Overview of China’s Steel Structure Codes and Standards System

The current state of Chinese steel structure codes and standards system is summarized, with a review of the development process and technical content changes in major domestic codes and standards. The development process of Chinese steel structure standard code system is outlined, which can be divided into four stages: in the 1950s, China adopted the former Soviet Union's steel structure code as its first design class code; in the 1960s and 1970s, revisions were made to this code based on Chinese national conditions and engineering experience, including introducing specifications for thin-walled steel structures; In response to high demand for steel construction during the 1980s and 1990s, additional specifications were introduced for high-rise civil buildings, grid structures, reticulated shell structures and portal steel frames. Also, this research provides a comprehensive overview of the development process of key codes in the field of steel structure. The preparation and revision process of the "Standard for design of steel structures" is introduced, along with a summary of the main content revised in the code. A comparative analysis is conducted between design theories, steel constitutive relationships, structural analysis methods, seismic designs, structural stability considerations, and connector designs in relation to European design codes. Furthermore, an examination is made on the revision process and main contents of the "Technical code of cold-formed thin-wall steel structures". Differences between Chinese and foreign codes regarding calculations for structural mechanical properties are compared against relevant Australian and American codes. Additionally, this research focuses on introducing the development process of Carbon structural steel series, Low alloy Structural steel series as well as Steel plate for Building structures series within relevant standards for steel structure materials. Moreover, it summarizes supplementary content from each version of these codes while revising concepts and definitions related to mechanical properties. The aforementioned research demonstrates that Chinese steel structure standards are gradually aligning with and even surpassing international advancements in certain aspects. However, there is room for further improvement in terms of the comprehensiveness, depth, and frequency of standard and specification revisions.