On 05/10/2011 20:40, george [dicegeorge] wrote:
On 05/10/11 20:09, cynic wrote:
On Oct 5, 6:37 pm, "george
wrote:
A 3 inch notch in a 4 inch beam which supports a lot of floor and a
wall?

http://www.dicegeorge.com/psb/psimg/...otched167m.jpg

There is no wall underneath it.
How to strengthen it?
I was thinking of replacing the floorboard with a length of steel,
maybe an L shape with notches where the rafters are?
Screwing it down with coachbolts?
Its a flying freehold, underneath is a friendly neighbour,
with a posh ceiling.

[g]

What is the overall length of the beam in question? Obviously the
longer the beam the greater the bending moment. If its only a yard or
so wide you may not have much to worry about. At a pinch you could
attach a suitable angle iron to the beam to carry the load instead.
one yard to the wall at the left, five yards to the right
[g]

By rights at that length the beam looks as if it should have collapsed
under its own weight long ago. A silly question I know but are you sure
that there is a flat ceiling beneath and not an exposed beam with
another 4 - 6" of depth below what is shown in the photo?

As to improving the situation how about a steel fishplate across the top
replacing the floorboard in the vicinity of the notch?

--
Roger Chapman