A reinforced laminated beam provides reinforcement in the locations where maximum tension occurs on such beams, generally at the lower portions of the beam, by the addition of a layer of high tensile strength material between successive layers or laminations of wood. A thin layer of high tensile strength material, preferably a strip of aluminum alloy with a tensile yield strength of approximately 41,000 psi and a thickness of 0.064-inch, which is continuous across the width and length of the beam, is adhesively fixed between the bottom two laminations of wood, thereby producing a significant increase in the carrying capacity of the beam, while providing no obstacle to the sawing or other working of the beam in the field. Reinforcing material also may be added between other lower laminations for additional reinforcement, this being particularly useful for deep beams having a large number of laminations. The carrying capacity of a beam may be still further strengthened by the addition of a reinforcing strip between the two upper laminations in a beam, such upper reinforcing layer being useful where, because of the increase in the tensile strength at the lower laminations, the weaker area in the beam now has become the compressive strength of the upper laminations.
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