 Values of Cb for Common Cases of Beam

Loadings and Lateral Support

Sample Problem
1. Determine Cb for a uniformly loaded, simply
supported W-shape with lateral support at its ends
only

• Solution: Because of symmetry, the max. moment

is at midspan
BENDING STRENGTH OF NONCOMPACT
SHAPES
 Most standard W, M, S and C shapes are compact.
Few are noncompact because of the flange width-
thickness ratio but none are slender
 In general, a noncompact beam may fail by:
1. Lateral Torsional Buckling (LTB)
2. Flange Local Buckling (FLB)
3. Web Local Buckling (WLB)
(elastically or inelastically)
SUMMARY OF MOMENT STRENGTHS FOR
COMPACT AND NONCOMPACT SHAPES
 Most standard W, M, S and C shapes are compact.
Few are noncompact because of the flange width-
thickness ratio but none are slender
 In general, a noncompact beam may fail by:
1. Lateral Torsional Buckling (LTB)
2. Flange Local Buckling (FLB)
3. Web Local Buckling (WLB)
(elastically or inelastically)
1. Determine whether the shape is compact
2. If the shape is compact, check for LTB as follows:
where:
3. If the shape is noncompact because of the flange,
the nominal strength will be the smaller of the
strengths corresponding to FLB or LTB
a. Flange Local Buckling
Sample Problem
1. A simply supported beam with a span length of 45ft
is laterally supported only at its ends and is
subjected to the following service loads:
Dead Load = 400 lb/ft (incl. the weight of the beam)
Live Load = 1000 lb/ft
If Fy = 50 ksi, is the W 14 x 90 adequate?
Since λp < λ < λr, this shape is noncompact. Check the
capacity based on the limit state of FLB
Check the capacity based on the limit state of LTB

Lb > Lr , therefore failure by elastic LTB

• For uniformly loaded, simply supported beam with
lateral support at the ends, Cb = 1.14
• For doubly-symmetric I-shape, c = 1.0
This is smaller than Mn based on FLB, so LTB controls
SHEAR STRENGTH
 AISC Specification Requirements for Shear
 For LRFD

 where:
Vu = maximum shear based on the controlling
combination of factored loads
ϕv = resistance factor for shear
  For ASD

 where:
Va = maximum shear based on the controlling
combination of service loads
Ωv = safety factor for shear
For all doubly and single symmetric shapes except
round HSS, ϕv = 0.90, Ωv = 1.67
 NOMINAL SHEAR STRENGTH, Vn
 The Nominal Shear Strength, Vn of unstiffened or
stiffened webs, according to the limit state of shear
yielding and shear buckling, is

 Where: Aw = area of the web = d tw

Cv = ratio of the critical web stress to shear
yield stress
 The value of Cv depends on whether the limit state is
web yielding, web inelastic buckling or web elastic
buckling

