I need to affix my steel stringers to a concrete beam. Since the beam was poorly executed, it is not plumb.
On this piece I will weld some 5 mm thick plate on the backing, that will have holes for bolting in the concrete
I think that I will have to shim almost 12 mm on the top and 3 mm on the bottom.
What is the best way to so it?
Best Answer
Steel shims if shimming steel and concrete - either with holes that you bolt through, or tack weld them in place. To the extent that you can use "fewer, thicker" shims rather than more thinner ones, do that. Paint, galvanizing, or "cold galvanizing" (zinc-loaded paint) may be advisable to limit/reduce rusting over time.
The other solution, though it's not usually referred to as "shimming" would be to use mortar/grout to correct the concrete beam surface for good bearing of the steel in correct orientation.