Castings in Construction - SCI PUBLICATION 172 - Design guide

Oct 29, 2026

Castings in Construction is a design guide for structural engineers, architects and fabricators on the selection, design, and procurement of castings for structural iron and steel components. It explains why castings are used, addresses limitations and production-oriented design, and covers key manufacturing topics such as processes, patterns, moulds, feeding and gating, and finishing. The guide also details detailed design considerations, inspection and testing methods, and procurement specifications, supported by appendices on properties, case histories, and standards.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages95

Reading Time3 h 59 min

AccessFree to download

SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 What is a casting?

1.2 Why use castings in structures?

1.3 What has prevented the wider use of castings in structures?

1.4 A brief comparison of wrought, forged and cast metals

1.5 Objectives of this design guide

2 CASTING MANUFACTURE

2.1 The casting process

2.2 Patterns

2.3 Moulds

2.4 Feeding and gating

2.5 Finishing of castings

2.6 Technological advances in casting manufacture

3 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

3.1 Material selection

3.2 Designing for production

3.3 Prototyping

3.4 Costs

4 DETAILED DESIGN

4.1 Structural analysis

4.2 Structural design

4.3 Welding

4.4 Machining

4.5 Dimensional tolerances

4.6 Surface finish

4.7 Surface treatment

5 INSPECTION AND TESTING

5.1 Verification of mechanical properties

5.2 Non-destructive testing

5.3 Repair

6 PROCUREMENT

6.1 Procurement route

6.2 Procurement specification

6.3 Castings for standardised simple connections

APPENDIX A

Mechanical and physical properties

APPENDIX B

Key issues for a specification

APPENDIX C

Detailed case histories

APPENDIX D

Summary of recent projects

This material is copyright-all ights reserved.Use of this document is subject to the terms and conditions of the Steelbiz Licence Agreement Created on 22 July 2009 SCI PUBLICATION 172 Castings in Construction Nancy R Baddoo MA,CEng,MICE Published by: The Steel Construction InstituteSilwood Park,AscotBerkshire SL57QN Telephone:0134423345 Fax:0134422944 Tis mateialis copyight-alights reseved.Useof this documen is subject o the terms and condions of heStelbiz Lioence Agreemen Created on 22 July 2006 ◎1996 The Steel Construction Institute Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study or criticism or review,as permitted underthe Copyright Designs and Patents Act,1988,this publication may not be reproduced,stored,or transmitted,inany form or by any means,without the prior permission in writing of the publishers,or in the case of reprographicreproduction only in accordance with the terms of the licences issued by the UK Copyright Licensing Agency,orin accordance with the terms of licences issued by the appropriate Reproduction Rights Organisation outside theUK. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the terms stated here should be sent to the publishers,The SteelConstruction Institute,at the address given on the title page. Although care has been taken to ensure,to the best of our knowledge,that all data and information contained hereinare accurate to the extent that they relate to either matters of fact or accepted practice or matters of opinion at thetime of publication,The Steel Construction Institute,the authors and the reviewers assume no responsibility forany errors in or misinterpretations of such data and/or information or any loss or damage arising from or relatedto their use. Publications supplied to the Members of the Institute at a discount are not for resale by them. Publication Number: SCI-P-172 ISBN 1859420419 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. FOREWORD The preparation of this guide was sponsored by the following organisations: Department of Trade and IndustryBritish Steel Tubes &PipesGoodwin Steel Castings Ltd Martin Manning (Chairman)Steven BirksBrian GoodallAlan JonesKeith TempleBassam Burgan This material is copyright-all ights reserved.Use of this document is subject to the terms and conditions of the Steelbiz Licence Agreement Created on 22 July 2006 Casting is a versatile method of producing structural iron and steel components of complexshape,or of shapes that would be difficult to fabricate from wrought steel.This publicationprovides advice for structural engineers,architects and fabricators on the selection,design andprocurement of castings. The publication has been prepared by The Steel Construction Institute under the guidance ofa project advisory group including representatives from the sponsoring organisations and otherrecognised experts.Their contribution to the preparation of the guide is gratefullyacknowledged.The group consisted of the following people: Ove Arup&PartnersGoodwin Steel Castings LtdBritish Steel Tubes &PipesAnthony Hunt AssociatesWestbury Tubular Structures plcThe Steel Construction Institute The publication was also reviewed by Cast Metals Development and Arup Research andDevelopment. This material is copynight-all rights reserved. Use of this document is subject to the terms and conditions of the Steelbiz Licence Agreement Created on 22 July 2006 CONTENTS Page No. SUMMARY vi 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 What is a casting?1 1.2 Why use castings in structures? 1 1.3 What has prevented the wider use of castings in structures? 4 1.4 A brief comparison of wrought,forged and cast metals 5 1.5 Objectives of this design guide 6 2 CASTING MANUFACTURE 8 2.1 The casting process 8 2.2 Patterns 8 2.3 Moulds 10 2.4 Feeding and gating 13 2.5 Finishing of castings 14 2.6 Technolo

FAQs

What does the guide cover about structural steel and iron castings?

It advises on the properties and capabilities of iron, carbon steel, and stainless steel castings, focusing on selection, design, and procurement for structural components.

How does the guide explain why castings are used in structures?

It states that high strength, ductility, and toughness, combined with efficient production and cost-effective manufacturing, support their use in structural applications.

What topics are included for quality assurance of castings?

The guide covers inspection and testing, including verification of mechanical properties and non-destructive testing, plus repair guidance.

Oct 29, 2026

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