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Design of Beams and Other Flexural Members
AISC LRFD 3rd Edition (2001)

Jose-Miguel Albaine, M.S., P.E.


Course Outline

This course will address the basic concepts steel beam design and other flexural members based on the criteria specified in Part 16, Chapter F of the latest edition of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual of Steel Construction, Load and Resistance Factor Design, Third Edition, November, 2001, (herein referred as LRFD). There are many steel elements that can be used as beams, including rolled shapes, cold-formed shapes, and fabricated beams and trusses. The course will emphasize the design of rolled shapes, mainly I-beams (W, M, and S-shapes).

The topics included are: general requirements for flexural strength, bending stress and plastic moment, nominal flexural strength for doubly symmetric shapes and channels, compact and non-compact sections criteria, elastic and inelastic lateral-torsional buckling bent about their major axis, and shear strength of beams.

Members subjected to combined flexure and axial force, and fatigue; and members with tapered-webs, and slender web elements (plate girders) are not in the scope of this course. These members are covered in sections H1, K3, F3, and Appendix G of the LRFD.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.


Learning Objective

After completion of this course you should be able to:


Intended Audience

This course is designed to assist professional engineers, architects, building officials, designers, and professionals in related fields interested in reviewing and learning the latest specification regarding the design of rolled shapes beams using AISC LRFD 3rd Edition (2001), Part 16, Chapter F.


Course Introduction

Beams are structural elements that support principally transverse loads, and are subjected mainly to flexure, or bending. The complete design of a steel rolled-shape beam includes addressing bending strength, shear resistance, deflection, lateral support, web and flange local buckling, and support details. Design for bending is in most cases the primary concern.

There are many terms used for beams in construction, such as girders (larger beams that support smaller beams), joists (beams that are closely spaced), purlins (roof beams spanning between trusses), girts (horizontal wall beams resisting bending caused by wind on the side of industrial building), stringers (longitudinal bridge beams spanning between transverse beams), lintels (beam supporting a wall over window or door openings). Other terms such as header, trimmer, rafter, and ridge, are often used for beams in wood construction.

Course Content

The course content is in a PDF file (223 KB) Design of Beams and Other Flexural Members per AISC LRFD 3rd Edition (2001). You need to open or download this document to study this course.


Course Summary

This course has presented the basic principles related to the design of flexural members (beams) using the latest edition of the AISC, Manual of Steel Construction, Load Resistance Factor Design, 3rd Edition.

The items discussed in this course included: general requirements for flexural strength, bending stress and plastic moment, nominal flexural strength for doubly symmetric shapes and channels, compact and non-compact sections criteria, elastic and inelastic lateral-torsional buckling bent about their major axis, and shear strength of beams.

The complete design of a beam includes items such as bending strength, shear resistance, deflection, lateral support, web crippling and yielding, and support details. We have covered the major issues in the design of rolled shape beams, such as bending, shear and deflection.


References

1. American Institute of Steel Construction, Manual of Steel Construction, Load Resistance Factor Design, 3rd Edition, November 2001

2. American Society of Civil Engineers, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, ASCE 7-98

3. Charles G. Salmon and John E. Johnson, Design and Behavior of Steel Structures, 3rd Edition

4. William T. Segui, LRFD Steel Design, 3rd Edition

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

www.AISC.com
www.ASCE.com

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

Take a Quiz


DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.com or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.