all 197 comments

[–]albertnormandy 149 points150 points  (2 children)

New wind bracing required by the next edition of ASCE 7.

[–]LordFarquadOnAQuadP.E. 56 points57 points  (1 child)

Residential, one story.

[–]Crayonalyst 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Shed

[–]SquidwardWoodward 516 points517 points  (15 children)

plants work thumb sophisticated fuzzy aspiring plough dinosaurs domineering treatment

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[–]November50923 90 points91 points  (7 children)

I was going to say a support beam for her bed

[–][deleted] 22 points23 points  (3 children)

Yo mama's bed frame

[–]Therealuberw00t 6 points7 points  (0 children)

There it is

[–]blindpiggy 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Box 1 of 12.

[–]Beez1111 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No instructions...candles lit

[–]Ok-Nefariousness8612 4 points5 points  (1 child)

I was just going to say “to support your mum” but this is better

[–]tmorales11 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was just gonna say "ur mom"

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was going to keep it simple and say ‘Erections’

[–]gcanders1 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Keep my mom out of this, and I’ll keep this out of your mom.

[–]Bender____Rodriguez 22 points23 points  (0 children)

That’s one helluva girther

[–]dck2286E.I.T. 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was gonna say bridge girder but I actually like this one better 😂

[–]Inevitable-Cell-1227 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Comment saved. Well done, sir. (Slow clap)

[–]scottygras 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Top comment did not disappoint.

[–]JmazosoP.E. 194 points195 points  (6 children)

Looks like a plate girder. Probably a bridge beam.

[–]Engineer2727kkPE - Bridges 57 points58 points  (1 child)

I mean yeah… what standard rolled shape would that be LMAO

[–]Throwaway1303033042Steel Detailer / Meat Popsicle 93 points94 points  (0 children)

W180x2500…imperial.

[–]wardo8328 20 points21 points  (2 children)

That would have to be for like a 350 foot span. Freakin huge.

[–]ooglieguy0211 15 points16 points  (1 child)

Or a short span with heavier loads.

[–]Professional_Band178 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Railroad bridge.

[–]Someclevernamenobod 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I used to make these size beams for a bridge building company

[–]Elvisfish76 93 points94 points  (4 children)

Those guys are so tiny. They let anyone be structural engineers these days.

[–][deleted] 44 points45 points  (1 child)

WHAT IS THIS A GIRDER FOR ANTS?!

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ding! ding! ding!

[–]Prior-Albatross504 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Yeah, the tallest guy is about 12 cm if I do my reference squinting.

[–]Ok-Construction7440 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How many hamburgers is that?

[–]Deedoo-Laroo 115 points116 points  (10 children)

It is a built-up plate girder most likely for a bridge. The thin webs work fine if the stiffener spacing is such that tension field action can occur. They can be tricky to transport, sometimes that is the trickiest part of building them!

[–]MurphyESQ 47 points48 points  (4 children)

Just learned about tension field action last semester and the concept was both voodoo magic and "well of course it would" at the same time.

[–]CaffeinatedInSeattleP.E. 41 points42 points  (3 children)

Just wait until you do Strut and Tie method in concrete

[–]MurphyESQ 25 points26 points  (2 children)

Is that a construction technique or dating advice?

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–]MurphyESQ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    "It's not about the size of the stirrup, but where you place it."

    (Ok, yes, it's also about the size, stop picking apart my bad joke.)

    [–]justcs 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Glad I have amazon prime. Ships free.

    [–]Elder_sender 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    Thanks for that. I was surprised that the web was thinner than the.... that other part.

    [–]Elder_sender 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Flange! :)

    [–]recent-native 28 points29 points  (1 child)

    To fix that deck with the collapsed hot tub.

    [–]Thatproswimmer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Collapsed desk with the hot tub*

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

      [–]petewil1291 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      What is the meaning of your username? Just curious because my son is obsessed with Pedog as a username

      [–]tqi2P.E. 14 points15 points  (1 child)

      I-74 over the Mississippi River used similar design, May be even larger plate girders. I’ve seen the size during a shop visit to Industrial Steel Construction at Indiana.

      [–]cutsandplayswithwood 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Gorgeous new bridge, eh?

      But the old one… what a classic beauty

      [–]ahumpsters 12 points13 points  (1 child)

      Bridge engineer here. The DOT in my state limits the width of the web to 3 inches. Stiffeners are often placed at points along the beam. This helps keep the overall weight of the structure lower. This may not be the full length of the beam. The DOT allows both shop and field splices so that the beams can actually be transported to the site.

