Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
(OP)
I need help translating from the Aluminum Design Manual.
Under Section 7. Welded Construction, one of the affected members are "columns or beams supported at both ends with transverse welds affecting their entire cross-section and no farther than 0.05L from the ends".
Of course, I am using a tube section as a beam. Which means, if I put base-plates on the end of my tube-beam and bolt it between two concrete walls (10' apart), I have to use welded aluminum properties??
This doesn't make sense; I am obviously assuming my moment to be Zero at the supports (nearly zero, due to bolting). My high moment regions are Very far from any welded sections.
Am I interpreting "transverse welds" properly? I don't want to overdesign by a factor of 2.
Under Section 7. Welded Construction, one of the affected members are "columns or beams supported at both ends with transverse welds affecting their entire cross-section and no farther than 0.05L from the ends".
Of course, I am using a tube section as a beam. Which means, if I put base-plates on the end of my tube-beam and bolt it between two concrete walls (10' apart), I have to use welded aluminum properties??
This doesn't make sense; I am obviously assuming my moment to be Zero at the supports (nearly zero, due to bolting). My high moment regions are Very far from any welded sections.
Am I interpreting "transverse welds" properly? I don't want to overdesign by a factor of 2.






RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
Because my "beam (is) supported at both ends with transverse welds affecting their entire cross-section and no farther than 0.05L from the ends" (i.e. only at the supports),
then "Allowable stresses for tubes in axial or flexural compression or shear...shall be calculated using the welded mechanical properties..." See section 7.2.1
So, since I have welded supports at the ends, I have to use welded mechanical properties for my flexural compression at the middle of the beam?
FYI, welded mechanical properties reduce the allowable stresses by about half.
RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
That being said, I am interpreting the code to read that the weld-affected zone only extends 1" from the centerline of the weld, regardless of the transverse weld locations...
Please, give me steel or concrete any day...
RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
Personally i would design the mid span as unwelded and the ends as welded regardless of the confusion.
Aluminum structures are being designed all over the country to this old tried and true logic and I dont hear any issues on the safety of these!
It could be very easily argued in court.
RE: Aluminum Beam - Design Manual Verbage
In your case, since the base plates are at the end of the beam, your weld is less than 0.05L away from the end, so you can use the unwelded equation for the moment at the center.