With the global energy saving and emission reduction requirements advancing step by step, buildings are also labelled as environmentally friendly, and the materials used to create livable buildings are in a fierce competition between steel and wood structures.

　　Here, we briefly analyse the difference between steel structure villa houses and wood structure villas:

　　I. Economic aspects

　　The economy of steel structure villa houses is the biggest obstacle hindering the development of steel structure houses. According to the existing level of steel structure development in the world, the civil construction cost of steel structure villa houses is about 10-20% higher than that of reinforced concrete houses, but steel structure houses can save 30% of the cost of foundation compared with that of concrete structure, and the rate of housing of steel structure houses is 7%-10% higher than that of concrete houses, and the construction period of steel structure houses can also be reduced about 10%. In addition, the construction period of steel-framed houses can be reduced by about 30%.

　　In terms of the current wooden structure villa houses, the cost price is generally 4,000 to 8,000 RMB per square metre, which is much higher than the cost of ordinary reinforced concrete and masonry houses, which is difficult to be accepted by general developers and ordinary users. However, this kind of ‘warm’, green and environmentally friendly housing with nature as one is welcomed.

　　A wooden structure building requires about 10 years of trees, and the construction of a large number of wooden houses is contrary to the original intention of energy saving and environmental protection, and the hazards will not be repeated here.

II. Seismic performance

　　Since entering the 21st century, nature has begun to remind mankind of the uncontrolled exploitation and waste of natural resources with a series of self-protection measures. Disasters seem like sharp blades hanging over the heads of human beings, seemingly far away, but close by.

　　In addition to livability, the importance of safety is self-evident in a good building.

　　Steel structures have good ductility, which cancels out the energy consumption of seismic waves. Steel is basically an isotropic material with high tensile, compressive, and shear strengths, and has good ductility, especially with its unique high ductility, which reduces the seismic response. Steel structure can also be regarded as an ideal elastic-plastic structure, which can absorb and consume the input energy of earthquake through the plastic deformation of the structure, thus it has a high capacity of resisting strong earthquakes. The light weight of steel structures relative to other structures also greatly reduces the effects of seismic action.

　　Wooden structures also have a certain seismic effect, but because the number of storeys of wooden buildings is generally low, they are not adapted to the increasingly tense land resources and do not meet the requirements of high-rise buildings.

　　Steel structure villa houses and wood structure houses have certain similarities, standing in the perspective of long-term development, the promotion and wide use of steel structure villa houses is our future feasible choice.

Maybe You Ask

1.Light steel structure villa house how to effective fire prevention measures?

The fire resistance limit of the general unprotected steel structure is about 20 minutes.

To make the steel structure material overcome the deficiencies in fire protection in practical application, it is necessary to carry out fire protection treatment.

▲  First, the outer cladding, that is, adding the outer cladding on the exterior of the steel structure, can be cast-in-place moulding, or spraying method,

cast-in-place moulding of solid concrete outer cladding is usually reinforced with steel wire mesh or steel reinforcement to limit the shrinkage cracks and to ensure the strength of the shell.

▲  Second, water-filled (water jacket), hollow steel structure filled with water is the most effective protection against fire, 

this method can make the steel structure in the fire to maintain a lower temperature, water circulation in the steel structure, absorb the heat of the material itself heated heat.

▲  Third, shielding. The steel structure is set in the fire-resistant materials composed of walls or ceiling, or the components are wrapped in the gap between the two walls, 

as long as the increase of a little fire-resistant materials or not that can achieve the purpose of fire prevention. This is one of the most economical fire protection methods.

2. Light steel villa house how to heat preservation and energy saving?

Light steel structure villa houses in order to ensure that to achieve the effect of heat preservation, in the building of the external wall and roof in the use of thermal insulation materials can be used for a long time and can be heat preservation and insulation. 

▲ Light steel structure houses are generally filled with glass fibre in addition to between the studs of the wall;

▲ In addition to the wall of the wall columns, another layer of thermal insulation material on the outside of the wall, effectively isolating the thermal bridge through the wall columns to the external wall panels;

▲ Fibreglass filling in the joists between floors reduces heat transfer through the floors.

▲ All internal walls are filled with glass fibre between studs to reduce heat transfer between household walls. 

3. Light steel structure villa house rust removal and painting 8 key points！

Descaling and painting of steel structure is a work that is easier to be neglected by the steel structure contracting unit at present, and it is also a weak link in the construction of steel structure project. If this phenomenon is not corrected, it will have a great impact on the construction quality of steel structure, because the qualification or otherwise of the quality of descaling and painting directly affects the maintenance cost during the future use of the steel structure, and also affects the service life of the steel structure project, the structural safety, and the fire-resistant time in the case of fire (fire-resistant painting).

Regarding the painting quality of steel structure project, the following work should be grasped:

      (l) Strict acceptance of the descaling quality of steel components in accordance with the grade required by the design;

      (2) Check the factory quality certificate of the raw materials for painting, and the fireproof coating should also check the approval certificate of the fire department;

      (3) Thoroughly remove mud, oil and other debris on the surface of the components before painting;

      (4) Painting construction should be carried out in a dust-free and dry environment, and the temperature and humidity are in accordance with the specification requirements;

      (5) The number of brush strokes and coating thickness should meet the design requirements;

      (6) The damaged place of the coating should be treated carefully to ensure the quality of the coating;

      (7) Check the adhesion of coating carefully;

      (8) Strictly carry out appearance inspection and acceptance to ensure that the coating quality meets the requirements of specifications and standards.

