Modeling steel beam bracing

[basementcalling]

Any thougths on the easiest techniques for creating and modeling modern industrial steel beam towers with bracing as in industrial staircase towers or braces for steel trestles or supports for conveyors and such?

I've looked at scratch from Evergreen and that's lots of precision cutting and gluing. Etching requires skills and tools I do not have, though I imagine some company out there probably has etched braces and beams. I know GMM does a set of the W or X braces needed for some girders and bridges. Central Valley plastic beam sets are an option too, I guess.

I am looking at making a decent number of support towers for pipe runs in my paper mill, as well as contemplating redoing the towers for a steel trestle so it doesn't scream Micro Engineering. Something about their tower construction just bugs me.

[peteski]

I really think that photoetched brass is the optimal solution. The alternative would be to laser cut them from some thin material (acrylic or laser-board).  If you could do the artwork yourself, laser cutting would be less expensive (especially if you know someone who owns a laser cutter).

[Scottl]

How complicated is it?  Etching artwork is not too bad to do.  Peteski is right that laser would probably be less expensive.

[basementcalling]

How complicated is it?  Etching artwork is not too bad to do.  Peteski is right that laser would probably be less expensive.

Never drawn anything on a computer before. Not so much complicated as the number I would like to have. The complications come from needing different widths, heights, and angled bracing.

I figure replicating something like this is overkill.

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Others more basic.

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Some probably wishful thinking.

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I have 9 feet of space to fill.

[Scottl]

Etches would be good for getting basic 2D shapes but those small angle braces would be hard to reproduce.  Depends on how accurate you are looking for.

It might actually be ideal for 3D printing.  I think that might be a better place to start, and it would avoid the challenge of assembling from etch or other components.

[lajmdlr]

Have you checked Plastruct? They make alot of angles & H beams. They are in the Walthers catalog.

[pnolan48]

I had a similar situation when I tried to design dockside unloading cranes for my container ships. I work with sheet styrene and a digital cutter. I spent a week designing the cranes, and trying various combinations that might approximate L, I and box beams. When I built the first prototype, I quickly realized a crane from Plastruct shapes would be far easier and stronger, albeit more expensive, than constructing my own faux beams. I abandoned the project.

Plastruct (or Evergreen) X- or V-braced beams are very expensive. I think K&S used to make brass beams (one side X-braced and the other solid, so two were required for a beam) at a more reasonable cost, but I haven't seen them for a long time--well since I last visited my LHS in Albuquerque about five years ago. I think Traincat2 used to offer the makings for beams, but I haven't seen him for a few years.

I have been thinking of commissioning a run of brass girders of various sizes for a line of bridges. Like K&S, these would be flat and need to be bent lengthwise. Right now I need to recover some of my investment in N scale ships before launching anything new. (Hint: I included a few beams in my last photoetched brass order, and they came out well.)