Castellated beams refer to the type of beams which involve expanding a standard rolled

steel section in such a way that a predetermined pattern is cut on section webs and the
rolled section is cut into two halves. The two halves are joined together by welding and the
high points of the web pattern are connected together to form a castellated beam. The
castellated beams were commonly used in Europe in 1950s due to the limited ranges of the
available steel rolled section and the cheap labour cost. In terms of structural performance,
the operation of splitting and expanding the rolled steel sections helps to increase the
section modulus of the beams.
Moreover, it is versatile for its high strength to weight ratio so that lighter section can be
designed with subsequent cost saving in foundation.
Castellated beams have a deeper section than a comparable solid beam, which has a greater
resistance to deflection. They are therefore most often used in long span applications with
light or moderate loadings, particularly roofs. Since the weight of steel has not changed, the
structural efficiency of the section in bending has been increased. A further advantage of
castellated beams is the holes in the web which provide a route for services.

Plate girder
A beam built up of steel plates and shapes which may be welded or bolted together to form a deep beam
larger than can be produced by a rolling mill (see illustration). As such, it is capable of supporting greater
loads on longer spans. The typical welded plate girder consists of flange plates welded to a deep web
plate. A bolted configuration consists of flanges built of angles and cover plates bolted to the web plate.
Both types may have vertical stiffeners connected to the web plate, and both may have additional cover
plates on the flanges to increase the load capacity of the member. Box girders consist of common flanges
connected to two web plates, forming a closed section.
In general, the depth of plate girders is one-tenth to one-twelfth of the span length, varying slightly for
heavier or lighter loads. On occasion, the depth may be controlled by architectural considerations.
Stiffeners, plates or angles, may be attached to the girder web by welding or bolting to increase the
buckling resistance of the web. Stiffeners are also required to transfer the concentrated forces of applied
loads and reactions to the web without producing local buckling.
Splices are required for webs and flanges when full lengths of plates are not available from the mills or
when shorter lengths are more readily fabricated. Splices provide the necessary continuity required in the
web and flanges.

Vierendeel girders
Trusses can have a rectangular configuration, avoiding the potential intrusion of diagonal members, if the joints are
rigid.
Because deep trusses are particularly efficient for long spans they are sometimes designed to be a full storey-height
deep, the top boom being within the upper floor zone and the lower floor zone incorporating the bottom boom.
However because of fenestration, some or all of the diagonal truss members may be undesirable. If they are omitted
the resulting "truss" is effectively a series of rectangles and if the joints were pinned it would collapse. However, if the
shear forces are accommodated by making the joints between members stiff enough the structural integrity is
retained.

Such trusses are called Vierendeel girders, and the members are subject to bending.
In this case individual members become subject to bending moments and shear force in addition to direct tension or
compression. These types of structure are called Vierendeel after the professor whose experimental work still forms
the basis of their design.
The joints may be heavy, but the absence of diagonals makes this form suitable for storey-height construction.
Using standard computer programs, the analysis is not difficult, but the resulting joints are often very heavy in
appearance. However the system does allow full storey-height construction without obstruction to openings. Clearly in
this situation the verticals would be at column positions. It is common to see this type of truss in the walkways, for
instance at airports. This is because the height available relative to the span reduces the boom forces and moments
and eases the problem of forming the joints.
Trusses, particularly Vierendeel girders, can be used vertically (to resist horizontal loads).
While the descriptions so far have concentrated on the truss spanning horizontally, it is by no means necessary and
often (particularly with Vierendeels) the truss spans vertically.
What are the characteristics of Vierendeel
girder?
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The Vierendeel girder design is sometimes adopted in the design of footbridges. In
traditional truss design, triangular shape of truss is normally used because the shape cannot
be changed without altering the length of its members. By applying loads only to the joints
of trusses, the members of truss are only subjected to a uniform tensile or compressive
stress across their cross sections because their lines of action pass through a common
hinged joint.
The Vierendeel truss/girder is characterized by having only vertical members between the
top and bottom chords and is a statically indeterminate structure. Hence, bending, shear
and axial capacity of these members contribute to the resistance to external loads. The use
of this girder enables the footbridge to span larger distances and present an attractive
outlook. However, it suffers from the drawback that the distribution of stresses is more
complicated than normal truss structures