1. For webs of rolled I-shaped members with

2. For webs of all doubly symmetric shapes and
singly symmetric shapes and channels, except
round HSS
 The web buckling coefficient, kv is determined as
follows:
BEAM DEFLECTION
 In addition to being safe, a structure must be
serviceable.
 A serviceable structure is one that performs
satisfactorily, not causing any discomfort or
perceptions of unsafety for the occupants or users of
the structure
 For a beam being serviceable usually means that the
deformations, primarily the vertical sag or deflection
must be limited
 Excessive deflection is usually an indication of a very
flexible beam, which can lead to problems with vibrations.
 The deflection itself can cause problems if elements
attached to the beam can be damaged by small distortions
 In addition, users of the structure may view large
deflections negatively and wrongly assume that the
structure is unsafe
 Deflection is a serviceability limit state, not one of
strength, so deflection should always be computed with
service loads
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
then check for shear and deflection
PROCEDURE FOR DESIGN OF BEAMS
1. Compute for the required moment strength (i.e. the
factored load moment for LRFD or the allowable
moment Ma for ASD). The weight of the beam is
part of the dead load but unknown initially. A value
may be assumed and verified after the shape is
selected.
2. Select a shape that satisfies this strength
requirement. This can be done in two ways:
 a. Assume a shape, compute the available strength
and compare it with the required strength. Revise
if necessary
b. Use the beam design charts
3. Check for shear strength
4. Check for deflection
Sample Problem
1. Select the lightest standard hot-rolled W-shape of
A992 steel for a simply supported beam with span
length of 30ft. The beam has continuous lateral
support and must support a uniform service live load
of 4.5 k/ft. The maximum permissible live load
deflection is L/240.
Sample Problem
2. Select a standard hot-
rolled W-shape of A992
steel for beam shown.
The concentrated load is
a service live load, and
the uniform load is 30%
dead load and 70% live
load. Lateral bracing is
provided at the ends and
at midspan. There is no
restriction on deflection.
BEAM BEARING PLATES
 The function of the plate is to distribute a
concentrated load to the supporting material
 Two types of beam bearing plate are considered:
1. One that transmits beam reaction to a support
such as a concrete wall
2. One that transmits a load to the top flange of a
beam
 The design of the bearing plate consists of three
steps:
1. Determine the dimension N (bearing length) so
that web yielding and web crippling are prevented
• ≥ 4” for practical construction reason
• ≤ to the thickness of the wall or other support to
prevent steel from being exposed
• B x N selected in multiple of even inches
2. Determine the dimension B (bearing width) so
that the area B x N to prevent the supporting
material (usually concrete) from being crushed in
bearing (consider concrete bearing strength)
3. Determine the thickness t (multiple of 1/8”) so
that the plate has sufficient bending strength
LRFD: ASD:
Web Yielding
 Web yielding is the compressive crushing of the beam
web caused by the application of the compressive
force to the flange directly above or below the web
 This force could be an end reaction from a support or
it could be a load delivered to the top flange by a
column or another beam
 Yielding occurs when the compressive stress on a
horizontal section through the web reaches the yield
point
 If the load is assumed to distribute itself at a slope of
1:2.5 as shown the area at the support subject to
yielding is (2.5k+N) tw
 Nominal strength at the support

 Nominal strength at the interior load

For LRFD: Φ Rn ≥ Ru; Φ = 1.0

For ASD: Rn/Ω ≥ Ra; Ω = 1.5
Web Crippling
 Web crippling is the buckling of the web by the
compressive force delivered through the flange.
 For an interior load
 For a load at or near the support (no greater than half
the beam depth from the end)

For LRFD: Φ Rn ≥ Ru; Φ = 0.75

For ASD: Rn/Ω ≥ Ra; Ω = 2.0
Concrete Bearing Strength
 The material used for a beam support can be
concrete, brick or some other material, but it usually
will be concrete.
 This material must resist the bearing load applied by
the steel plate
 The nominal bearing strength specified by the AISC is
the same as that given in the ACI Code
 Nominal Strength for Bearing
 If the plate covers the full area of the support

 If the plate does not cover the full area of the support
where:
 f’c = 28-day compressive strength of concrete
 A1 = bearing area
 A2 = full area of the support
If A2 is not concentric with A1, then A2 should be taken
as the largest area that is geometrically similar to A1

For LRFD: Φc Pp ≥ Ru; Φc = 0.65

For ASD: Pp/Ωc ≥ Ra; Ωc = 2.31
Plate Thickness
 Once the length and width of
the plate has been determined,
the average bearing pressure is
treated as a uniform load on
the bottom of the plate, which
is assumed to be supported at
the top over a central width of
2k and length N as shown.
 The plate is then considered to bend about an axis
parallel to the beam span
 Thus the plate is treated as a cantilever of span length
n = (B-2k)/2 and a width of N
 For convenience, a 1-in width is considered, with a
uniform load in lb/in numerically equal to the bearing
pressure in lb/in2
 Maximum Bending Moment in the plate M = R/BN
(n)(n/2) = Rn2/(2BN)
where:
 R = beam reaction
 R/BN = average bearing stress between the plate and
the concrete
For a rectangular cross section bent about the minor
axis, the nominal moment strength Mn = Mp
Considering a unit width and depth t,
 For LRFD  For ASD
Sample Problem
1. A W18x71 beam has one of its ends supported by a
reinforced concrete wall with f’c = 3ksi. Design a
bearing plate for the beam with A36 steel, for the
service load RD = 30 kips and RL = 50 kips. The
maximum length of end bearing perpendicular to
the wall is the full wall thickness = 8 in.
Sample Problem
2. Design a beam bearing plate to distribute the
reaction of a W 21x68 with a span length of 15’-10”
center to center of supports. The total service load,
including the beam weight is 9k/ft with equal parts
dead and live load. The beam is to be supported on
reinforced concrete walls with f’c = 3500 psi. For
the beam, Fy = 50 ksi and Fy = 36 ksi for the plate.
Solution
Note: Two values
of k are given in
the table: a
decimal value,
called the design
dimensions, and a
fractional value
called detailing
dimensions
0.65(0.85)(3.5) A1 ≥ 99.73
A1 ≥ 51.57 in2
51.57
8.59 in
 2.31
55.31in2

