What is the difference between I-beam and H-beam?

People often ask that I-beam and H-beam are similar in shape, how to choose in practical application? Many people who have been in the construction industry for many years cannot explain it in detail. Here is a detailed answer for everyone: Many people think that Chengdu I-beam is the domestic name, and H-beam is the foreign name. In fact, this perception is wrong. H-beam and I-beam are different in shape!

H-beam

I-beams are mainly divided into ordinary I-beams, light-duty I-beams and wide-flange I-beams. According to the height ratio of flange and web, it is divided into wide, medium and narrow wide flange I-beams. The first two are produced in size 10-60, that is, the corresponding height is 10-60cm.

Lightweight I-beams have narrow flanges, thin webs and light weight for the same height. Wide flange I-beam, also known as H-beam, is characterized by two parallel legs and no slope on the inside of the legs. It belongs to economical section steel and is rolled on a four-high universal rolling mill, so it is also called "universal I-beam". Ordinary I-beam and light I-beam have formed national standards.

As the name suggests, I-beam is a kind of "I"-shaped section steel. The inner surface of the upper and lower flanges has an inclination, generally 1:6, which makes the flanges thin on the outside and thick on the inside. The cross-sectional properties of the main planes vary greatly, and it is difficult to exert the strength properties just now in application. Although thickened I-beams have also appeared in the I-beam market, the structure of I-beams has determined its torsion resistance short plate.

H-beam is an economical section and high-efficiency profile with more optimized cross-sectional area distribution and more reasonable strength-to-weight ratio. It is named because its cross section is the same as the English letter "H". Since all parts of the H-beam are arranged at right angles, the H-beam has the advantages of strong bending resistance, simple construction, cost saving and light weight in all directions, and has been widely used.

H-beam is a widely used profile in today's steel structure buildings, and it has many differences compared with I-beam. The first is the flange, and the second is that the inner surface of the flange has no inclination, and the upper and lower surfaces are parallel. The cross-sectional properties of H-beams are significantly better than those of traditional I-beams, channel steels and angle steels.

The inside of the two outer edges of the H-beam has no slope and is straight. This makes the welding and splicing of H-beams easier to operate than Chengdu I-beams, and has better mechanical properties per unit weight, which can save a lot of materials and construction time. The section of the I-beam is well subjected to direct pressure and is resistant to tension, but the section size cannot resist torsion because the wing plate is too narrow. H steel is the opposite, both have their own advantages and disadvantages.

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