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www.Firehouse.com August 2010

Behold the
Beam
Beam Congurations
Lets consider the six basic beam confgurations that you are
likely to encounter during pre-incident planning:
1. Simple
2. Restrained
3. Continuous
4. Cantilever
5. Overhang
6. Suspended
1. Simple beam As mentioned previously, a simple beam is
a single-span beam supported but not restrained at each end.
Because its ends are not restrained, the entire length of the beam
can defect when loaded. Due to compression and tension within
the beam, the material at each beam end is free to rotate. Te beam
shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 in part one of this article (July
2010) is a single-span, simply supported beam.
When heated, an unrestrained steel beam is free to elongate,
elongation generates lateral thrust. Axial column/beam assemblies
are not designed to resist thrust. In this context, think of thrust as a lateral outward push.
2. Restrained beam At frst glance, a restrained beam looks like a single-span simple
beam. However, because each end is rigidly fxed (Photo 1), it cannot move; clockwise rotation
is restrained. A restrained beam is also referred to as a fxed-end beam.
Like the column described previously, should a 40-foot unprotected steel girder be heated to
1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the girder will want to elongate about four-inches. If the girder is rigidly
restrained, it will not be able to elongate. Te restrained steel girder will release the elongation en-
ergy by twisting (torsion). Girders support other beams (purlins and/or joists). Tese beams ofen
support the foor above or the roof. As the girder twists, these beams are compromised; loads are
transferred, axial becomes eccentric and factors of safety disappear. Heat-induced structural shifs
can produce seismic-like results.
FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP
>>>
By MARK EMERY
MARK EMERY, EFO, is a shift battalion chief
with the Woodinville, WA, Fire & Life Safety
District. He is a graduate of the National
Fire Academys Executive Fire Officer pro-
gram and an NFA instructor specialist. Emery
received a bachelor of arts degree from Cali-
fornia State University at Long Beach and is
a partner with Fire Command Seattle LLC in
King County, WA. He is in no way affiliated
with or an advocate for the truss manufac-
turing or building construction industries. He
may be contacted at fci@usa.com or access
his website www.competentcommand.com.
Part 1 was published in the July 2010 issue.
Part 2
The Most Basic of
Structural Elements
Behold the beam, an amazing structural element that bends when loaded
but one that must not bend too much. A fallen tree spanning the banks of a
river was perhaps the frst beam used by primitive man for a specifc purpose:
to see whats on the other side. Tat fallen tree was an accidental beam.
Photo 1. Restrained beam.
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3. Continuous beam A single-span
beam extending over three or more sup-
ports is a continuous beam (Photo 2).
Because the single-span beam continues
over the middle support, multiple-cur-
vature is generated. Tere is simple beam
sag between the supports and an upward
curve reaction as the beam passes over the
middle support.
Tis becomes strategically signif-
cant should a continuous beam become
a simple beam during a fre or because a
forklif accidentally backs into and buck-
les a column. Tis can happen if a middle
support fails. If the middle support is a 40-
foot unprotected steel column that heats
to 1,000F, the column will want to elon-
gate four inches. (Imagine the amount of
energy required to stretch a 40-foot steel
column by four inches.) If compressive
loading prevents the column from elon-
Figure 3. Simple beam-end rotation.
>>>
FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP
Photo 2. Continuous beam.
Indicate 151 on Reader Service Card
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gating, it will release that energy by buck-
ling (defecting). When a column defects
(bends), it is no longer a column; it has
become a vertical beam. Beams bend, col-
umns dont bend.
With the loss of the center column,
the continuous beam has just become a
simple beam. Tis means that the load
carried by the center column has been
transferred to the end supports. Tis load
redistribution arrives at the end supports
as a dynamic impact. Can the columns or
bearing walls support the extra load? You
do not want to own this situation if you
are the incident commander.
4. Cantilever beam A cantilever
beam is also a single-span beam, but only
one end is supported. To maintain equi-
librium, the end support must be rigid
enough to resist rotation (similar to a
lever). Te supported end is restrained,
which means it cannot move (thrust) or
rotate (lever) when the
cantilever is loaded.
Try this: Stand up and
extend one arm perpendic-
ular to your body. One end
of your arm is supported
by your shoulder assem-
bly and the opposite end is
unsupported. You have just
created an anatomic can-
tilever. In a cantilever, the
top portion of the beam
lengthens; thus, the stress
is tension; the bottom por-
tion of the beam shortens,
thus the stress is compression.
Tink of cantilever beam action as
that of a frst-class lever (like a pry
bar) with one fxed end.
As with all structural systems,
the connection is the weak link. True
single-span cantilever beams are rare
in building construction.
