Who should produce steels drawings?

[Jeffers_S13]

Paid an architect a substantial amount of money to do the designs for two large extensions on my house. They're both two-storey extensions and there are multiple posts and UBs and UCs of a wide range of sizes and lengths, all connected together that form the basis of the extensions. It will be a wooden panel with cladding build rather than traditional brick/block.

His drgs make reference to the steels needed and there is the usual (in my experience) scruffy hand written in 9B pencil, scanned, photocopied and issued (no checks or approvals signed) bunch of steel calcs and a few hand-drawn scratch/detail drgs showing a couple of the specific connections between members from the Engineer (that the architect commissioned, so a subby to him) and some crude and basic arrangement plan views within their pack to.

It's taken me a few hours to piece the steel calcs/drgs and the architect's drgs together to determine how it all goes together, although I'm still a bit unsure in some areas and I'm not convinced it all works yet.

Nowhere, between the two packs of info, are there drgs that would enable a steel fabricator to know what to fabricate, I'm talking dimensioned drgs for each piece of steel and the various posts, with each of the connections and tabs and holes and foot plates etc detailed on it and some sort of indication how each piece connects to another.

I am attempting to draw-up the steels myself, initially in sketchup, showing all the various tabs and stubby connection pieces to the tops of the posts to work out how it all goes together in detail, with a view to maybe then producing individual drgs for each steel and each pots, I would estimate there will need to be maybe ~15 unique drgs in total.

Should there be some drgs and should they have been produced by the architect or the engineer? or is it normal practice to just bundle what info I have to a steel fabricator and expect them to fathom it out (I assume not). I can't see how I can get quotes for the steels without some detailed drgs.

 

[noseall]

Should there be some drgs and should they have been produced by the architect or the engineer? or is it normal practice to just bundle what info I have to a steel fabricator and expect them to fathom it out (I assume not). I can't see how I can get quotes for the steels without some detailed drgs.

Not really no, unless you pay for it. I end up doing all my own drawings for the fabby's....

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[stevie888]

The SE should produce drawngs detailed enough to allow the steels to be constructed to his design, but these will not typically provide enough detail for the fabricator without more work For instance fabricators generally like to start at on end of the beam and mark everything out as a single dimension from the end. (I exclude the posh types with fancy CNC machines )

To produce fabrication drawings you should therefore be told the section size (eg 203x102x30kg/m UB). Smaller beams are only available in a single size but as you get bigger there are options with thicker flanges/web for greater strength. We therefore by, convention quote the 3 numbers.

You should be told the grade of steel (eg S355)

It should be clear what the overall dimensions are (eg column centres), clear span for simple lintel style beam etc.

Connection details must be provided: welded joints require weld size and length and thickness/size for cleats/gussets. Bolted joints should specify number size and grade of bolts and a detail should be provided as there are code requirements for minimum distance to plate edge.

Drawings don't have to be complicated so long as they are clear but for the sort of work you are talking about a CAD drawing will be very much safer as it is simple to draw the whole frame then pull out the individual pieces and dimension them up.

You are aiming ideally for welds in the shop and a few bolted joints on site ideally detailed to fit together easily: max size/weigth acceptable will depend on lifting arrangements: handbvall/genie/crane.

At best I would send your drawings to the SE for approval (you may or may not get it!)

Have fun

 

[Murdochcat]

The BCO will need the information from the SE

 

[Jeffers_S13]

Thank you to all that have replied, I shall continue with my sketchup modelling then, it's actually quite beneficial to help me understand a few things.

 

[stevie888]

Do make sure that BC have approved the steel design before steels are ordered. (Your builder would normally supply them)