Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cambered Steel
Beams
Jay W. Larson
Author
Summary
Author
Robert K. Huzzard
13-1
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
by
Jay W. Larson, P.E. and Robert K. Huzzard, P.E,
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
INTRODUCTION
1)
2)
3)
4)
13-3
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
Shoring
The true cost of shoring is difficult to quantify. The
labor and material costs for installing shoring can probably
be accurately estimated. However, it is impossible to
determine the added expense caused by the shoring's
interference with subsequent operations such as
fire protection and mechanical systems installation.
The use of shoring has another drawback. When the shores
are removed the floor system will deflect under its own
weight. This will cause a sag in a slab that was initially
level and probably a crack to form over the girders
supporting the filler beams. For this reason crack control
slab reinforcement should be used over girders [1].
Cambering
Cambering provides an initial curvature about a member's
2003 by
AmericanaInstitute
of Steel Construction,
Inc. All rights
reserved.
strong
axis so
that
desired
profile
results.
Beams can be
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
cambered to accommodate part of the dead load deflection,
the full dead load deflection, or the dead load deflection
plus part of the live load deflection.
13-4
80 psf
46
5
20
10
psf
psf
psf
psf
Results
The savings due to cambering alone is the difference between
the least cost cambered scheme and the least cost scheme
with no camber. The savings due to high-strength steel
alone is the difference between the uncambered A572 Grade 50
and A36 schemes.
The most economical scheme for each case utilized camber and
high-strength steel. Further, high-strength steel usually
reduced member sizes permitting a savings in depth of 3".
The results of the steel beam cost comparisons are
summarized in the following table.
STEEL BEAM COST COMPARISONS
Case
Savings due
to Camber
$/ft ($/sf)
Savings due
to H.S.Steel
$/ft ($/sf)
Overall
Savings
$/ft ($/sf)
Description
30'-0 beam
@10'-0 o.c.
0.22 (0.022)
1.43 (0.143)
1.65 (0.165)
38'-0 beam
@10'-0 o.c.
0.49 (0.049)
1.21 (0.121)
1.70 (0.170)
45'-0 beam
@10'-0 o.c.
0.45 (0.045)
1.76 (0.176)
2.21 (0.221)
1.86 (0.062)
2.91 (0.097)
Shoring vs Cambering
0.128 $/sf
13-6
Limitations
Gag camber requires the development of large inelastic
strains. Beyond a certain point, local buckling of the
member can occur. Therefore, the maximum amount of camber
that can be put into a member is limited and is dependent on
the particular cross section, length and material grade.
There may also be equipment limitations by the producer.
The minimum amount of camber is generally a practical
consideration and is mainly dependent on economics.
MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM INDUCED CAMBER
Specified Length of Beam, Ft
Sections Nominal Depth
In.
Over 30
Over 42
Over 52
Over 65
Over 85
to 42, incl. to 52, incl. to 65, incl. to 85, incl. to 100, incl.
Max. and Min. Camber Acceptable, In.
1 to 2,
incl.
1 to 3,
incl.
2 to 4,
incl.
3 to 5,
incl.
3 to 6,
incl.
to 2,
1 to 3,
incl.
2 to 4,
incl.
2 to 5,
incl.
Inquire
incl.
13-7
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
For this situation only the weight of the beam itself, the
metal deck, and the wet concrete should be used in the
calculation of the dead load deflection. Additional items,
such as partitions, mechanicals, ceiling and any live load
should be excluded.
13-8
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
Tolerances
There most likely will be additional camber induced at the
mill to assure that it is within tolerance. This could be
as much as 1/2" !
Losses
Although the AISC states that "75% is likely to remain",
there is no guarantee that some mill camber will be "lost"
during shipment, fabrication, and erection. Anticipating
this loss could be a mistake since excess camber may result.
End Restraint
Connections on the beams provide some degree of end
restraint. Therefore, the full calculated dead load
deflection will probably not occur.
Determining the exact dead load deflection is probably not
possible or practical for each member and end condition
within a project. Many engineers reportedly specify camber
amounts in the range of 2/3 to 3/4 of the calculated, simple
span dead load deflection to account for end restraint.
