The Role of Load-Bearing Steel Beams With Precast Planks

Load-bearing steel beams are a crucial component of most construction projects. At Boccella Precast, we work with many designers who meld the benefits of precast hollow planks with load-bearing steel beams, creating ideal strength and stability. These beams work alongside hollow core planks to create a better-finished product.

Take a closer look at steel beams’ role in supporting precast planks and how the two improve construction outcomes.

The Function of Load-Bearing Steel Beams in Construction

Load-bearing steel beams are structural elements that provide support for the weight of the floor or the roofing structure above it. These are the horizontal components of most building projects. They work to distribute loads from floors, roofs, and walls evenly, aiding in the stability of the structure.

These structural beams provide overall support for the building, prevent it from collapsing, and ensure it can handle whatever heavy load it needs, whether that’s people, equipment, or a range of much heavier materials.

Steel has long been a preferred material for this task. Its high strength-to-weight ratio makes it ideal for some environments. Steel offers durability, flexibility in design, and overall strength that’s hard to beat with another competitively priced structural component.

Understanding Hollow Core Precast Planks

If steel is the go-to solution, why consider anything else, including hollow core slabs, for your project? The benefits of hollow core precast planks are impossible to overlook:

• They are significantly lighter in weight, which has huge benefits in design by allowing for more flexibility without reducing structural integrity.
• They are fast to install. They can be installed within a short amount of time without as much labor.
• Precast hollow planks are also excellent for their thermal insulation properties.
• They enhance acoustics within the space as well.

Hollow core precast planks are commonly used today because of their numerous benefits. They’re used in roofing applications, parking structures, and industrial building design. Their exceptional functionality and customization make them a solid choice for most needs.

The Synergy Between Load-Bearing Steel Beams and Hollow Core Precast Planks

How do the two come together to create the ideal project? They don’t work against each other but instead support each other in the best ways.

Optimum structural performance

Steel beams and precast planks work together to provide optimal structural performance. When constructing a multi-story building, for example, you need the benefits of steel. You also will reduce costs and weight concerns by utilizing the lighter weight of the hollow core. More so, hollow core planks allow for open interiors because they do not require the interior columns that steel beams do. That makes them ideal when building large, open spaces.

Improved load distribution

Load-bearing steel beams can carry heavy loads. It’s not just that they can hold a lot of weight. Rather, they do a good job of distributing the weight of precast planks and other materials more effectively. This offers enhanced stability. It also simply makes the structure more reliable over time.

Design flexibility

Using both materials together creates an opportunity to design with fewer limitations. By combining steel and precast planks, architects and engineers can create open spaces, reduce the number of interior columns, and build higher within their budget.

Commercial and residential applications

This combination can be helpful in most building designs. That includes commercial spaces such as office buildings, warehouses, and schools, maximizing square footage within those spaces. In residential construction, this combination allows for big, open living areas and basements without columns or low-height beams.

Cost and Time Efficiencies

It is important to construct projects efficiently and at the lowest possible cost. Combining typically more expensive and harder-to-use steel with a precast that’s easy to install and more affordable tends to stretch the budget easily. Precast planks are custom-designed in advance. This can be done in a controlled environment and shipped to the location ready to go. That cuts down the work onsite and speeds up production.

Conclusion

Utilizing load-bearing steel beams in large projects is necessary. Blending that use with precast hollow core planks helps reduce costs, improve design flexibility, and make spaces strong, versatile, and efficient.

While Boccella Precast specializes in the manufacturing of hollow core planks, our partnership with load-bearing steel beams ensures reliable construction solutions. Contact Boccella Precast for more information on how precast planks can be integrated with steel beams for their next project. We work with architects and engineers looking for cutting-edge solutions that keep costs down and versatility high.