5/12/2020

Steel Design

Design of Beams

Baraa J. Mahmood, Ph.D.

University of Mosul – College of Engineering

 Design of Beams
Beam design entails the selection of a cross‐sectional shape that will have
enough strength and that will meet serviceability requirements.

As far as strength is concerned, flexure is almost always more critical than

shear, so the usual practice is to design for flexure and then check shear.

The design process can be outlined as follows:

1. Compute the required moment strength Mu. The weight of the beam is
part of the dead load but is unknown at this point. A value may be
assumed and verified after a shape is selected, or the weight may be
ignored initially and checked after a shape has been selected. Because
the beam weight is usually a small part of the total load, if it is ignored
at the beginning of a design problem, the selected shape will usually be
satisfactory when the moment is recomputed.

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2. Select a shape that satisfies this strength requirement. This can be done
in one of two ways:
 Assume a shape, compute the available strength, and compare it with
the required strength. Revise if necessary. The trial shape can be easily
selected in only a limited number of situations.
 Use the beam design charts in Part 3 of the Manual, Tables 3‐10.

3. Check the shear strength, and

4. Check the deflection.

Example‐1:
Determine the lightest satisfactory W shape ( ) to carry a
uniform dead load of 4.0 k/ft plus the beam self‐weight and a uniform live
load of 2.75 k/ft on a simple span of 12 ft. Assume bracing is provided at
the ends only.

4 ⁄
LL=2.75  ⁄

12’

Solution:

2
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3
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Correction: Zone 3 not Zone 2, where Lb>Lr

4
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Example‐2:
Select a best W‐shape of A992 ( ) steel for the beam shown in
Figure below. The beam has full laterally support. The maximum
permissible live load deflection is L/240.

0.75 ⁄
LL=4  ⁄

30’

Solution:

10

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11

12

6
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References:
 Jack C. McCormac and Stephen F. Csernak, 2012, Structural steel
design. 5th edition.
 William T. Segui, 2012, Steel Design, 5th edition.
 J. C. Smith, 1996, Structural Steel Design LRFD Approach, 2nd
edition.
 Charles G. Salmon, John Edwin Johnson, Faris Amin Malhas,
2009, Steel Structures: Design and Behavior, 5th edition.

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