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Steel Mezzanines
Steel mezzanines are semi-permanent structures that are built within pre-existing buildings between the ceiling and the floor; essentially providing another story, or building level, within the facility. However, steel mezzanines differ from traditional stories in that they do not extend across the entire facilities in which they are enclosed. There are three common types of steel mezzanine designs: full steel mezzanines, that connects to the building and extends less than halfway across the facility’s ground space; island steel mezzanines, which are completely unconnected to the building’s walls; and inverted island steel mezzanines, which are constructed around the interior perimeter of the facility. Steel mezzanines provide superior structural support and are often used in facilities and warehouses as storage platforms. Typical applications requiring steel mezzanines include industrial facilities, factories, warehouses, distribution centers and public access buildings. Beneficial for additional storage and space, steel mezzanines are commonly used in industries such as material handling, industrial manufacturing, automotive, construction, retail and food processing. Steel mezzanines are made from both solid and perforated steel. The basic parts of a steel mezzanine consist of a type of flooring, beam or channel and columns. The flooring is supported by the beams or channels and the columns support the entire structure. There are three types of steel mezzanine flooring; cold-rolled steel, structural steel and stainless steel. Cold-rolled steel mezzanine flooring is much lighter than structural steel flooring; however they are equal in terms of resilience and strength. In addition, cold rolled steel has a smoother finish than structural steel; making it ideal for display applications in public buildings. Structural steel flooring offers an increased area for work and storage as well as being one of the most cost-effective types of mezzanine floors; however it will be a touch heavier than other flooring types. Stainless steel mezzanine flooring is one of the most expensive flooring types and offers little in terms of column spacing. This type of flooring is most often used in food processing as well as applications requiring a large amount of space. Structural steel mezzanines use I-beams, and joints for additional support, as well as tubular columns and structural I-beam columns. However, both cold-rolled steel and stainless steel mezzanines use sheet metal bent to a c-channel in a break press and tubular steel columns. Cold-rolled steel mezzanines may also use tapered columns.
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