Gratings come in all kinds of configurations and can be made of many different materials.
Metal grates, typically
aluminum grates,
steel grates or
stainless steel grates are used for filtration, support or non slip. They are often
galvanized gratings, which are coated for protection and to increase a material's corrosion resistance. Aluminum grating and stainless steel grating are often used to manufacture metal grates requiring high strength materials.
Floor gratings,
drain grates and
architectural grates are mainly made out of metal, fiberglass and plastic.
Plastic grating or
fiberglass grating is used as an alternative to metal grating because it is lighter, easy to install, slip-free, doesn't rust and remains fire retardant. Fiberglass grating is the most common form of plastic grating because it offers higher strength due to the addition of glass fibers. In
bar grating, bars of metal or fiberglass are welded together in a rectangular configuration or grid pattern. It is the strongest type of floor grating, often used as the support flooring itself.
Stair treads are used with stairs and ladders requiring a non-slip surface and so are made with serrated teeth, a grid pattern or textured surface for increased safety.
Manufacturers produce gratings of various materials, thicknesses and patterns. Most gratings are made of metals or fiberglass reinforced plastic. Metal grates are the most common, and are usually made with stainless steel or iron and sometimes aluminum, for lighter traffic and lighter load situations. Metal grates are either expanded metal, which are sheets of metal that have been slit and expanded to the desired dimensions. The process of metal plate expansion generates minimal waste and so is a popular manufacturing choice. Metal grates are also constructed from perforated metal, which contain hole patterns created by punching presses. Both types result in a sheet of metal with cut-out openings. Galvanized gratings are hot-dipped in a layer of zinc oxide, which protects the metal from elements that lead to corrosion, oxidation, weakening and an overall shorter life span. Plastic grating is almost always made with fiberglass for greater temperature resistance and strength. The plastic resin provides high corrosion resistance, and is used to produce floors, stairs and enclosures. Depending on the corrosive nature of the building's environment and the needed load strength, floor gratings are manufactured in various thicknesses, dimensions and grip patterns. Both perforated and expanded metal fabrication techniques are used to create the majority of floor gratings. The available patterns of openings in floor gratings vary from diamond shape to oval, and each pattern has different inherent strength properties. The choice of pattern of floor gratings is both practical and aesthetic, as some grates are used for architectural purposes. However, structural soundness and practicality are most important as the percent of open area is related to the amount of light, water, air and sound that is able to pass through the grating. The most heavy duty floor gratings are those made out of welded or pressure-locked interlocking bars. These fiberglass or metal bars provide a stable floor structure that is less likely to bend or warp with extended use.
Known for strength, bar gratings are most often made of metal as it is able to withstand higher traffic and impact than fiberglass or plastic. A series of parallel and perpendicular bars are welded, swaged or riveted together depending on the application and required surface finish. Each bearing bar is welded with each cross bar so they fuse and form a permanent joint. This ensures a high degree of rigidity for the production of walkways, platforms, safety barriers and trench grates. Stair treads are usually metal that has been perforated or expanded. The cut-out holes deter slipping and buildup or water, mud or other materials. They may be the stairs themselves, ladders or covers for a flight of stairs. Finally, trench grates, which are long and narrow bar grating drain covers that allow pedestrians to walk over them, are popular grating products found all over on city streets and sidewalks. They accommodate drainage, deter buildup of water, come in many styles and designs, and may merely sit on top of the drain or be bolted down.
Floor grating manufacturers fabricate products that are most often used for the implementation of increased traction and tread for workplace safety. Often, floor gratings are required by regulation standards in certain areas of a factory or warehouse, including areas near potential fluid or lubrication leaks or as part of stairs and high walkways. These floor gratings provide slip resistant areas and extra grip for vehicles such as forklifts and other machinery and equipment. Another common use for floor gratings is to cover a floor area that needs adequate drainage of fluids as in the case of an industrial-sized refrigerator or freezer. Sometimes the floor gratings are used as part of a building ventilation system, providing free movement of air around the gratings and allowing it to travel through the building. Grates are also used for many other things besides flooring in building construction, including louvers, decorative and ornamental screens, fencing, hand rails and walkways and are mostly used for sunshade and separations that still have air flow, in pedestrian walkways to cover narrow sewers and drains so they may be easily walked over. Gratings are important components of construction and industry and should be carefully incorporated into a building system.
