H-beam steel is a cost-effective and highly efficient structural profile with an optimized distribution of sectional area and an ideal strength-to-weight ratio
With all its components arranged at right angles, H-beam steel boasts strong resistance to bending, making its construction process simple, cost-effective, and resulting in lightweight structural strength in all directions
H-beam steel is also known as universal beam, wide flange I-beam, or parallel flange I-beam
Its cross-section comprises web and flange plates
H-Beam is a new type of economic steel used in construction
The section shape of H-beam is economically reasonable, with good mechanical properties
During rolling, each point on the section extends uniformly and stresses are small
Compared with ordinary I-beams, it has the advantages of large section modulus, light weight, and metal saving, which can reduce the weight of building structures by 30-40%
Moreover, because the inner and outer sides of the legs are parallel and the leg ends are right angles, the amount of welding and riveting can be reduced by 25% when assembled into components
It is commonly used in large buildings (such as factories, high-rise buildings) that require high load-bearing capacity and good section stability, as well as bridges, ships, lifting and transportation machinery, equipment foundations, supports, foundation piles, etc
H-Beam is an economically efficient sectional steel developed from I-beam with better sectional mechanical properties, especially named after its section shape being the same as the English letter “H”
Wide flange, large lateral stiffness
The two surfaces of the flange are parallel to each other, making it easy to connect, process, and install
Compared with welded I-beams, it has lower cost, higher precision, smaller residual stress, and does not require expensive welding materials and welding seam testing, saving about 30% of the cost of steel structure fabrication
Under the same section load, the hot-rolled H-steel structure is about 15%-20% lighter than traditional steel structures
Compared with concrete structures, the hot-rolled H-steel structure can increase the usage area by 6%, while reducing the self-weight of the structure by 20%-30% and reducing the internal forces of the structural design
H-beams can be processed into T-shaped steel, and honeycomb beams can be combined to form various sectional forms, which greatly meet the needs of engineering design and fabrication
H-beam is divided into two types: hot-rolled H-beam and welded H-beam (H)
Hot-rolled H-beams are further divided into three types: wide flange H-beams (HW), middle flange H-beams (HM) and narrow flange H-beams (HN)
HW has a height and flange width that are basically equal
It is mainly used as the steel core column in reinforced concrete frame structures, also known as rigid steel columns
In steel structures, it is mainly used for columns
It is mainly used in steel structures as a framework column or beam that can withstand dynamic loads, such as equipment platforms
HN has a height to flange width ratio greater than or equal to 2 and is mainly used for beams; its usage is similar to that of I-shaped steel
Narrow flange H-section steel
The width of the flange (B) in H-section steel with wide or medium flanges is equal to or greater than the height of the web (H), while the width of the flange (B) in H-section steel with narrow flanges is roughly half of the height of the web (H)
In certain instances, parallel leg channel steel and parallel flange T-shaped steel can also fall under the classification of H-section steel
Narrow flange H-section steel is commonly utilized for beams, while wide flange H-section steel is utilized for columns
Welded H-section steel
Rolled H-section steel
Large H-section steel
Medium H-section steel
Small H-section steel
Typically, H-section steel with a web height (H) exceeding 700mm is considered large, a web height between 300mm to 700mm is considered medium, and a web height less than 300mm is considered small
As mentioned earlier, H-beam is a highly efficient profile with optimized cross-sectional area distribution and a large strength-to-weight ratio
It also has many applications in machinery, petrochemicals, electricity, transportation, etc, and is commonly used in the following structures or components:
Beam and column structural components in industrial and civil building steel structures
It can be mainly used as load-bearing frame beams and column components for single-layer or multi-layer industrial and civil buildings, frame beams, columns, and floor beams for high-rise steel structure buildings, and industrial floor beams
Many foreign companies specializing in prefabricated houses also produce a large number of light steel structure buildings using H-beams as the main skeleton material
It can be used as dry pipeline supports, transport bridge supports, mine trough and mine support, as well as blast furnace body frames, beams, columns, and other components
Steel piles and support structures for underground engineering
