×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Steel post and timber beam

Steel post and timber beam

Steel post and timber beam

(OP)
Hi All,

I have a question about an addition to the second story of a house only, leaving the bottom story open to the back yard. I had initially thought of using a moment frame or strong walls in the corners of this rectangular addition to transfer seismic loads, but another engineer told me to just used a steel post and timber beam and that would transfer the seismic loads to the foundation. We are only talking 500-600 sf of addition here.

Is it appropriate to use the steel post and beam? I imagine the seismic forces are transferred in tension and compression from the wood shear walls to the beam then to post and foundation.  

RE: Steel post and timber beam

That can be done in one of two three ways:

1.  Tne steel posts are designed as cantilevered columns, and are anchored directly to the concrete foundation, being fixed to it with afterset bolts.

2.  The connection between the steel coumn and woodbeam is designed as a fixed or rigid connection, with the steel posts pinned at the connection to the founation, or

3.  A combination of 1 and 2.  
 

 

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

RE: Steel post and timber beam

(OP)
The cantilever column makes sense. So the lateral force that comes out of the floor diaphragm is applied to the columns, correct?

What kind of connectors provide rigid connections between timber beam and steel post? I thought this connection was typically thought of as a pinned connection.

RE: Steel post and timber beam

Typically it is.  It would have to be specially designed to be rigid.  There are ways to do that with steel plates and a lot of bolts, depending on the size of the wood beam.   

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

RE: Steel post and timber beam

Be careful with the cantilevered column method, it amplified your loads at the top of the existing shear walls as it acts as a propped cantilever.

 

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources