Characterizing of steel used in the construction of civil works in Almeria

Various tests have been conducted on the steel bars used in the construction of civil works in Almeria (Spain) during the period 18 January 2000-7May 2001, with the aim of mechanically characterizing the different types of steel (weldable; B400S, B500S and ductile weldable: B400SD) to determine whether there is a technical reason for the increase in the use of ductile weldable steel. For this, we have used a hydraulic machine to break by traction all the test samples that arrived to the laboratory, following the specifications of the UNE 7474-1:1992 and the UNE 7474-2:1992. The results indicate that only in 86% of the cases does the steel B400SD satisfy the limits specified by the UNE 36065:1999-EX, as opposed to 95 and 94% of the B400S and B500S steels. In addition the ductile weldable steel registered mean values lower than those of B400S. This findings disagrees with expectations set by the specifications. (Author) 6 refs