Grating Types
- Architectural grates is a metal or fiberglass reinforced plastic lattice incorporated in building design for a number of functional and aesthetic purposes.
- Aluminum grating
- Bar gratings are floor gratings that are made with thicker metal
or fiberglass bars, which are either welded, pressure locked or riveted
together. They are used for stronger support purposes, such as stair
treads.
- is a durable, molded fiberglass floor product combining
slip resistant floor plates and molded grating.
- Drain grates are an essential component of drainage systems which allow the passage of fluids while capturing debris which may clog or otherwise damage piping.
- is lightweight, durable
and inexpensive, provides some traction and does not need special
equipment to be installed.
The openings range from 3/16" to 2".
- Fiberglass gratings have lightweight durability and an anti-corrosive
nature. Pultruded fiberglass has a higher load capacity than standard
molded fiberglass ( http://www.fiberglassfabricators.com ).
- Floor gratings encompass a wide variety of grates used for flooring or as supplements to improve flooring characteristics such as grip.
- Galvanized gratings are zinc coated in order to improve strength and corrosion resistance in industrial, commercial and domestic applications where grates are exposed to corrosive materials or are in high use.
- Metal grates are the norm in the floor grating world. The metals
used most often are stainless steel and iron, but aluminum is sometimes
used in lighter traffic and load situations.
- (http://www.perforated-metals.com ) is a type of
metal fabrication technique which punches holes of various sizes
and patterns
via a punching press. This type of metal is often used along
with expanded metal to create floor gratings.
- Plastic grating is never 100% plastic but is often reinforced with
fiberglass.
- offers the widest variety of load bearing
bar spacing and can be manufactured efficiently in small
quantities. Pressure
locked grating is one of the most versatile types of grating.
- Stainless steel grates are made using alloyed steel bars, sheets and meshes to create a porous grid that will not rust, corrode or stain easily and may therefore be used in harsh environments and applications involving volatile fluids and gases.
- Stair treads have perforations and textured surfaces to prevent slipping and related accidents.
- Steel grates consist of many parallel and perpendicular steel bars that can bear weight, but still allow air to pass.
- is formed by electrically fusing cross bars to steel
load bearing bars.
Grating Terms
- The device by which grating is attached
to its supports.
- Load-carrying bars made from steel strip or slit
sheets or from rolled or extruded aluminum and extending in the direction
of the grating span.
-The intersection of two strands in a grating pattern.
- Flats or angles which are welded to the grating panel
and nosing of a stair tread.
- The connecting bars that
extend perpendicularly across the bearing bars. Where cross bars intersect
the bearing bars, they are
welded, forged or mechanically locked to the bearing bars.
- A
section of grating that has been removed to allow pipes, ducts, columns,
etc. to pass through the grating.
- An open grid assembly
of metal bars, in which the bearing bars running in one direction are
spaced by rigid attachment to cross
bars running perpendicular to them or by bent connecting bars extending
between them.
- A metal frame that contains floor
grating and provides a means to anchor floor construction.
- The
surface of a step constructed of a type of grating.
- Grating
panels which are hinged to their supports or to other grating parts.
- A flat bar attached flat against the outer edge of
a grating and projecting above the top surface of the grating to form
a lip or curb.
- A special L-section member serving as
the front or leading edge of a stair tread or of grating at the end of
a
stair.
- A sinuously bent connecting
bar extending between two adjacent bearing bars, alternately contacting
and being riveted
to
each.
- The distance center to center
of rivets along one bearing bars.
- Grating so
constructed that it may be installed either side up.
- The
distance between two points of grating support.
- That
portion of the cut edge or cutout of a grating which follows a straight
line.
- A band that is not load-carrying
but primarily used for aesthetic purposes.
- The overall dimension
of a grating panel, measured perpendicular to the bearing bars.
