• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.323-335
• /
• 2013

This work aims to study the effect of stiffener ties in the behavior of intermediate length open section Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) Columns under axial compression. A comparative study on the behaviour and strength of Cold Formed Steel Columns by changing the direction of projection of lips (i.e., inwards or outwards) are also done. In this work two types of sections were considered Type-I section with lip projecting outwards (hat) and Type-II section with lip projecting inwards (channel). The length of the columns is predicted by performing elastic buckling analysis using CUFSM software. The theoretical analysis is performed using DSM - S100;2007, AS/NZ: 4600-2005 and IS: 801-1975. The compression tests are carried out in a 400 kN loading frame with hinged-hinged end condition. The non-linear numerical analysis is performed using Finite Element software ANSYS 12.0 to simulate the experimental results. Extensive parametric study is carried out by varying the width and spacing of the stiffener ties. The results are compared; the effects of stiffener ties on behaviour and load carrying capacity on both types of columns are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.349-356
• /
• 2002

Cold-Formed C-section and Lipped C-section are commonly used as structural members of steel houses in Korea. Both are made of SGC41 steel. However, special Cold-Formed Sections with unique cross sectional shape have been developed and widely used in advanced countries. This research focused on the newly developed thin-walled Cold-Formed Sections which possess not only high strength and stiffness but also other advantages in construction. A series of compression tests was conducted to investigate the structural behavior of a compression member, including its load carrying capacity. Test results were compared with analytical study results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.305-323
• /
• 2014

This paper presents numerical simulations of partially encased composite columns (PEC) with equivalent steel sections. The composite section of PEC column consists of thin walled welded H- shaped steel section with transverse links provided at regular intervals between the flanges. Concrete is poured in the space between the flanges and the web plate. Most of the structural analysis and design software do not handle such composite members due to highly nonlinear material behavior of concrete as well as due to the complex interfacial behaviour of steel and concrete. In this paper an attempt has been made to replace the steel concrete composite section by an equivalent steel section which can be easily incorporated in the design and analysis software. The methodology used for the formulation of the equivalent steel section is described briefly in the paper. Finite element analysis is conducted using the equivalent steel section of partially encased composite columns tested under concentric gravity loading. The reference test columns are obtained from the literature, encompassing a variety of geometric and material properties. The finite element simulations of the composite columns with equivalent steel sections are found to predict the experimental behaviour of partially encased composite columns with very good accuracy.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.55 no.5
• /
• pp.953-964
• /
• 2015

A model has been proposed that can predict the ultimate torsional strength of single-box multi-cell reinforced concrete box girder under combined loading of bending, shear and torsion. Compared with the single-cell box girder, this model takes the influence of inner webs on the distribution of shear flow into account. According to the softening truss theory and thin walled tube theory, a failure criterion is presented and a ultimate torsional strength calculating procedure is established for single-box multi-cell reinforced concrete box girder under combined actions, which considers the effect of tensile stress among the concrete cracks, Mohr stress compatibility and the softened constitutive law of concrete. In this paper the computer program is also compiled to speed up the calculation. The model has been validated by comparing the predicted and experimental members loaded under torsion combined with different ratios of bending and shear. The theoretical torsional strength was in good agreement with the experimental results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.293-308
• /
• 2015

Interaction between the external thin-walled steel tube and the internal concrete core significantly increases the bending resistance of composite beams and beam-columns in comparison with the steel or concrete members. There is presented a developed method for design of hollow and solid concrete-filled steel tubular beams based on test data, which gives better agreement with test results than EC4 because its limitation to take an increase in strength of concrete caused by confinement contradicts the recommendation of 6.7.2(4) that full composite action up to failure may be assumed between steel and concrete components of the member. Good agreement between the results of carried out experimental, numerical and theoretical investigations allows recommending the proposed method to use in design practice.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.471-481
• /
• 2019

Beam-columns are structural members subjected to a combination of axial and bending forces. Lateral-torsional buckling is one of the main failure modes. Beam-columns that are bent about its strong axis may buckle out of the plane by deflecting laterally and twisting as the values of the applied loads reach a limiting state. Lateral-torsional buckling failure occurs suddenly in beam-column elements with a much greater in-plane bending stiffness than torsional or lateral bending stiffness. This study intends to establish a unique convenient closed-form equation that it can be used for calculating critical elastic lateral-torsional buckling load of beam-column in the presence of a known axial load. The presented equation includes first order bending distribution, the position of the loads acting transversely on the beam-column and mono-symmetry property of the section. Effects of axial loads, slenderness and load positions on lateral torsional buckling behavior of beam-columns are investigated. The proposed solutions are compared to finite element simulations where thin-walled shell elements including warping are used. Good agreement between the analytical and the numerical solutions is demonstrated. It is found out that the lateral-torsional buckling load of beam-columns with mono-symmetric sections can be determined by the presented equation and can be safely used in design procedures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.447-458
• /
• 2022

