PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Calculating size of beam
View Single Post
Old 9th Aug 2009, 15:11
  #6 (permalink)  
barit1
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: flyover country USA
Age: 82
Posts: 4,579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
There's a useful index for various cases at:
Beam Deflection Calculator - Engineers Edge

You also need to know material properties for the wood - which you can look up online.

Then it's a case of choosing a trial balloon - pick a beam size, calculate stress and deflection, and see if you're within the material limits (including factor of safety).

If that's undersize, or significantly oversize, try another beam size and repeat the job.

Don't forget to include the dead weight of the beam.
barit1 is offline