A flitch plate is a steel plate that is sandwiched between pieces of framing lumber and bolted together. They are used in a similar manner to built-up wood girders or headers in residential and light commercial construction.

What is a Flitch plate in construction?

A flitch plate is a steel plate that is sandwiched between pieces of framing lumber and bolted together. They are used in a similar manner to built-up wood girders or headers in residential and light commercial construction.

How thick should a Flitch plate be?

Steel plate thicknesses from 8 mm to 20 mm are commonly used. The timber is normally solid softwood or hardwood.

How far can a flitch beam span?

The beams are marked to identify the right way up and special load bearing points if any. All GANG-NAIL FLITCH BEAMS are to be restrained along their top edge at 900mm centres maximum for heavy roof and 1200mm centres maximum for light roof. Floor beams are restrained along their top edge at 600mm centres maximum.

What Flitch means?

Definition of flitch 1 : a side of cured meat especially : a side of bacon. 2 : a longitudinal section of a log.

What is a steel Flitch plate?

What is 1/2 steel Flitch plate?

The flitch-plate girder, shown in Photo 1, is made of a ½-inch steel plate sandwiched between two 2 x 10s and is held together by bolts with washers and nuts. It is located in a 1980s’ addition to a large lake-front home originally built in the 1930s.

How does a flitch beam work?

Typically, the flitch beam is made up of a steel plate sandwiched between two timber beams, the three layers being held together with bolts. Further alternating layers of timber and steel can be used to produce an even stronger beam. The metal plate within the beam is known as a flitch plate.

What is a timber Flitch?

The word ‘flitch’ refers to a plank of timber, cut lengthways from a tree trunk. It is related to the word ‘flesh’. A flitch beam is a compound beam commonly used in loft conversions and other timber-frame structures where longer spans are required than solid timber is able to provide.

What is Flitched beam and what are its advantages?

The benefit of using flitch beams is that they are lighter and cheaper than using only steel, and allow fixing of the surrounding timber framework using nails or screws. As they are significantly stronger than timber beams they require less depth than a timber-only beam of the same strength.

What is a flitch plate?

A flitch plate is a steel plate that is sandwiched between pieces of framing lumber and bolted together. They are used in a similar manner to built-up wood girders or headers in residential and light commercial construction.

What is the construction of a flitch beam?

The construction of the beam is also straightforward. To make a flitch beam, firstly two wooden beams are cut to length. A prefabricated (Cut to length & drilled to accommodate Bolt Diameter) flitch plate is then put between the two beams and all parts are bolted together.

How are flitch plate beams structurally anaerobic?

With a flitch plate beam, the structural load is shared between the steel plate and the wood side pieces proportionally to their relative stiffness. In order to structurally ana- lyze a flitch plate beam, transformed section properties are used that treat the composite section as an equivalent wood member.

Why do flitch plate beams need bolting?

Bolting of Flitch Plates Adequate bolting is crucial to the perfor- mance of flitch plate beams. Since the load is applied to this composite beam through the wood side pieces, the bolts must distribute that portion of the load that the steel plates will be carrying.