Modeling Considerations

There are three different cross-sectional styles of structural members. The first is the American Standard style, which has tapered flanges, and rounded edges. The second style is the Aluminum Association, which has straight flanges which are thicker than the web, and rounded interior corners. The third style is Sharp Corner, which has flanges and webs which are uniformly thick, and sharp corners with nearly invisible radii. (See Figure 4.10.)

Figure 4.10: Cross-Section Styles of Structural Members

The American Standard beam is available in only five sizes from Ryerson, while the Aluminum Association beam style is available in 14 sizes. It was decided to attempt to create both of these styles of beams using one model. Figure 4.11 shows the outline of the beam, with all of the relevant dimensions.

Figure 4.11: Profile of the I-beam

Last Modified: Wed Aug 28 14:41:29 EDT 1996