steel lintel size for removed brick arch

[transit]

Hi all, i want to remove 2 brick archways and square them off to make more modern. I've done a search and found some threads but nothing specific to the size of lintel.

Someone mentioned a 5mm x 75mm steel lintel embedded about 150mm into the brickwork. Would this support an average opening of about 1m? Would it also support 1.6m or would i need a thicker lintel or go deeper than 150mm? Going thicker would be a pain as 5mm would be perfect for the mortar joins.

Or should i just call in a bricklayer to do the job?

[joe greiner]

I don't think a flat plate would suffice. Horizontal leg thickness is less important than the height of the upstanding leg of an angle lintel, subject to available cross sections. Ought to be some design charts around someplace. Maybe Al (ozwinner) will chime in on this.

Joe

[ausdesign]

there's a pdf at www.galintel.com.au that may give you what you're looking for.

[transit]

Thanks guys, just to follow up, i've done some more research (cheers for the link ausdesign) and the pdf on the galintel site have the following:
- Flat bar (85 x 8mm) spans up to 1m with a 1.2m max bar length. (so i wouldn't use the 75 x 5mm).
- Angle bar (as you mentioned joe) 100 x 100 x 8mm spans up to 1.8m for a 2.1m bar length. For those on the gold coast, the angle bars cost ~$36 and are sold through OneSteel in Olson ave, molendinar.