Design fundamentals of demountable steel structures: from materials to members

Abstract

The impact of greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2 emissions, on the global environment is receiving more and more attention. Most countries around the world had reached a consensus to reduce carbon emissions after holding a series of climate conferences. In 2021, the buildings and construction sector accounted for around 37% of energy and process‐related CO2 emissions globally. To mitigate the CO2 emissions produced by the construction industry, the application of demountable steel structures that can be reused is a viable solution. This study investigated the design fundamentals of demountable steel structures that aims to reduce carbon emissions by reusing the main components of the steel structure. In this paper, the demountable reusability performance parameter γd of steel members is proposed and used for the reusable performance design of demountable steel members. An overview of the mechanical properties of steel materials under static and cyclic loading are presented as a basis for the reuse of steel structures. A brief review of existing forms of demountable steel connection joints is presented and the feasibility of reuse of demountable steel systems is explored.