H Section Steel Column Beam Roof Truss Frame Structural Steel Fabrications

How Load Travels Through Your Frame

Most buyers compare frames by price per ton, but what really decides how much steel you need is the load path. In a well designed frame the force moves in a straight line, and every member is doing real work.

Roof load to purlin. Dead load, snow and wind on the roof panel are collected by the purlins, which are spaced so the panel span stays economic.

Purlin to truss. The purlins transfer load into the roof truss nodes, never into the middle of a truss member, which avoids secondary bending.

Truss to column. The truss delivers its reaction to the column through an end plate or a seated connection, and the column carries it down in pure compression.

Column to foundation. A base plate with anchor bolts spreads the load into the concrete, and stiffeners prevent the plate from bending.

Sideways force to bracing. Wind and crane surge are taken by the bracing system, not by the frames, which is why the bracing layout is drawn before fabrication starts.

Five Frame Systems We Fabricate

Portal frame. The classic industrial shape: tapered or uniform H section columns and rafters, clear span up to 40 metres, the most economic choice for workshops and warehouses.

Truss frame. Roof trusses over columns when the span is long, the roof load is heavy, or the client wants a flat ceiling with services running through.

Braced frame. Vertical and horizontal bracing added when wind load is high or the building has large openings that break the diaphragm.

Crane frame. Heavier columns with brackets and runway beams, designed for the wheel load and the surge of an overhead travelling crane.

Mezzanine frame. Secondary H section beams and columns added inside an existing building to create a new floor without touching the main frame.

The Connection Library

Connections are where most site problems appear, so we treat them as a product of their own. For every frame we issue a connection detail sheet, and each plate is cut and drilled on CNC equipment, then trial fitted before painting.

End plate moment connection. Full strength or partial strength, with or without stiffeners, welded in a jig so the plate stays square to the member.

Fin plate and cleat. Simple shear connections for secondary beams, with a single bolt line and generous edge distance for fast site work.

Gusset plate. For bracing and truss nodes, shaped so that the bolt group is centred on the member axis and the weld is not crowded.

Base plate and anchor set. Template drilled to match your anchor bolt layout, with grout holes and stiffeners, and a setting template shipped with the first bundle.

Specifications

Tolerance and Fit Up

Straightness within L/1000 and never more than 10 mm over the full length of a member.

Bolt hole position within plus or minus 1 mm of the drawing, drilled in one setting so both ends line up.

End plate square to the member axis within 1.5 mm, checked on a jig before welding, not after.

Camber cut in for beams over 9 metres, so the member sits level once the roof load is applied.

Every frame is trial assembled, or at least the key frames are, and the fitted bolt holes are marked so site bolting follows the same sequence.

What Ships With the Frame

General arrangement drawing, member list and connection detail sheet, so your engineer can review before production.

Piece mark list and loading plan, arranged by erection sequence rather than by member size.

Mill test certificate 3.1, welding procedure and welder certificate, galvanizing thickness report.

A box of spare bolts, a setting template for the anchor bolts and touch up paint or galvanizing repair compound.

An erection drawing with the bolt tightening sequence, plus optional supervisor or erection team on site.

Erection Sequence, Day by Day

Day 1 to 2. Set out the grid, place anchor bolt templates, check diagonals, then grout the base plates level.

Day 3 to 5. Erect the first two frames with temporary guys, bolt the purlins and bracing between them, then repeat for the rest of the bay.

Day 6 to 7. Align the whole frame, tighten bolts from the centre outwards, and release the temporary supports only after the bracing is complete.

Day 8 onwards. Roof and wall panels, doors, windows and flashings follow, and the building is closed against weather.

Weight Engineering, Where Your Money Goes

Steel is sold by weight, so we design the frame to use weight only where it is needed. Tapered rafters follow the bending moment instead of carrying a constant depth. Purlin spacing is matched to the actual panel span rather than to a safe default. Stiffeners are placed where the force concentrates, and omitted where they do nothing.

On a typical 2000 square metre workshop this discipline saves 6 to 12 percent of steel weight compared with a frame detailed by habit, and it also reduces the number of different members, which makes site work faster.

Four Quality Gates

Gate 1, material. Mill certificate checked against the specification, heat number stamped and recorded on each member.

Gate 2, fit up. Plates aligned and tacked in a jig, dimensions and diagonals checked before full welding.

Gate 3, welding. Weld size and visual quality checked, UT or MT where the drawing asks for it, welder stamp recorded.

Gate 4, finishing. Galvanizing thickness measured per batch, paint film thickness measured, piece marks applied and verified against the packing list.

About Our Company

Hangzhou FAMOUS Steel Engineering Co., Ltd. was established in 2000 and works as manufacturer, fabricator and exporter of steel structures. With 1200 to 1300 employees, about 8000 metric tons of monthly capacity and annual sales of USD 500 to 600 million, we supply steel frames to more than 60 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.

We hold ISO 9001 and CE marked fabrication to EN 1090, and our welders are certified to EN ISO 9606. Design, fabrication, galvanizing, packing and shipping are handled by one team, so one contact follows your frame from the first drawing to the last container.