ASTM A 36 or SA 36 is basically carbon steel of structural quality which is widely used in industries. It is also known as Carbon Structural Steel. ASTM A 36 is readily available in the following product form;
- Plates
- Bars
- Shapes (beams, channels, angles, etc.)
In this article following topics will be covered;
1. Mechanical Properties of ASTM A36 steel
2. Chemical Properties of ASTM A36 steel
3. A 36 Steel Equivalent
4. Other properties of A 36 steel such as Density, Melting Point, Modulus of elasticity (Young’s modulus), Shear modulus, Poisson’s ratio, etc.
Mechanical Properties of ASTM A36 steel:
The mechanical properties such as Ultimate tensile strength, Yield stress, and % Elongation of A36 steel plates, shapes (beams, channels, angle, etc.), and bars are given in the below table;
NOTE:
1. For wide flange shapes, having flange thickness more than 75 mm (3 in), minimum % elongation in 50 mm (2 in.) will be 19 % and the 550 MPa (80 ksi) maximum tensile strength will not apply
2. For plates with a thickness of more than 200 mm (8 in.), the minimum yield stress value will be 220 MPa (32 ksi)
3. For plates with a width of more than 600 mm (24 in), the minimum % elongation requirement will be reduced to two percentage points.
Chemical Properties of ASTM A36 steel:
The chemical properties of A36 steel plates, shapes (beams, channels, angle, etc.), and bars are given in the below table;
Note: For shapes with flange thickness more than 75 mm (3 in.) – Manganese content required 0.85–1.35 % and silicon content required 0.15–0.40%.
A 36 Steel Equivalent:
Due to the varying amounts of chemical and mechanical properties, It is very hard to come to a conclusion for an equivalent of A36 steel from other standards. However, in general, the following steel properties are very near to A36 steel and hence can be considered comparable to A36 steel;
- European Standard (EN 10025-2:2004): Equivalent Grade – S235JRG2
- Canadian Standard (CSA G40.21-13): Equivalent Grade 260W
- German Standard (DIN 17100): Equivalent Grade – St 37-2
- Japanese Standard (JIS G3101): Equivalent Grade – SS400
- Indian Standard (IS2002): Equivalent Grade – E250
- Chinese Standard (GB 700-88): Equivalent Grade – Q235B
- ISO Standard (630:1995 A1:2003): Equivalent Grade E 235 (Fe 360)
Other properties of A 36 steel:
Density: 7.85 g/cm3 (0.284 lb/in3)
Melting Point: 1425-1538 °C (2,600-2,800 °F)
Modulus of elasticity (Young’s modulus): 200 GPa (29000 ksi)
Bulk Modulus: 140 GPa (20300 ksi)
Shear modulus: 79.3 GPa (11500 ksi)
Poisson’s ratio: 0.260