Rectangular Hollow Sections or RHS or Rec Tubes are basically the cold formed and it is welded from either cold rolled, hot rolled, stainless or pre-galvanized steel. In a bid to create the Rectangular Hollow Sections, the round steel tube called the mother tube is created first and with the use of round tube rolls, it is progressively pressed to transform the round tube into rectangular steel section. This is mainly done inline. The rectangular steel sections come with the benefits of being stronger for bending and higher flexibility.
The RHS is very popularly used in the construction and other mechanical and structural applications. And it is being highly supported by the inherent flat surfaces of the sections, making it very affordable for joining and for other fabrication processes. Unlike other types of hollow sections, the Rectangular Hollow Sections can be straight-cut when joining to other flat surfaces and you are not required to go for profile cuts. Very little edge preparation is required when joining RHA with other surfaces with welding technology. It can also be used for architectural aesthetics because of its clean lines, higher functionality and interact less with external environmental factors.
Design of Rectangular Hollow Sections
The RHS is very light in weight and more diaphanous in structurally and it comes with a single price length with very fewer joints, making it a great option for larger projects. The design of the model is so flexible that it suits well for any construction projects and it comes with larger lifespan. The design quality of the RHS also has more transparent trusses and purlins that make it possible for reducing the possibility of transversal bracing. Owing to its lesser sections and slender supports, it can be reduced more with the use of tubular sections that are filled with concrete.
Rectangular Hollow Sections are the most economical solutions as it can be executed directly to the joints and this reduces the construction times and it is also easy for maintenance. The design of RHS leads to correct design of the construction and guarantees competitive delivery date and price.
Strength of Rectangular Hollow Sections
With the higher centred compression lead and tubular sections, it allows you to use it for longer elements compared to the open sections and if pillars are necessary, then a concrete fill allows you to reduce the number of sections used in the project. Moreover, the stiffness of the RHS is higher for any commercial steel sections and due to this reason, the behaviour of it is unbeatable in case of lateral bulging or warpage.
The use tensile of Rectangular Hollow Sections is also supreme and it allows using of welded joints across the extensions which means that the resistant section in joints can be used completely, unlike the other better options in open sections.
Safety of Rectangular Hollow Sections
Rectangular Hollow Sections come with the benefits of protecting the steel tubular section with its surface coating which is easier and economical compared to open sections because of the absence of cavities and the lower surface can also be covered for maximizing the safety of the structure.