Blog posts tagged with 'bending wide flange'

Albina Co., Inc. has the capability to bend almost any material that is mill produced.  Every material has its own unique shape and is also uniquely dimensioned.  We are frequently asked questions related to material dimensioning and sizing.  The focus of this blog will be beams, specifically wide flange and I-Beam “S shapes”.

1. How do you measure beams?
2. How is the sizing of steel beams determined?
3. How do you measure the width of a beam?
4. How do you measure the depth of a beam?
5. What is the difference between the web and the flange of a beam?

See the AISC Structural Steel Dimensioning Tool for detailing dimensions of all rolled sections. 

Beams come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most common beams produced are Wide Flange and I-Beam “S shapes”.  These two materials are shaped differently but have most of the same dimensioning characteristics.

Flanges vs. Web.  Every beam will have two flanges and one web.  The flanges make-up the outside faces of the beam, while the web is the material connecting the two flanges.

The width of a beam is the dimension / length of the flange.

The depth of a beam is the outside-to-outside dimension / distance between the flanges. 

Web thickness is the thickness of material of the Web material.

Flange thickness is the thickness of material of the Flange material.

The biggest difference between I-Beam and Wide Flange is the flange thickness.  Wide Flange has a consistent flange thickness, while I-Beam does not have a consistent flange thickness, because the thickness varies over the length of the flange.  The flange thickness is thicker the closer it gets to the web.

Albina Co., Inc. recently provided 102,000# of bent steel for the curved roof structure at the UCHealth Steadman Hawkins Clinic Denver in Englewood, Colorado. The building will serve as a rehabilitation and sports medicine center in Denver. The project's most prominant feature is the 185-ft-long, 40-ft-wide curved steel roof. The project is featured on the cover and as a feature article in of the February Issue of Modern Steel.

Albina provided the following materials for the project:

W30 X 99# A992- 2 pcs bent to a 401 ft radius the hardway

W21 X 44# A992- 2 pcs bent to a 401 ft radius the hardway

W16 X 26# A992- 36 pcs bent to a 401 ft radius the hardway

W16 X 31# A992- 2 pcs bent to a 401 ft radius the hardway

C10 X 20# A36- 2 pcs bent to a 66’-5” radius with flanges in

C10 X 20# A36- 2 pcs bent to a 51’-7” radius with flanges out

C12 X 20.7# A36- 12 pcs bent to a 401 ft radius the hardway

Photo Credit: Linda Ulery

The Awards just keep on coming! The National Steel Bridge Alliance has awarded the Williams Creek Shoup Bridge in Salem, Idaho a Merit Award in the Medium Span bridges category. Albina was happy to be a part of the project and provided 145,000# of bent structural steel and HSS including:

W18 X 234# A992
4 lengths x 100 ft- bent the easy way to a 179 ft radius
2 lengths x 75 ft- bent the easy way to a 179 ft radius

TS 8" X 8" X .375" WALL A500 GR B
8 lengths x 53 ft: bent to a 304 ft radius.

Photo Credit: Don Perkins (Photos 2 & 3)

The AISC website has detailed information about the project, the design, the construction, erection, and more.

The Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association operates USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. It is the most visited submarine museum in the world. The museum aims to educate the public and honor veterans in a way that does justice to the brave men and women of the Silent Service. The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park is undergoing a major improvement project and renaming itself The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum at Pearl Harbor. In the video you can see one of the submarines in the bay. The ring resembles the hull of a submarine and will be featured as visitors enter the park. For more information and project renderings, click here. Albina bent the following materials for the project:

22,000# of rolled steel:
3 x 40 ft: TS 12" X 6" X .625" WALL A500 GR B. Net 3 pcs rolled the Easy Way to a 21 ft radius.
2 x 35 ft: TS 10" X 4" X .375" WALL A500 GR B. Net 2 pcs rolled the Easy Way to a 42 ft radius.
TS 12" X 4" X .375" WALL A500 GR B. Net 18 pcs rolled. Some rolled the Hard way and others rolled the Easy way. Radii ranging from 13 ft to 231 ft.
TS 10" X 6" X .375" WALL A500 GR B. Net 3 pcs rolled the Easy Way to a 24 ft radius.
W14 X 34# A992. Net 2 pcs rolled the Easy Way to a 24 ft radius.
4" X 4" X 3/8" ANGLE A36. Net 4 pcs rolled the Leg Out to a 24 ft radius.

Check back soon for final installation pictures! They are going to be spectacular!

