HSS SuperStruct Glossary

AISC is the abbreviation for the American Institute For Steel Construction that represents the structural steel design community and construction industry in the United States.

ASTM is the abbreviation for the American Society for Testing & Materials. It is the governing body that publishes specifications that cover the grades of steel produced, types of testing required and types of tubing produced among many others. To view the relevant ASTM specifications that HSS SuperStruct is produced to, please visit the ASTM Specs & Testing page on this website.

The ASTM A1065 specification refers to cold formed electric fusion (arc) welded High Strength Low Alloy structural tubing in large HSS shapes (including square and rectangle). Valmont produces HSS SuperStruct tubes to ASTM A1065.

ASTM A572 specification refers to High-Strength Low-Alloy Columbium-Vanadium Structural Steel that is used in the construction of buildings, bridges and other applications. A572 Grade 50 is one of the common grades of steel used in the HSS SuperStruct production process. It is also available in other grades (Grade 42, Grade 55, Grade 60, Grade 65, Grade 70). Please inquire with Valmont about our ability to produce the other grades of A572.

ASTM A588 specification refers to high strength low-alloy structural steel with atmospheric corrosion resistance that is used in the construction of buildings, bridges and other applications. A588 Grade 50 is one of the common grades of steel used in the HSS SuperStruct production process. Please inquire with Valmont for capabilities and availability of HSS SuperStruct tubes produced from ASTM A588

AWS is the abbreviation for the American Welding Society which provides industry standards for the welding and joining of metals, plastics and other materials.

Bending, also referred to as rolling or curving is the forming of a metal part, by pressure, into a curved or angular shape, or the stretching or flanging of it along a curved path.

CJP, an abbreviation for Complete Joint Penetration, is a groove weld which has been made from both sides or from one side onto backing having penetration and fusion of weld and base metal through the depth of the joint.

HSS is the abbreviation for Hollow Structural Sections - high-strength welded steel structural tubing produced in round,square, rectangle and custom shapes. HSS tubes are used in building construction, stadium construction, bridges, architectural and industrial applications among others. For a listing of our more popular HSS square and rectangle sizes that HSS SuperStruct produces, please see our HSS SuperStruct Product Catalog.

PJP, an abbreviation for Partial Joint Penetration, is a groove weld with penetration that is intentionally less than complete (i.e. does not necessarily have penetration through the depth of the joint.

Submerged arc welding (SAW) is a process in which a weld is applied using a high voltage electrical current (called the "arc") that heats the metal and wire to weld together. It is submerged underneath layers of granular earth materials called "flux". By utilizing this welding proces, oxygen is prevented from entering the weld.

Ultrasonic Testing (UT Testing) is the testing method of detecting weld defects by passing high frequency sound waves into a material then monitoring and evaluating the reflected signals.

Also known as Hollow Structural Sections (HSS). Welded box sections are square and rectangular steel tubes used in a variety of applications including building construction, stadium construction, bridges, architectural and industrial applications among others. For a listing of our more popular welded box section square and rectangle sizes that HSS SuperStruct produces, please see our HSS SuperStruct Product Catalog.