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How Do You Measure Beams?
How Do You Measure Beams?

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.

New US Air Force Academy Visitors Center Set to Open in Early 2024
New US Air Force Academy Visitors Center Set to Open in Early 2024

Albina recently rolled 36 pieces of Tube Steel 6” X 6” X .375” WALL A500 GR C to AESS standards at radii ranging from 3’-9” – 24’-4” for the United States Air Force Academy Visitors Center. The visitors center is expected to open early 2024 and the 32,000 square-foot facility will include storytelling and high-tech exhibits reflecting the Air Force and Space Force missions as well as illustrating a day in the life of a cadet at the Academy.  The Visitors Center is viewed as more than a public entrance to the Academy, it is also a gateway to Colorado Springs. Six years in the making, the new area will also feature a hotel, retail space and office space. 

Air Force Academy Visitors Center Entrance

Below are a few videos with more details on the project. 

You Tube Video

Colorado Springs Local News Channel KKTV

Why Are Circles Round?
Why Are Circles Round?

They are too cool to be square! 

Albina recently rolled some pretty cool circles! We rolled the following materials:

Plate 2” THICK X 45¾” WIDE T304 S/S. Rolled to a full circle at a 41.5” outside diameter.
Plate 2½” THICK X 50½” WIDE T304 S/S. Rolled to a full circle at a 58.5” outside diameter.

For future reference, our plate rolls have the following capacities:

*Plate: 2-1/2" plate up to 10'0" in width
*Flat Bar the Easy Way: Any thickness and size thru 4" x 22"
*section is dependent on thickness to width

2" Thick Plate rolled in a full circle

2-1/2" Plate Rolled in a Full Circle

How Much Stress Is Put on the Material When You Bend It?
How Much Stress Is Put on the Material When You Bend It?

Common questions we receive from customers have to do with the stresses put on materials during the rolling, curving, forming, and bending processes. 

  1. What stresses are put on the materials during the curving process?
  2. What is the stress, strain on the steel being bent or curved?
  3. Is the material weakened from the stress, strain during the curving process?
  4. Is there a stress, strain diagram for curved or bent steel?
  5. Is there a stress vs strain graph for curved or bent steel?

The easiest way to answer these questions is to reference the AISC Curved Member Design Guide #33.

https://www.albinaco.com/pdfs/design-guide-33.pdf

See Section 5.2 “Material Properties”

Cold bending involves inelastic straining of the member, which affects the material properties. These changes are primarily attributed to strain hardening and strain aging, which increases the yield stress, ultimate stress and hardness, and decreases the ductility and toughness. For curved members in buildings, the strains induced during the cold-bending process rarely exceed the potential strains induced in the manufacturing process of straight members.

Curved Steel Art Structures Installed at Cedar Sanai Hospital
Curved Steel Art Structures Installed at Cedar Sanai Hospital

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. 

Curved Steel Flower Stem at Cedar Sanai Hospital

Curved Steel Flower Stem at Cedar Sanai Hospital

Curved Steel Flower Stem at Cedar Sanai Hospital

Curved Steel Flower Stem at Cedar Sanai Hospital

Curved Steel Flower Stem at Cedar Sanai Hospital

Custom Jigsaw Puzzles of Recently Completed Projects Posted to Our Website
Custom Jigsaw Puzzles of Recently Completed Projects Posted to Our Website

We have added some digital jigsaw puzzles of recently completed projects to our website for your enjoyment! Puzzles will be added monthly of projects featuring curved and bent steel. Enjoy "putting together the pieces" (like our fabricators often do with our bent steel parts)!

Link to Jigsaw Puzzles

Use our Online Tools to Calculate Bending Dimensions
Use our Online Tools to Calculate Bending Dimensions

For all our customers that need assistance in calculating bending dimensions or material take-offs for bending.  Look no further than Albina’s bending calculators / Curve Calculators.  Albina’s bending calculators allow end users to calculate the following critical bending data:

  1. How to calculate the arc of a bend or curve with our Arc Calculator.
  2. How to calculate the degree of a bend or curve with our Degree Calculator.
  3. How to calculate the Mid-Ordinate (MO) / Rise of a curve or Arc with our Mid-Ordinate Calculator.
  4. How to calculate the radius of a curve with our Radius Calculator.
  5. How to calculate the ovality of a round section after bending with our Ovality Calculator.
  6. How to calculate the critical dimensions of a stair stringer with our Stair Stringer Calculator / Spiral Math Calculator.
  7. How to calculate the degree turn in plan view for a spiral staircase (spiral stringer).
  8. How to calculate the degree of pitch for a spiral staircase (spiral stringer).
  9. How to calculate the arc length for a spiral staircase (spiral stringer).
  10. How to quickly determine the amount of straight or tangent material needed to successfully bend a length of material or part.

