PRE-ENGINEERED BUILDING – A BASIC CONCEPT

Isan Raj I.R (M.E – Struct.)

Structural Engineer

Abstract
A pre-engineered steel building (PEB) has now become one of the most efficient and simplified building type in the steel
construction industry. PEB has found a wide application in the Indian civil industry. Use of tapered members for columns
and rafters is one of the basic properties of PEB. Use of web-tapered members increases the efficiency of the PEB.
Rather there are limitations for design of tapered members by Indian code the use of these members is made in the
industry which has its design based on the American design. In this study we have made a review over some literature
based over the concept and design of PEB. We have also studied the provisions of the codes and made a brief study on
PEB.
Key Words : Pre-Engineered Building, web-tapered members

1. Introduction
The fabrication is carried out according to the drawings.
In today's era what a developing country like India need Precision is the key aspect to get the best advantages of
is a fast and rapid progress. And the same is expected PEB. Many PEB organizations aim towards zero
from the construction industry. This raised a need of percentage loss of material. The PEB also complies of
rapid, speedy and efficient construction process, type in cold-formed members which are utilized as secondary
both RCC and Steel construction type. Pre-Engineered members. Cold–formed members have the advantage of
building is the best way to achieve this. PEB offers you less weight and greater strength which again increases
efficiency in cost and time which are the most preferred the efficiency of the PEB. For designing of cold-formed
parameters in construction industry. Compared to the members we have IS 301-1975. As everything is ready
Conventional Steel Building (CSB) the PEB has no any with each and every detail the time required for the
truss system rather it has the column and rafter system. erection of building is very less as compared to CSB.
Also PEB has the utilization of web-tapered members, As in CSB you need to make cutting, fabrication on site
which is not seen in CSB. Web- tapered members are there is no necessary of such work in PEB.
one having the varying depth of web of a member in a
definite proportion. This makes the PEB efficient as 2. Review of Literature
compared to the CSB. The use of PEB is widely made
due to its various advantageous properties. The main 2.1 Muhammad Umair Saleem, Zahid Ahmad
drawback is that there are limitations for the design of Siddiqi, Hisham Qureshi had carried out design of
PEB by use of Indian code. IS 800-2007 has no any PEB all members i.e. hot rolled sections and cold-
provisions made for the use of web-tapered members. formed sections. Minimum weight design of CSB was
So what the PEB organization is they utilize the carried out to achieve the design of the PEB. They state
American code AISC-ASD 9 (Low Rise Metal that Minimum Weight is directly proportional to
Buildings Design), AISC 2010 which employs Minimum Cost. These two structures were compared
allowable stress design. Generally they make the load not only economically but also for structural safety.
calculations based on the Indian code and design based They found that using cold-formed steel for secondary
on American code. Various bracing system are also framing instead of hot rolled has decreased the weight
implemented in the PEB. by 60%, also by use of built-up sections in place of hot
rolled sections for primary framing decreased the cost
Typically a PEB is pre-planned building which has no by 30%. The deflections and sway shown by hot rolled
any work to be done on site except making connection. sections when used for primary and secondary framing
All the members are designed well and a precise is less when compared to others. They also stated that,
detailing is made to obtain an economic structure. rather built-up sections shows higher sway but is within
According to the design, detailing shop drawings are the limits as specified in MBMA 2005.
made. Even every single connection is designed and
detailed with accuracy.
2.2 Fahid Aslam, Wasim Abbass, Zahid Ahemed
Siddiqi, Raja Rizwan Hussain had carried out the 3. Pre Engineered Building
analysis of a frame against the seismic forces. They
Per-engineered building is a construction technique
have carried out comparison between ordinary moment
which is based on concept of detailed design and
resisting frame and special moment resisting frame.
detailing before the actual work starts. In this type of
They have found that when there is increase in seismic
structure everything is pre-planned i.e. from designing,
load the steel required for ordinary moment resisting
detailing of every member to the path of execution
frame is much higher than special moment resting
which include fabrication, transportation and erection.
frame. They also stated that drift is more in ordinary
The main factor that makes PEB less time consuming is
moment frame as compared to special moment resisting
the before work design and detailing. Each and every
frame. They found that steel can be saved by 7% for
detail is designed, even the connection where the
main frame and 60% to 30% for bracings by use of
designer provides accurate number of bolts. So the
special moment resting frame.
ultimate result of this is that you don't have to waste
2.3 G. Sai Kiran, A. Kailasa Rao, R. Pradeep your time in fabricated on site just as in case of CSB,
Kumar had made a study over various codes. They you just need to make the connections.
