1. Home
  2. Home Repair
  3. I-Beam twisted

I-Beam twisted

We have a new home (2 story) that has an unfinished basement with a 10" 65' I-Beam. There are actually 4 I'Beams that are bolted together to span the entire basement. about 4 months ago, I noticed the staircase wall that decends to the basement was bowed in. Closer inspection revealed that the bow was a result of the I-Beam in the basement was twisted and putting pressure on the ajoining wall. The reason for the twisting is that the carpenter that framed the house placed a 2x4 floor joist bearing plate not in the center of the beam but on one edge of a top flange of the beam. This error caused all the weight to be placed on the top edge of the beam and caused it to deflect and twist. I placed a level on the bottom flange and the beam is twisted 1/2" at one point. I hired an engineer and he suggested placing 2x4 kickers against the beam to prevent any further rotation. The builder called his engineer who suggested shims between the other top flange and the floor joists. We used the shims but the beam seems to still be moving. We are now faced with supporting the house with jacks and attempting to straighten the beam. Has anyone had any experience doing this? This is a "monster" beam and how could it be "bent" back in alignment? Thanks for the help.

Reply to
Steve Thomas
Loading thread data ...

How new is this home? It sounds to me that you should be asking your lawyer how to handle this.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

I am assuming this is new (

Reply to
ameijers

And begin documenting for evidence all that you've found. Dozens of photographs, some showing the level and scale. Maybe even videotape. Write a text record of everything.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

Thanks for the reply. The house was finished 10/02 so it is less than 2 years old. I am lucky as this is a walk out basement with a sliding door so the beam should fit through it. Problem is that I understand this beam weighs 200 lbs per foot. The sections are 15' and that works out to 3000 lbs per section. A crane was used to drop it into place when the house was built but that is not possible now. Can the old beam be bent back into shape? Thanks

Reply to
Steve Thomas

That's the builder's problem, not yours. You should be talking to a lawyer.

Not without weakening it.

>
Reply to
Doug Miller

I think if the load was removed from the beam, it will come back to its original shape. This assumes it has not exceeded its modulus of elasticity. My concern would be what was causing this extreme load. It is a bit unusual, in my opinion, to have a uniformly distributed load roll a beam around its neutral axis. I suspect something else is pressuring the beam.

Only a structural engineer who can see the situation can diagnose the condition.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing. . . . DanG

weighs 200 lbs

per section. A

but that is

Reply to
DanG

Bending it back would strengthen it.

Nick

Reply to
nicksanspam

OH!!! Here we go! This should be a no-win argument that could go on for a few dozen posts! LMAO. Knock yourselves out guys.

Reply to
I-zheet M'drurz

Please explain how bending metal makes it stronger.

Reply to
Doug Miller

It becomes work hardened, it will be harder to drill, cut, etc. It will also be more brittle.

I would sure like to see the fellas that can bend and straighten this size W beam, I want to make friends with them just in case a fight starts. The only way you can manipulate heavy W beams would be with heat.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing. . . . DanG

Reply to
DanG
200Lbs per foot? Jesus! How big is this thing?
Reply to
jriegle

In the original post, he specified that the wood plate on top of the beam was only a 2x4, and the load WASN'T centered over the web. And apparently the bent section is next to stairwell, so there wasn't any counterbalancing load from the opposite side lapped joist to counteract any twisting action. So in effect, the load was being carried by a C-channel, not an I-beam.

Agreed. OP need to call the same or a different engineer back for a written report, not just an eyeball inspection and recommendtion.

Cranes make it a lot easier, but there are other ways. Come alongs and rollers, plus a of big husky guys, set many a centerline beam in my youth. The same house moving company that will probably supply the jacks and timbers has LOTS of experience poking needle beams into tight spaces. The work required is very similar to what they do getting a house ready to move. They will have all sorts of amazing rollers and winches and jacks to move steel around.

In theory, yes, but a new beam would be cheaper. It may snap back some when load is removed, but it will never be straight.

OP should talk to builder again, and tell him he wants the beam replaced. Be nice, but make it clear lawyer is next.

aem sends....

Reply to
ameijers

Maybe I missed something, but in your first post you stated it was a 10" beam. No 10" beam I know of weighs 200 lbs per foot. I found one that weighs

112 lbs though. That comes out to 1680 lbs for a 15' beam, which I doubt you have! A 10X112 beam has a flange thickness of 1.25" and a web thickness of .755" way over kill for any home. My bet is the beam is closer to the 25-30 lbs range, which would be more resonable for a home. Who gave you the 200 lbs per foot weight? The builder? The same guy that is trying to weasel out of doing the repair correctly? As others have stated, I would not settle for anything less than getting the beam replaced. It is not your problem, the builder screwed up and needs to resolve it properly, even if it means replacing the beam. With an unfinished basement this should not be a major problem. Greg
Reply to
Greg O

I have seen and repaired problems like what you have described. The problem is that the beam does not have adequate lateral support.

What is going on at the posts supporting the beam? They should be out of plumb. One easy fix I have used is to have a steel fab shop make up the following:

Angle Iron wide enough to accommodate a bolt and washer that will straddle the posts. Cut the angle iron 24" long (or longer depending on the depth of the beam) and drill 4 holes for 3/4" threaded rod; one pair of holes go near one end (what will be the bottom end) and the other pair of holes go 6" to 12" from the other end (again, this dimension will increase with a deep beam). You will also need 3/4" threaded rod cut to length and 8 sets of washers and nuts.

Place the angle iron back-to-back with the post sandwiched in between with the top bolts snug under the bottom of the beam. The angle iron will extend up both sides of the beam. (You will need to place a shim of some sort between the end of the angle iron and the flange of the beam on one side of the beam). Now start tightening up the nuts on the threaded rods (alternating between them like you do tightening lug nuts on a car) and the beam will slowly be pulled back into place.

Once you get the beam back into position you will need to install lateral bracing to prevent the problem from recurring.

Reply to
Bruce

Where do you get that idea from? How is steel strenghthened by bending it? If anything it will be weakened. Have you never heard of metal fatigue?

Reply to
Bruce

This all assumes that the beam is plastically deformed. It may very well be elastically deformed and if the load is lifted off of it, the thing will spring back straight.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Daly

...not exceeded its yeild strength (right idea, wrong term).

No, it's being carried by an I section with an asymmetric load.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Daly

If the beam is not damaged, there's no reason to replace it. They just have to come up with a reasonable way to correct the loading.

Get another engineer in there and forget the 2x4 patches. Call in the lawyers, too, these builders shouldn't get away with that kind of crap construction. They should have caught the problem long before the house was finished.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Daly

I agree that it will come back.

He explained the reason in the original posting.

I agree with others about getting a lawyer, etc. However, if I had to fix it myself, I'd get a large timber, place it about a foot away from the beam, and jack it up on both ends, using screw jacks, jack posts, or hydraulic jacks and posts. Keep jacking until the beam straightens out. Then get another I beam, and bolt or weld it to the other one. If you are near wood, I'd not weld it because of the fire hazzard. Of course you could just leave the other timber in place too.

Reply to
me

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.