The "More is Better" Syndrome
13-9
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
The girders were 30'-0 simple span W24x55#, A572 Grade 50,
members supporting 30'-0 simple span filler beams spaced at
10'-0. The filler beams were 30'-0 span W16x31#, A572
Grade, members spaced at 10'-0. The floor slab consisted of
18 gage 2" composite steel deck with 3-1/2" 115 pcf concrete
topping.
Measurements of actual camber were taken:
1) immediately after cambering at the mill,
2) after shipment and unloading at the fabrication
shop, but prior to fabrication,
3) after shipment, unloading and erection at the job
site with composite steel deck and shear studs
erected, but prior to placement of the concrete
slab,
4) after the placement of the concrete slab but prior
to any additional dead or live loading.
At the mill and fabrication shop measurements were made with
a string line and foot rule, and were taken to the nearest
1/16". In the field, measurements on the erected members
were made using a surveying level and rod, and were taken to
the nearest 0.005'. Table 5 shows the complete set of data.
It must be remembered that data was collected for only one
span length; 30'-0. Further investigation of other spans is
probably warranted.
Tolerances
A comparison of the desired camber and the actual camber is
made in Table 6. This shows that girders were cambered 1/4"
to 1/2" beyond the specified amount (typically 1/4").
Similarly, beams were cambered 1/8" to 5/16" beyond the
specified amount (typically 1/4").
All members were cambered within AISC tolerances.
Losses
A comparison of the expected erected camber and the actual
erected camber is made in Table 7. The expected erected
camber was determined by subtracting the calculated
deflection due to the weight of the steel members and deck
from the actual mill camber. The effect of connection end
restraint, probably less than 1/32" at this stage, was
ignored for this table.
The results indicated that girders lost from 0" to 1/4" of
camber during shipment, fabrication and erection.
Similarly, beams lost from 1/8" to 5/16".
13-10
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
13-11
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
13-13
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
SUMMARY
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
13-14
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
13-15
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
Table 1
COST COMPARISON: CASE 1
Description
$/ft
$/sf
7.41
1.00
0.78
TOTAL
9.19
0.919
7.41
1.00
1.00
TOTAL
9.41
8.37
34 studs
1.70
0.941
0.77
10.84
1.084
8.37
1.70
0.93
11.00
1.100
camber:
high-strength steel:
0.22
1.43
0.022
0.143
TOTAL
1.65
0.165
Savings:
13-16
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
Table 2
COST COMPARISON; CASE 2
$/ft
$/sf
9.98
1.42
1.05
12.45
1.245
9.98
1.42
1.54
12.94
1.294
11.88
1.34
0.93
14.15
1.415
11.88
1.34
1.32
14.54
1.454
camber:
high-strength steel:
0.49
0.049
1.21
0.121
TOTAL
1.70
Savings:
13-17
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
0.170
Table 3
COST COMPARISON; CASE 3
$/ft
$/sf
12.54
1.47
1.32
15.33
1.533
15.78
1.578
14.85
1.53
1.10
17.48
1.748
14.85
1.53
1.16
17.54
1.754
camber:
high-strength steel:
0.45
1.76
0.045
0.176
TOTAL
2.21
0.221
Savings:
13-18
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
Table 4
COST COMPARISON; CASE 4
$/ft
14.25
2.60
1.50
18.35
TOTAL
2.55
TOTAL
0.647
