I-beam

I-beam is a generic lay term for a variety of structural members with an or -shaped cross-section. Technical terms for similar items include H-beam (for universal column, UC), w-beam (for "wide flange"), universal beam (UB), rolled steel joist (RSJ), or double-T (especially in Polish, Bulgarian, Spanish, Italian and German). I-beams are typically made of structural steel and serve a wide variety of construction uses. The horizontal elements of the are called flanges, and the vertical element is known as the "web". The web resists shear forces, while the flanges resist most of the bending moment experienced by the beam. The Euler–Bernoulli beam equation shows that the I-shaped section is a very efficient form for carrying both bending and shear loads in the plane of the web. On the other hand, the cross-section has a reduced capacity in the transverse direction, and is also inefficient in carrying torsion, for which hollow structural sections are often preferred. The method of producing an I-beam, as rolled from a single piece of wrought iron, was patented by Alphonse Halbou of the company Forges de la Providence in 1849. Bethlehem Steel was a leading supplier of rolled structural steel of various cross-sections in American bridge and skyscraper work of the mid-twentieth century. Today, rolled cross-sections have been partially displaced in such work by fabricated cross-sections. There are two standard I-beam forms: Rolled I-beam, formed by hot rolling, cold rolling or extrusion (depending on material). Plate girder, formed by welding (or occasionally bolting or riveting) plates. I-beams are commonly made of structural steel but may also be formed from aluminium or other materials. A common type of I-beam is the rolled steel joist (RSJ)—sometimes incorrectly rendered as reinforced steel joist. British and European standards also specify Universal Beams (UBs) and Universal Columns (UCs). These sections have parallel flanges (shown as "W-Section" in the accompanying illustration), as opposed to the varying thickness of RSJ flanges (illustrated as "S-Section") which are seldom now rolled in the UK.