A Brief Overview of Structural Detailing

Structural or steel detailing is the process of creating exhaustive drawings of steel structures, and fabricators, before the actual construction/manufacturing process begins.

Pre-requisites for Detailing

Before starting to detail any structure or element, knowledge of the following is required:

1. National or Foreign standard of Reinforced concrete / Steel design to be used for the Project
2. Original design requirements of materials (to be obtained from a designer) 
3. National or Foreign standard of Reinforced concrete / Steel details to be used for the Construction
4. Availability and control of construction materials (to be obtained from the contractor)

Uses of Detailing in Structural Engineering

1. Can avoid confusion during the execution
2. Faster construction
3. Minimized wastage of materials
4. Reduced project cost
5. Useful in the calculation of actual material quantity

Characters of Detailing

Due to the physical and chemical properties of construction material (Concrete/Structural steel), there are some minimum amounts of details that should be added while detailing. In case, the designer provides a higher amount of material than the minimum, detailing should be followed as per their input.

Apart from the involvement of the designer, the detailing process involves input from the contractor also. If a contractor has some restrictions in any material availability or quantity, detailing has to be done as per contractor requirement, notably, the provisions should not violate the relevant detailing standard and the same to be approved by the designer as well.

Detailing Standards for Reinforced Concrete 

1. Plain and reinforced concrete code of practice IS-456-2000
2. Handbook on concrete reinforcement and detailing SP-34
3. Ductile design and detailing of reinforced concrete structures subjected to seismic forces IS-13920-2016