Cold-formed steel (CFS) sections are thin-walled, therefore, more susceptible to different types of geometric imperfections. Global type of geometric imperfections has a significant impact on the load-carrying capacity of flexural members. This paper reports an experimental study that discusses the influence of global imperfections on the flexural response of CFS built-up I-beams composed of two lipped channels, with simply supported ends, under four-point loading. Global imperfections of magnitude over eight times the maximum permissible ones were induced in the specimens, leading to their distress. Using various simple stiffening schemes, the capacity and stiffness of the distressed specimens were improvised. The performance comparisons were made based on the maximum loads resisted, flexural stiffnesses offered, and failure modes experienced by the specimens. As experimental data on such distressed specimens are currently lacking in the literature, the test results of the present study will provide the necessary data needed by future researchers to numerically extend this study further, which will help in the development of necessary design guidelines for the same. The stiffening schemes significantly improved the structural efficiency of distressed specimens in terms of strength and stiffness, by over 60%. As a result, an effective and time-saving solution to such realistic structural engineering problems is given.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.371-384
• /
• 2023

Precast roofing systems employing prestressed elements often serve as smart structural solutions for the construction of industrial buildings. The precast concrete elements usually employed are highly engineered, and often consist in thin-walled members, characterised by a complex behaviour in fire. The present study was carried out after a fire event damaged a precast industrial building made with prestressed beam and roof elements, and non-prestressed curved barrel vault elements interposed in between the spaced roof elements. As a consequence of the exposure to the fire, the main elements were found standing, although some locally damaged and distorted, and the local collapse of few curved barrel vault elements was observed in one edge row only. In order to understand and interpret the observed structural performance of the roof system under fire, a full fire safety engineering process was carried out according to the following steps: (a) realistic temperature-time curves acting on the structural elements were simulated through computational fluid dynamics, (b) temperature distribution within the concrete elements was obtained with non-linear thermal analysis in variable regime, (c) strength and deformation of the concrete elements were checked with non-linear thermal-mechanical analysis. The analysis of the results allowed to identify the causes of the local collapses occurred, attributable to the distortion caused by temperature to the elements causing loss of support in early fire stage rather than to the material strength reduction due to the progressive exposure of the elements to fire. Finally, practical hints are provided to avoid such a phenomenon to occur when designing similar structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.61-75
• /
• 2024

Thin-walled concrete-filled U-shaped steel beams have been recently used in building structures for shortening the construction period and cost efficiency of structural members. In this study, the flexural and shear behavior of newly developed bolt-connected U-shaped steel beams filled with concrete was experimentally evaluated considering load conditions for positive and negative moments, and types of U-shaped steel sections. Because the cross sections are not symmetrical about a horizontal axis, compressive buckling of bottom plates was observed along with web shear buckling under negative moment loading, while the slab concrete under compression was crushed under a positive moment loading. Despite such different shear failure modes depending on load conditions, the shear strength of the composite beams can be conservatively predicted using AISC 360-16 and Eurocode 4. Although the shear contribution of filled concrete is neglected according to the current design codes, the shear capacity of the steel web considering the shear buckling coefficient corresponding to the web width-to-thickness ratio reasonably predicts the test results. In addition, for deep composite beams, the longitudinal lips of a U-shaped steel section anchored into filled concrete can improve the interfacial bond between steel and concrete, thereby enhancing the shear contribution of the steel web.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.641-657
• /
• 2020

A unique lightweight string truss deployable bridge assembled by thin-walled fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) and metal profiles was designed for emergency applications. As a new structure, investigations into the static structural performance under the serviceability limit state are desired for examining the structural integrity of the developed bridge when subjected to unsymmetrical loadings characterized by combined torsion and bending. In this study, a full-scale experimental inspection was conducted on a fabricated bridge, and the combined flexural-torsional behavior was examined in terms of displacement and strains. The experimental structure showed favorable strength and rigidity performances to function as deployable bridge under unsymmetrical loading conditions and should be designed in accordance with the stiffness criterion, the same as that under symmetrical loads. In addition, a finite element model (FEM) with a simple modeling process, which considered the multi segments of the FRP members and realistic nodal stiffness of the complex unique hybrid nodal joints, was constructed and compared against experiments, demonstrating good agreement. A FEM-based numerical analysis was thereafter performed to explore the effect of the change in elastic modulus of different FRP elements on the static deformation of the bridge. The results confirmed that the change in elastic modulus of different types of FRP element members caused remarkable differences on the bending and torsional stiffness of the hybrid bridge. The global stiffness of such a unique bridge can be significantly enhanced by redesigning the critical lower string pull bars using designable FRP profiles with high elastic modulus.