Blog posts tagged with 'structural steel bending'

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 recently bent 70 pieces of 2” XXH A53B ERW and 20 pieces of 2 3/8” 1018 Solid Round to various configurations for a new art installation at Cedar Sanai Hospital in LA.  We can bend all types of pipe and tubing including aluminum, stainless and carbon steel. We even bend specialty materials such as copper, zirconium and titanium. View our Capacities Chart to see the wide range of materials and sizes we work with. 

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 prominent 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 the February Issue of Modern Steel. https://lnkd.in/eDn5SbQ
Photo credit: Adam Poticha
Bent by Albina:
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

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: Campus Planning & Facilities Management University of Oregon

Do you ever find yourself stumbling over your words when people ask you what you do or to describe what your company does? My father taught me at a young age that I should always have my elevator speech ready so I could describe to someone what we do in the amount of time it takes to travel up a few stories in an elevator. Since we can't ride in elevators with anyone other than our immediate family anymore, here is a quick 30 second video of some of the amazing rolled metal projects we have been a part of!

Photo Credits:
Signature Curved Steel Sky Bridge at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact by Campus Planning and Facilities Mgmt. University of Oregon.
Portside Pier San Diego Bay CA. (Building and Staircase) by @haleyhillphotography
Barbara Walker Pedestrian Bridge along Portland's Wildwood Trail in Portland Oregon by Ed Carpenter
Circular Staircase at the "Trinity Complex", home to American Airlines Headquarters in Fort Worth, TX by Viva Railings LLC
Hayward Field Stadium Roof and Tower by Oregon Track & Field
Williams Creek Shoup Bridge in Salem, Idaho by Linda Ulery

What’s Cool In Steel? Modern Steel presents tons of fun projects showcasing the use of cool steel in the December Issue, including the Barbara Walker Pedestrian Bridge along Portland’s Wildwood Trail. The Barbara Walker Crossing Footbridge is a two time CODA Award Winner. The bridge, designed by local artist, Ed Carpenter, is 178’ long measured at the center of its curving deck. Its basic structure is a tri-chord truss of rusting and painted steel. Carpenter’s design evokes imagery of the sword ferns and vine maples lining the entire length of the Wildwood Trail. This project is a collaborative effort of the Portland Parks Foundation in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R), the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), and Metro. Albina Co., Inc. bent 3½” SCH80 A847 and 5″ SCH40 A847 all rolled to various radii, as well as 1″ SCH40 A53B, 1½” SCH40 A53B, 1½” SCH80 A53B all rolled to various radii. (Photo Credit: Ed Carpenter).

A recent issue of O & M Metal Fabricator Magazine, produced by NOMMA, features a case study written by Jeff Fogel with input from key members of the Albina Team, on the great spiraling feat it took to create the spectacular spiral staircase at the American Airlines Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

We spiral bent Tube Steel 16″ X 16″ X .625″ WALL A500 GR B bent down to a an 18 foot radius, using our induction heating process to create the spiral stringers for the staircase. In addition to the 16″ square, we produced another set of spiral stringers consisting of Tube Steel 14″ x 6″ x .625″ wall REALLY tight, exposed and bent to a 5′-6″ radius on a 45° pitch. These are the type of bends that ONLY Albina can do! The 1.7 million-square-foot complex, dubbed the “Trinity complex,” consists of four seven-story buildings. It cost nearly $300 million to build and houses over 6,500 employees. There were 10 tower cranes on the project and more than 1,000 construction workers on-site during the peak of the project. Viva Railings LLC (Photo credit & Glass/Railing Fabricator). Read “Daunting Curves Ahead"

The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Science in Lubbock, Texas is a 220,000 square foot state-of-the-art campus featuring two theaters, event space, a full-service bistro and a ballet academy under one roof. Albina bent various materials for the signature spiral staircase in the Christine DeVitt Lobby. See LINK IN OUR BIO to get a sneak peek inside!

TS 16" X 8" X .625" WALL A500 GR C
16 pcs: Spiral bend the easy way
Bent down to a 7 ft plan view radius.

TS 10" X 6" X .625" WALL A500 GR C
10 pcs: Spiral bend the hard way
Bend down to a 14' 11" plan view radius.

Photo Credit: Univeristy of Oregon Track and Field.

Two major construction projects are just wrapping up at the University of Oregon and curved steel is at the forefront of both projects!

The Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact Sky Bridge.

Albina Co., Inc. bent 22″ OD x 1″ Wall Carbon Steel Pipe to a 105 foot center-line radius for a signature sky bridge that spans Franklin Boulevard and serves as a connector between campus and other U of O research facilities. The $225 million, 160,000-square-foot first phase opened in the Spring of 2020. Click on the link in my BIO to take a virtual tour of the building. Photo Credit: Campus Planning & Facilities Management U of O.

“The Front Runner in Steel Bending. We Tower Above the Rest” We were thrilled to be an integral part of reconstructing Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Hayward Field is the world-class home to @OregonTF.

Albina created the curved steel diaphragm used to support the roof structure and provided various bent materials to help construct the landmark tower at the northeast corner of the facility. Designers wanted to create a structure that was open and airy, allowing spectators to enjoy great views and natural daylight, in an intimate environment.

For the roof, we rolled 600 lengths, varying from 28’-0” to 75’-6” long, of 14" OD X .375" / .500 WALL A500-18 GRADE B&C. That is 1,500,000# lot weight (750 tons) of rolled steel, 32 inbound trucks and 90 outbound trucks. The 14” OD material was laid over the top of the plate that we bent for this project. We bent 300 lengths, varying from 3’-0” to 37’-0” long, of PLATE 1½" THICK X 16¾" WIDE A572 GR. 50 and PLATE 1½" THICK X 10" WIDE A572 GR. 50.

In addition to the iconic roof, the tower at Hayward (187 feet tall) creates a community landmark honoring the first 100 years of track and field at Oregon. We rolled 400 lengths, varying from 20’-0” to 60’-0” long, of Tube Steel 8" X 4" X .500" WALL A500 GR B, 8-5/8" OD X .625" WALL A500C WHEELED, 8-5/8" OD X .375" WALL A500C WHEELED, 8-5/8" OD X .250" WALL A500C WHEELED, and Flat Bar 3/8" X 4½" A36. That is 330,000# lot weight (165 tons) of rolled steel, 10 inbound trucks and 16 outbound trucks! Photo Credit: Oregon Track & Field.

Our work was extremely precise, and we had zero rejected parts by the fabricator, Fought & Co., Inc. When measuring the work points during fabrication, they never once had to heat up or adjust the bending. To make the erection process go smoothly, we marked every 3-4 feet on the centerline back of the pipe to assist in the layout process for the diagrid “fish-mouth” stubs, and up-stands for the roofing system.

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.