Design Aids for Unreinforced Web Openings in Steel and Composite Beams with W-Shapes

Design aids compatible with the Load and Resistance Factor Design Specification for Structural Steel Buildings were obtained from computational analyses based on AISC Design Guide No. 2 to facilitate the design of openings in webs of steel and composite beams with W-shapes. The set of design aids presented allow identification of the "neutral zone", a region in the beam web in which openings with some particular characteristics do not reduce the beam strength. It leads to economic alternatives for web openings design, constituting a useful tool, meeting an important demand of steel designers.