Steel I beam typically has the following important features or dimensions (refer the

picture of steel I beam):

 Flange thickness: Top and bottom horizontal plate like sections of I-beam

are called flange. Thickness of the flanges is called flange thickness.
 Flange width: Width of the flanges is called flange width.
 Beam depth: The height between the top and bottom surface of the steel I
beam is called beam depth.
 Web thickness: The vertical section of steel I beam is called web and the
thickness of the web is called web thickness.
 Fillet radius: The curved portion, where transition between web and flange
happens are called fillet. Radius of the fillet is called fillet radius.

Steps for Selecting Correct size I Beam

Overall procedure of correct size I beam selection is based upon basic mechanical
design calculations as follows:

 The first input you need is the steel I beam load specifications or loading
details on the steel I beam.

 Draw bending moment diagram for the given loads and you will find the value
of maximum bending moments (say M) that the steel I beam is experiencing.

 Choose an approximate size of steel I beam from standard I beam table.

 Find out the area moment of inertia (say I) of the selected steel I beam.

 Get the beam depth (say d) of the selected steel I beam.

 Now use the following formulae for calculating stress developed (f) in the
beam:

f/(d/2)=M/ I

f is the bending stress

M - the moment at the neutral axis

y - the perpendicular distance to the neutral axis

I - the area moment of inertia about the neutral axis x

 Compare the calculated value of bending stress with the yield stress of steel
in order to check about the safety factor of your design.

Conclusion
Correct size I beam selection is the first step toward correct structural design. The
procedure explained above is based upon static I beam load specifications. The
cases, where dynamic loads involve, you need to use FEA tools like ANSYS, Pro
Mechanica etc.

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