ENGINEERING
Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 4:07 pm
How does the shape of a steel beam affect its strenght? I.e. Lets say an I Beam VS. a Rectangular Beam
Hi,
You asked an excellent question that is rather central to civil engineering!
Here is a Wikipedia article on beams:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beam_(structure)
Here is a PDF file of a book that might help:
http://ia310907.us.archive.org/3/items/ ... wyrich.pdf
The subject area relevant to beams is mostly known as Statics, This website might give you some insight into it:
http://em-ntserver.unl.edu/
Sorry not to give you a canned concise answer, but the subject is complex. I hope this gets you started toward satisfying your curiosity. This question could turn into a great career!
Best wishes for a great project,
Barrett Tomlinson