It is mainly used for slope protection piles in deep foundation pit engineering, which are easy to construct, reliable in bearing capacity, and can be recycled many times
Special H-shaped steel (HP series) can now be produced specifically for piles, making it more convenient and reasonable to use
In addition, when horizontal and vertical slope support is required in a deep foundation pit, H-shaped steel is also a commonly used support component
As the support can be recycled and reused, there are already specialized foundation companies abroad that rent out a series of supporting and pile H-beams, making it convenient for users
For many years, H-shaped steel has been used as the basic component for beam and column supports for a large number of outdoor tank bodies, tower bodies, and pipeline support structures in the petrochemical system
In recent years, almost all of the boiler supports for dozens of thermal power plants built domestically have used imported rolled H-shaped steel as the beam and column components
Large-span steel bridge components
For large-span truss-type steel bridges, H-shaped steel is commonly used as the basic component for the rod members and bridge floor system beams and supports
However, because the rod members often require wider flanges, there are certain limitations when using rolled series H-shaped steel
In addition to the above, H-shaped steel and its split T-shaped steel are also commonly used profiles in mechanical equipment manufacturing, vehicle and shipbuilding, construction of underground railways and elevated bridges, earthquake resistance and fire prevention, temporary construction, and additional building construction
High structural strength: compared with I-beams, H-beams have a larger section modulus and can save metal by 10-15% under the same bearing conditions
Flexible and varied design styles: with the same beam height, the span of steel structures can be increased by 50% compared to concrete structures, making building layouts more flexible
Light self-weight: compared to concrete structures, steel structures have a lighter self-weight, reducing structural design internal forces and lowering foundation requirements, making construction easier and reducing costs
High structural stability: steel structures primarily made of hot-rolled H-beams are scientifically reasonable, with good plasticity and flexibility, high structural stability, and suitable for building structures that bear large vibration and impact loads
They have strong resistance to natural disasters and are particularly suitable for building structures in earthquake-prone areas
According to statistics, during catastrophic earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher worldwide, steel structures primarily made of H-beams suffered the least damage
Increased effective use of space: compared to concrete structures, steel structure column cross-sectional area is smaller, thereby increasing the effective use of building space
Reduced labor and material costs: compared to welded H-beams, steel structures made of H-beams can significantly reduce labor and material costs, reduce consumption of raw materials, energy, and labor, have low residual stress, and have good appearance and surface quality
Specifically, it produces less noise and dust than concrete when dry construction is used; reduced foundation construction reduces soil erosion and opens up ecological environments; and after the building structure’s service life ends, solid waste is minimal, and the high value of recycled steel resources can be realized
High degree of industrialized production: Steel structures primarily made of hot-rolled H-beams have a high degree of industrialized production, making it easy for mechanical manufacturing, producing high accuracy, easy installation, and easy quality assurance
Fast construction speed: Steel structures primarily made of hot-rolled H-beams have a small footprint and are suitable for all-weather construction, with little impact from weather conditions
The construction speed of steel structures made of H-beams is about 2-3 times faster than concrete structures, increasing capital turnover and lowering financial costs, thereby saving investment
The cross-sectional dimensions of the I-beam are relatively high and narrow, resulting in a large difference in the moments of inertia of the two main flanges of the section
It is not suitable for axial compression members or components bent perpendicular to the web plane, which greatly limits its application range
H-beam belongs to efficient economic sectional steel (other types include cold-formed thin-walled steel, pressure-formed steel plates, etc )
Due to the reasonable section shape, they can make steel more efficient and improve bearing capacity
Unlike ordinary I-beams, H-beams have widened flanges, and their inner and outer surfaces are usually parallel, making it easy to connect with high-strength bolts and other components
