Residential Steel Beam common practice 1

[COEngineeer]

I work in Colorado. When you use steel beam (ie. W10X), what maximum or maybe comfortable to work with length do you usually specify? Sometimes I wonder if I should just continue the beam or stop it at a column and specify other smaller/bigger beam (with connection on top of the column).

 

[HouseBoy]

Let me preface this by sayinbg that I tried to post a question previously but that post seems to have been lost so i apologize if this item appears twice..

For those who like to use steel columns (only) to support steel beam:
I have found it impractical sometimes to require that the steel beam run all the way down to bearing on steel or concrete. When it is necessary to bear on wood, I design a large steel base plate (often with stiffeners) to "spread" the load out on the wood plates.
Do you have similar expereince with this condition? The steel columns have alot of capacity but if bearing on wood plates, compressoion perp to grain is a factor.
On this same note, do you find problems with differential shortening where steel columns (bearing on stel and concrete) don't shorten but bearing wood walls on wood plates and blocking etc. do shorten due to drying effects? I understand that the studs themselves don't shorten apprecialbly but when there are wood plates and joists in the column load path, the shortening can be a factor. I have seen this particularly where tile floors occur partly on an all steel support and partly on an all wood support when the different materials are in close proximity to each other.

 

[COEngineeer]

I never put my steel column on a df or hf plate. My base plate always go to either isolate pad, top of foundation or to another steel beam.

Houseguy, the only time I find it impractical is when I have a steel beam with tiny load at the support. sometime I use bent steel beam for weird roof structure or I use it for deflection due to long span. Then the load at the support is only 3 kips or less. Then I will use stud pack instead.

 

[HouseBoy]

OK but what is wrong with using a stud pack? The framers I talk to prefer to use wood studs where they can and as long as I don't have a load path or stability type problem, I don't see anything wrong with it. Is there some consideration that I'm missing?

 

[COEngineeer]

I just feel that wood can be affected by temparature, humidity so easily. Because there is a lot of load bearing on the steel beam, that means it is supporting significant part of the bouse. You want to make sure the column wont settle due to load, temparature, or humidity. Also, what if they cut one stud 1/8 too long? that means the whole load is supprted by 1 stud. So one day when you have a lot of live load, the beam will settle 1/8". This is just my thoughts. I just feel more comfortable using steel column on large load.