Some Comments on Designing of Steel Structures According to European Standards

Critical comments on the European standards for designing steel structures including welded and bolted joints have been given on the basis of application experience and executed analysis. Comments are presented in comparison with similar regulatory documents which are in effect in Belarus. European standards concerning loads (determination of calculated load values and drawing up of design load combination) have been also analyzed. Particular attention has been paid to the analysis of European standard requirements to steel and welding materials and their comparison with mechanical characteristics of similar materials used for manufacture of steel structures in Belarus. The paper gives notice to the rules which are accepted in the European norms and the rules being compared with the similar rules used in Construction rules and regulations (SNiP) lead to a significant increase in material consumption of steel structures. First of all, it concerns assignment of partial load factors and classification of sections for ensuring local stability of compressed and partially compressed elements. The paper pays a special notice to the rules of Eurocodes that do not meet requirements of State standards and technical specifications operating in the Republic of Belarus. Significant limitations of some European rules regarding calculation of centrally and eccentrically compressed elements, absence of rules for testing overall stability of through and step columns which are widely used while implementing projects Belarus have been described in the paper. Conclusions have been made on the basis of the analysis results and according to them application of European standards for designing steel structures has significant limitations on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.