ABSTRACT
This paper presents the physical and mechanical properties of ASTM A913 steels, which are produced by an advanced thermo-mechanical controlled process, namely Quenching and Self-Tempering (QST). This process allows even for very thick rolled shape products to combine three important but formerly incompatible properties: high strength, good toughness and easy weldability.
As such, a detailed review of the weldability, the toughness, the ductility and the through-thickness properties of A913 steels is given. New requirements have been introduced in A913 since its original publication in 1993. Grade 50 is available with a yield strength limited to 65 ksi and with a maximum yield to tensile ratio of 0.85. Very heavy beams and columns, called “Jumbo” shapes, are available with a guaranteed toughness in the core area of the material, as required by the SAC Seismic Design Guidelines.
Finally, this paper shows that the use of A913 Grade 65 in columns and Grade 50 in the beams is an economical way to achieve the “strong column - weak beam” concept. The combination of this solution and the advantages of the dog bone connection, also known as Reduced Beam Section (RBS), originally patented by ARBED and released in 1995, is also included.
