Timber lintels and beams are perfectly acceptable structurally, as long as they are suitably protected from the effects of fire and damp-penetration – just as steel beams have to be.

A bressummer, breastsummer, summer beam (somier, sommier, sommer, somer, cross-somer, summer, summier, summer-tree, or dorman, dormant tree) are load bearing beams in a timber framed building. The word summer derived from sumpter or French sommier, “a pack horse”, meaning “bearing great burden or weight”.

The beam carries the load from slab and transfers it to the column from, column it is transferred to the footing and from footing finally to the soil. Whereas lintel carries the load of the wall above the openings and transfers it to walls only.

is that girder is a beam of steel, wood, or reinforced concrete, used as a main horizontal support in a building or structure while lintel is (architecture) a horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.

A lintel is a structural horizontal support used to span an opening in a wall or between two vertical supports. It is frequently used over windows and doors, both of which represent vulnerable points in a building’s structure. Lintels are generally used for load-bearing purposes, but they can also be decorative.

A lintel is a beam placed across the openings like doors, windows etc. in buildings to support the load from the structure above. The width of lintel beam is equal to the width of wall, and the ends of it is built into the wall.

1. Wood Lintel Beam (Timber): Timber or wooden lintels are the oldest kinds of lintels and are commonly used in hilly terrain areas. These lintels are expensive, structurally weak, liable to decay, and vulnerable to fire.

The installation of a new lintel requires brickwork to be removed and replaced, and the masonry above the opening to be supported with props during this process. It is costly and disruptive.

A lintel is one type of beam which used to support the above wall when openings like doors, windows etc. are necessary to provide a building structure. The main function of the lintel is to take loads coming from above wall and transfer its load to the side walls.

Yes. Generally the partition walls don’t need any support like beam or anything. But if we go for more than 3m length of wall, we may need to provide the column for lateral support which should be supported by beam on its base.

Beams primarily carry vertical gravitational forces. They are also used to carry horizontal loads (e.g., loads due to an earthquake or wind or in tension to resist rafter thrust as a tie beam or (usually) compression as a collar beam).

The top door frame should not ever bear loads. Internal walls in a double brick house are normally single skin, and may or may not bear some of the roof load. You would usually have a lintel bar above the opening.

Lintels should be installed with a minimum end bearing of 150mm at each end, and should be levelled and fully bedded on bricklaying mortar. Masonry may overhang the supporting lintel by a maximum of 25mm. Wall ties should be used in accordance with BS 5628 and current Building Regulations.

Typically, lintel sizes for door openings are determined by measuring the size of the structural opening (the distance between the two structural supports), and adding 100mm to each end for lintels under 1 meter and 150mm to each of longer lintels.

A lintel or lintol is a structural horizontal block that spans the space or opening between two vertical supports. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. It is often found over portals, doors, windows and fireplaces.

Lintels are required for all openings over timber frames greater than 600mm in width, & for all openings over steel frames greater than 900mm.

A lintel is a solid stone structural block that horizontally spans the top of a window opening.

In architecture, a transom is a transverse horizontal structural beam or bar, or a crosspiece separating a door from a window above it. This contrasts with a mullion, a vertical structural member. Transom or transom window is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece.

Installing a lintel or Opening a wall to fit a door or window can be a very dangerous job, if you are not 100% certain what you are doing it is best to employ a builder to do it for you. Before opening the wall you are advised to seek advice from a structural surveyor.

Lintel beam size:- lintel beam size specification comprise of width and depth,the width of lintel beam should be equal to width of opening, if brick wall width is 5″ then lintel width should be 5″ (125mm), 9″ thick brick wall have lintel width is 9″(225mm) and for blockwork lintel width should be 4″ to 8″.

Design Steps for an RCC Lintel Beam

1. Take effective depth of lintel, d = l/10; [IS:456-2000, Cl.23.2.1]
2. Overall depth D = Effective depth (d) + Effective cover.
3. Width of the lintel, B = Thickness of the masonry wall.
4. Effective Span,l = Least of ([ Clearspan + Bearing] , [Clean Span + Effective Depth])

Also, the length of lintel in case of masonry wall is calculated by taking the measurement of the total width of the opening and adding 150 mm for end-bearings at each end. In a house, the level of lintel is generally the soffit level of a door or window.

Brick Lintels

A 900mm SL50 has a height of 95mm, and weighs 6.2kg per metre. Looking at SWL figures you can see that if your floor load is a 1:1 ratio (so the same weight is applied on both the inner leaf and outer leaf, then this SL50 at 900mm can take a load of 8kN on each leaf.

Strength. It is not a myth that steel lintels are stronger than concrete; this is generally the case, but it is a little more complicated. A high strength prestressed concrete lintel can often offer better supporting properties than a similar steel version at certain lengths and can be considerably cheaper.

When drilling into a concrete lintel, you should start with the smallest drill bit for masonry you have in your set. A drill bit of 3mm is a good place to start, and you can then work up from there to get the size of hole you need. When it comes to concrete, the smaller the drill bit, the easier it will penetrate.

Steel angle lintels should be at least 1/4 in. (6 mm) thick with a horizontal leg of at least 3 1/2 in. (90 mm) for use with nominal 4 in. (100 mm) thick brick, and 3 in.

150mm

All lintels are designed to carry a specific safe working load (SWL). If you are not skilled in the method of load assessment, or the load has not been supplied to you by a third party, for advice please contact Catnic Technical Services on 02920 337900.

Lintels. If an opening is formed in a wall, the structure above the opening, even if it is relatively small, will need to be supported. Two lintels (made of steel or concrete), one supporting each leaf of a cavity wall construction. Separate thermal insulation and a cavity tray are likely to be required.