Nomenclature

Describes the nomenclature for C-Beam™ openings and section designations.

Castellated Beam

The following figure shows a wide flange beam cut in a castellated pattern, and the resulting castellated C-Beam.

Castellated C-Beam

Setting	Description
e	Web post width and tee length.
b	Width of sloped portion.
dt	Depth of tee.
dg	Castellated beam depth. Note: For Castellated beams, the actual depth is a function of dt and the web hole size. The nominal depth is approximately the depth that results from using the standard dt. The actual depth is shown on the reports.
d	Depth of root beam.
ho	Height of hole.
wo	Width of hole.
phi	Angle between flat and sloped portion of the hole.

Cellular Beam

The following figure shows a wide flange beam cut in a cellular pattern, and the resulting Cellular C-Beam.

Cellular C-Beam

Setting	Description
e	Web post width.
Do	Diameter of hole.
S	Center to center hole spacing
dg	Cellular beam depth. Note: For Cellular beams the actual depth is a function of the web hole diameter, Do, and the hole spacing, S, so the actual depth may vary from the nominal depth given. The actual depth is shown on the reports.

Section Labels

C-Beam use a labeling scheme similar to that used for standard sections. The label begins with "CB" for Castellated beams and "LB" for Cellular beams. The nominal depth is listed next, followed by "x", followed by the weight per foot of the beam, which is the same as the weight per foot of the standard beam from which the C-Beam was manufactured.

For example, a CB18x14 has a nominal depth of 18" and weighs 14 lbs/ft. The top half and the bottom half are from the same beam size - in this case a W12x14.

A C-Beam composed of two different sizes is referred to as an asymmetric section. For such sections the label lists the weight per foot of the beam used in the top half, followed by "/", followed by the weight per foot of the beam used in the bottom half.

For example, a CB18x14/16 has a nominal depth of 18", and the top half is composed of a beam that weighs 14 lbs/ft (in this case a W12x14) and the bottom half is composed of a beam that weighs 16 lbs/ft (in this case a W12x16), resulting in a beam that weighs 15 lbs / ft (the average of the weights of the two standard beams).