People often ask how to choose between I-beam and H-beam, which are similar in shape?
Many people think that I-beam is the name in China and H-beam is the name abroad. In fact, this perception is wrong. H-beam and I-beam are different in shape, as shown in the figure below:
What Is I-Beam?
I-beam is also called steel beam, and its cross-section shape is the shape of the letter "I". Its flange is similar to that of H-beam, but the web of I-beam is usually thinner than that of H-beam, and the flange is relatively narrow.
I-beam is mainly divided into ordinary I-beam, light I-beam and wide flange I-beam. According to the ratio of flange to web height, it is divided into wide, medium and narrow wide flange I-beam. The specifications of the first two are 10-60, that is, the corresponding height is 10-60cm.
At the same height, light I-beam has narrow flange, thin web and light weight. Wide flange I-beam is also called H-beam. Its cross-section is characterized by two parallel legs and no inclination on the inner side of the legs. It is an economical cross-section steel and is rolled on a four-roll universal rolling mill, so it is also called "universal I-beam". Ordinary I-beams and light I-beams have formed national standards.
As the name suggests, I-beam is a "I"-shaped cross-section steel. The inner surface of the upper and lower flanges has an inclination of generally 1:6, which makes the flange thin outside and thick inside. As a result, the cross-sectional characteristics of the I-beam on the two main planes are very different, and it is difficult to exert the strength characteristics of the steel in the application. Although thickened I-beams have also appeared in the I-beam market, the structure of the I-beam has determined its torsional performance shortcomings.
What Is H-Beam?
H-beam, is a steel with an "H"-shaped cross-section, mainly composed of two parallel flanges and a vertical web.
H-shaped steel is an economical and efficient profile with more optimized cross-sectional area distribution and more reasonable strength-to-weight ratio. It is named because its cross-section is the same as the English letter "H". Since all parts of H-shaped steel are arranged at right angles, H-shaped steel has the advantages of strong bending resistance, simple construction, cost saving and light structure weight in all directions, and has been widely used.
H-shaped steel is a widely used profile in today's steel structure buildings. It has many differences compared with I-shaped steel. First, the flange, and secondly, the inner surface of the flange has no inclination, and the upper and lower surfaces are parallel. The cross-sectional characteristics of H-shaped steel are significantly better than traditional I-shaped steel, channel steel and angle steel.
The inner sides of the two outer edges of H-shaped steel have no inclination and are straight. This makes the welding and splicing of H-shaped steel simpler than I-shaped steel, and the mechanical properties per unit weight are better, which can save a lot of materials and construction time. The cross-section of I-shaped steel is good at direct pressure and tensile resistance, but the cross-sectional size cannot resist torsion because the flange is too narrow. H-shaped steel is the opposite, and both have their own advantages and disadvantages.
How To Distinguish I-Beam And H-Beam From Their Appearance?
I-beams (I-beams) and H-beams differ significantly in appearance, mainly in their cross-sectional shapes. Here are the main differences in appearance between the two types of steel:
- I-beam (I-shaped steel): The cross-section of the I-beam is in the shape of the letter "I". Specifically, the cross section of an I-beam consists of a vertical web (middle part) and two horizontal flanges (upper and lower parts). The flanges are usually narrow and the web is thin, so the overall cross-sectional shape looks like a simplified "I".
- H-beam: The cross section of H-beam is in the shape of the letter "H", and is also composed of a web and flange. However, unlike I-beam, the flange of H-beam is wider and thicker than that of I-beam, and the web is relatively Thinner.
H-beams Vs. I-beams
What Is The Difference Between H-Beam And I-Beam?
1.Whether it is ordinary or light, the I-beam has a relatively high and narrow cross-sectional size, so the moment of inertia of the two main axes of the cross-section is quite different. Therefore, it can generally only be used directly for members that are bent in the web plane or to form a lattice load-bearing member. It is not suitable for axially compressed members or members that are bent perpendicular to the web plane, which greatly limits its application range.
2.H-beam is a high-efficiency and economical cross-sectional profile (others include cold-bent thin-walled steel, corrugated steel plates, etc.). Due to the reasonable cross-sectional shape, they can make the steel more efficient and improve the shearing capacity. Unlike ordinary I-beams, the flanges of H-beams are widened, and the inner and outer surfaces are usually parallel, which makes it easy to connect with other components with high-strength bolts. Its size constitutes a reasonable series, and the models are complete, which is convenient for design and selection (except for I-beams for crane beams).
3.The flanges of H-shaped steel are of equal thickness. There are rolled sections and combined sections composed of three plates welded together. I-shaped steel is a rolled section. Due to poor production technology, the inner edge of the flange has a slope of 1:10. The rolling of H-shaped steel is different from that of ordinary I-shaped steel, which only uses one set of horizontal rollers. Because its flange is wide and has no slope (or the slope is very small), it is necessary to add a set of vertical rollers for rolling at the same time. Therefore, its rolling process and equipment are more complicated than ordinary rolling mills. The maximum height of rolled H-shaped steel that can be produced in China is 800mm. If it exceeds this, it can only be a welded combined section.
4.The side length of I-shaped steel is small and the height is large, so it can only withstand forces in one direction.
5.The H-shaped steel groove is deep and thick, and can withstand forces in two directions.
6.With the development of steel structure buildings, only I-shaped steel is not enough. That is, thickened I-shaped steel is easy to become unstable when used for load-bearing columns.
7.I-beams can only be used for beams, while H-beams can be used for load-bearing columns of structures.
8.H-beams are an economical cross-section steel with better cross-section mechanical properties than I-beams. They are named because the shape of their cross-section is the same as the English letter "H". The flange of hot-rolled H-beams is wider than that of I-beams, has greater lateral stiffness and stronger bending resistance. Under the same specifications, the weight of H-beams is lighter than that of I-beams.
9.The flange of I-beams is a variable section, thicker near the web and thinner outside; the flange of H-beams is a uniform section.
10.HW, HM, and HN are the general names for H-beams. H-beams are welded; HW, HM, and HN are hot-rolled.
11.HW is an H-beam with basically equal height and flange width; it is mainly used for steel core columns in reinforced concrete frame structure columns, also known as rigid steel columns; it is mainly used for columns in steel structures.
12.HM is the ratio of H-beam height to flange width of approximately 1.33~1.75; mainly used in steel structures: used as steel frame columns, and used as frame beams in frame structures that bear dynamic loads. For example: equipment platforms.
13.HN is the ratio of H-beam height to flange width greater than or equal to 2, mainly used for beams; the use of I-beams is equivalent to HN-beams.
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