FIGURE 3.

7 Reinforcing existing beams by welding: (a) Cover plate welded to the bottom
flange; (b) cover plates welded to both flanges; (c) WT section welded to the bottom flange.

When reinforcing existing beams in this fashion, remember to examine the existing
connections and to make certain that they can carry the increased design load on the reinforced
beam. The issue of reinforcing existing connections is addressed later in this chapter.
Perhaps the biggest problem of welding to existing steel is that welding generates high
temperatures and temporarily reduces the load-carrying capacities of existing members. For this
reason, temporary shoring is often specified for members welded under load.
Example 3.2 illustrates the procedure of reinforcing an existing steel beam with a cover plate
using the load and resistance factor design (LRFD) method of design.

Example 3.2 Reinforce an existing simply supported W16 × 36 beam made of A36 steel to carry
a service dead load of 0.5 kip/ft and a service live load of 1.1 kip/ft. The beam spans 25 ft and is
fully braced by the floor.

Solution Use the LRFD method, which assumes that the total area of the steel section is
under yield stress. The tension and compression area are separated by the plastic neutral axis
(PNA). Compute:

Required Zx = 184.4 × 12/(0.9 × 36) = 68.30 (in3) > Zx = 64.0 provided

Because the beam is overstressed by only about 7 percent, try adding a bottom plate of minimal
size. For ease of welding, select a plate that is wider than the beam. Try a 3/8-in by 9-in plate.
Properties of W16 × 36 from AISC manual:

Properties of 3/8 × 9 plate:

Construct the model of the steel beam following the approach of the AISC LRFD Manual,37 p. 4-
4. Compute