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What is the load capicity for a 30 foot,6 1/2 inches wide,

 

Customer Question

What is the load capicity for a 30 foot,6 1/2 inches wide, 20 1/2 inches tall and 1/2 inches thick?

 



Already Tried:
The utilitychest promise of a calculater to figure this out,but no formula.

Submitted: 280 days ago.
Category: Structural Engineering
Value: $30
Status: CLOSED
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Expert:  walkereng replied 280 days ago.


walkereng :

I can help

walkereng :

Are you talking about a steel beam?

walkereng :

If so, do you know if it is 36 ksi or 50 ksi steel?

walkereng :

are you still there?

walkereng :

I am going to switch over to the Q&A format and we can continue with the e-mail process. When you come back online, just reply to this last e-mail (with my questions) to tell me you are back. Use the e-mail address you gave to JustAnswer when you signed up. You do not need to hit the "Accept" button until we are complete and you are satisfied. Thanks.

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Expert:  walkereng replied 280 days ago.

Our chat has ended, but you can still continue to ask me questions here until you are satisfied with your answer. Come back to this page to view our conversation and any other new information.

What happens now?

If you haven’t already done so, please rate your answer above. Or, you can reply to me using the box below.

Customer replied 280 days ago.

answer question?

Customer replied 280 days ago.

I don't know if it is a 36 or 50ksi, it was used in a pole shed and supported


trusses for a 80 ft wide building

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Expert:  walkereng replied 280 days ago.

I will assume a 36 ksi steel beam.

The dimensions are not exact, but it is very close to a W21x50 steel beam, so I will use that.

So you have trusses resting on this 30' span beam? So is it taking half of the 80' span along this beam?

What city and state do you live in so I can look at possible snow load?

Before we get started I’d like to point out that a Professional Engineer’s standard of care typically includes a site visit to assess field conditions and get an overall understanding of the structure. This can obviously not be accomplished through the internet. The information provided here is meant for informational purposes only (general sizing and budgeting) and is based on the information provided by you. The only loads considered for this member sizing are vertical loads, no lateral loadings were considered. The information should be verified by a professional engineer who can visit the site to ensure that potentially important information has not been overlooked or omitted.

Customer replied 279 days and 23 hours ago.

I don't understand the 21 by 50 , sitting on the I side it is 6 1/2 across the top and bottom and 20 1/2 from top to bottom, the beam came from a door opening I want to use it for loft storage that is 20 ft wide and 30 ft long.

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Expert:  walkereng replied 279 days and 23 hours ago.

It is probably closer to a W21x44 which has 6.5" wide flanges on top and bottom, it is 20.625" tall and the flanges are 0.45" thick. It weighs 44 pounds per linear foot. So this is the beam I will check.

So you will have a 20' by 30' wide loft and this beam will clear span 30' across the open side?

What will you be storing in the loft?

Customer replied 279 days and 23 hours ago.

Yes thie will span 30 ft across the open side. We would like to store a collectable car at the support end and other farm parts and supplies on shelves and rows on the other areas

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Expert:  walkereng replied 279 days and 23 hours ago.

What does the car weigh? How will you get a car into a loft?

Are these going to be solid metal parts that are very heavy? Can you give me an example of what the parts are?

Customer replied 279 days and 23 hours ago.

The car is a 63 cutlass conv and wt is2440 on sticker, we live in the country, we would use our Cat fork truck with 16000 lk cap. The guess would 4000 more lbs, we want to use 14 in I joist on 16in centers and 3/4 blue o.s.b. for floor

Accepted Answer

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Expert:  walkereng replied 279 days and 21 hours ago.

I am assuming you have a W21x44 (36 ksi) steel beam spanning 30' across the open end of your 20' x 30' loft.

This beam will support 1/2 of the loft (10' width by 30' long). I assumed a Live Load of 100 pounds per square foot (psf) and a Dead Load of 15 psf. I also assumed a 2,500 pound point load (car) at the center of the 30' span steel beam.

With this loading condition, the assumed W21x44 steel beam will be stressed to approximately 95% of the allowable bending stress.

You will need to have a local engineer size your supports, detail your connections, check the load path to your foundations and also check your floor joists.

Expert TypeConsultant
Category: Structural Engineering
Pos. Feedback: 97.5 %
Accepts: 850
Answered: 7/10/2012

Experience: Over 27 years of Structural Engineering experience

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Expert:  walkereng replied 279 days and 10 hours ago.

One more thing, you need to make sure you provide solid mechanical connections between your floor joists and the 30' steel beam. This will help prevent the steel beam from moving laterally at all. Good Luck with your project!

Customer replied 279 days ago.

What size should the corner I-beam on this same project be?

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Expert:  walkereng replied 279 days ago.

What do you mean by corner beam? Do you mean posts?

Customer replied 279 days ago.

Yes I want to use a steel beam for the open corner

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Expert:  walkereng replied 279 days ago.

You can use a 3" diameter std. weight steel pipe A501 or A53 Grade B.

You will need to use a concrete footing that is 4' by 4' and 15" deep.

 
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