2 - Modern Steel Construction

about 45% to 50%." Savings of up
to 20% can be realized, he said.
There also are savings due to
reduced shipping costs, Palmer
said. "And because there are six
surfaces on a wide flange member
compared with four surfaces on a
Hollow Structural Section, there is
approximately 30% less surface
area, which results in savings in
painting and fire protection," he
added.
Currently, HSS accounts for only
3% of all steel fabricated for buildings
and bridges in the U.s. Overseas
is a different story, though. In
Europe, HSS accounts for 15%, and
in japan, HSS represents 25% of the
market, and is still growing, according
to Palmer. "The trend is
continuing upwards," he explained.
For HSS columns alone in
japan, the estimates for last year
range from SOO,OOO to SOO,OOO tons
of steel.
Use On The Upswing
Palmer said he expects HSS use
to increase in the U.S. for several
reasons. "There's an increased
awareness of the cost of construction.
While most of the attention for
HSS is focused on some large and
glamourous projects, the real bread
and butter structures are the ones
that use HSS purely for
economics-such as gasoline stations
that are essentially a number
of vertical columns with a canopy
on top," he said.
While Palmer insists that cost
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