H beam or I beam?

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A 2 beams of the same dimension whether they are called I or H beams will have the same strength.
An I beam is taller than it is wide and is normally used horizontally.6x10,6x20

A H beam has height and width that are the same mostly used vertically,
6x6, 8x8

The H or wide flange beam is most common for log splitters.

For a log splitter the important dimension of a beam is the thickness of the flange and web. 3/8" min.
 
umm, well, no.

the MOST important thing is the depth or height of the center fo the I, combined with its thickness.

otherwise the force fo the ram splitting wood can bend the beam.
 
umm, well, no.

the MOST important thing is the depth or height of the center fo the I, combined with its thickness.

otherwise the force fo the ram splitting wood can bend the beam.

Yes, but beefing up a lighter I (or H) beam is simple by adding something under it, i.e., a 5/8" x 4" FB on edge would increase the bending strength tremendously...yes I had to add some stiffening to mine which was made out of 3 1/2" sq tube with slip tube for the slide. Had to add a 2x2 tube under it.

Harry K
 
Yes, but beefing up a lighter I (or H) beam is simple by adding something under it, i.e., a 5/8" x 4" FB on edge would increase the bending strength tremendously...yes I had to add some stiffening to mine which was made out of 3 1/2" sq tube with slip tube for the slide. Had to add a 2x2 tube under it.

Harry K

i'm really surprised a 4 inch ram hasn't folded it like a pretzel.

what wall is the tubing?

also, an I beam or H beam is going to be a lot cheaper then a bunch of tubing all stacked up.
 
Remember boys and girls that the I beam, H beam, square tube, pipe, etc. only has to be stronger than the meanest log split. Doesn't matter if you have a 2 ton, 20 ton or 40 ton splitter, the beam, pipe, or tube only has to resist the force of the log being split. As long as the wood gives up first, with no structural damage to the splitter it doesn't matter if it was engineered to use the little cardboard tubes from a roll of toilet paper.:biggrinbounce2:
 
i'm really surprised a 4 inch ram hasn't folded it like a pretzel.

what wall is the tubing?

also, an I beam or H beam is going to be a lot cheaper then a bunch of tubing all stacked up.

I would have to check. Somewhere around 1/4" IIRC. There was just a bit of a flex in the 3 1/2" without the small stiffener.

Cheaper? That depends. We put out 7 versions of that through the back door of the shop. Choice was to buy I beam or "back door" free tubing ;).

Oddly, our concern on the first version was "how will that lightwall slip tubing" stand up. Strangely it has done better than other points. Mine has been in service since 1986 splitting stuff that stalls the ram at times. Version 1 pushed the wedge right out of the end of the armature - much beefing up there, the push plate and 3/8" x 1 1 1/2" bars used as angle bracing behind the push plate bent all kinds of directions until we beefed that up...

Harry K
 
Remember boys and girls that the I beam, H beam, square tube, pipe, etc. only has to be stronger than the meanest log split. Doesn't matter if you have a 2 ton, 20 ton or 40 ton splitter, the beam, pipe, or tube only has to resist the force of the log being split. As long as the wood gives up first, with no structural damage to the splitter it doesn't matter if it was engineered to use the little cardboard tubes from a roll of toilet paper.:biggrinbounce2:

true, but the beam you're using is absorbing all the energy while splitting. we all have a tendency to throw that occassional "log of knots" in there to see if we can split it. this is when the most force is applied.

my question in the OP was because of how they are made. and "H" beam looks exactly like an "H"...defined edges. however an "I" beam has tapered edges towards the center rib and i wondered which would be best suited when that 30 tons of force is actually being exerted.

but, as the other posters suggested, the thickness of the center web is most important since this is what takes the brunt of the force.
 
true, but the beam you're using is absorbing all the energy while splitting. we all have a tendency to throw that occassional "log of knots" in there to see if we can split it. this is when the most force is applied.

my question in the OP was because of how they are made. and "H" beam looks exactly like an "H"...defined edges. however an "I" beam has tapered edges towards the center rib and i wondered which would be best suited when that 30 tons of force is actually being exerted.

but, as the other posters suggested, the thickness of the center web is most important since this is what takes the brunt of the force.

That was just a light hearted explination of applied force. But to the question of your H vs I beam, you are correct that the thickness of the web is the most important for strength assuming that you have a directional pressure (meaning that you have perfectly straight applied pressure). In real world log splitter applications the pressure during a splitting cycle can be up/down, side to side and throw in a little twist to boot. I guess what I am trying to get to is that the beam (I or H) is an engineered "system" that all comes into play with the non-uniform pressure found in splitting applications. The web handles the pressure in one direction (up/down and accounting for the majority of pressure applied) but the flats also assist in handling the side to side and "twist" of the beam. Its kinda like trying to figure out which is more important on your car, the engine or the tires. Both are needed.
Oh, and the blunt answer is the I beam is the stronger for this application (all things being equal) because of the reason you stated that the I beam had a taper from the flats to the web and an H beam does not.
 
Ummmmm

Read:
http://intselsteel.com/products/index.html

Research the difference between I and H beams. The difference is in the sizes that are manufactured. Generally an I beam has a thicker flange than an H beam. For bending side to side, up and down, overall twisting etc..., I recommend and I-beam, just my personal opinion. I's and H's are all standard a-36 steel which is like an 18-22% carbon steel, i.e. 1018. What I think gives I-beams the advantage is the distinct shape. It's not like 2 pieces of flat bar welded to another piece of flat in the middle. It's more of a molded pattern, you'll see if you click on the link above. I-beams are classified as S, H-beams are classified as W. Hope that helps...


6 yrs as a steel worker helped me make my decision... FYI
 
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