Photo Credit: @haleyhillphotography

One of Southern California's iconic, flagship waterfront restaurant sites - 1360 North Harbor Drive along the North Embarcadero, is getting a facelift! The Port of San Diego and The Brigantine, Inc. began construction in July 2018 to redevelop Portside Pier including introducing four new dining concepts and enhancing the panoramic views of San Diego Bay for daily visitors. Albina Co., Inc. provided 60,000 pounds of various bent materials for the unique curved roof structure as well as for a signature spiral staircase that leads from the dock to the second floor public walkway and viewing deck.
Materials bent by Albina Co., Inc. included:
TS 14" X 6" X .500" WALL A500 GR B (6 pieces spiral bent the easy way as tight as a 17 ft plan view radius, 4 pieces bent the easy way as tight as a 17 ft inside radius.)
TS 12" X 6" X .500" WALL A500 GR B (8 pieces bent the easy way as tight as a 2’ 7” outside radius, 8 pieces spiral bent the easy way as tight as a 2’ 7” plan view radius.)
TS 8" X 8" X .500" WALL A500 GR B (84 pieces bent to various radii and configurations.)
TS 18" X 6" X .375" WALL A500 GR B (4 pcs bent the hard way.)
W10 X 12# A992 (9 pcs bent the hard way.)
W18 X 35# A992 (15 pcs bent the hard way.)
W16 X 26# A992 (2 pcs bent the hard way.)
W14 X 22# A992 (13 pcs bent the hard way.) Photo Credit: Encore Steel

“In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.” -Nigerian Proverb
We are choosing build bridges, figuratively and literally.
Today’s Infrastructure Highlight: Curved Steel for Bridges

Albina bent 40,000# of steel for the Freyer-Newman Center, home to Denvers’ Botanical Gardens. Albina bent 60 pieces of W8 X 31# A992 the hard way to a full scale layout. We also bent Tube Steel 8" X 6" X .500" WALL A500 GR B the hard way and MC8 X 20# A36 the hard way. The Freyer - Newman Center is a LEED GOLD building, designed by Denver’s Davis Partnership Architects. The Center will house six classrooms; four galleries; new herbaria for vascular plants, mushrooms and slime molds; laboratories; a new library and a coffee shop, and is slated for completion this spring. Final install pictures coming soon!

Albina provided 109,000# of bent steel for the Eli Lilly San Diego Biotech Center in La Jolla, CA. Eli Lilly doubled the size of its research facility to 300,000 square feet during this project. Materials included: 8″ X 8″ X 5/8″ ANGLE A36- half of the parts rolled leg in and half of the parts rolled leg out. Tube Steel 8″ X 8″ X .500″ WALL A500 GR B 8 5/8″ OD X .625″ WALL A500B Wide Flange W16 X 57# A992- Split into WT8 and rolled some parts stem in and rolled some parts stem out. Wide Flange W24 X 103# A992- DOUBLE split to a finished height of 8¼” tall. Albina then rolled some parts stem in and other stem out.

One of Southern California's iconic, flagship waterfront restaurant sites - 1360 North Harbor Drive along the North Embarcadero, is getting a facelift! The Port of San Diego and The Brigantine, Inc. began construction in July 2018 to redevelop Portside Pier including introducing four new dining concepts and enhancing the panoramic views of San Diego Bay for daily visitors. Albina Co., Inc. provided 60,000 pounds of various bent materials for the unique curved roof structure as well as for two signature spiral staircases that leads from the dock to the second floor public walkway and viewing deck.

Materials bent by Albina Co., Inc. included:
TS 14" X 6" X .500" WALL A500 GR B (6 pieces spiral bent the easy way as tight as a 17 ft plan view radius, 4 pieces bent the easy way as tight as a 17 ft inside radius).
TS 12" X 6" X .500" WALL A500 GR B (8 pieces bent the easy way as tight as a 2’ 7” outside radius, 8 pieces spiral bent the easy way as tight as a 2’ 7” plan view radius).
TS 8" X 8" X .500" WALL A500 GR B (84 pieces bent to various radii and configurations).
TS 18" X 6" X .375" WALL A500 GR B (4 pieces bent the hard way).
W10 X 12# A992 (9 pieces bent the hard way).
W18 X 35# A992 (15 pieces bent the hard way).
W16 X 26# A992 (2 pieces bent the hard way).
W14 X 22# A992 (13 pieces bent the hard way).

We were in Seattle this weekend and were able to get some exterior pictures of The Madison Center. The Madison Center is a 530 foot tall, 36 story high rise office building in Seattle, Washington and is featured in the June edition of Modern Steel. Albina Co., Inc. was the bender/roller on this project and worked specifically on what is being called "The Great Room" which is a 45-foot tall steel framed entryway rotunda. Albina bent many material types for this project including tube steel 8" x 6" up to 12" x 12", 3" x 3" angle, W10 and W16 wide flange, 8" pipe and more. Check out the article for some more details on the architectural feat and some great pictures. We will be heading back up to Seattle next week to get some interior shots. Stay tuned!