Sheet-Metal Structures

structural members made from sheet metal (steel and aluminum alloys). They are used in the construction of various types of containers (reservoirs, gas storage tanks, and bins), blast-furnace shells, pipelines, smokestacks, and parts of buildings.

Sheet-metal structures are made in the form of casings (in the production of containers) or panels and coverings (in the enclosing structures of a building). Selection of the proper shape for sheet-metal structures makes them able to withstand tensile loading (that is, the strength properties of the metals are used to the fullest extent). For maximum effectiveness, reservoirs, gas storage tanks, and similar vessels that are subject to internal pressures are designed in the form of spherical, cylindrical, or drop-shaped shells and are usually made from high-strength steel. Aluminum alloys are used to increase the corrosion resistance of sheet-metal structures, as well as for low-temperature applications (for example, in reservoirs for liquefied gases). The use of aluminum alloys in the production of sheet-metal structures for buildings (walls, suspended ceilings, roofing structures, and coverings) is based on the necessity of decreasing the weight and improving the architectural properties and performance of the structural elements. To reduce the volume of installation work in the construction of enclosures, the rolling method is used. In this method, panels welded from separate sheets at the factory are coiled into rolls, which are convenient to transport. The rolls are uncoiled at the construction site by special mechanisms and installed in the required locations, with subsequent welding of the connecting joints.