Comments by "Paul Frederick" (@1pcfred) on "Why Are I-Beams Shaped Like An I?" video.

  1. I beams sort of went out of style about 100 years ago. We use H beams now.
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  2. Nillie I beams and H beams are about a similar as rectangles and squares are. Which is to say vaguely, but they're different. I beams are taller, and skinnier in cross section than H beams. Though people that don't know call H beams I beams. Which is most everyone.
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  3. Nillie beam dimensions are not relative, they are fixed.
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  4. Nillie folks that deal with structural steel are not thinking in terms of geometry. More like beer, and motorcycles. But they will laugh at rookies calling H beams I beams.
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  5. Nillie you can now that you're aware such exists.
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  6. Nillie The parallel sections are longer. They probably lacked the tech long ago to draw metal so far. I beams were easier for them to make.
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  7. Nillie Not if the middle section is the same size. I beams and H beams are still measured for size the same way. Lengthwise along the web.
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  8. Quaycomayne You use what everyone else uses. Unless you have your own steel mill. All I know is I only ever see I beams in really ancient buildings. All new construction uses H beams. I collect structural steel too. I got a couple light weight 6" beams. a heavy 5", some 2" I don't have any I beams. I don't even know if I'd want any. Steel was pretty crappy way back when. Which is another reason why they couldn't roll out H beams back in the day.
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  9. Quaycomayne if you can put it all on one line of an order then it makes perfect sense. Money is no object on commercial jobs where we use steel. Though the most expensive project I ever worked on they didn't use steel. They used custom made concrete trusses. That building had to withstand a nuclear strike. They were worried that steel might fail. They have  lot of bad ju-ju in that building, that they don't want to get out. Worse than fallout!
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  10. Michael Prouty would you mind telling me what you are on about?
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  11. Ana The Fat Shamer yeah I'm a vested union idiot. How's them for years?
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  12. William Snyder I beam is the common term, but as your litany just pointed out it is not really an accurate description of the many types of profiles available. It is not even the common type in use today either. Which was my original point. Today we use H beams. Which according to the manual are apparently really W shape? Though I've never heard of a steel beam referred to as a W on a job site. Really, they're just called beams, or columns, depending on how they're laid.
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  13. William Snyder The fact remains the I beam profile went out of fashion a long time ago now.
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  14. Ana The Fat Shamer I gave up shoveling a long time ago now.
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