have compared various structural parameters between
Another one difference is the utilization of tapered
PEB and CSB by using various codes viz IS800:2007,
members. Tapered member sections are based on the
IS800:1984, MBMA-96 and AISC-89. They have found
moment occurring in the section end. The basic idea
that there is increase in section weight when designed
implemented is that where there is greater moment the
by IS800:1984 as compared to IS800:2007. The
section size is increased and at the other region there is
deflections stated in Indian standard are higher than
no need to provide the continuous section which is seen
MBMA. When the design was compared between
in CSB. This makes the section of less weight in PEB.
IS800:2007 and AISC/MBMA the weight was greater.
They also state that the loading provisions made in
Indian code are higher than those made in MBMA.
They have also stated that IS800:2007 does not consider
slender sections which are often used in PEB. They
have stated that the crane impact load in vertical
direction is same as compared between Indian and
American whereas in horizontal direction it is more in
MBMA.
2.4 D.Rakesh, V. Sanjay Gokul, G.Amar had
carried out a comparison between CSB and PEB. They
have obtained the results by analyzing and designing of
an Industrial shed. They have found that the total steel Fig.1 : PEB Frame
takeoff of the PEB is about 60% as that of CSB. The
author have observed that the weight of the frame is As we can see in Fig.1 we can provide the greater
dependent on the bay spacing; with increase up to section depth at the ends where the moment is greater
certain limit there is decrease in weight while after that whereas at other end where there is less moment we can
limit it increases. They also found that displacement is reduce the section depth. Due to this the weight of the
more in CSB as compared to PEB whereas axial force is frame is reduced. The members are fabricated by
more in PEB as compared to CSB. joining 3 plates of respective thickness. This plates are
welded together to form a I-Section. These sections
2.5 N. Subramanian had studied over the PEB. He has
have very less thickness.
made a brief description on the selection of framing
system. Also he has made a description on the type of 3.1 Components of PEB
materials used for roof and wall. He has stated the types
The whole PEB structure can be divided in two main
of structure and the types of framing system that can be
parts:
used. He states that braced frames may be more
economical than unbraced frame in situations where the 1. Primary Member
labour cost is low. He has described about one of the
These are the primary framing members which are
roofing system through-fastened lapped-seam roofing.
columns and rafters. These are hot-rolled sections and
He states that rather this roofing system is more
are generally tapered sections.
economical it is susceptible to leakage and hence
standing-seam metal roofs consisting of metal panel 2. Secondary Member
running vertically on the roof deck are used in present
day constructions. This includes the purlins and girts which can be mostly
said as roofing element. These members are generally
cold-formed members, which has greater strength as
compared to their weight.
Besides this there are many other components like the outline of the plan. The plan of the building is
sheeting, trims, gutters, and various accessories. completely dependent upon the demand of the owner.
Generally all the sheeting and various other components Following are the parameters enlisted below this:
are cold formed rolled which has very less weight and
thickness. i. Length of Building
This is related to the longitudinal external dimension of
the building. This depends upon the requirement of the
owner i.e. what are their requirement in the building
decides the size of the building
ii. Span of Building
This can also be referred as width of the building. This
parameter also completely depends upon the
requirement of the owner and the external influencing
factors like the availability of the land. The span is also
related to the configuration of the building.
iii. Bay Spacing
Fig. 2 : Components of PEB
Bay spacing is the center to center distance between
Following are some main parts of the PEB: two adjacent frames. It mainly depends upon the length
of building. Also the load on the building is an
1. Column : This is hot rolled section which has important factor to be considered; if the load is very
minimum yield strength of 345N/mm2 . These are high then the bay spacing should be reduced as far as
generally I Sections which has flange and web plates possible. In general standards the bay spacing must be
welded to each other. approx. 6m, 7.5m and 9m.
2. Rafter : These are the horizontal beam element iv. Set Back
supporting the roof sheets and purlins. These sections
are similar to the column sections but may have It is the distance of building front face or the frontal
different section sizes depending upon the design. edge of the building to the boundary line of the plot. It
is decided on the regulations of Building By-Laws. This
3. Purlin : These are the secondary members should be followed to keep minimum distance else the
running transversely over the rafter. Generally these are maximum can be according to the type of industry and
cold- formed steel sections which may be Z or C. The the choice of the owner.
minimum yield strength of these members is 340
N/mm2. v. Floor Finish Level (FFL)
4. Girts : These are similar to purlin, the only This level is decided by the engineer. Generally it is
