What is a channel beam?

What is a channel beam?

Summary

When looking at structural channel, there are a few key terms to understand that will further help the distinction between C-Channel and U-Channel.

What is a channel beam?
When looking at structural channel, there are a few key terms to understand that will further help the distinction between C-Channel and U-Channel. A majority of the terms between the two are universal, with the primary difference between them being their feature ratios. See the image below to help visualize what each term is referencing:

Width: Width is the total length measured from the backside of the ‘C’ shape to the front end of the flanges when viewing the piece as if it were the letter C.
Depth: Depth is also referred to as channel depth, and it is the measure of the length between the top and bottom of the ‘C’ when viewing the pieces as if it were the letter C.
Flange Thickness: Flange thickness is the measure of thickness of the ‘legs’ that are protruding to form the general channel shape.
Web Thickness: The web thickness is the measure of the thickness of the ‘backbone’ of the general channel shape as denoted in the image.
Fillet Radius: Each inner corner of the channel shape has a specified fillet radius. This is similar to that of other structural members like I-Beams and Angle Iron. The fillet radius is not typically specified by manufacturers but can be provided upon request.
Although U-Channel has a greater strength as a percentage of weight ratio (depending on application), its difficulty to manufacture at thicker and larger geometry sizes makes it a more costly to produce and a less practical solution to general fabrication needs in most regions.
U-Channel also goes by the name Parallel Flange Channel and tends to be more custom to each manufacturer and industry standard sizes are not as common aside from the European standard surrounding UPE Channel.
When selecting U-Channel, it is a good idea to confirm size offerings from manufacturers before making design decisions as not every supplier will carrier the same product size ranges.
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