4. Light steel structure villa housing earthquake-proof effect is true ?

Light steel villa does have significant anti-seismic performance, its anti-seismic ability mainly stems from the special structural design and material characteristics, specific performance is as follows:

▲  First, the anti-seismic principle and structural advantages

Cage box structure

Light steel villa adopts riveted light steel keel frame to form a stable cage box structure. This design effectively disperses the seismic wave impact and avoids excessive local force leading to collapse15.

Skinning effect strengthens the integrity

The walls are covered with high-strength panels such as osson boards and calcium silicate boards, which enhance the overall stiffness and tensile/shear capacity of the building through the skinning effect and reduce structural deformation during an earthquake15.

Ductile Design and Energy Consumption

Lightweight steel frames have flexible ductility, which can absorb and consume seismic energy through plastic deformation during earthquakes, reducing the risk of structural rupture.15 For example, lightweight steel villas are widely used in Japan's earthquake zones, and their seismic performance is far superior to that of traditional brick-concrete buildings7.

▲  Actual seismic performance

High-strength seismic grade

Lightweight steel villas that meet the standards can resist earthquakes of magnitude 8-9, and EU-standard products can even withstand earthquakes of magnitude 9 and typhoons of magnitude 1212.

Lightweight to reduce the destructive force

The self-weight of lightweight steel villas is only 1/4 of that of traditional brick-concrete structures, and the horizontal and vertical impacts in an earthquake are smaller, further reducing the probability of collapse48.

Disaster Example Verification

In earthquake-prone areas (e.g. Japan), the collapse rate of lightweight steel villas is much lower than that of traditional buildings, and their solid box structure and deformation capacity buy time for people to escape. 

◆ Seismic analysis of steel structures 

1: The height of steel structure is not more than 40m and the plane and vertical direction is more regular, mainly shear deformation of the building, the bottom shear method can be used to calculate, at this time, the structure of the yin-ni ratio is equivalent to 0.05.

2: The height of the steel structure building does not exceed 60m and the plane and vertical direction is more regular building, can also use the bottom shear method, but the seismic effect should be determined according to some high-rise civil building steel structure technical regulations, this is because at this time the bottom shear method has been seem to consider the impact of some high vibration type, the structure of the damping ratio of 0.02.

3: For the structure which is particularly irregular in plane or vertical direction or the structure with special structural system, such as giant steel structure, structure with conversion layer or extension truss, it is appropriate to use time course analysis method for supplementary checking calculation, and no less than two different mechanical models or calculation procedures should be used for calculation and comparison when analysing internal force and deformation in elastic phase.

4: When the steel structure building is in the area with large wind load, when the wind load effect is larger than the seismic effect, i.e., the structural inter-story displacement and member bearing capacity are determined by the combination of wind load, the calculation of seismic effect can be disregarded in the elastic phase, but the seismic construction of the steel structure should be designed in strict accordance with the relevant provisions of the building code of seismic resistance.

5.How many levels of typhoon can the light steel villa resist?

The wind-resistant grade of light steel villa varies according to different designs and standards, and the main wind-resistant performances are as follows by synthesising its technical principles and actual performance:

▲ i. Range of wind resistance grade

● Conventional wind resistance grade

The wind resistance of standard light steel villa can usually reach level 12 and above12 , which can withstand strong typhoon and hurricane level wind loads.

● High Strength Design Wind Rating

Some light steel villas with EU standards or special reinforcement can be upgraded to typhoon level 16-17, which is suitable for extreme climate areas.

▲ ii.Principle of wind-resistant technology

Structural Design Advantages

● Skin effect: the wall is covered with high-strength panels (e.g. calcium silicate panels), which disperses the wind load through the ribbed structure of the panels and forms the overall shear-resistant capacity.

● Lightweight characteristics: self-weight is only 1/4 of traditional buildings, reducing the impact of wind loads on the building foundation.

● Guarantee of connection process

High-strength bolts are used to connect the light steel keel, ensuring the overall stability of the building and avoiding the structure being loosened by strong wind.

● Lateral pressure resistance

The light steel keel frame forms a lateral force-resistant system through reasonable layout, which can effectively resist the lateral pressure brought by strong wind.

Why Choose Us

Shijiazhuang Eiffel Steel Structure Co., Ltd.

Shijiazhuang Eiffel Steel Structure Co., Ltd. is an enterprise dedicated to researching and developing new energy-saving and environmentally friendly houses and construction methods. We always adhere to the values of honesty and quality first, and position ourselves as a leader in high-quality steel structure villa construction. We combine emerging foreign technologies with the actual domestic market and provide customers with one-stop services for prefabricated buildings such as design, production, interior decoration, and whole house customization. The prefabricated buildings produced by the company are widely used in office buildings, villas, rural courtyards, estate clubs, tourist attractions, homestays, hotels, public facilities, etc. 

At present, the company is centered in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, with products radiating to regions such as Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, Mongolia, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Guangxi, and exported to overseas markets. Adhering to the quality demand of "building a century old villa, choose Eiffel", we strive to create an excellent brand of prefabricated buildings.