FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP

>>>

By MARK EMERY

Behold the
Beam
The Most Basic of
Structural Elements

Behold the beam, an amazing structural element that bends when loaded
but one that must not bend too much. A fallen tree spanning the banks of a
river was perhaps the first beam used by primitive man for a specific purpose:
to see whats on the other side. That fallen tree was an accidental beam.

Photo 1. Restrained beam.

MARK EMERY, EFO, is a shift battalion chief

with the Woodinville, WA, Fire & Life Safety
District. He is a graduate of the National
Fire Academys Executive Fire Officer program and an NFA instructor specialist. Emery
received a bachelor of arts degree from California State University at Long Beach and is
a partner with Fire Command Seattle LLC in
King County, WA. He is in no way affiliated
with or an advocate for the truss manufacturing or building construction industries. He
may be contacted at fci@usa.com or access
his website www.competentcommand.com.
Part 1 was published in the July 2010 issue.

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Beam Configurations

Part 2

Lets consider the six basic beam configurations that you are
likely to encounter during pre-incident planning:
1. Simple
2. Restrained
3. Continuous
4. Cantilever
5. Overhang
6. Suspended
1. Simple beam As mentioned previously, a simple beam is
a single-span beam supported but not restrained at each end.
Because its ends are not restrained, the entire length of the beam
can deflect when loaded. Due to compression and tension within
the beam, the material at each beam end is free to rotate. The beam
shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 in part one of this article (July
2010) is a single-span, simply supported beam.
When heated, an unrestrained steel beam is free to elongate,
elongation generates lateral thrust. Axial column/beam assemblies
are not designed to resist thrust. In this context, think of thrust as a lateral outward push.
2. Restrained beam At first glance, a restrained beam looks like a single-span simple
beam. However, because each end is rigidly fixed (Photo 1), it cannot move; clockwise rotation
is restrained. A restrained beam is also referred to as a fixed-end beam.
Like the column described previously, should a 40-foot unprotected steel girder be heated to
1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the girder will want to elongate about four-inches. If the girder is rigidly
restrained, it will not be able to elongate. The restrained steel girder will release the elongation energy by twisting (torsion). Girders support other beams (purlins and/or joists). These beams often
support the floor above or the roof. As the girder twists, these beams are compromised; loads are
transferred, axial becomes eccentric and factors of safety disappear. Heat-induced structural shifts
can produce seismic-like results.

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Photo 2. Continuous beam.
Figure 3. Simple beam-end rotation.

3. Continuous beam A single-span

beam extending over three or more supports is a continuous beam (Photo 2).
Because the single-span beam continues
over the middle support, multiple-curvature is generated. There is simple beam
sag between the supports and an upward

curve reaction as the beam passes over the

middle support.
This becomes strategically significant should a continuous beam become
a simple beam during a fire or because a
forklift accidentally backs into and buckles a column. This can happen if a middle

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August 2010

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support fails. If the middle support is a 40foot unprotected steel column that heats
to 1,000F, the column will want to elongate four inches. (Imagine the amount of
energy required to stretch a 40-foot steel
column by four inches.) If compressive
loading prevents the column from elon-

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rotate (lever) when the

When loaded, a single-span simple
cantilever is loaded.
beam and a single-span cantilever beam
Try this: Stand up and deflect into a single curvature shape beextend one arm perpendic- tween their supports. The simple beam
ular to your body. One end curve exhibits sag between the supports
of your arm is supported (the smile shape); the cantilever beam
by your shoulder assem- sags at the unsupported end. An overhang
bly and the opposite end is beam has at least two curvatures. (If there
unsupported. You have just is overhang beyond both supports, there
created an anatomic can- will be a cantilever on both ends.) The
tilever. In a cantilever, the first is the simple-beam sag between the
top portion of the beam supports; the second is the cantilever sag
lengthens; thus, the stress at the unsupported end.
is tension; the bottom porOverhang cantilevers (Photo 5) are
Photo 3. Rack storage and true cantilever beams.
tion of the beam shortens, much more common in building congating, it will release that energy by buckthus the stress is compression.
struction than true single-span, sinling (deflecting). When a column deflects
Think of cantilever beam action as gle-connection cantilevers. A double(bends), it is no longer a column; it has that of a first-class lever (like a pry
Figure 4. First-class lever (cantilever).
become a vertical beam. Beams bend, col- bar) with one fixed end.
umns dont bend.
As with all structural systems,
With the loss of the center column, the connection is the weak link. True
the continuous beam has just become a single-span cantilever beams are rare
simple beam. This means that the load in building construction.
carried by the center column has been
5. Overhang beam Overhang
transferred to the end supports. This load beam reaction produces both simple
redistribution arrives at the end supports and a cantilever beam action (or
as a dynamic impact. Can the columns or continuous and cantilever beam acbearing walls support the extra load? You tion). Between supports youve got
do not want to own this situation if you simple beam behavior (or continuare the incident commander.
ous). Instead of terminating at the sup- overhang beam is simply a beam with
4. Cantilever beam A cantilever ports, the beam extends over and beyond overhangs at both ends, such as a classbeam is also a single-span beam, but only the supports overhangs thus becom- room tabletop that extends at both ends
one end is supported. To maintain equi- ing a cantilever. As the beam extends be- beyond the legs. (If the tabletop termilibrium, the end support must be rigid yond the support, simple beam deflection nates at the legs, it is a simple beam.)
enough to resist rotation (similar to a is reversed and cantilever beam action is
6. Suspended beam At first glance,
lever). The supported end is restrained, generated. A good example of an over- a suspended beam looks like a cantilever:
which means it cannot move (thrust) or hang beam is a diving board (photo 4).
a single-span with one end supported and

