Steel Beam Design - Basic Considerations And Important Factors Article

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Steel Beam Design - Basic Considerations and Important Factors

The behavior of a beam is mainly affected by the loading, span, how it is supported, its cross-section and material used.

Author: James Lee

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Steel beams are structural members mainly used as supports. Steel beams are sometimes made up of an alloy of carbon and iron which is popular for its strength. Beams are key to the support of a building, laying out the load of the building laterally to ensure that it is equally distributed, so that the building will not be prone to sagging or buckling. Steel is a widely used material for beams for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it is extremely strong and can therefore be used in structures which would otherwise be regarded structurally unsafe.

When architects design a new building or intend to renovate a present one, they have to think about where beams are going to be placed and what materials they are made from. Steel beams are standard in many types of construction for their strength, with engineer deciding a placement which meets structural and aesthetic needs. Engineers and architects also make additional calculations which consider the total weight of the building, distribution of open space in the building and seismic activity in the area where the building is situated, as all of these can affect structural integrity.

Steel beams must be both strong and stiff. The aim of the structural design of beams is to make a choice of a beam for a specific purpose then test by established mathematical procedures - whether the beam is strong enough and the beam is stiff enough.

The behavior of a beam is mainly affected by the loading, span, how it is supported, its cross-section and material used. For the same span and loading, three things affect the performance of a beam - the properties of the material, the way the beam is supported and the geometry of the beam cross-section.

About Author

James Lee is a steel detailer at OSD – a leading steel detailing firm based in India providing quality steel detailing, steel design and shop drawings to its offshore clients based in US, UK, Canada and Australia. For further details email us at info@outsourcingsteeldetailing.com For any queries related to steel beam design and structural beam calculations Visit us at http://www.outsourcingsteeldetailing.com/detailing_services.php for further information.

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Steel Beam Design - Basic Considerations and Important Factors