Editor’s note: 

Comparative research is one of the common methods for academic research, especially for applied disciplines such as structural engineering whose basic theories originate from natural sciences. Clarifying the similarities and differences of relevant specifications is of great benefit to recognize the advancement and limitation of current structural design methods and promote technological progress.

In the field of structural design, the US specifications with revision cycle of 3~ 5 years are the most active and can reflect the latest technology, so benchmarking the US specifications for structural steel buildings will surely enable us to understand the development trend of international building structure as soon as possible, which is very beneficial to promote the revision and update of relevant Chinese specifications and raise the level of structure design in China.

Therefore, we set up a special issue Comparative Study of Chinese and US Specifications for Steel Structures in Steel Construction and invited experts and scholars familiar with the US specification for structural steel buildings in the industry to compare the specifications in specific topics.The number of topics may not be large, but they must be in the field familiar to experts. The lengths of articles are not necessarily long, but they must highlight the key points and realize accurate comparisons.

The AISC 360-16 specification is mainly used for comparison, and the involved relevant US specifications include, but are not limited to, the following specifications. In addition, considering the source and hierarchy of the US specifications, the original meaning of these specifications should be kept when translated into Chinese, and the naming convention of corresponding specifications in China should also be taken into account. For example, Specification for Structural Steel Buildings means the specification for buildings constructed by structural steel and is translated into Specification for Building Steel Structure. The Specification refers to the source and hierarchy and comes from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

1) AISC 360-16 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings

2) AISC 341-16 Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings

3) ASCE / SEI 7 - 16 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures

4) AISC 303-16 Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges

5) AWS D1. 1/ D1. 1M ∶2015 Structural Welding Code-Steel

The Chinese specifications used for comparison mainly include GB 50017—2017 Standard for Design of Steel Structures and other specifications.

As the saying goes, “Stones from another mountain can be used to polish one’ s jade”. Wehope that the comparative study of steel structure specifications between China and the US can have a good start and blend advanced design idea and method abroad in specifications and practices of structural design in China more quickly. Good wishes need hard work, and the achievements need criticism and examination from majority of colleagues. Due to the limitations of the level and the ability of understanding Chinese and the US specifications, error is inevitable. If the idea can be realized to some extent, this work is worth doing and this special issue will reach the goal.

(Editor in chief: Lijun Wang)