The use of composite steel-concrete construction & high strength steel for industrialised building systems in Australia

The Australian construction industry over the last four decades has been dominated by the use of reinforced concrete construction, particularly when multi-storey buildings are concerned. The use of structural steel in multi-storey buildings in design and construction is thereby the exception rather than the rule. When structural steel has been adopted it has therefore required much innovation and many of the applications have involved significant advancements often requiring solutions that are pushing the frontiers of knowledge beyond existing international codes of practice. Two novel and innovative areas that have been promulgated in the Australian construction industry for the design and construction of multi-storey steel buildings, have included the use of composite construction and high strength steel. Furthermore, industrialised building components and manufacturing technology has played a fairly major role in these developments. Some of the more innovative uses of composite construction have included the use of high strength steel in composite slabs, thin-walled concrete filled steel columns and very large span steel-concrete composite beams. Furthermore, the use of composite trusses has also been evident in quite a few high profile projects. The use of high strength structural steel in Australian buildings has been predominately for use in columns in tall buildings. Also, the use of high strength steel in trusses has been undertaken with very significant benefits. This paper will highlight the innovative applications of composite construction and high strength steel in the Australian construction sector. In particular a selection of six case studies selected in chronological order will be presented in this paper to elucidate the significant innovations in structural steel in Australia that have galvanized much of the research efforts over the last decade. The methods of design and the current design provisions for dealing with these innovative applications will also be highlighted. Previous and ongoing research to deal with the application of these innovations will also be highlighted and the current state of play in terms of standards in Australia for steel and steel-concrete composite structures will also be highlighted