Long Span Structures

SALAHUDDIN M. KHALID
THEORY OF STRUCTURES
YEAR- 5th SEM- 9th
LONG SPAN STRUCTURE
STRUCTURES WITH SPAN LARGER THAN 15-20 METERS ARE REGARDED TO AS LONG SPAN STRUCTURES. FOR SUCH STRUCTURES SPAN
IS UNABLE TO BE ACHIEVED WITH ORDINARY R.C.C. CONSTRUCTION. GENERALLY LONG SPANS RESULT IN FLEXIBLE, COLUMN-FREE
INTERNAL SPACES, REDUCES SUBSTRUCTURE COSTS AND TIME TO ERECT THE STRUCTURE.

TYPE OF LONG SPAN STRUCTURES

• BEAM
• TRUSS
• ROOF

LONG SPAN BEAMS

THE USE OF LONG SPAN BEAMS RESULTS IN A RANGE OF BENEFITS, INCLUDING FLEXIBLE, COLUMN-FREE INTERNAL SPACES, REDUCED
FOUNDATION COSTS, AND REDUCED STEEL ERECTION TIMES. MANY LONG SPAN SOLUTIONS ARE ALSO WELL ADAPTED TO FACILITATE
THE INTEGRATION OF SERVICES WITHOUT INCREASING THE OVERALL FLOOR DEPTH. 

TYPES OF LONG SPAN BEAMS

1. PARALLEL BEAM APPROACH
2. COMPOSITE BEAM WITH WEB OPENING
3. CELLULAR COMPOSITE BEAM
4. TAPERED GIRDER BEAM
5. HAUNCHED COMPOSITE BEAM
PARALLEL BEAM APPROACH

THE PARALLEL BEAM APPROACH IS EFFECTIVE FOR SPANS UP TO AROUND 20 M. FLOOR GRIDS
COMPRISE TWO LAYERS OF FULLY CONTINUOUS BEAMS RUNNING IN ORTHOGONAL DIRECTIONS.
SERVICES RUNNING IN EITHER DIRECTION CAN BE INTEGRATED WITHIN THESE TWO LAYERS, SO
THAT SERVICES PASSING IN ANY DIRECTION CAN BE ACCOMMODATED WITHIN THE STRUCTURAL
FLOOR DEPTH. A FURTHER BENEFIT IS THAT, BEING FULLY CONTINUOUS, THE DEPTH OF THE
BEAMS THEMSELVES IS REDUCED WITHOUT INCURRING THE EXPENSE AND COMPLEXITY OF RIGID,
FULL STRENGTH CONNECTIONS.

COMPOSITE BEAM WITH WEB OPENING

WEB OPENINGS ARE TYPICALLY FORMED IN BEAMS TO ALLOW SERVICES TO PASS THROUGH THE
BEAM. THIS ENABLES THE STRUCTURAL AND SERVICE ZONES TO OCCUPY THE SAME SPACE,
THEREBY REDUCING THE EFFECTIVE OVERALL DEPTH OF FLOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR A GIVEN
SPANNING CAPABILITY. OPENINGS MAY ALSO BE FORMED FOR AESTHETIC REASONS, FOR
INSTANCE WITH CAMBERED BEAMS USED TO SUPPORT A ROOF. COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH WEB
OPENINGS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE A COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR SPANS IN THE RANGE 15-
30M.
CELLULAR COMPOSITE BEAM

CELLULAR BEAMS ARE A FORM OF BEAM WITH MULTIPLE REGULAR WEB OPENINGS , FORMED BY
SPLITTING TWO ROLLED SECTIONS LONGITUDINALLY, TO FORM TWO TEE SECTIONS. THE TWO TEES,
WHICH MAY NOT COME FROM THE SAME DONOR SECTION ARE THEN WELDED TOGETHER TO FORM
AN I-SECTION WITH WEB OPENINGS WHICH HAVE A CHARACTERISTIC SHAPE (NORMALLY, BUT NOT
NECESSARILY, CIRCULAR).

TAPERED GIRDER BEAM

TAPERED GIRDERS CAN BE A COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION IN THE SPAN RANGE 15 M TO 25 M. THEY ARE
ANOTHER SOLUTION THAT ALLOWS SERVICES TO BE ACCOMMODATED WITHIN THE STRUCTURAL
FLOOR ZONE. THE DEPTH OF THE GIRDER INCREASES TOWARDS MID-SPAN, WHERE APPLIED MOMENTS
ARE GREATEST, AND THEREBY FACILITATING HANGING SERVICES UNDER THE SHALLOWER REGIONS
NEAR THE BEAM SUPPORTS. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE TO FORM WEB OPENINGS IN TAPERED GIRDERS IN
REGIONS OF LOW SHEAR, TOWARDS MID-SPAN. THESE PROVIDE MORE OPTIONS FOR SERVICE
INTEGRATION.
HAUNCHED COMPOSITE BEAM

HAUNCHES MAY BE ADDED AT THE ENDS OF A COMPOSITE BEAM TO PROVIDE MOMENT

CONTINUITY. THE STIFFNESS AND STRENGTH OF THE CONNECTIONS MEAN THAT THE REST OF
THE SPAN CAN BE SHALLOWER (THE BENDING MOMENT DIAGRAM IS 'LIFTED' AND THE
EFFECTIVE STIFFNESS OF THE BEAM SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED), AND SERVICES PASSED
UNDER IT. IN BUILDINGS WHERE THE SERVICES ARE LIKELY TO NEED FREQUENT REPLACEMENT
(FOR EXAMPLE IN HOSPITALS), HANGING THE SERVICES UNDER THE BEAMS RATHER THAN
PASSING THEM THROUGH HOLES IN THE WEBS, OR THROUGH A TRUSS, CAN BE
ADVANTAGEOUS. SPANS IN EXCESS OF 20-30 M CAN READILY BE ACHIEVED.