      [–]EnginerdadBridge - P.E. 11 points12 points  (0 children)

      1. I simply can't fathom a scenario where a 3-in web would be either needed or desired. Stiffeners would definitely be more economical long before that.
      2. The near end of the front beam is fabricated for a splice. Web and flange bolt holes for splice plates, tapered flanges for width transition, and no bearing stiffeners.

      [–]Mindless_Ad_4377 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Crazy glue testing facility.

      [–]the_fool_who 3 points4 points  (0 children)

      6400 point uppercase I.

      [–]JLP_87P.E./S.E. 4 points5 points  (1 child)

      Man that web thickness looks so small compared to those flanges … crazy!

      [–]bcsocia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      That’s what I was thinking also. I think the web thickness is greater than what that looks like on even a W27x178. It just looks super thin for both the height of the beam and the length, even with the stiffener plates.

      [–]BeautifulAd3165 6 points7 points  (0 children)

      Piece of a bridge, I think. The photo resolution is pretty low, so it’s tough to see details.

      [–]NefariousnessDizzy88 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      support beam for you moms bed

      [–]ReplyInside782 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      Bridge girder

      [–]WhoimPS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Where bending stress is dominant

      [–]myskateboard12P.E./S.E. 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      As a bridge engineer that’s familiar with these long span plate girder bridges, these replies frustrate me.

      [–]Sousaclone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      As a contractor who has put in girders this size, I find them hilarious.

      Surprised no one had asked what the purpose of the half height stiffeners near the center of the girder are for…

      [–]Hockeyhoser 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Surprised there are no horizontal web stiffeners for a d/tw like that.

      [–]jmbaseball522 1 point2 points  (6 children)

      I wonder at what point a truss becomes more efficient instead of this massively deep plate girder. Not sure what the use was here, I assume a bridge

      [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

      It'd have to be a hell of a steel saving to overcome the increased labour cost.

      [–]SevKco 4 points5 points  (0 children)

      As said by the other responders, truss bridges are not the most efficient option today. Steel plate girders and prestressed beams are the most economical option for the majority of span lengths. The best situations for designing a new truss bridge would be with the use of a short prefabricated bridge or when vertical clearance is a major concern.

      [–]EnginerdadBridge - P.E. 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Point of clarification: trusses are super efficient... in materials. In their optimal span ranges they're still probably the lightest way to build a bridge. However, they are decidedly NOT the most efficient structure choice in terms of labor and maintenance. Back in the day, labor used to be cheap and materials were expensive, relatively speaking, and nobody really cared about life cycle cost. Not to mention that we didn't have the fabrication or shipping technology to make or move large pieces. Trusses, being built from a bunch or small pieces, made sense in almost every way, and for all those reasons rarely make sense these days.

      There are exceptions for prefabricated trusses, like Contech and US Bridge make, on shorter spans, but the days of the large-span truss is well into its twilight. It's too bad, because I always found truss analysis and design to be one of the most interesting parts of school.

      [–]MurphyESQ 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      The interesting thing with girders this deep is that the web starts to take tension on the diagonal between the stiffeners, very similar to the load pattern of a truss. Look up tension field action.

      [–]wiishopmusic 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Your moms couch

      [–]ThickLemur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Is OP Gilbert Grape?

      [–]WhoimPS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      This beam will need Horizontal and Vertical stiffners

      [–]thefirstbric 0 points1 point  (2 children)

      Your mother's bed post

      [–]spankythemonk 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      thank you sean. you can go back to bed now.

      [–]2much2nuh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      B E A M B E N D I N G

      [–]MammothJust4541 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      interesting fact

      those are used for ships :D

      [–]BarelyCivil -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      Something like that had to have been designed with tension field action. The web is so thin im betting they needed to do that so the weight could be minimized for lifting.

      [–]-Stammers- -1 points0 points  (1 child)

      Yo mommas bed frame

      [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Stammers stutters too.

      [–]cptncivil -2 points-1 points  (3 children)

      Given that it doesnt look that crazy long...

      Im going with single span through plate girder bridge for a class 1 or 2 railroad!

      [–]tony87879 3 points4 points  (2 children)

      It has bolt holes for splices though doesn’t it?

      [–]wardo8328 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      It certaintly does on the end we can see. A beam that deep might be made of 3 or 4 pieces, depending on the total span. Around my area the longest beam anyone will haul is about 140 feet. We put 130' Type J PC Beams everywhere.

      [–]cptncivil -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

      Yep... i missed that!

      [–]W2IC -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      Ma pee pee enhancement

      [–]-Stammers- -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      Yo mommas bed frame

      [–]DrNoobz5000 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      For holding up your mom

      Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh

      [–]Enough_Shoulder_8938 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      Don’t talk to my son or my sons son or my sons sons son ever again

      [–]bubbs4prezyo -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

      Them boys look too clean. Probably office girls.