55.31
9.22 in
BIAXIAL BENDING
 Biaxial bending occurs when a beam is subjected to a
loading condition that produces bending about both
the major (strong) axis and the minor (weak) axis
 Such a case shown where a concentrated load acts
normal to the longitudinal axis of the beam but is
inclined with respect to each of the principal axes of
the cross-section.
 For the beam shown, the load passes through the
shear center
 The shear center in that point through which the loads
must act if there is to be no twisting or torsion of the
beam
 The shear center is always located on an axis of
symmetry; thus the shear center will be at the
centroid of a cross section with two axes of symmetry
Case 1: Loads Applied Through the Shear Center
 If the loads act through the shear center, the problem
is one of simple bending in two perpendicular
directions
 The load can be resolved into rectangular
components in the x-and y-directions, each producing
bending about a different axis
 The Specification deals with the combined loading
primarily through the used of interaction formula
  If there is bending about both the x and y axes, the
interaction equation requires that the sum of the
ratios for the two effects be less than 1
Required x-axis moment strength Required y-axis moment strength ≤ 1.0
+
Available x-axis moment strength Available y-axis moment strength

 For LRFD:
 For ASD:
Weak Axis Moment Strength
 Compact Shape

 Non Compact Shape

Sample Problem

1. A W21x68 is used as simply supported beam with a

span length of 12 ft. Lateral support of the
compression flange is provided only at the ends. Loads
act through the shear center, producing moments
about the x and y axes. The service load moment
about the x axis are MDx = 48 k-ft and MLx = 144 k-ft.
Service load moments about the y axis are MDy = 6 k-
ft and MLy = 18 k-ft. If A992 steel is used, does the
beam satisfy the provisions of the AISC Specifications?
Assume that all moments are uniform over the length
of the beam.
Case 2: Loads Not Applied Through the Shear
Center
 If the loads are not applied through the shear center of
the cross-section, the result is flexure plus torsion
 Roof purlins and crane girder – members subject to this
kind of bending
 The top flange is assumed to provide the total
resistance to the horizontal component of the load
 The twisting moment Pe is resisted by a couple
consisting of equal forces acting at each flange
 As an approximation, each flange can be considered
to resist each of these forces independently
 The problem is reduced to a case of bending of two
shapes
 In each of the two situations only about one-half the
cross section is considered to be effective wrt its y-
axis
 Therefore when considering the strength of a single
flange, use half the strength of the shape
Design of Roof Purlins
 Roof purlins that are part of a sloping roof system is
subjected to biaxial bending case 2.
 The component of load normal to the roof will cause
bending about x-axis and the parallel component bends
the beam about its y-axis
 If sag rods are used, they will provide lateral support with
respect to x-axis bending and will acts as transverse
supports for y-axis bending requiring the purlin be treated
as a continuous beam
 Sample Problem
1. Using both the LRFD and ASD methods, select a W6
purlin for the roof shown. The trusses are 18ft - 6in on
center and sag rods are used at the midpoints
between trusses. Full lateral support is assumed to be
supplied from the roof above. Use 50 ksi steel and
AISC Specification. Load are as follows in terms of
lb/ft2 of roof surface:
Snow = 30 psf; estimated wt. of purlin = 3 psf
Roofing = 6 psf; wind pressure = 15 psf
 Load Combinations:
wux = 1.2D+ 1.6S + 0.8W
wuy = 1.2D+ 1.6S