What Is A Fixed Beam? All You Need To know…

What is a fixed beam? You might be asking yourself this question if you’re talking about construction, farming or looking to hire a contractor. A fixed beam is a term used for an upright structural element of a building that acts as the main horizontal support.

The beam can be made from a variety of materials, such as timber, structural steel, or pre-cast concrete. They are typically measured in spans and erected on bearing piles driven deep into the ground.”

A fixed beam is a type of construction element used in building numerous types of structures, typically made from metal and supported with bearings or similar devices. A fixed beam is also usually reinforced with additional steel in areas where it will have contact with other structural members, floors, or ceilings.

Some fixed beams may even be encased in concrete for those that are supporting especially heavy loads.

What is a fixed beam

A “Beam” is a horizontal structural element of a building or structure that spans an open space, usually to support walls or partitions. Beams are classified by their shape, materials, cross section and load-bearing capacity. However some modern day buildings have been constructed using steel beams instead of timber joists and wooden beams.

A fixed beam is supported between two fixed ends. It is also called fixed-end beam or built-in beam or restrained beam. Beam has larger deflection under load compared to columns and is commonly used to carry compressive loads. The beam may be made of structural steel or reinforced concrete.

Fixed beams are usually rectangular, but there may be some round ones. They are used where you need to support something or when you need to hold up roof or flooring. They can also be used in basements and servant’s quarters, because they are mostly flat on the top and bottom.

The purpose is to provide an area of support for other elements of the structure. The beams are usually placed at the bottom of walls and floors, but they can also be placed within ceilings, or supported at various points by other structural members.

Fixed beams are most typically found in industrial construction. Most fixed beam systems consist of a steel section that is set into concrete piles after being held in place by anchors (or anchor bags) and an intermediate steel section that is bolted to the ground.

Anchors can be secured tight against a surface, or in some cases are tapped into a concrete foundation by means of drilled holes. Fixed beams can be made up of masonry units or precast concrete units.

In order to understand what the fixed beam does and can be used for, you must first know the reason for its use. The different reasons that a fixed beam might be needed are:

1. Fixed beams are also commonly used to support the weight of a building in areas where the structure will be exposed to wind load or seismic loads. In certain circumstances, they may be required to support an overhang. In the case of industrial buildings, fixed beams can be used as structural supports for floors and ceilings, ceilings with suspended ceilings and roof structures.

Fixed beams usually carry most of the horizontal load imposed on a building but are smaller in cross section than columns.

2. These beams are commonly used in commercial or business construction such as large warehouses, shopping centers, retail stores, factories and other commercial use buildings.
3. Fixed beams are also commonly used in residential construction to support floors, ceilings or roof structures. They can also be used in basements and servant’s quarters, because they are mostly flat on top and bottom.
4. The main purpose of the fixed beam is to provide an area of support for other elements of the structure. The beams themselves will typically have a uniform cross-section throughout their height, but may taper at each end where they are supported by other structural members such as columns or walls or floor slabs or ceilings.

It is very important to make sure they are properly installed and secured so the building will not collapse, this is an example of a beam installation holding a weight:

Beams that carry lateral loads like wind, seismic, and hydrostatic forces have to be designed as continuous beams (I-beams).

A continuous beam has a uniform cross section and is manufactured with the end-to-end of the beam coinciding with the longitudinal dimension of the beam. A continuous beam can be used to support and transfer compressive forces as well as high shear forces that are horizontal or vertical.

The latter are transferred by using half-round or I-beam connections to join multiples of adjacent beams at each joint. This construction is called a cantilever system, and can be used to support roof structures, floors, walls, ceiling beams and other structures supported by beams provided they have been properly designed to separate horizontal forces from vertical loads.

Read Also: How Much Weight Can My Roof Hold?

Advantages and disadvantages of a fixed beam

Advantages

The advantages of a fixed beam includes:

1. An ideal fixed beam is a beam that supports a load uniformly in all directions over its entire length without deflection.
2. It is also important to know that beams are most efficient when they are placed on the ground and supported at both ends by columns or other stiffeners.
3. A fixed beam is easier to use in a design than an I-beam since it can be manufactured in the factory, whereas an I-beam must be made on location.
4. In most cases, a fixed beam is simpler to install than many other types of beams.
5. When more stability is needed, beams can be reinforced by welding rod onto them at the bottom and the top before they are placed into the ground with steel plates or pipes on top and bottom of the beam to prevent them from moving around inside of their hole while being placed there by steel workers and other people.
6. The slope at both edges of a fixed beam is zero.

Disadvantages

1. The main disadvantage of a fixed beam is that it can collapse at the bottom due to the weight of the structure.
2. There are different types of beams and each one is used for different purposes because they can be made for supporting different conditions and problems but generally, in residential buildings, one side is used for support, while the other side is decorative or not required to carry any load.
3. If a beam cannot carry the load it will be weakest at both ends. When it gets too weak then it will start collapsing especially in an earthquake caused by an overload on a column or on an unsafe building design due to poor construction practices like loose-fitting beams or columns.
4. If a beam is not properly attached to a support structure, it will start to bend or collapse under the load of a building.
5. In most cases, the bottom of any structure such as a building where there is no foundation or basement can be the weakest point in any structure and the main reason why it is so, is because there are forces on it that are not on top or in between parts of the beams.
6. Sometimes the rigidity of a beam is not enough and it can flex or break. If it gets too weak then it can bend or break which can cause a collapse in the structure.

It is important to get details about a beam before you use this type of construction so you will know how they work and if they are sturdy enough to hold your weight in case there is an earthquake or any kind of excessive pressure around the base of your building and it may also be useful for other construction that might need beams as well.

Types of beam

The different types of beams used in the construction industry. these includes:

1. Fixed beam:
   As the name implies, a fixed beam has both of its ends fixed. It is also known as a built-in beam. As a matter of fact, the top is built in, while the lower end is fixated. The upper end of this beam is permanently connected to a supporting column or another beam. The lower end is fixed on the ground.
2. Cantilever beam:
   It’s a rigid structural element that is firmly attached to a vertical surface. The beam supports the overall load of the structure above and below it. The cantilever beam is a type of beam that has a horizontal overhang. This beam can be supported both ends, but only the top is supported, while the bottom end is fixed on the ground.
3. Simply supported beam:
   This type of beam is installed in a way that it has pinned support at one end and roller support on the other end. It is a beam that has only one end fixed on the ground. This one-end-fixed beam is connected to a supporting column at the bottom end. The other end of this beam is supported by the column or another solid foundation.
4. Continuously supported beam:
   This type of beam is installed in a way that it has pinned support at both ends and roller support above it. It is a beam that has both ends fixed on the ground. This one-end-fixed beam is connected to a supporting column at the bottom end. The other end of this beam is supported by the column or another solid foundation.

Conclusion

Beams are used in the construction of buildings for different purposes. They are the main supporting structure of a building. Beams have many applications and several uses. Beams are also used to create a beautiful look when they are designed properly in any building, they can be made out of wood, metal or concrete and they can be painted to match any color that you want.

There are several types of beams that vary in their functionality, strength, and appearance; they include fixed beam, simply supported beam, continuously supported beam and cantilever beams among others.

Construction site safety is very important. As you can see, a single beam is present to connect the structure to the ground. Sometimes beams aren’t constructed properly and this leads to a possible collapse of a building and all its contents.

This scenario is a common scenario in construction sites as beams often get stuck on every entry point where they shouldn’t be placed; it’s also common for people not to place them properly when they are required in order to support the structure, which leads to a possible collapse of the building or its contents if it gets too weak and bends in an unnatural way.