Albina’s calculators can be found here:  https://www.albinaco.com/calculators

Albina also specializes in plate bending, not just HSS, Pipe, Tube, and Structural Steel bending.  Countless customers come to Albina for our plate rolling expertise, including bending plate into a cone configuration.  Many customers require a cone calculator.  There are many cone calculators available, but we typically use a calculator located here:  https://i-logic.com/conecalc/.  Not only will this calculator provide the end user with the critical cone dimensions, but also the cone flat pattern.

Visit Your Local Water Parks, Aqua Parks & Playgrounds This Summer to See Our Bent Steel in Action
Visit Your Local Water Parks, Aqua Parks & Playgrounds This Summer to See Our Bent Steel in Action

Happy Summer! With warmer temperatures upon us, now is the perfect time to take your family to your local aqua park or playground for some good old family fun! Albina provides steel bends for many water parks, aqua parks and playgrounds. Some material we work with includes:

Snake:  SO#183616, 183617, 182767, etc.

4" SCH40 T304 S/S- bent by Albina per customer specifications.

Flower:  SO#183613, 182769, etc.

4" SCH40 T304 S/S- bent by Albina per customer specifications.

Leaf:  SO#183614, 180906, etc.

5" SCH40 T304 S/S- bent by Albina per customer specifications.

Bending for Aqua Parks

Bending for Aqua Parks

Bending for Aqua Parks

Bending for Aqua Parks

San Diego Zoo Habitats, Bridges and Buildings Showcase Curved Steel at It's Best!
San Diego Zoo Habitats, Bridges and Buildings Showcase Curved Steel at It's Best!

We have had the pleasure of providing many bent steel pieces for some fabulous projects at the San Diego Zoo including the Hummingbird Habitat, Komodo Kingdom, the Invert Building, the ZPA Catering Building, the Food Services Building, the Raintree Restroom and many more exhibits throughout both the Children’s zoo and the main part of the zoo. 

Basher Bridge

24 lengths x 48 ft long of 16" OD x .625" wall

Some rolled to a 20 ft radius.

Some rolled to a 50 ft radius.

Some rolled to a 350 ft radius.