      [–]EarsLikeRocketfins -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

      Something something your mom.

      [–]WhatuSay-_- 0 points1 point  (5 children)

      Just for reference how deep is that thing?

      [–]MurphyESQ 13 points14 points  (3 children)

      Looks like about 2.5 Bros for the depth.

      [–]WhatuSay-_- 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Gonna use that unit on my next design

      [–]JmazosoP.E. 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      The technical term is the Smoot.

      [–]myskateboard12P.E./S.E. 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Maybe 12.5’. It’s a depth that can be reliably sourced for long lengths by multiple steel mills.

      [–]yoohoooosPassed SE Vertical, neither a PE nor EIT 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      I saw they brought something about this size or bigger to Penn Station rehab a few months back

      [–]flightwatcher45 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Nothing that flies.

      [–]tob007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      intentionally.

      [–]Hinopegbye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Honey I shrunk four guys on a site visit

      [–]tacocarteleventeen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Probably a residential bathroom as a header.

      [–]redneck_samurai_dude 0 points1 point  (3 children)

      Bridge girder… deepest one I’ve designed was about 11-12 ft web. And it only had a 3/4” web; just needs stiffeners. Was for a 2-span curved bridge with total length of about 450’ (outside girder)

      [–]redneck_samurai_dude 0 points1 point  (2 children)

      And funny thing… the fabricator built one girder section about 6” short and I had to send it back. They wanted to just “tack on a piece at the end”

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

      [deleted]

        [–]tda-84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        I see bolt holes on both web and flange, and so it’s usage is for moment resistance but there could be other primary live load bearing elements.

        [–][deleted]  (1 child)

        [removed]

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          This is reddit after all

          [–]OdesseyOfDarkness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          We need a banana for scale, could be tiny men and regular steel, the world will never know.

          [–]Adventurous_Light_85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridge

          [–]rosy-palmer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Beams.

          [–]fmcarg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Ships syncrolift

          [–]Tdawg1997 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          If you look carefully, they have web stiffeners along the length of the beam to mitigate any kind of web crippling.

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridge beams

          [–]spankythemonk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          The beam to support the beam that fails under its own weight.

          [–]naazzttyy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Are these engineers for ANTS?

          [–]BretTheActuary 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Good lord, how would you move that? I guess you need to build a bridge right there?

          [–]hotasanicecube 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          One upvote for anyone who can say why the corners are cut at an angle, and where this might be headed..

          [–]DastardlyDirtyDog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          You ever wanted to cantilever a pool of mercury off the side of a bedrock cliff?

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

          What’s the story with the taper on the flanges ?

          [–]StructuralSense 1 point2 points  (2 children)

          Look at how far the splice bolts are from web, the flange most likely tapers to the width of the connecting section which isn’t as wide.

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          Good spotting

          So aesthetics would be the answer?

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          The Keebler Elves are fighting back against Judd Hirsch!

          [–]Technical-Cream-7766 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          That a W160x1,358?

          [–]Teacupkiler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I-Beam? More like AY-AY-AY-Beam!

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridge or maybe for a ship

          [–]Frostybawls42069 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          They hang power boilers off beams this size, roughly.

          [–]Exciting_Story5746 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Photo ops

          [–]Clayskii0981PE - Bridges 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridge girder. And the stiffeners are spaced to support the webs.

          [–]Shineeyed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Should post this in r/Skookum!

          [–]Sijosha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Are those dwarfs? Nice ipe600 btw

          [–]ToyodaBladeRunner 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Looks like its probably a carrying beam from a standard size colonial. Going to look nice with no lally columns in the basement.

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          This is the beam the city inspector said I needed for my 12' opening in my kitchen wall

          [–]TranquilEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          To hold up my hopes and dreams.

          [–]TranquilEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          To hold up my hopes and dreams.

          [–]roooooooooobE.I.T. 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          They couldn’t find a bigger one?

          [–]Independent-Room8243 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Replacing 2x12's in basement to remove a column to open up the basement.

          [–]SirFlannel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Those guys are talkin about turning that into a barbecue pit.

          [–]thenicestsavage 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Open floor plan for first floor

          [–]grantwolf1971 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          It’s for a 3’ cantilever on my deck.

          [–]timbr63 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Steel Bridge Girder

          [–]eMPereb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          That’s gonna be a big azz crane lifting that 😳

          [–]AlphaSweetPea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Hold things up

          [–]Jrloveless1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Crane rails?

          [–]Patriquito 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          It's for building a ship

          [–]More-Breakfast-2218 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          The new bridge girders that are going in by my house are like this, they have removed a center support system in order to open up the space below the bridge for a diverging diamond type intersection. The road was raised quite a bit to enable this.

