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A beam is a construction element in buildings. It serves as a support element for transferring vertical, most often gravitational, forces to walls or pillars which in turn transfers the force downwards. In contemporary construction it is primarily constructed of steel. Many types of beams exist, and a common way to distinguish between types are by profile, the shape of a cross section of the beam. One of the most common type of beam is the I-beam, commonly used for support in steel frame buildings such as houses and bridges.
Internally, beams undergo both compression and tensile stresses as a result of transferring loads to pillars. The top if the beam is under compression. The bottom of the beam is under tension. The middle of the beam is relatively stress free. It for this reason that I-beams are common: it maximizes material at the top and bottom of the beam to bear the additional stresses.
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