UK beam designation 2

[kmead]

Hi,
I have to design a steel beam as a favor for a relative who lives in London, but I'm not familiar with the British steel beam designations. I need the British equivalent designation of a W8x15 or a W8x18. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[valleyboy]

The link beneath shows the commonly avalable UB sections which are avaalable here in the UK. I hope there is something here that fits !

http://www.corusconstruction.com/en...ion_properties/british_standard_sections/ubs/

 

[pba]

kmead,

Please note that alterations to buildings inthe UK are cvered by the building regulations and it is likely that the local council's building control department will take an interest in any building work requiring this steel beam.

The Building Regulations would normally require a steel beam design to be conducted in accordance with UK codes of practice (BS5950 -1).

If you produce a design to a US code, make it abundantly clear what you have done so as to avoid any confusion. Also try to avoid technical terminology as this differs.

Here in the UK we don't know about Girt or Wythes or many other of your quaint Americanisms!

 

[Ussuri]

Whats a Girt? and Wythes?

 

[dik]

pba...

it's my understanding that the term "wythe" dates back to to 1200's and is English in origin... Girt is also English but is more related to horizontal apparel...

Dik

 

[pba]

Ok.

My understanding is that Wythe is a single leaf of masonry. In the UK we call this a leaf...

I'm less sure as to Girt but think it is a term relating to a horizontal wind resisting member.

Both terms have appeared in the past in Eng-Tips posts. My point was that neither term is common in the UK and use of such terms will confuse most practicing UK engineers.

It was not my intention to debate the origin of such words as that has no purpose within these posts.

Ussuri, I believe that you are a practicing UK engineer - Do you support my comments above?

 

[Ussuri]

pba, I would agree with you statement. I have never come across either of those terms during my day to day work. I checked my Illustrated Dictionary of Building but they don't list anything either

I can quite believe they came from old english, but they are certainly not used today. It is entirely feasible that the words were carried across to the US in the 1700's, their usage died out here, but continued in America.

That said I might use wythe sometime to confuse some of my colleagues for a laugh.

 

[kmead]

Thank you all for your help.
pba, I have since obtained a copy of the British code online and have sized a beam which the building official is checking at the present time. Also, thanks for the terminology lesson, it's very interesting

 

[dik]

wythe is common today... A masonry veneer wall may have an outer wythe (facing brick) and an inner wythe (main CMU wall). Many old homes in England may be constructed of 3 thickneses of brick, ie. a 3 wythe wall).

A girt is in common useage also. Typical pre-engineered buildings have horizontal girts spanning horizontally from frame to frame in order to support the exterior cladding.

Dik

 

[pba]

Thanks dik,

So a girt takes vertical as well as horizontal loads?

Yes some old masonry walls in UK may be three separate leaves. It is more common to see solid walls rather than separate leaves (or wythes)often with rubble infill...

Does anyone else know of other engineering related differences in language?

kmead - Good luck with your beam design!

 

[dik]

For pre-eng bldgs, 'girts' supporting vertical loads are called purlins...

Dik

 

[apsix]

Girts are commonly known as side rails in the UK.