The ACI Code is a foremost expert for checking, project planning, and advising for parties engaged in building projects and concrete layouts. Beam, as well as a girder, are the two most commonly used codes in engineering structures, but there are significant differences among them.
Beam vs Girder
The difference between beam and girder is that beams are an essential component of rigid structural buildings and houses that are designed to support the dispersed load of any construction. Are the most often built structural components to withstand beam stress. Whereas a girder is a sort of beam which sustains other minor beams, functioning as the building’s major horizontal stabilizers. The girder, with exception of beams, is intended to support considerable circumferential loads such as pillars or beam responses.
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A beam is a major component of a mechanical frame system that is specifically intended to support dispersed loads such as two walls or roof structures as well as rooftop additional room-tops.
Girders, as opposed to beams, are designed to support enormous tension forces such as pillars or beam reactions, and their load carrying capacity is significantly greater than that of beams.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Beam | Girder |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | A beam is a major component of a structural frame system that is specifically intended to support dispersed loads such as parallel walls or roof systems. | Girder is a horizontal primary sustaining beam in infrastructure designing and it can be considered as the support for a ‘beam’ that supports a vertical concentrated and compressive load. |
| Utility | For basic structural frameworks and for skeletal building for most construction projects. | Used as a support element for beams and for rooftop constructions as well. |
| Projects | Beams are used for constructing flats, offices, cubicles and houses. | Used for flyovers, overpassess, towers and pillars. |
| Size | Beams are tall and sleek in structure. | Girders are comparatively shorter and sturdier than beams. These are essential for dynamic load. |
| Price | Beams range from cheap metal to steel beams which are costlier. | Girders are usually less expensive than beams as they are usually made up of cement or stones. |
What is a Beam?
A beam is a major component of a structural frame system that is specifically intended to support dispersed loads such as parallel walls or roof systems.
In layman’s terms, a beam is any lateral part of the structure that experiences lateral load and therefore can sustain it.
In a structure, the weight might be flooring or a ceiling, in which instance the beam is referred to as a flooring joist or a roof joist. Strands are the fully laden transverse beams of a truss bridge; floor joists are the stronger, transverse sections.
What is Girder?
Girders are large shafts that support the extremities of other beams which run orthogonal to each other. Cement girders are widely used.
It can be composed of several materials, including concrete, stainless steel, or a mix of the two. It sustains vertical weights and can be made of a single piece or many pieces joined together.
Girders target small beams and serve as the primary support frame of construction, supporting significant compressive loads such as pilasters or beam responses.
Main Differences Between Beams and Girders
- Beams cannot be considered as girders but girders can be used both as beams and girders themselves.
- Beams are used for constructing houses and flats whereas girders are used for towers and flyovers.
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/girder
- https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Types_of_beam
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
