Similarities between Steel Structures and Space Frames
Similar main materials
Both use steel (steel plates, steel pipes, and structural steel) as the main load-bearing material
01
Similar structural type
Both belong to metal structures and are one of the main structural forms in modern architecture.
02
Overlapping core advantages
Both possess the inherent advantages of steel structures, such as high strength, light weight, uniform material properties, and good plasticity and toughness.
03
Similar construction methods
Both conform to the direction of industrialized construction, with main components prefabricated in the factory and assembled on-site, resulting in fast construction speed.
04
Similar design standards
Both must follow basic national standards such as the "Steel Structure Design Standard" (GB 50017).
05
| Feature dimension | Steel structures (usually referring to traditional steel frames/portal frames) | Space frame structure (spatial grid structure) |
| Structural system | Planar structural system. A framework composed of linear components such as beams,columns,and braces in a plane,forming a spatial whole through floor slabs or supports. | Spatial structural system. It is a three-dimensional grid composed of a large number of rods arranged according to specific geometric rules (triangles,quadrilaterals),and is itself a spatial whole. |
| Core force principle | It primarily bears bending moment and shear force. The beam undergoes mainly bending deformation. | It primarily bears axial force (tension or compression). The members mainly undergo axial tensile and compressive deformation,resulting in extremely high material utilization. |
| Typology and characteristics | The component layout is intuitive,and the structural outline is usually consistent with the building shape (such as a rectangular factory building or a high-rise building frame). | With flexible forms,it can be a flat plate (flat plate space frame) or an arbitrary curved surface (space shell),often forming the iconic shape of a building. |
| Span ability | The economical span is typically 6–36 meters. Larger spans require heavy trusses or special components,which is uneconomical. | Born for large spans. The standard economic span is 30-120 meters,and the extreme span can reach more than 300 meters,with obvious advantages in covering ultra-large spaces. |
| Space effect | The interior usually requires columns or supports,and the division of space is limited by the structure. | It can create a huge column-free space,with a complete,open,and transparent interior space. |
| Design focus | Node connections (rigid/hinged),overall stability,inter-story displacement,and local component design. | Mesh generation,overall stability analysis (especially for reticulated shells),and node design (sphere nodes/intersecting nodes). |
| Material usage | To withstand bending moments,the component has a large cross-section height and a relatively high amount of steel. | It has high stress efficiency,small member cross-section,and the overall steel consumption is usually lower than that of traditional steel structures with the same span. |
| Construction and assembly procedures | The process involves fabricating components off-site individually,which are then transported and connected on-site. | Advanced construction techniques such as overlifting and high-altitude sliding can be adopted to assemble the entire structure on the ground,resulting in high installation efficiency and quality control. |
