Feasibility of Reusing Damaged Steel Beams in Temporary Structures

This study addresses the feasibility of reusing pre-damaged steel beams in temporary structures. The extensive structural investigation of notch-damaged, unrepaired, and laterally unsupported steel beams was performed experimentally and numerically. The simply supported specimens were tested in two-point loading with the study parameters being the location and size of the notch. Some beams had one notch on one edge of the tension flange at different locations, and some beams had two notches on both edges of the tension flange. Three-dimensional numerical models were generated to simulate the behavior of the test beams. After verifying the model, the numerical analysis was extended to cover additional different notch depths and widths. The study showed that the capacity of beams with single notch was more influenced by the notch depth increase than it was by the increase in the notch width. Beams with double notches exhibited an even more pronounced and distinct decrease in the capacity as the notch depth and width increased. This investigation supports the feasibility of reusing pre-damaged steel beams in temporary structures under service loads and certain levels of damage, where the behavior of such beams is within the elastic range and the beam maximum defection is less than the allowable one.

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