Another framing technique for steel buildings is the utilization of hot-rolled wide flange beam. Structural steel members, such as wide-flange beams, have higher resistance to bending and deflection around an axis that lies in the cross-sectional plane. This ability is largely due to the geometry of the beams’ cross-section, making hot-rolled wide flange beams a prominent configuration in steel buildings.

An almost unlimited range of size or shape layouts of hot-rolled wide flange beams, are used to accommodate a wide variety of building loads and roof pitches of steel buildings.

Two distinct approaches can be utilized when choosing to use hot-rolled wide flange beams as framework for steel buildings. The first of these options is the employment of the continuous-beam approach. The core of this system is the application of more than two singular supported beams. Compared to using a continuous beam, this scheme has the advantage of having bigger bending capabilities and enhanced quality of vertical deflections.

Besides the use of more than two singular supported beams, another sufficient option is the utilization of a cantilevered steel beam. Cantilevered structural steel beam framing has been successfully used in a large number of steel buildings. With cantilevered beams, the metal fasteners become hinges that inhibit noticeable flexing motions of the beams.

Rigorous planning, precise joint engineering during the design process, and accurate installation are necessary steps to ensure that the cantilevered beam framing approach for steel buildings will succeed.

This post and the previous one would help future owners of steel buildings to have a more sound knowledge in the different framing approaches. As a result, their choice of design would fully and successfully meet their specific needs and requirements.