Basher Bridge San Diego Zoo

Basher Bridge San Diego Zoo

Hummingbird Building

7 Lengths TS 8” x 4” x .375” Wall A500 GR B rolled Hard Way on various Radii from 24’-8” down to 6’-2”

9 Lengths TS 18 x 6” x .500” Wall A500 GR B rolled Easy Way on various Radii from 30’-11” down to 6’-0”

Hummingbird Habitat San Diego Zoo

Komodo Exhibit

8 Lengths WT5 X 22.5# A992 Split from W10 x 45# Beam and rolled stem up to various Radii from 46’-2” down to 6’-2”

1 Length TS 3” x 3” x .313” Wall A500 GR B rolled to 13’-4” Radii

2 Lengths 6” OD X .500” Wall A500B rolled to various Radii

3 Lengths 6” OD X .375” Wall A500B rolled to various Radii

1 Length TS 12” x 8” x .500” Wall A500B Induction formed easy way to 4’-4” Radii

3 Lengths TS 3” x 3” x .313” Wall A500B rolled on various Radii from 13’-4” down to 5’-0”

7 Lengths TS 3” x 3” x .375” Wall A500B rolled on various Radii from 7’-10” down to 2’-3”

7 Lengths TS 8” x 4” x .375” Wall A500b rolled hard way on various Radii from 51’-6” down to 6’-8”

6 Lengths TS 18” x 6” x .500” Wall A500B rolled easy way on various Radii from 51’-4” down to 6’-6”

10 Lengths TS 6” x 6” x .500” Wall A500B rolled on various Radii from 56’-0” down to 7’-11”

10 Lengths C9 x 13.4# A36 rolled Flanges out and Flanges in on various Radii from 56’-0” down to 7’-11”

6 Lengths TS 12” x 6” x .500” Wall A500 GR B rolled hard way to various Radii from 46’-4” down to 6’-4”

10 Lengths PL ½" THICK X 12" WIDE A36 rolled hard way to various Radii from 46’-9” down to 5’-9”

Komodo Kingdom San Diego Zoo Curved Steel Roof

Invert Building

7 Lengths TS 10” x 8” x .500” Wall A500 GR B rolled Hard Way on 10’-0” Radius

1 Length C12 x 20.7# A36 rolled flanges out to 17’-1” and 11’-10” Radii

2 Lengths 4” x 4” x 3/8” Angle T304 S/S Rolled Leg in and Leg out to 7’-1” and 7’-3” Radii

1 Length 4” x 3” x 3/8” Angle T304 S/S Rolled Leg out to 3’-11” and 9’-4” Radii

Temperature Exhibit

28 Lengths 5/8” Solid Round A36 Rolled to various Radii from 70’-3” down to 3’-11”

9 Lengths TS 8” x 6” x .375” Wall A500B rolled Easy Way to various Radii from 70’-3” down to 3’-11”

9 Lengths C9 x 13.4# A36 Rolled Flanges in and Flanges out to various Radii from 70’-3” down to 3’-11”

ZPA Catering Building

3 Lengths TS 5” x 4” x .375” Wall A500 GR B rolled easy way to various Radii from 40’-7” down to 11’-7”

3 Lengths C9 x 13.4# A36 rolled flanges out to various Radii from 40’-7” down to 11’-7”

3 Lengths TS 6” x 4” x .25” Wall A500 GR B rolled easy way on various Radii from 40’-7” down to 11’-7”

Food Services Building

6 Lengths TS 6” x 4” x .250” Wall A500B rolled easy way to various Radii from 8’-0” down to 4’-10”

6 Lengths C9 x 13.4# A36 Rolled flanges in and flanges out to various Radii from 8’-0” down to 4’-10”

Raintree Restroom

8 Lengths TS 16” x 12” x .500” Wall A500B rolled hard way to 999’-4” Radii

Curved Steel Koala Exhibit San Diego Zoo

Face Painting Curved Steel Roof San Diego Zoo

San Diego Children's Zoo

San Diego Children's Zoo

San Diego Children's Zoo

San Diego Children's Zoo

Elephant Exhibit at the San Diego Zoo

Exhibit at the San Diego Zoo

Exhibit at the San Diego Zoo

Curved Steel Facades Add Modern Touch to Newly Redesigned Bridgeport Village Outdoor Mall
Curved Steel Facades Add Modern Touch to Newly Redesigned Bridgeport Village Outdoor Mall

Bridgeport Village, an upscale outdoor mall in Tigard, Oregon recently underwent a $35 million dollar modernization and now features covered seating areas, a central courtyard area with new landscaping, a performance stage, updated building facades and about 20 new storefronts. Albina Co., Inc. was instrumental in helping the developers update the storefronts and bent various materials including:


2 lengths x 40 ft: W10 X 22# A992
Albina to roll all possible from each length (the easy way) to a 40’-4” centerline radius.

4 pcs of 3” X 3” X ¼” ANGLE A36
Albina to roll all possible from each length (leg in) to a 42’-7” outside radius.

3 lengths x 20 ft: 3” X 2” X ¼” ANGLE A36
Albina to roll all possible from each length (3” Leg in) to a 59’-1” outside radius.

3 lengths x 20 ft: 6” X 4” X 5/16” ANGLE A36
Albina to roll all possible from each length (4” Leg in) to a 59’-1” outside radius.

5 lengths x 20 ft: C10 X 20# A36
Albina to roll all possible from each length (flanges out) to radii ranging from 52’-7” – 59’-1”.

3 lengths x 20 ft: 3” X 2” X ¼” ANGLE A36
Albina to roll all possible from each length (2” Leg in) to a 58’-11” outside radius.

2 lengths x 20 ft: 3” X 3” X ¼” ANGLE A36
Albina to roll all possible from each length (Leg out) to a 52’-7” inside radius.

Bridgeport Village Curved Steel Storefront

Bridgeport Village Curved Steel Storefront

Bridgeport Village Curved Steel Storefront