continuous steel beams vs simple span steel beams installation

[tonyiggy]

I am designing a few steel beams to support wood party and interior bearing wall. I was wondering if It is cheaper/easier to install continuous steel beams or use simple span beams with shear connections only? The span are short so my beam sizes are the same, (they are all W14x22s.)

Thanks

 

[jayrod12]

A lot depends on the capability of the crew and equipment. They would like to ship as few pieces as possible typically. 60 ft is a practical maximum to ship on a standard flat deck.

 

[tonyiggy]

Thanks

 

[dik]

I generally use continuous construction where ever I can... It's usually cheaper, members are smaller and lighter, fewer pieces to handle, connections generally easier, and structure is stiffer.

Also try for members less than 18m or can use 60'. Material often comes from the rolling mill in that length. Location of splice points for drainage can be a bit of an issue sometimes. While you're at it... you might look into plastic design for added savings... been doing that for 50 years.

Dik

 

[XR250]

What the others said. Might also consider the site accessibility. Sometimes longer members cannot be transported there. I run into this a lot in residential where curvy driveways preclude a large truck or crane.

 

[KootK]

In a wood building, I break the other way and prefer simple spans for a few reasons:

1) Little real material cost savings in my opinion.

2) The crews that frame wood generally don't like to handle large/heavy pieces of steel.

3) It's hard enough to convincingly LTB brace the top flanges in wood. I don't want to have to mess around with LTB bracing the bottom flange too. The continuous beam over column connection tends to produce a very critical stability condition that has caused plenty of issues in the past when not properly braced. So I'd prefer to forgo it altogether. Additionally, if your bottom flange bracing ends up being anything other then incoming framing packed tight to the beam, the cost of installing the bracing may well outweigh any savings from a lighter beam section. And, if your LTB bracing is wood material in some fashion, it's worth noting that owners generally feel at liberty to modify wood framing at will in the future.

 

[johnie134]

Continuous easier, goes on top.