Comparing Eurocodes v's British Standards for Steel Beam Design;
If we take an example of a steel beam with a span length of 4m, supporting a timber floor in a domestic dwelling with a tributary load width of 4m.
When designing to Eurocodes the variable load factor is 1.5 and the permanent load factor is 1.35, to British Standards these factors are 1.6 and 1.4, so designing to Eurocodes automatically gives us an approximate reduction in loadings of 5%. Taking into consideration these safety factors the calculated bending moment to EC would be 24.98kNm and to BS 26.61kNm.
The buckling capacity of a beam is calculated differently for BS and EC, and the EC method is less conservative. Hence for the above loading scenario to EC a 178x102x19 UB (19kg/m) would be adequate, but to BS a 203x133x25 UB (25.1kg/m) would be required. Designing to Eurocodes would save 32% in steel, nearly a third, which is good for builders backs and the environment.
So if you want to design steel beams in accordance with the latest Eurocodes, just take a look at our online Steel Beam Calculator www.steelbeamcalculator.co.uk
If we take an example of a steel beam with a span length of 4m, supporting a timber floor in a domestic dwelling with a tributary load width of 4m.
When designing to Eurocodes the variable load factor is 1.5 and the permanent load factor is 1.35, to British Standards these factors are 1.6 and 1.4, so designing to Eurocodes automatically gives us an approximate reduction in loadings of 5%. Taking into consideration these safety factors the calculated bending moment to EC would be 24.98kNm and to BS 26.61kNm.
The buckling capacity of a beam is calculated differently for BS and EC, and the EC method is less conservative. Hence for the above loading scenario to EC a 178x102x19 UB (19kg/m) would be adequate, but to BS a 203x133x25 UB (25.1kg/m) would be required. Designing to Eurocodes would save 32% in steel, nearly a third, which is good for builders backs and the environment.
So if you want to design steel beams in accordance with the latest Eurocodes, just take a look at our online Steel Beam Calculator www.steelbeamcalculator.co.uk
