A Steel Detailer is an engineering draftsperson familiar
with fabrication and erection methods. A steel detailer
prepares two primary types of drawings: general
arrangement drawings and detail drawings & the methods
used to complete these drawings vary considerably from
drawing board to 3D computer
modelling.
General Arrangement drawings or GA's are used
to guide the steel erector on the construction
site as to where and how to erect the fabricated
steel members. These drawings usually show
dimensioned plans to locate the steel members,
and they often also show details with specific
information and requirements such as cambering,
including all work that must be done in the
field such as non standard
bolting or on site
welding the latter not being common practice
in the UK. Since the arrangement drawings are
intended for use on site, they contain little
information about the fabrication of any
individual steel member as all members will
already be completed by the time the erection
drawings are used.
Detail drawings are used to specify the exact
detailing requirements for fabricating each
individual member (or "piece") of a structure,
and are used by the steel fabricator to
fabricate these members. Complete detail
drawings show material specifications, member
sizes, all required dimensions, welding,
bolting, surface preparation and
painting requirements, and any other
information required to describe each completed
member. The shop drawings are intended for use
by the fabrication shop, and thus contain little
or no information about the erection and
installation of the steel members; this
information belongs in the general arrangement
drawings.
The detailer must comply with the
requirements of the design drawings and with all
industry standards and protocols. The detailer
is not responsible for design integrity (which
are the responsibility of the structural
engineer), major dimensions of the structure and
compliance with relevant building codes (which
are the responsibility of the architect). A
detailer is generally required to submit his
drawings to the structural engineer and/or
architect for review prior to the release of
drawings for fabrication. In the case of
non-building projects there is typically no
architect, and detail drawings are reviewed
exclusively by the structural engineer to ensure
engineering accuracy and compliance with the
design intent.
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