201x. I guess it could be used as shorthand for aircraft grade(which is 316 SS or galv in some cases).

 

[Oakridgewelding]

So is it "Your welding and repair shop"? Or "You're working for the public"? I'm confused, if it's a public building they allow someone to erect it that has to ask on a public forum how to erect it? That's scary!!

I own a welding and farm equipment repair shop that farming people bring their broken down stuff to get repaired. So that means I'm working for the public. Since I have customers and am working for the farming public,the shop falls into a different category then if I just put it up for myself. I didn't ask how to erect it. I have the original set of blue prints but the details of the bracing is missing . That's what I was asking about. The rest of the building and installation I understand and have the prints on.

 

[Oakridgewelding]

Im going to opine that racking only becomes a problem when the footprint aspect ratio increases. A 24x60 could have issues with wind currents that are not present in a nominally near square style.

As for materials used, I would still advise 304 SS commercially avail with SS Hardware for tension. In the age of crap materials from China, anything that meets the ISO for SS would give me peace of mind at reasonable cost. YM

Im going to opine that racking only becomes a problem when the footprint aspect ratio increases. A 24x60 could have issues with wind currents that are not present in a nominally near square style.

As for materials used, I would still advise 304 SS commercially avail with SS Hardware for tension. In the age of crap materials from China, anything that meets the ISO for SS would give me peace of mind at reasonable cost. YMMV

Thanks for your help! I'll look up that 304 ss number for the stuff I need. I'm willing to cry once, buy once on a building like this.