Steel design
How steel beams and posts are sized, and the questions that get you a lighter, cheaper section.
About this topic
Most domestic extensions and knock-throughs hinge on a steel beam. This topic shows how an engineer arrives at a section size, what drives it up, and where a well-placed question can bring it down.
How it’s sized: Load build-up, bending, shear, deflection and lateral restraint set the section. On most domestic spans, deflection governs.
What you’ll learn at each level
1
Level 1: FoundationUnderstand the design
- How a beam carries load: bending, shear and deflection in plain terms
- Reading a section size such as 203×133×25 UB, and what each number means
- Beams, columns, channels and box sections: where each is used
- Bearings, padstones, fire protection and corrosion basics
2
Level 2: PractitionerCheck the design
- Turning roof, floor and wall loads into a load on the beam
- Bending moment and shear for a simple span, and checking a section against them
- Deflection limits, and why they often decide the size on domestic jobs
- Lateral restraint: how joists fixed to the beam can allow a lighter section
3
Level 3: AdvancedChallenge the design
- Comparing options: one long beam, beam and post, goalpost frames, flitch beams
- Connections: end plates, cleats, bolts and the limits of site welding
- Point loads and bearing onto existing masonry
- Propping and sequence for forming openings, and briefing the engineer on alternatives
Draft outline. The full syllabus is sent with your course details.
Questions that save you money
The kind of question you’ll be able to put to your engineer, and understand the answer to.
- Is the beam restrained by the floor joists? If so, can a lighter section work?
- Does the roof load really come onto this beam, or is it carried elsewhere?
- Can the beam bear on a padstone instead of needing a new steel post?
Who it’s for
Builders & contractorsArchitectsProperty investorsSurveyors & PMs
One avoided mistake pays for the course.
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