Their size series is reasonable, and the models are complete, making it easy for designers to choose
The flanges of H-beams are of equal thickness, with rolled sections and composite sections made up of three plates welded together
I-beams are all rolled sections, and due to differences in production processes, the inner edges of the flanges have a 1:10 slope
he rolling process of H-beams is different from that of ordinary I-beams, which only use a set of horizontal rolls
Because the flanges of H-beams are wider and have no inclination (or a small inclination), an additional set of vertical rolls must be added to perform simultaneous rolling, making the rolling process and equipment more complex
The largest hot-rolled H-beam height produced domestically is 800mm, exceeding this limit results in composite sections
According to GB/T11263-1998, China’s national standard for hot-rolled H-beams, H-beams are divided into narrow-flange, wide-flange, and pile types, with the codes hz, hk, and hu, respectively
Narrow-flange H-beams are suitable for beams or compressive bent components, while wide-flange H-beams and H-piles are suitable for axial compression members or compressive bent components
Compared with I-beams, H-beams have lower w, ix, iy values under the same weight premise
You can use our millimeters to inches calculator to determine the sizes of H-beams in inches
H Beam Size and Weight Chart
H Beam Size Chart PDF Download: Obtain the Sizes and Weight Chart for H Beam Steel
H-beams can be produced by two methods: welding or rolling
Welded H-beams have disadvantages such as high metal consumption, difficulty in ensuring uniform product performance, and limited size specifications
Therefore, the production of H-beams is mainly by rolling method
In modern rolling steel production, universal rolling machines are used to roll H-beams
The web of the H-beam is rolled between horizontal rollers, while the flange is simultaneously rolled into shape between the side of the horizontal roller and the vertical roller
Since the universal rolling machine alone cannot press down the edges of the flange, a(edited) flank edge rolling machine, commonly known as an edge rolling machine, needs to be set up behind the universal machine frame to press down the edges of the flange and control its width
In actual rolling operations, these two stands are used as a set to repeatedly pass the rolled product through several times (Figure 2a), or the rolled product is passed through a rolling mill consisting of several universal machine stands and one or two edge rolling machine stands
A certain amount of reduction is applied in each pass to roll the blank into the required specification shape and size of the product
Due to the sliding between the side surface of the horizontal roller and the rolled product, the wear of the rolling mill’s roller is relatively large in the flange area of the rolled product
To ensure that the heavy-duty roller can restore its original shape, the side surfaces of the upper and lower horizontal rollers of the rough rolling unit and the corresponding vertical roller surface should have a tilt angle of 3° to 8°
To correct the inclination angle of the finished product flange, a finished product universal rolling machine is set up, also known as a universal precision rolling machine
Its horizontal roller side surface is perpendicular to the horizontal roller axis or has a small inclination angle, generally not more than 20′, and its vertical roller is cylindrical (Figure 2d)
Figure 2 Rolling H-beam with universal rolling mill
1 – Universal rolling mill
Using a universal rolling machine to roll H-beams can obtain a more uniform extension of the cross-section of the rolled product
The speed difference between the inner and outer sides of the flange of the rolled product is small, which can reduce the internal stress and shape defects of the product
By properly changing the pressure of the horizontal roller and the vertical roller of the universal rolling machine, different specifications of H-beams can be obtained
The outer shape of the rolling mill roller of the universal rolling machine is simple in shape and long in service life, and the consumption of the rolling mill roller can be greatly reduced
The greatest advantage of using a universal rolling machine to roll H-beams is that the thickness and size of only the web and flange vary in the same size series, and the sizes of other parts are fixed and unchanged
Therefore, the same series of H-beams rolled with the same universal hole type have multiple specifications of web and flange thicknesses, which greatly increases the number of H-beam specifications and brings great convenience to users to choose suitable size specifications
In the absence of a universal rolling machine, in order to meet the urgent needs of production construction, a common two-roller rolling machine can sometimes be retrofitted with a vertical roller frame to form a universal-type hole rolling machine for rolling H-beams
