Hardboard-Webbed Beams: Research and Application

The use of hardboard as the shear-web material in built-up beams was reported in Europe as far back as the mid-1930s. Primary uses are as roof-support beams with spans up to 95 feet. Other uses in such diverse places as England, Sweden, Java and Australia include floor joists, garage door headers, and wall framing members. Research studies on hardboard as a shear-web material have been conducted in at least six countries: Australia, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. Several long-term load studies, principally on I-sections, indicate that hardboard-webbed beams perform in a manner similar to the performance of plywood-webbed beams. A number of countries, including England, Germany, and Sweden, have published allowable design loads for structural use of hardboard. Results of this research are described. Figures illustrate built-up beam construction techniques and actual beams being tested and in use.

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