ORDERING BAR GRATING & EXPANDED METAL

BAR GRATING

Bar grating is an open flooring with a favorable strength-to-weight ratio. It is available in a wide range of sizes and material. Bar grating can be used almost anywhere that open flooring is needed for air, light, and heat transmission. This kind of flooring is frequently found in the platforms and walkways of chemical plants, oil rigs, and paper mills. In addition to flooring, bar grating can be used to make drainage ditch covers, catwalks, stairway platforms, and stair treads. In all applications, grating selection is based on load requirement, corrosion resistance, durability, and cost. The openings in bar grating provide good skid resistance. If a customer wants greater skid resistance, the bearing bars can be serrated. In addition, a grit surface can be applied to most gratings.

SAFETY GRATING

Safety grating provides a very good load-bearing capacity in ration to its weight, and the best non-slip safety surface of any type grating. A versatile product, it can be used in most applications where safe footing is important. These include equipment platforms, catwalks, truck bodies and trailers, and stair treads. Safety grating can be made of carbon steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, or aluminum. Like bar grating, the open area of safety grating allows for light, and, and the drainage of fluids, mud, grease, chips, and other accident-causing debris-assuring a safe walking and working surface. In ratio to its weight, safety grating will support more load than bar grating. However, it is not designed for extremely heavy loads. Safety grating gets its strength through what’s known as “integral side-channel design.” In other words, it is made all in one piece, with channels running down either side.

STAIR TREADS

Many applications requiring grating or floor plate for flooring, walkways, or platforms will also need stair treads. Treads are used in the stairways leading from one elevation to another. They are made from the same types of grating used for flooring or platforms; bar grating, expanded metal grating, safety grating, and floor plate. Stair treads are bolted or welded to channels which form stairways. Channels used for this purpose are commonly called “stringers.” The size of the stringers and the rise of the stairway determine the width of the stair tread required.

EXPANDED METAL

Expanded metal is simply a metal sheet which has been simultaneously slit and stretched into a ridged, non-raveling mesh with diamond-shaped openings. Because of its favorable strength-to-weight ratio, expanded metal has hundreds of uses, from air filters to patio furniture to walkways. It is available in carbon steel, aluminum, and stainless steel.

FLATTENED EXPANDED METAL:  Expanded metal which has been flattened by cold rolling after it has been expanded. The strands and bonds are rolled into a flat, smooth surface.

STRAND:  The single metal strip which forms the border of the diamond.

BOND:  The point where adjacent strands intersect. The bond is always twice the width of the strand.

SWD: SHORT WAY OF DIAMOND:  the dimension measured across the short way of the diamond.

LWD: LONG WAY OF DIAMOND:  The dimension measured across the long way of the diamond.

PITCH:  The distance from a point on one diamond to the corresponding point of the next diamond. Pitch may be referred to as Pitch SWD or Pitch LWD.

HOW TO ORDER EXPANDED METAL
Specify the number of sheets or pieces required Specify the normal width of the diamond SWD. Example: 3/16″, 1/4″. 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″, 1-1/2″, 2″ Specify the style of the sheet. Example: #18, #20, #16, #13, #9 Specify whether regular (R), or flattened (F). Specify the type of metal required. Example: Carbon steel, Stainless Steel, Aluminum, etc.
EXAMPLE OF TYPICAL ORDER: 100 sheets 3/4″ #9 F 4′-0″ x 8′-0″ Carbon Steel This example illustrates the information necessary for Steel Depot to fill your order.
MANUFACTURING TOLERANCES FOR STOCK SIZE SHEETS Sheet Dimensions: Camber:   SWD – 0″ + 3/16″ per foot of width LWD – 0″ +1 diamond   SWD 1/16″ per foot of width LWD 1/16″ per liner foot (as measured by the greatest distance between the edge of the sheet and a straight-edge placed across the two ends of the sheet). The above tolerances apply to all stock items listed in our literature. Out-of-Squareness:     SWD – 1/16″ per foot of width LWD – 1/16″ per foot of length (measured with 90 degree angle)   Thickenss:        + or – 10% of published thickness   For special sizes of expanded metal, please consult the plant.
SHEARING
SIDE SHEARING The process of cutting a piece of expanded metal parallel to the long dimension of the diamond.
	RANDON SIDE SHEARING Side shearing is a cut made parallel to the LWD dimension of the sheet which usually leaves open diamonds. Standard tolerance SWD is plus or minus 1/16″ when both sides are sheared.
	BOND SIDE SHEARING This cut is made along the length of the sheet on the center line of the bond over the specified width. In most cases, it is not practical to attempt to Bond Side Shear either regular or flattened expanded metal because of camber.
END SHEARING The process of cutting a piece of expanded metal parallel to the short way of the diamond.
	END RANDOM SHEARING The process of shearing a piece of expanded metal to a specified length (LWD). This cut normally leaves open diamonds at both ends but accomplishes close tolerance (plus or minus 1/16″) when both ends are sheared.
	END BOND SHEARING The process of shearing a piece of expanded metal to a specified length (LWD). A plus or minus 1/16″ tolerance applies when both ends are sheared. One end is cut on the Bond parallel to the SWD and the other end usually has open diamonds.
NOTE: When End of Bond Shearing is requested for both ends, the sheet is sheared at the center line of the bond over the specified length. A tolerance minus – plus 1/2″ diamond applies. It is possible to End Bond Shear, but extraordinary care must be exercised to maintain the squareness of the sheet.
SQUARENESS
	When all four sides of a sheet of expanded metal are sheared, the maximum tolerance will be plus or minus 1/16″ per foot of width.