Lally Columns are round thin-walled structural steel units oriented vertically to offer support for joists or beams spanning long spans. Its steel shell is usually filled with concrete that bears the compressive load, helping to prevent local shell buckling. Lally Columns come with the advantage of the ability to easily cut to desired lengths based on the needs of the construction site with the use of simple tools such as pipe cutters or even a reciprocating saw. This is an advantage over conventional structural columns. They are not as durable or strong compared to their conventional counterparts.
These columns were named after John Lally, an American inventor who had a construction company from which the production of the columns began. This was at the end of the 19th century. He had his residence in Massachusetts, Waltham, and Boston between 1898 and 1907. He obtained a total of four United States patents on composite columns, all assigned to the column company. He became the major contractor for the construction of many schools, private homes, factories, and churches, as well as banks and other important works.
In addition to Lally columns, he also invented fireplace hoods, fireplace dampers, plasterers, adjustable trowels, and double-headed nails, among others. He was also an imaginative and innovative mechanic and it was during his experiments that columns emerged. He made all of his inventions as a way to improve the quality of the work he was doing.
In earlier times, Lally columns were made from standard tubing structural steel less than ΒΌ thickness. Modern columns, on the other hand, have shells of about 0.06?. This therefore means that modern columns have lower resistance compared to earlier ones; therefore, they tend to be subject to corrosion damage in humid environments. However, modern columns are still considered stronger and more durable compared to those made from wooden posts.
Lally’s Column Strengths
Lally columns are very popular today and are widely used. This is probably due to the many advantages they have despite minor shortcomings and downfalls. The strengths they have include the following.
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Structural stability that makes construction projects more valuable. They can be used in different places during construction to offer the necessary stability of the structure; therefore only quality construction is achieved at the end of the day.
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They are made from readily available and therefore easily accessible materials. The use of concrete and steel, which are easily accessible materials, makes the columns quite cost effective. This is because even the materials are low in cost compared to other materials that would be needed for the same.
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They offer easy cutting within an hour even using small cutting tools. Thus, it makes it easier for builders to get the right sizes for different areas during construction. Therefore, it is understandable that they are a popular choice in the construction industry.