When rolled in this way, the product size accuracy is low, the flange is difficult to form a right angle with the web, the cost is high, the specifications are few, and it is extremely difficult to roll H-beams with cylindrical materials, so there are not many users
H Beam Rust Removal Method
(1) New method of H-beam rust removal and rust prevention:
The present invention relates to a steel rust removal and rust prevention method
This invention uses a rust removal and rust prevention solution composed of phosphoric acid, silicate cement, and water glass for steel rust removal and rust prevention, which has a fast rust removal speed and good effect
After rust removal, a stable “primer” layer can be generated on the surface of the steel
The rust resistance time of steel components after rust removal is 2 months under outdoor conditions and 6-12 months in indoor conditions without moisture
The cost is low, easy to operate, non-polluting, and 30 times more efficient than manual rust removal
It also has multiple functions and is an ideal new method for steel rust removal and rust prevention
(2) Formula for steel rust removal solution:
The formula for an H-beam steel rust removal solution is mainly composed of hydrochloric acid, with formaldehyde as a corrosion inhibitor, industrial sodium chloride or ammonium chloride as a peeling agent, and octylphenol polyoxyethylene ether as a penetrating agent and solubilizer, other than for water
The rust removal solution prepared with this formula is easy to use at room temperature, has a fast rust removal speed, and the steel and components after rust removal have no corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement, smooth surface, and no reduction in mechanical strength
The rust removal solution prepared with this formula can continue to be used as long as hydrochloric acid or a certain aid is appropriately added after using for a period of time
(3) High-efficiency rust removal and rust prevention agent:
The rust removal speed is fast, the rust removal surface quality is high, and it can self-dry to form a film
The rust prevention of H-beam after treatment can reach more than one year and has good adhesion with coatings and plating
This invention has low cost, simple and safe preparation, good rust prevention effect, and no “three wastes” pollution
(4) Room temperature high-efficiency oil and rust removal cleaning agent:
The present invention belongs to a room temperature high-efficiency oil and rust removal cleaning agent
Currently, people adopt a two-step process of oil removal and then rust removal in the production and processing of H-beams and surface treatment process, making the process complicated, difficult, slow, and efficiency low
The present invention develops a room temperature high-efficiency oil and rust removal cleaning agent using a combination of surfactants and sulfuric acid
It uses a one-step process for oil and rust removal, greatly reducing the processing procedures, significantly improving work efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and has the advantages of wide use, less investment, and high benefits
A: An H beam is a structural steel element that resembles the letter “H” in its shape
It is characterized by its flanges, which are the horizontal elements, and the web, the vertical element that connects the flanges
H beams are widely used in construction, bridges, and other applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, which enables them to bear large loads
A: H beam sizes are typically specified by their height (H), flange width (B), web thickness (t1), and flange thickness (t2)
3 What is the standard range of H beam sizes?
A: H beam sizes can vary widely depending on the application, but they generally range from 100 mm (4 inches) to 1,000 mm (40 inches) in height and 50 mm (2 inches) to 400 mm (16 inches) in flange width
The web and flange thicknesses can also vary depending on the beam’s size and the specific requirements of a project
A: The weight of an H beam is a crucial factor in determining its load-bearing capacity, which is essential for ensuring the structural integrity and safety of a project
Additionally, the weight of an H beam influences transportation and handling costs, as well as the overall cost of the materials used in a construction project
5 What are the advantages of using H beams over other types of beams?
They provide excellent load-bearing capacity, have a high strength-to-weight ratio, and are easily welded and fabricated
Moreover, H beams can be produced in larger sizes and lengths, allowing for greater flexibility in design and construction
6 Can H beams be custom-made to specific sizes and weights?
A: Yes, H beams can be custom-made to meet specific size and weight requirements
Custom H beams are typically produced by rolling mills or fabricators and can be tailored to the desired dimensions and tolerances for a particular project
However, custom H beams may have longer lead times and higher costs compared to standard-sized beams
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