Convert glulam beam to steel beam

[crazytok]

If I have a glulam beam that is 225x90, what would it correspond to in an IPE/HEA beam?

 

[Timmermannen77]

It is generally possible to reduce the height by half when going from glulam to steel.

 

[a_w]

It will be just over a HEA100 or an IPE100. Maybe you can even go down to an IPE80.

 

[a_w]

It will be just over an HEA100 or an IPE100. Maybe you can even go down to an IPE80.

assuming, steel S355

 

[scorp1on]

It's not just about reducing the dimension. You also need to check the steel beam. For example, an IPE beam is prone to lateral-torsional buckling (instability phenomenon).

 

[a_w]

It's not just about reducing dimensions. You also need to check the steel beam. For example, an IPE beam is prone to buckling (instability phenomenon).

I can guarantee that an IPE in these small dimensions will not buckle. If you choose an IPE100 or HEA100 in S355, it will be stronger than the glulam beam regardless of its quality. I would say this applies to all failure modes (bending, shear, torsion, buckling, lateral-torsional buckling).

 

[crazytok]

Is there any way to visually identify the type of beam? I have two beams lying around at work that are going to be discarded, dimensions roughly 120x60x6000. However, I'm not sure what material the beam is...

I would like to replace the glulam beam on the carport and change from two standing posts to just one.

 

[Utsliten och utdömd]

Is there any way to visually determine what type of beam it is? I have two beams at work that are going to be discarded, dimensions are about 120x60x6000. However, I don't know what material the beam is made of...

I would like to replace the glue-laminated beam on the carport and switch from two standing columns to just one.

It's hard to say just from those measurements, it's definitely not a HEA since those are nearly square. It might be an IPE120 since the width is just over half the height, so around 63-68. It's really difficult/impossible to distinguish material class visually.

 

[a_w]

Do you roughly know how old the balk is?

 

[crazytok]

Do you know approximately how old the beam is?

8 years

Edit…
No haha! I thought you meant the glulam beam on the carport, it's 8 years. But you probably meant the steel beam… 😂 It's probably rather 2 years.

 

[a_w]

8 years

Edit…
No haha! I thought you meant the glulam beam on the carport, it's 8 years old. But you probably meant the steel beam… 😂 It's probably

Ok, it's probably S355 since it's the most common type on the Swedish market. But that's just a guess.

 

[Stefan1972]

But the question is slightly incomplete.......how long is the beam? There are probably many occasions where glulam might be a smarter choice.

 

[crazytok]

6meter

 

[scorp1on]

I can guarantee that an IPE in these small dimensions will not buckle. If you choose an IPE100 or HEA100 in S355, it will be stronger than the glulam beam regardless of its quality. I would say that applies to all failure modes (bending, shearing, twisting, buckling, lateral-torsional buckling).

How can you guarantee something like that without knowing the size of the load, how the load is applied, or the support conditions? I don't think one should recommend anything without having all the information at hand.

 

[a_w]

How can you guarantee something like that without knowing anything about the size of the load, how the load attacks, or the support conditions? I don't think anything should be recommended without having all the information at hand.

The original question concerns the cross-section, not the construction as a whole. The steel cross-section in question is stronger than the glulam beam at the cross-section level. Maybe if you start analyzing very unrealistic scenarios, the glulam beam might be better, for example, if you were to load the HEA profile with a lot of twisting so that a LOT of warping occurs.

Then, if you start removing columns and making other changes, it’s of course a new question, as you need to look at the entire construction.