16.74
2.90
1.24
20.88
0.612
14.25
2.60
19.40
$/sf
0.696
16.74
2.90
1.62
21.26
0.709
camber:
high-strength steel:
1.05
1.86
0.035
0.062
TOTAL
2.91
0.097
Savings:
13-19
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
ID
Section
Span
Camber
Desired
Measured Camber
@Mill
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Erected
Final
30'-0
30'-0
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
7/8"
1-1/8"
1"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
1-1/8"
1"
3/4"
9/16"
1-1/16"
*
15/16"
3/4"
13/16"
3/4"
7/8"
5/8"
13/16"
9/16"
13/16" 11/16"
1-1/16" 15/16"
1"
5/8"
7/16"
5/16"
1/4"
0"
1/4"
5/16"
5/16"
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
1"
1"
1-1/8"
1-1/8"
1"
1-1/8"
1-1/8"
1-3/16"
1"
7/8"
15/16"
1-1/16"
1"
15/16"
1"
1-1/8"
1-1/16"
1"
1/8"
0"
3/16"
3/16"
1/8"
1/4"
1/4"
3/16"
1/8"
W24x55#
W24x55#
W24x55#
W24x55#
W24x55#
W24x55#
W24x55#
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
30'-0
W24x55#
W24x55#
W16x31#
W16x31#
W16x31#
W16x31#
W16x31#
W16x31#
W16x31#
W16x31#
W16x31#
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
@Fab
11/16"
11/16"
3/4"
13/16"
11/16"
13/16"
7/8"
3/4"
11/16"
ID
Desired
Camber
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
5/8"
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Camber
Extra
Camber
7/8"
1-1/8"
1"
7/8"
7/8"
1/4"
1/2"
3/8"
1/4"
Mill
5/8"
5/8"
7/8"
7/8"
1-1/8"
1"
1/4"
1/4"
1/4"
1/2"
3/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
7/8"
1"
1"
1-1/8"
1-1/8"
1"
1-1/8"
1-1/8"
1-3/16"
1"
1/8"
1/8"
1/4"
1/4"
1/8"
1/4"
1/4"
5/16"
1/8"
13-20
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
1/16"
*
Actual
Mill
Calc.
Deflect.
Expected
Actual
Erected
Camber
Erected
Camber
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
3/4"
7/8"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
3/4"
1"
7/8"
9/16"
3/4"
3/4"
5/8"
9/16"
11/16"
Camber
7/8"
1"
7/8"
7/8"
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
7/8"
7/8"
1-1/8"
1"
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
1"
1"
1-1/8"
1-1/8"
1"
1-1/8"
1-1/8"
1-3/16"
1"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
1/8"
7/8"
7/8"
1"
1"
7/8"
1"
1"
1-1/16"
7/8"
Camber
Loss
3/16"
1/8"
0"
1/8"
3/16"
(21%)
(13%)
(0%)
(14%)
(21%)
15/16"
5/8"
1/16" (7%)
1/16" (6%)
1/4" (25%)
11/16"
11/16"
3/4"
13/16"
11/16"
13/16"
7/8"
3/4"
11/16"
3/16" (19%)
3/16" (19%)
1/4" (22%)
3/16" (17%)
3/16" (19%)
3/16" (17%)
1/8" (11%)
5/16" (26%)
3/16" (19%)
Actual
Erected
Camber
Calc.
Deflect.
Expected
Final
Camber
Actual
Final
Camber
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
9/16"
3/4"
3/4"
5/8"
9/16"
11/16"
15/16"
5/8"
1/2"
1/2"
1/2"
1/2"
1/2"
1/2"
1/2"
1/16"
1/4"
1/4"
1/8"
1/16"
1/16"
7/16"
5/16"
1/4"
0"
3/16"
7/16"
1/8"
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
11/16"
11/16"
3/4"
13/16"
11/16"
13/16"
7/8"
3/4"
11/16"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
3/4"
1/2"
- 1/16"
- 1/16"
0"
1/16"
- 1/16"
1/16"
1/8"
0"
- 1/16"
Camber
Diff.
1/4"
5/16"
5/16"
+
+
+
+
+
0"
3/16"
1/16"
1/8"
1/16"
1/16"
1/8"
3/16"
(0%)
(+25%)
(+8%)
(+20%)
(-11%)
(+9%)
(-13%)
(+30%)
1/8"
0"
3/16"
3/16"
1/8"
1/4"
1/4"
3/16"
1/8"
+ 3/16"
+ 1/16"
+ 3/16"
+ 1/8"
+ 3/16"
+ 3/16"
+ 1/8"
+ 3/16"
+ 3/16"
(+27%)
(+9%)
(+25%)
(+15%)
(+27%)
(+23%)
(+14%)
(+25%)
(+27%)
13-21
2003 by American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication or any part thereof must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.