Recent Developments on High Performance Steel for Buildings

With structural steel becoming the main construction material in China, more high performance steel (HPS) is going to be applied in landmark building projects. Innovative structural systems and structural members need to be envisaged to take the advantages of HPS. The excellent properties of HPS with higher strength, moderate ductility, higher fracture toughness, better weldability, efficient machinability, can improve the structural performance significantly. The Q460 grade of structural steel has been successfully applied in the National Stadium and CCTV tower in China. It is demonstrated that the fabrication and construction efficiency of steel buildings can be improved remarkably, and economical solutions are provided by using HPS. This paper reviewed the availability of HPS in China and summarized the recent development to promote HPS in tall and large span buildings. The requirements on research to support the application of HPS in buildings are discussed.