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Steel: a floor beam

A W18X40 floor beam with braces at the third points: the checks, the steps, auto-design and what the calculation leaves to you.

1:45 English captions (CC) Read the manual: Training 6: Worked calculation, steel Download (MP4)

Transcript

Steel: a floor beam.

Start

Steel types are under the Steel tab of the wizard. Pick the steel beam, then pick the section, the span condition and the bracing, as pictures.

The inputs

Here is a floor beam. A W18X40 in A992 steel, spanning 30 feet, with a dead load of 0.5 and a live load of 0.7 kips per foot, plus its self-weight. Braces at the third points hold the compression flange every 10 feet.

The results

The status bar reads Adequate, and flexure governs at 0.889. Below it are the key results, and the drawings of the beam, with the shear, moment and deflection diagrams.

Reading a check

The beam needs 198.9 kip-feet of flexural strength, and has 223.7. Open the row to read every equation with its values and its clause in AISC 360-22, as you would read a hand calculation.

Auto-design

Auto-design tries other shapes against the same checks, and lists the best ones with what each one changes. It only proposes. Nothing changes until you apply it.

What it leaves to you

Know what is not in this calculation. The end connections, bearing and concentrated force checks, and the strength and stiffness of the braces, are yours to check.

Report and sheet

Then print the report, with every check, its equations and its clauses. Print the drawing sheet on your own title block, at the size you choose. Or export the same sheet as a DXF for your CAD software.

Questions? Select Support in the app, or write to us at services@ilxstudio.com.