Beam construction and method of manufacture

Claim 1

In a beam for use in industrial storage racks or the like, first and second beam sections, each section comprising a pair of spaced parallel flanges, said flanges being flat throughout their widths, a central web portion between and at right angles to said flanges and spaced therefrom a distance substantially greater than their thickness, and first and second inclined web portions connecting the edges of the central web portion to the edges of the flanges on the same side thereof, the outer surfaces of said second beam section flanges being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the inner surfaces of said first beam section flanges, the outer surfaces of the flanges of said second beam section fitting snugly within the inner surfaces of the flanges on the first beam section, the flanges of said two beam sections overlapping substantially completely, whereby the sections together form a closed beam, and means securing said beam sections together comprising welds between the outer edges of the first beam section flanges and said second beam section.