I'm looking for a good source as to the 'structural formula' of steel. I'm not quite sure if that's what it's actually called, but here's a link to what I'm looking for.
That's a very good question. What you need to do is run down to your local university and sign up for a undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and after you finish that (4 to 5 years) then you need to sign up for a masters degree in Structural Engineering (2 to 3 years). Then, get yourself a structural engineering job and in 4 years you will be able to test to become a Professional Engineer. Whew, after that you will get paid very well as a tower designer.
There is none. There is no steel molecule, so one can't draw its molecular structure. Most steel has a body-centered cubic (ferrite) crystal structure (some stainless steels are face-centered cubic - austenite). Depending on the alloying elements, it's typically a random solid solution. Most of the lattice sites will be occupied by iron atoms, but other atoms from the alloying components will replace random sites. Smaller atoms like carbon are in the interstitial points, meaning they fit in between the larger atoms. Depending on the alloy and the processing conditions, you can also get a mix of phases, including more complex structures like cementite (iron carbide), molybdenum carbide, manganese sulfide, or martensite (a non-equilibrium tetragonal phase).
structural formula only apply to a chemical compound, and steel is not that. It is a MIXTURE, an alloy, of iron, carbon, and any of a number of other materials, such as chromium, manganese, etc.
