H beam VS I BEAM
What Is an H-Beam?
What is an H-beam? An h-beam is a steel structure that looks like its name suggests it should look: It's a steel beam shaped like a capital H. This structural beam made from rolled steel provides an impressive amount of strength when used in commercial building projects.
Most of today's steel buildings use H-beams. Unlike the alternative, these beams don't taper off, and their surfaces remain parallel. They are also fabricated, unlike an I-beam. This means that they were not originally a single piece, but they were designed as build-up beams. Their flanges (the horizontal pieces) are welded to the web (the vertical piece) to create the shape of an H-beam. Because of the way they were built, they're also known as "wide flange beams."
The advantages of using H-beams include the following:
Reasonable strength-to-weight ratio
Optimal area distribution
Economical section steel that gives better mechanical properties
What Is an I-Beam?
What is an I-beam? An I-beam is also a steel structure that looks like its name suggests: It's a steel beam with two horizontal planes (flanges) connected by a vertical section (or web). Much like the shape of a capital I, the height of the cross-section will be higher than the width of a flange. You will also notice tapered edges on the flanges with this type of steel beam. This unique look is part of what makes it easy to see the difference between an H-beam and an I-beam. While an H-beam is quite uniform in its shape, an I-beam will be taller than it is wide.
The tapering in an I-beam creates thinner slopes for the upper and lower flanges. You can expect a 1:6 ratio, which means the thin edges point toward the outside. Thicker I-beams exist on the market, but they're known for having a shortage of torsion resistance. They don't resist twisting as well as the standard I-beam or the H-beam.
I-beams, unlike H-beams, are made using only one piece of steel rather than welding three pieces together.
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