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working with steel wide flange beams

joellubell | Posted in Construction Techniques on July 3, 2008 06:24am

Hello,

I am working on plans for a work shop in my back yard.  I have salvaged to I-beams from a car port that spanned 24′ holding up trusses that were 24′ long.  One of the beams is a W10x22 and the other does not fit any table i have been able to find.  It is 9.75″ deep 10″ wide with 3/8″ flange and a 3/8 web.  I would like to find out more info about this beam before i plan on using it. 

also, any info you might have on working with steel and how to mate it with wood framing would be very helpful.

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Replies

  1. junkhound | Jul 03, 2008 07:07am | #1

    Welcome to BT Joe.

    Have you been hazed yet??

     

    Ya know those beams are worthless, just set them on the side of the house, send me your address,  and I'll come take them off your hands

     

    PS; dont put them on the curb, some other un-deserving person will probaly haul them off for scrap.<G>

    Interested where that 9.75 by 10" beam came from, even looked at some old 1930 Carnegie and Bethlehem catalogs and did not see that size.

    1. joellubell | Jul 03, 2008 06:34pm | #8

      I got the beams from a house that was built in 1984 buy a commercial builder as his personal home.  I work for habitat for humanity of wake county as the deconstruction manager and we were hired to disassemble the building. 

      The flange and the web are defiantly the same size but might be a strong 3/8"s.  I am just using a tape measure I could use a dial caliper if any one thinks it would help.

      I live on: 21 jump street, never never land, 65432 the will be out there next year some time waiting for you.

  2. davidmeiland | Jul 03, 2008 07:09am | #2

    I used a W8x28 as the second floor girder for my shop. It was quite easy to pack it out with 2 layers of 2x8 on each side (fits the space perfectly) and then shoot on joist hangers for a flush beam detail.

  3. JohnFinn | Jul 03, 2008 07:29am | #3

    Closest I could come up with is a W10x49 but it is 9.97" deep.

  4. Engineerguy | Jul 03, 2008 11:56am | #4

    The best match I have is a HP10X42. 

    Specifics are:

    Depth 9.70

    Flange 10.075

    Tw 7/16

    Tf 7/16

    Otherwise it sounds like you have a custom made beam.

     

     

     

    Impossible is an opinion.

    1. joellubell | Jul 04, 2008 03:23am | #9

      Thanks

      looks like you found it to me

      1. Engineerguy | Jul 04, 2008 04:57am | #10

        Actually, I found it the Steel Construction Manual.  ;)

        You just have to know where to look. 

        Impossible is an opinion.

        1. joellubell | Jul 04, 2008 06:30pm | #12

          once you found the the steel construction manual it told you what you were looking for? or did you have to find it in the book as well?;)

  5. Lapun | Jul 03, 2008 12:39pm | #5

    That unlisted beam sounds more like column or piling to me, being almost square.

    Lapun.

    1. junkhound | Jul 03, 2008 02:33pm | #6

      You probably got it by thinking an H-pile.

      http://mafcopiling.com/hbearing.htm

      there is a piling that is 9.7" by 10.07 with a 0.41 web thickness, could be the OP simply made rough measurements??

       

       

      1. Lapun | Jul 03, 2008 02:39pm | #7

        I got the idea from working with the stuff, driven to refusal through clay/ash into volcanic lava. My ears are still ringing.Lapun.

  6. DonNH | Jul 04, 2008 06:06pm | #11

    A lot depends on how you're planning on using the beams for support.  If you're going to use them to support truss or rafter ends, then there are weld-on hangers & straps, or you could just fasten a 2x flat on the top  - drill some holes for lags or bolts to hold the 2x to the beam - and fasten to the 2x.

    On my 2-story garage, I found some W16x38 beams cheap (W12x19's would have done the job fine).  Borrowed the magnetic based drill press from work, and drilled every foot for bolts.  bolted 2x8's to the lower part of the web, and used them for ledgers for the 2x8 joists, which I notched & left sticking up above the beam so the floor sheathing could go over everything.

    Don

  7. mike4244 | Jul 04, 2008 09:59pm | #13

    The 10x10 beam is a piling. One end might be a bit mushroomed if it was ever driven then pulled.

    mike

    1. joellubell | Jul 04, 2008 10:09pm | #14

      could i use it as a beam?  is there any reason beyond that's not what it is?  i was thinking of useing the table for a w10x39

      1. segundo | Jul 04, 2008 10:26pm | #15

        it will work perfectly well as a beam, use the table for the beam closest in size for calculating load, overestimate for caution factor.

        there won't be a huge difference in any similar sized steel beams, that the flange is 1/2 inch thinner on one makes no difference in the practical world, if you install it where it will support half of what its capacity is.

        1. yukon_john | Jul 05, 2008 08:47am | #16

          I'm surprised no one has brought up the "e" word yet, as in engineer to sign off the structural design.  No authority having jurisdiction will approve of the use of a steel beam without an engineers stamp.  Now that I have fulfilled my day job role as a Development Officer/Building Inspector, I would like to mention that I used two 12W26 I-beams in my new house.  I drilled and bolted a 2x nailer to the top and then used top mounted joist hangers.  It worked great, was cheaper than LVL's or gluelams and saved me head room (the gluelam would have been 22" deep!).  If you do your own research on spans,  then an engineer can review your work and sign off for a reasonable fee.  Worked for me.

          1. User avater
            Matt | Jul 05, 2008 03:49pm | #17

            If he is building in Wake County the 'E' word won't be optional. 

      2. Engineerguy | Jul 06, 2008 10:19am | #18

        Yes you can use it as a beam, but there are somethings you need to consider.

        Do you know the grade of the steel?  This is significant since different grades have different strengths which will affect your design parameters.

        With a span of 24', you will need proper bracing to support the beam that needs to be speced out by and engineer.

        As recommended, contact an engineer.

          

        Impossible is an opinion.

      3. tuolumne7 | Jul 06, 2008 12:43pm | #19

        Piles are typically not efficient as beams because that extra thick web just adds a lot of weight and little strength in a bending application.  In your case, it's free so as long as you can lift it in place you're still efficient!  With a 10" beam in wood framed construction, deflection will probably govern the design and not strength.

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