It should be noted that the width of these equivalent beams has merely been changed. Because any change in the vertical dimensions of the timber or steel would affect the strain values, only the horizontal dimensions of the equivalent sections can be changed.
The true beam’s strength can now be computed by calculating the strength of an analogous timber or steel beam in the usual way, treating the section as a normal homogeneous one.
Composite beams are beams that are made up of many materials. Bimetallic beams, which are made up of two distinct metals joined together, sandwich beams, and reinforced concrete beams are just a few examples.Because the assumption that the cross-sections that are plane before bending remain plane after bending is valid in pure bending regardless of the material, composite beams may be analysed using the same bending theory as ordinary beams. The longitudinal strains vary linearly from the top to the bottom of the beam, based on this assumption. The neutral axis does not have to be located at the centre of the cross-sectional area. The cross-section of a sandwich beam is doubly symmetric, and the neutral axis is Located at the cross-mid-height. section’s
A flitch beam is a composite beam made up of wood and steel sandwiched together.
Timber and steel work in tandem. The installation of a steel plate on the top and bottom of a timber joist strengthens it, and the three members are securely bolted together at intervals.
At sections AA and BB, the bolting together ensures there is no slip between the steel and the wood. As a result, strain in the steel at AA equals strain in the wood at AA.
Using this equation, a beam made of two different materials can be compared to an equivalent timber or steel beam.
It should be noted that the width of these equivalent beams has merely been changed. Because any change in the vertical dimensions of the timber or steel would affect the strain values, only the horizontal dimensions of the equivalent sections can be changed.
The true beam’s strength can now be computed by calculating the strength of an analogous timber or steel beam in the usual way, treating the section as a normal homogeneous one.
The transformed-section method is a simple way to calculate the size of a flitch beam that will be utilised in construction.
The steel portion of the beams is considered to be a flexible (but considerably thicker) piece of wood. This enables the entire beam’s elasticity to be estimated as if it were fully made of wood.
There is some flitch beam business activity, with The Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA) developing a new flitch beam, construction software programme that offers flitch beam design calculations, and at least one company offering pre-fabricated flitch beams in various configurations.