Historical shapes

[strguy11]

I am looking at a building circa 1967 that some of the beams are labled 21B44.

I have looked in AISC's historical database, and this shape is not shown. I called AISC and they indicated that there might have been some manufacturer specific shapes at that time that was used. I have been doing a search and apparently there is a document called Bethlehem Steel Structural Shapes Catalog" from this era. Anyone know where to find it, or what the beam properties could be? There are a couple of other sectons like this as well.

Thanks.

 

[hokie66]

Same thing as W21x44. Several lightweight shapes were introduced at about that time, and when brought into the AISC manual, they were just called a W shape.

 

[paddingtongreen]

That was standard nomenclature back then. They were heavy "I" shapes. If you can find an AISC manual from back then, you should find it. There may have been a separate group for heavy shapes. We used to use them for trolley beams.

Back then, in the nomenclature, the beam depth came first, then the type of shape and then the weight/foot.Wide flanges were WF shapes. It was all changed to work better on the computer

Michael.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

 

[paddingtongreen]

I recognize it now you print it hokie, and yet I have a clear picture of sloped flanges. In some ways, memory being one, getting old sucks.

Michael.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

 

[hokie66]

Michael,

On this, we don't agree. We cross-posted. W21x44 is a very light shape.

 

[paddingtongreen]

No, I agree with you, I recognize the name in your post, it trumps my dimmer recollection of using it as a trolley beam

Michael.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

 

[strguy11]

Thanks. Thats kind of what i thought, but i was confused because some of the beams have a 21B44 designation, then others have a WF designation, so i wasnt sure. I called AISC and they said that it may have been a detailing convention between different detailers. I did find an old Canadian Steel Shape standard that actually has a 21B44 called out. Looking at it, and the current AISC W21x44 properties, they are extremely close.

I am going to go to the site and measure the beams, and compare them to the different tables, but just wanted more references.

 

[paddingtongreen]

strguy11, measuring has some problems, firstly there are tolerances, and in the mid seventies, there was a large scale change of shapes, some disappeared, some new ones came in and some stayed at the same weight and nominal dimensions but with slight thickness differences.

Michael.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

 

[hokie66]

There were a number of new lightweight beam shapes introduced at about that time. I remember a flyer, probably from Bethlehem, listing the properties of 12B14, 14B22, 16B26, 18B35, 21B44, etc. They were all then listed in the next Manual as W sections, or maybe WF.

 

[Bagman2524]

The "B" was a Bethlehem steel designation, I believe. Someone had posted a table of the "B" shapes on this forum a couple of years ago.