A flitch beam (or flitched beam) is a composite beam used in the construction of houses, decks, and other wood-frame structures, the flitch beam is made of a vertical steel plate sandwiched between two wood beams, the three layers being held together with bolts.
This is commonly known as a steel flitch beam, further layers of wood and metal can be used to create an excellent strong beam.
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Why We Prefer Flitch Beam:
Lighter: Structures made purely from wood are lighter than those that have a steel plate which allows easy construction and quick installation.
Cheaper: The products are made from less costly wood as it can save you money on labor costs because they require a smaller staff to put together in a short period of time.
Short time to produce: Only frames manufactured from handcrafted wood will take quick work from our skilled carpenters which implies that the product might be prepared in a short time.
In return, you will be able to purchase more quickly resulting in the installation being completed sooner.
More efficient: Frames made with traditional joining techniques are made more efficiently with attention to detail resulting in a cleaner finish.
It also helps in brings about a faster, simpler installation that will not be achieved with a flitch beam.
Traditional Design: Fully wood planks have an extensive reputation as a classical design offering an authentic charm to your property that cannot be achieved with any other type of beam.
Sustainably Sour: Whenever you choose to purchase oak or wooden products, you may be certain that the wooden is coming from a sustainable source.
For every tree used as products, three more are planted as a substitute which preserves products to be sustainable for the longer term and implies that we will provide high-quality oak and timber frames for the next coming years.
Advantages of the flitch beam:
- Flitch beams are much stronger than wood alone.
- This beam requires much less depth than wood beams of identical strength.
- They are much lighter than steel beams of identical size.
- They will still be positioned in the rest of the wood structure.
- These beams can also be made from existing in-situ joists or beams allowing easy renovation.
Disadvantages of flitch beam:
- Due to the high cost of labor, the use of this type of beam has declined greatly.
- The initiation of high-strength engineered lumber that uses modern adhesives and low-cost wood fiber has made the system largely out-of-date.
- Engineered wood is cut lengthwise and installed similar to saw wood.
- Flitch beams are required for shop construction or field bolting.
- This is coupled with an enormously increased self-weight of the beam at 11.4 pounds (5.2 kg) for engineered wood to 25.2 pounds (11.4 kg) reduces the feasibility of the system.
Also read: Grade Beam, Spandrel Beam & Cantilever beam
Conclusion:
The flitch beam is made from the steel plate between two wooden beams, three layers held together with bolts.
