Steel Channel - one of the most common types of rolled metal

Any construction (industrial or civil) is not without the use of a large number of different hardware (metal products) that can be used both as fasteners and as part of a structural bearing element. In most cases, the hardware is made of various types of steel (mainly low-carbon), and the most popular among them are products made of metal, especially building profiles. The building profiles include such products as beams, brands, I-beams, channels, corners, etc.

In this article we will talk about the channels, which are used in various industries, both industrial and civil construction.

The concept of channels

A channel ( steel channel ) is called a beam, which has a U-shaped section; This section is also called "box". In most cases, the channels are used as an element providing an additional level of stability and imparting rigidity to the structure. It also perfectly withstands the effects of axial and bending loads.

What are they made of?

As for the material of manufacture, different types of steel (structural, steel with alloying additives, low- and high-carbon) are most often used, depending on the requirements for the structure. Hence, in fact, the name - "steel channel". In some cases, for example in car building, special requirements are imposed on the channels: they must have anticorrosive properties. For these purposes, special stainless channels are manufactured, the cost of which will be higher, but with commensurate thermophysical characteristics they are more durable to external influences, as compared with hot rolled channels.

Classification

The steel channel as a metal product can be classified as follows:

1. Depending on the method of manufacture:

• Channel steel hot-rolled (manufactured by hot rolling);
• Special;
• Bent equilateral (made by the method of cold bending on special roll-forming equipment);
• Bent unequal (manufactured using the same technology as the previous one).

By the way, it should be noted that the hot-rolled steel channel is outwardly different from the bent: the latter is possible when the faces are rounded, that is, the product does not have sharp angles, while the hot-rolled channel always has angles (see photo below).

Channel bars, hot-rolled

Channel bars bent

2. Depending on the shape and size:

• Y - this species has internal faces of shelves with a certain slope;
• П - product with parallel faces of shelves;
• E is an economical model with parallel shelf faces;
• L - models of a light series with parallel faces;
• C - product of a special series.

3. Based on the indicators of the accuracy of rolled steel, the channels can have:

• A - class (class of high accuracy);
• B - class (increased accuracy);
• B - class (class of usual accuracy).