difference is that they are spanned along the columns. taken as low as possible, but if there are chances of the
They have same properties as that of the purlins. flood then it is accordingly increased by the designer.
The owner can also demand for some floor height. But
5. Roofing and Sheeting : These are the sheets to the designer should decide the filling to be made and
be provided for the roof and the wall. These are roll the thickness to be provided depending on the
formed from 0.5 mm thick cold-rolled steel coated with functionality of the building.
aluminum/zinc alloy.
vi. Clear Height
6. Trims and Gutters : Trims are pre-formed light
gauge metal sheets which are meant to cover the cut It is the distance between FFL to the lowest inside point
steel sections. Similarly are the gutters which are meant of rafter or it can be said as the connection bottom line.
for the flow of the roof water. It is decided by the owner or basically is dependent on
the operations that are to be carried out in the building.
3.2 Parameters of PEB While deciding the clear height all the factors must be
1. Geometrical Parameters considered the size of gantry must be verified and then
the clear height must be finalized.
These parameters are related to the geometry of the
building i.e. related to the general dimension or say the vii. Eave Height
It is the distance from bottom of column i.e. base plate
to the eave strut. The standard eave height varies from
3m to 8m. But again it is dependent on the clear height.
Eave height is also decided by the designer to get
efficient structure against loading.
viii. Slope of Roof utilize all the members again and again for different
structural configuration as all the connections are made
This too up to some extent depends on the owner by bolts. This is not possible
demand. But the designer must use a proper proportion
as this is governing factor for the application of the
wind load.
2. Designing Parameters
Designing parameters include various factors like
section size, material properties, and also many factors.
These parameters are mainly dependent to the loading
over the structure and the availability of sections.
Following are the design parameters
i. Loads
This includes all the loads acting on the structure and
also the load combinations according to the respective
codes.
ii. Section dimension
This includes the depth of the web, width of the flange,
thickness of both flange and web. This should be
designed precisely such that the section is of minimum
weight where satisfying the loading condition. This also
includes the design of the secondary members. They
must be designed well for the wind load.
iii. Effective length
This is the length of the members which is to be
considered during the design of member. This depends
on the end conditions of the member whether it is fixed
or pinned.
iv. Bracing
This is one of the most important factors which govern
the stability of the structure against lateral load. The
designer must properly design the bracing members and
system.
3. Detailing Parameter
These include the details about each and every
connection and detailing about every single member of
object used in the building. This includes making
detailing like:
i. Anchor Bolt Plan
ii. Roof Framing and Sheeting Plan
iii. Ridge Frame Cross Section
iv. Endwall Framing and Sheeting Elevation
v. Sidewall Framing and Sheeting Elevation
3.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of PEB
The advantage of PEB over the CSB type is that it saves
time and money. The main factor the PEB saves the
cost and time for overall project which is due to its
accurate design and detailing. Another advantage is that
rather of less weight PEB is more efficient for lateral
loading may be due to wind or earthquake. The PEB has
best advantage of flexibility; which means we can
in CSB as there are welded connections. PEB can Advanced Materials Research Vol.684, pp 125-
provide better aesthetical and fictional outcomes as 129, 2013
compared to the CSB.
[2] Fahid Aslam, Wasim Abbass, Zahid Ahemed
The disadvantage in PEB is that it lacks in reserve Siddiqi, Raja Rizwan Hussain, “Economical
strength. A PEB is designed to bear load to its fullest Structural Performance of Steel Moment Resting
extent which means there is no any scope for excessive Building Frames Using the Section Variation
loading. Technique,” Journal of Construction, April 2014

4. Conclusion [3] G. Sai Kiran, A. Kailasa Rao, R. Pradeep Kumar,

“Comparison of Design Procedures for Pre-
PEB is an effective construction option as compared to Engineering Buildings (PEB): A Case Study,”
CSB when it comes to steel structures. There are many World Academy of Science, Engineering and
choices that can be made in structural configuration of Technology, International Journal of Civil,
PEB. From previous research work it is clear that the Architectural, Structural and Construction
weight of PEB is very less as compared to CSB where Engineering Vol.8, No.4, August 2014
both has same load bearing capacity. PEB requires [4] D.Rakesh, V. Sanjay Gokul, G.Amar, “Design
very accurate design and detailing unlike CSB. and Analysis of Conventional and Pre-
Engineered Building (R.C.C and Steel),”
References International Journal of Engineering
Development and Research, Vol.4, Issue 2, 2016
[1] Muhammad Umair Saleem, Zahid Ahmad
Siddiqi, Hisham Qureshi, “ Minimum Weight [5] N. Subramanian, “Pre-Engineered Buildings
Design of Pre-Engineered Steel Structures using Selection of Framing System, Roofing & Wall
Built-up Sections and Cold Formed Sections,” Materials,” The Masterbuilder, July 2008