16' opening Door header: on load bearing wall

[soilsailor]

... A 16-foot steel beam will expand and contract 5" over its length, he said. He made me a believer. ...

Well, either the engineer is designing for a much bigger temperature change than necessary, or using some sort of exotic steel, but with a 100 degree temp change and steel with 6.7x10^-6 inch/inch/degree F, you should see about 1/8 inch total elongation due to thermal growth for a 16' beam.

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

Well, either the engineer is designing for a much bigger temperature change than necessary, or using some sort of exotic steel, but with a 100 degree temp change and steel with 6.7x10^-6 inch/inch/degree F, you should see about 1/8 inch total elongation due to thermal growth for a 16' beam.

+1 to that soilsailor.

 

[trihounds]

I built a 16' header 2 years ago for my pole barn and the City ( Ottawa, Canada) based on snow load, made me use 4 2x12's laminated. Makes for a heavy beam but it works.

 

[LD1]

I built a 16' header 2 years ago for my pole barn and the City ( Ottawa, Canada) based on snow load, made me use 4 2x12's laminated. Makes for a heavy beam but it works.

Three questions
1. Was these gable or eave end?
2. How far do your trusses span?(building width)
3. What is your truss spacing?(do you have several trusses distributing the load on the header? Or just one right at mid-span?)

 

[jix]

Probably..i dunno, I did not use steel, as I posted. I am not an engineer, neither was the carpenter an engineer but the lambeam is working fine, so the carpenter saved me money by using the material I had on hand at the time. now I am done on this subject... thanks.

 

[jix]

I built a 16' header 2 years ago for my pole barn and the City ( Ottawa, Canada) based on snow load, made me use 4 2x12's laminated. Makes for a heavy beam but it works.

Gummint guys do that...overkill everything...none of 'em ever met Will Rogers, I bet

And they use assumption about lumber grade based on #2 PAD and better material..not #1 select grade PT KD Clear, so if you buy firewood to build with, yah, use 4 planks. What ever floats the Gummint guys boat.

They get paid to piss you off.

 

[KennyG]

Skimming through I don't know if anyone answered the original question. The center point load capacity of a beam is half the distributed load capacity.

 

[LD1]

Skimming through I don't know if anyone answered the original question. The center point load capacity of a beam is half the distributed load capacity.

Which would mean I need a beam with twice the strength of a typical 16' header with 2' trusses.

 

[ray66v]

:thumbsup:
That's why steel flitch plates are more common...you can get them pre-drilled...

That was my point.

 

[ray66v]

Yes. An I beam creates other hurdles. And I certainly don't want to use a steel beam. But would rather deal with the hurdles vs spending similar money on an lvl. Cause this is in an unconditioned barn. And I still am skeptical of how an lvl will hold up over time. The just haven't been around long enough.

Again, I am confused. That's why you buy the flitch plate, bolt it in a wood header, and your done.

In less time than you spent here, it's over. And you can move to the next problem.

You have wood to attach your door springs to, and wrap the opening to. And, steel that will carry a very heavy load.