• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제33권2호
• /
• pp.225-243
• /
• 2019

Cold-formed steel (CFS) sections when used as primary load carrying members often require additional strengthening for retrofitting purposes. In some cases, it is also necessary to reduce deflections in order to satisfy serviceability requirements. The introduction of angle sections, screwed to the webs so as to act as external stiffeners, has the potential to both increase flexural strength as well as reduce deflections. This paper presents the results of ten four-point bending tests, on built-up CFS sections, both open and closed, with different stiffening arrangements. In the laboratory tests, the stiffening arrangements increased the moment capacity and stiffness of the CFS beams by up to 85% and 100% respectively. The increase in moment capacity was more evident for the open sections, while that reduction in deflection was largest for the closed sections.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제6권3호
• /
• pp.237-255
• /
• 2006

This paper presents a novel analytical formulation for the analysis of composite beams with partial shear interaction stiffened by a bolted longitudinal plate accounting for time effects, such as creep and shrinkage. The model is derived by means of the principle of virtual work using a displacement-based formulation. The particularity of this approach is that the partial interaction behaviour is assumed to exist between the top slab and the joist as well as between the joist and the bolted longitudinal stiffening plate, therefore leading to a three-layered structural representation. For this purpose, a novel finite element is derived and presented. Its accuracy is validated based on short-and long-term analyses for the particular cases of full shear interaction and partial shear interaction of two layers for which solutions in closed form are available in the literature. A parametric study is carried out considering different stiffening arrangements to investigate the influence on the short-and long-term behaviour of the composite beam of the shear connection stiffness between the concrete slab and the steel joist, the stiffness of the plate-to-beam connection, the properties of the longitudinal plate and the concrete properties. The values of the deflection obtained from the finite element simulations are compared against those calculated using the effective flexural rigidity in accordance with EC5 guidelines for the behaviour of elastic multi-layered beams with flexible connection and it is shown how the latter well predicts the structural response. The proposed numerical examples highlight the ease of use of the proposed approach in determining the effectiveness of different retrofitting solutions at service conditions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제32권4호
• /
• pp.479-495
• /
• 2019

In tied-arch bridges, the way the arch and the deck are connected may become crucial. The deck is usually suspended from hangers made out of steel pinned cables capable of resisting axial forces only. However, a proper structural response may be ensured by fixing and stiffening the hangers in order to resist, additionally, shear forces and bending moments. Thus, this paper studies the effect of different pinned and stiffened hanger arrangements on the structural behavior of the tied-arch bridges, with the intention of providing designers with useful tools at the early steps of design. Longitudinally and transversally stiffened hangers (and the effect of hinges at the hangers and their locations) are studied separately because the in-plane and the out-of-plane behavior of the bridge are uncoupled due to its symmetry. As a major conclusion, regarding the in-plane behavior, hangers composed of cables (either with vertical, $Nielsen-L\ddot{o}hse$ or network arrangements) are recommended due to its low cost and ease of erection. Alternatively, longitudinally stiffened hangers, fixed at both ends, can be used. Regarding the out-of-plane behavior, and in addition to three-dimensional arrangements of cables, of limited effectiveness, transversally stiffened hangers fixed at both ends are the most efficient arrangement. A configuration almost as efficient and, additionally, cheaper and easier to build can be achieved by locating a hinge at the end corresponding to the most flexible structural element (normally the arch). Its efficiency is further improved if the cross-section tapers from the fixed end to the pinned end.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제19권6호
• /
• pp.1599-1610
• /
• 2015

Cold Formed Steel members are widely used in today's construction industry. However the structural behavior of light gauge high strength cold formed steel sections characterized by various buckling modes are not yet fully understood. Because of their simple forming and easy connections, the commonly used cold formed sections for beams are C and Z. However both these sections suffer from certain buckling modes. To achieve much improved structural performance of cold formed sections for beams both in terms of strength and stiffness, it is important to either delay or completely eliminate their various modes of buckling. This paper presents various innovative sectional profiles and stiffening arrangements for cold formed steel beams which would successfully contribute in delaying or eliminating various modes of premature buckling, thus considerably improving the load carrying capacity as well as stiffness characteristics of such innovative cold formed sections compared to conventional cold formed steel sections commonly used for beams.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• 제59권3호
• /
• pp.559-577
• /
• 2016

There are many theoretical analyses and experimental studies of the hydrodynamics for the tension leg platform (TLP) of a floating wind turbine. However, there has been little research on the arrangement of the TLP's internal structure. In this study, a TLP model and a 5-MW wind turbine model as proposed by the Minstitute of Technology and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been adopted, respectively, to comprehensively analyze wind effects and wave and current combinations. The external additional coupling loads on the TLP and the effects of the loads on variables of the internal structure have been calculated. The study investigates preliminary layout parameters-namely, the thickness of the tension leg body, the contact mode of the top tower on the tension leg, the internal stiffening arrangement, and the formation of the spoke structure-and conducts sensitivity analyses of the TLP internal structure. Stress is found to be at a maximum at the top of the tension leg structure and the maximum stress has low sensitivity to the load application point. Different methods of reducing maximum stress have been researched and analyzed, and the effectiveness of these methods is analyzed. Filling of the spoke structure with concrete is discussed. Since the TLP structure for offshore wind power is still under early exploration, arrangements and the configuration of the internal structure, exploration and improvements are ongoing. With regard to its research and analysis process, this paper aims to guide future applications of tension leg structures for floating wind turbine.