Photo 4. A diving board is an example of an overhang beam.

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Photo 5. Building construction overhang beams.

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Figure 5. Cantilever bridge with

suspended (mid) span.

restrained. The key difference is at the unsupported end. Rather than hang free like
a cantilever, it is supported by a member in
tension. This member is often a hot-rolled
steel rod or a cold-drawn steel cable.
Suspension systems are the reverse of
the traditional structural hierarchy that includes beams, columns, and bearing walls.
The traditional structural hierarchy sends
load sideways and down. A suspension
system thumbs its nose at gravity by sending the load upward. However, as the saying goes, what goes up must come down.
Recall that all dead load and live load must
eventually arrive at the earth as compression. At some point, the suspended load
going upward must turn sideways (usually at a girder or purlin) and be sent down
through a compressive member (column
or bearing wall).
Do not confuse a suspended beam
with the so-called suspended span. A suspended span is a variant of a cantilever
bridge. With this bridge system, simple

cantilever spans are formed by two cantilever arms extending from opposite
sides of the span to be crossed, such as
a river. Because the cantilever arms do
not meet in the center, they support a
mid-span truss section that is suspended by a connection at each end
of the cantilever arms; thus, the middle
span completes the main span. In this
case, the tension travels sideways to the
cantilever arms. (Note that the combination of anchor arm and cantilever arm
exhibits characteristics similar to the overhang discussed previously.)
There are two important strategic
considerations for structural suspension
systems: their dependence on tension and
their lack of mass. Size, rigidity and mass
are required to support a given load in
compression. The same load supported
entirely in tension can be transferred
through a component that is slender, flexible and comprised of much less mass
(material). Less mass means less resistance
to heat not just fire, but heat.
Pure compression structural components send their load downward and
pure tension components send their load
upward (to other components that eventually send the load sideways and down).
Up is also where the heat from a fire goes.
Tensile structural components are the only
structural systems that send load up before
sending the load down to the earth.
Within the hierarchy of a building,
unprotected steel exposed to high heat is
not a winning combination. Hot-rolled

Photo 6. A suspension building at Central Washington University.

August 2010

steel rods and reinforcing bars (rebar) retain much of their strength until heated
to about 800F; cold-drawn steel cables
(and pre-stressing strands) begin to lose
strength at around 500F.
There can also be structural cables
on the exterior of a building. Photo 6 and
Photo 7 show a dormitory building (now
demolished) at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA. Note the unprotected steel cables running up the face
of the building. Much like a suspension
bridge transfers the bridge deck load to
the towers, these cables transfer the live
and dead floor loads to towers on the roof.
Each floor is suspended by cables that
stretch in front of the windows and behind
the wall panels between windows.

To Be Continued

In the first two parts of this article, we

discussed basic beam behavior and six basic beam configurations. Next time, we will
behold (and discuss) the 12 beam types:
1. Sawn wood
2. Laminated-strand lumber (LSL)
3. Parallel-strand lumber (PSL)
4. Laminated-veneer lumber (LVL)
5. Glue laminated lumber (Glulam)
6. I-joist
7. Built-up
8. Flitch
9. Box
10. Wide-flange
11. Lite-steel (LSB)
12. Pre-stressed, pre-cast
concrete

Photo 7. Steel cables in place at Central Washington University.

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