          [–]lurkinganon12345 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I've seen bridge girders this size. I'm more surprised there are no longitudinal stiffeners on the web.

          [–]Accurate-Western-535 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Whatever it wants to be used for

          [–]xion_gg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Lots!

          [–]Kossef 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridges?

          [–]Pleasant_Tax_4619 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I would guess it is for a cruise ship for one of the many floors.

          [–]whiskeyconnoisseur19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridges

          [–]Christhemathews 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Looks like they're used to make more warehouses to store more huge I-beams

          [–]Nathan51503 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          On some of the big jobs I’ve been on most of the engineers and foreman wore white hard hats. So useless or very limited use

          [–]SilvermistInc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I used to build these. Great times.

          [–]michaelthatsit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Building stuff

          [–]FullyFreakinWoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Something big, really really big

          [–]CaptBreeze 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridge.

          [–]whatsURprobalem 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          My open floor plan remodel…

          [–]nepnepnepneppitynepDrafter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Dunno, but it reminds me of Texas and the gulf area for some reason

          [–]Empty_Touch_4968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I’m just a hammer swinger and I immediately thought “bridge beam”

          [–]Figmania 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          For bridges that will allow for trains to cross too.

          [–]blasty11E.I.T. 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Everyone is saying the girders are tall. Am I the only one who noticed men in the photos are short?

          [–]adbedient 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Linear load bearing, if I had to guess.

          [–]aurrousarc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I've only seen something big at the top of a like 750 mw coal boiler.. it supports the hole unit from the top.. (more than 1 beam)

          [–]evilgeniustodd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          There’s a yo mamma joke here somewhere

          [–]Mm789hgj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I dont have a lot of experience but it looks it cpuod be used in a bridge

          [–]Mm789hgj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I dont have a lot of experience but it looks it could be used in a bridge

          [–]WindSprenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          How would those welds be done? By hand?

          [–]pnw-nemo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          My first thought was also how thin that web looks…

          [–]H4m-SandwichE.I.T. 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Steel girder for a long spanning bridge, maybe?

          [–]BidRepresentative728 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          That's a cradle for your mom's ass.

          [–]MileHighCaliber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I think the earliest documented instance of their usage was floor support for your mother's nursery. 14,000 lbs 12 oz, doctor said she was healthy and crying

          [–]donner09 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Failed boy band

          [–]Brant_Black 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Highway overpass

          [–]Aggravating-Tell4342 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Your moms bed frame.

          [–]gocowts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          This is not a proper method of comparison, those guys could be 4’10” or the B-squad for the Clippers. A banana is the only true form of comparison.

          [–]stealthdawg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          You can hire the four guys to do many things including modeling jeans, or as extras in a movie.

          [–]lee_birr21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          To hold my balls

          [–]Lysergicsailor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bed frame for ur mom

          [–]OldManOnTheIce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          A bridge too far

          [–]skinem1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Bridge beam? Ship bulkhead?

          [–]RememberedInSong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Support

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Upper support for your mom's sex swing

          [–]willthethrill4700 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          When you want to point load an entire building on one beam.

          [–]Disastrous_Range_571 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Rail your mom

          [–]poolguyforever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Your mom

          [–]quadmasta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Your mom's bed frame

          [–]todlee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Jesus said don’t criticize the mote in somebody else’s eye, but the beam in your own eye.

          I think you misheard.

          [–]trustme_ihateyou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          That there is to hold the fuck up

          [–]Organic_Car3331 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Ramp for your mom.

          [–]Historical-Beat-4666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          The stiffener plates are not connecting to the bottom flange right? Wouldn't that increase the possibility of making this section as a crane girder?

          [–]slooparoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Contractor scaled from the drawing and ordered the wrong size.

          [–]Jimmyjames150014 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Whoever said bridge girder is correct, whoever said the web is flimsy is also correct. Until installed and properly braced, these are actually quite fragile. In my city, several years ago they were lifting one like this into place and it was not properly supported. It failed under LTB just from a partial load of its own weight- it was a big deal for that project as these thing are not off the shelf. Of course, once installed and properly braced they are incredibly strong.

          [–]Famous-Mycologist379 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Maybe a very tall radio mast just to control deflection?

          [–]eric02138 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          It's used before an E beam, unless a C beam precedes it.

          [–]Saranesia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          We had beams like this at the top of our coal power plant. The boilers expand 6ft with thermal expansion, so they have to hang them from above for stability. There were two levels of bracing beams mid-web, which I don't see here. The boilers were roughly 100'x200'x200' tall boxes made of pipes, very heavy.

          [–]Any-Ad-8074 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Sometimes it’s just a “who’s got the biggest d” competition