5. Overhang beam Overhang
beam reaction produces both simple
and a cantilever beam action (or
continuous and cantilever beam ac-
tion). Between supports youve got
simple beam behavior (or continu-
ous). Instead of terminating at the sup-
ports, the beam extends over and beyond
the supports overhangs thus becom-
ing a cantilever. As the beam extends be-
yond the support, simple beam defection
is reversed and cantilever beam action is
generated. A good example of an over-
hang beam is a diving board (photo 4).
When loaded, a single-span simple
beam and a single-span cantilever beam
defect into a single curvature shape be-
tween their supports. Te simple beam
curve exhibits sag between the supports
(the smile shape); the cantilever beam
sags at the unsupported end. An overhang
beam has at least two curvatures. (If there
is overhang beyond both supports, there
will be a cantilever on both ends.) Te
frst is the simple-beam sag between the
supports; the second is the cantilever sag
at the unsupported end.
Overhang cantilevers (Photo 5) are
much more common in building con-
struction than true single-span, sin-
gle-connection cantilevers. A double-
overhang beam is simply a beam with
overhangs at both ends, such as a class-
room tabletop that extends at both ends
beyond the legs. (If the tabletop termi-
nates at the legs, it is a simple beam.)
6. Suspended beam At frst glance,
a suspended beam looks like a cantilever:
a single-span with one end supported and
FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP
>>>
Photo 3. Rack storage and true cantilever beams.
Figure 4. First-class lever (cantilever).
Photo 4. A diving board is an example of an overhang beam. Photo 5. Building construction overhang beams.
August 2010 www.Firehouse.com Firehouse

89
restrained. Te key diference is at the un-
supported end. Rather than hang free like
a cantilever, it is supported by a member in
tension. Tis member is ofen a hot-rolled
steel rod or a cold-drawn steel cable.
Suspension systems are the reverse of
the traditional structural hierarchy that in-
cludes beams, columns, and bearing walls.
Te traditional structural hierarchy sends
load sideways and down. A suspension
system thumbs its nose at gravity by send-
ing the load upward. However, as the say-
ing goes, what goes up must come down.
Recall that all dead load and live load must
eventually arrive at the earth as compres-
sion. At some point, the suspended load
going upward must turn sideways (usu-
ally at a girder or purlin) and be sent down
through a compressive member (column
or bearing wall).
Do not confuse a suspended beam
with the so-called suspended span. A sus-
pended span is a variant of a cantilever
bridge. With this bridge system, simple
cantilever spans are formed by two can-
tilever arms extending from opposite
sides of the span to be crossed, such as
a river. Because the cantilever arms do
not meet in the center, they support a
mid-span truss section that is sus-
pended by a connection at each end
of the cantilever arms; thus, the middle
span completes the main span. In this
case, the tension travels sideways to the
cantilever arms. (Note that the combi-
nation of anchor arm and cantilever arm
exhibits characteristics similar to the over-
hang discussed previously.)
Tere are two important strategic
considerations for structural suspension
systems: their dependence on tension and
their lack of mass. Size, rigidity and mass
are required to support a given load in
compression. Te same load supported
entirely in tension can be transferred
through a component that is slender, fex-
ible and comprised of much less mass
(material). Less mass means less resistance
to heat not just fre, but heat.
Pure compression structural com-
ponents send their load downward and
pure tension components send their load
upward (to other components that even-
tually send the load sideways and down).
Up is also where the heat from a fre goes.
Tensile structural components are the only
structural systems that send load up before
sending the load down to the earth.
Within the hierarchy of a building,
unprotected steel exposed to high heat is
not a winning combination. Hot-rolled
steel rods and reinforcing bars (rebar) re-
tain much of their strength until heated
to about 800F; cold-drawn steel cables
(and pre-stressing strands) begin to lose
strength at around 500F.
Tere can also be structural cables
on the exterior of a building. Photo 6 and
Photo 7 show a dormitory building (now
demolished) at Central Washington Uni-
versity in Ellensburg, WA. Note the un-
protected steel cables running up the face
of the building. Much like a suspension
bridge transfers the bridge deck load to
the towers, these cables transfer the live
and dead foor loads to towers on the roof.
Each foor is suspended by cables that
stretch in front of the windows and behind
the wall panels between windows.
To Be Continued
In the frst two parts of this article, we
discussed basic beam behavior and six ba-
sic beam confgurations. Next time, we will
behold (and discuss) the 12 beam types:
1. Sawn wood
2. Laminated-strand lumber (LSL)
3. Parallel-strand lumber (PSL)
4. Laminated-veneer lumber (LVL)
5. Glue laminated lumber (Glulam)
6. I-joist
7. Built-up
8. Flitch
9. Box
10. Wide-fange
11. Lite-steel (LSB)
12. Pre-stressed, pre-cast
concrete
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FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP
Figure 5. Cantilever bridge with
suspended (mid) span.
Photo 7. Steel cables in place at Central Washington University. Photo 6. A suspension building at Central Washington University.