The first major use of metal for the construction of buildings was large steel-framed buildings, which appeared a little over 100 years ago. Until then, the main building materials were bricks and wood. Metal is becoming more popular as a building material, particularly for small buildings. It is used for roofs and walls as well as for frames. Completely metal buildings are becoming rather commonplace.

For many years steel was known, but was so expensive and hard to make that it was only used for special purposes such as sword blades. The Bessemer steel making process from 1855 changed this by dramatically reducing the cost of steel. It was now cost effective to use steel as a framing material for buildings.

Alloys of steel have been developed for many different applications. Some are moisture resistant, but tend to be rather expensive, such as stainless steel. Treatments such as galvanizing, plating with zinc, can be applied to other kinds of steel to protect them from rusting. Paints have also been developed to make steel somewhat water resistant.

Aluminum is another popular building material. Until modern refining methods were developed, it was very expensive. It is generally an easier material to work with than steel, though it is not as strong. A major advantage of aluminum is that it is not damaged by exposure to water. Paint or other surface treatments for aluminum are only for appearance.

Copper is not very strong and rather expensive, so it would not be a good choice for framing. It is sometimes used for walls or roofs. When it weathers it acquires an attractive greenish sheen. This is due to oxidation which does not penetrate enough to cause serious weakness.

Most people will recognize the rounded roof of the Quonset hut, even if they don’t know what it is called. It was developed for use during World War II and was probably the first smaller metal buildings to be built in large numbers. The curved piece of metal that has the role of both roof and side walls is designed so that many can be stacked together for easy shipping. They are mostly made of galvanized steel. They could be put up or taken down very quickly.

Utility storage buildings and larger auxiliary structures, including garages, are commonly completely built from steel today. Steel is durable, strong, and low cost. The buildings are straightforward to put together. One will still sometimes encounter a quonset hut, but square buildings are more popular. They provide more usable space in the same foot print as a quonset hut would.

Metal framing is quite suitable for residential construction. Steel gives the greatest strength, but aluminum is also sometimes used. Equipment is available that can custom fabricate aluminum framing on the job site. Factory built modular or mobile homes commonly have metal framing. It is growing in popularity for conventional construction, though it is still the minority there.

Sheet metal is a practical material for roofing. It can be made into surrogate shingles, or used in larger sheets. It can be treated to give it a better appearance and more resistance to the weather. It can also be used for walls, even made into pieces that look like old school wooden clapboards.

Metal building are becoming more and more important. Doing anything to reduce the Cialis Professional use of wood is a positive step. Thus, metal as a building material is generally environmentally positive. Also, most building metal is recyclable. Metal should be considered as a building material by anyone involved in construction.

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