Question about reinforcing existing beams

[jay156]

I have a question. My structural software is giving me answers that don't seem to make sense. I'm trying to add a W section to the bottom of some existing W16x40's to reinforce them for a mill that's in the room above.

Now I first tried adding a WT, and a little WT6x13 worked. But the contractor wants to use a W instead, so I'm trying some. One with an equal flange width and thickness is a W6x20, so I tried that but it failed, by a lot. I've been trying bigger and bigger sections, but they're not working. What is so fundamentally different about having the W section's extra flange's worth of steel in there that would make it fail like that when the WT worked?

 

[jay156]

Yeah. I can't believe I was so stupid. I noticed it yesterday just before I went home. Thanks guys for your help, even though I'm dumb. When I inputted the correct data, I got the correct torsion constant too.

Thanks

 

[FDiego]

Hello jay56,
I can help you determine exactly why your reinforcements work or don't in RAM Advanse. Please contact me directly to discuss.

Due to forum rules I cannot post my e-mail here, but I am sure you'll find a way to contact me.

Thank you!

 

[BAretired]

Checking input is absolutely essential when working with computer programs. Garbage In...Garbage Out (GIGO).

BA