In last month's Practical Engineering column,
we discussed how to trace load
paths and translate roof, wall, and floor
loads into pounds per lineal foot of supporting
beam. With this information,
you can then choose the right beam size
and material to carry the load. In this
article, we'll look at some more uniformload
case studies, then compare the performance
and cost of sawn lumber with
several engineered-lumber products in
meeting these different applications.
Sample House
The five applications and spans that I
have selected as examples of beams and
headers are arbitrary but common ones
(see illustration).
First, I worked out the uniform loads
for each of the beams, following the
procedure outlined in last month's article.
If you