American Standard Steel Beam Is Called S-Shape or I-Beam.

American Standard steel beam is called S-shape or I-beam. The I-beam has wide flanges at the top and bottom with a narrower section below. It is used in axial loads such as holding up roofs or floors. Several standards organizations set American Standard steel beam specifications. Manufacturing Narrow hot strips of steel make hot-rolled strip to create American Standard narrow beams. Digital Vision. /Digital Vision/Getty Images Narrow steel beams are manufactured by a rolling process. Narrow steel beams can be manufactured as hot-rolled strip or cold rolled strip. According to "Architecture and Construction in Steel", "narrow hot strip is rolled in thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 12 mm and in widths ranging from 20 mm to 610 mm. " Standard narrow steel beam lengths are 20 and 40 feet. Longer lengths can be ordered. Shorter lengths can be created by cutting long length to the specified dimension. Standards The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Society of Steel Construction (AISC) issues standards on the use and material specifications of narrow steel beams. The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) standards on cold formed steel have been adopted by ASCE as SEI/ASCE standard 8-02. The AISI publication "Steel Construction Manual" gives the standard sizes, shapes and dimensions of steel cross sections. The AISI also issued standard names for the different steel cross sections, including the American Standard or I-beam. I-Beam Specifications The American Standard has a wide flange at top and bottom with a narrower, load bearing web in the middle. "Commercial Drafting and Detailing" states "the American Standard beam has a narrower flange than a W-shape and has a slope of 1/6 for the inner face of the flange. " American standard beams range from 3 inches to 24 inches deep. American Standard beams are identified by the letter S followed by the I-beam's depth and weight per linear foot. The total weight of the steel beam is found by multiplying the weight by linear foot by the beam's length in feet. Renovation" by Michael Litchfield says "wide-flange I-beams are the steel beams most commonly used in residences, where they typically range from 4 ½ to 10 inches deep and 4 to 10 inches wide. " Spacing Specifications The permitted deviation in alignment of steel columns made from narrow steel beams relative to an adjacent column is 5 mm. According to "Architecture and Construction in Steel", "permitted deviation in alignment of beams relative to an adjacent beam is 5 mm. " Spacing of steel beams to the wall below depends upon the length of the beam, the load it is under and deflection or bend this load will cause. American Standard narrow beams are not recommended for heavy compressive loads such as being used in load-bearing columns. Source: ehow.com