Should the depth of the beam be assumed and go thru the proc

Should the depth of the beam be assumed and go thru the process or is there a formula that give you the depths minimum?

Solution

The depth of beam can be assumed but It should satisify the deflection limit of respective structure i.e, Cantilever or Simply Supported or Continues beam.

Span to Depth ratios as per Deflection Criterias:

For Cantilever L/D is 7

For Simply Supported L/D is 20

For Continues Beam L/D is 26

The beam should satisify these limits according to deflection criteria otherwise the beam will be failed due to high deflection.