A Numerical Investigation into the Ultimate Strength of Steel Cellular Beams with Semi-Rigid Connections

Over the past several years, extensive theoretical, numerical and experimental research has been carried out on the structural behavior of steel beams with web openings of various shapes. However, in all these studies, cellular beams have always been treated or designed as simply supported at their ends. In other words, the beam to column connections are assumed as nominally pinned. The main aim of the present paper is to perform numerical simulations to determine whether the use of end plate connections, instead of simple connections, could enhance the global bending and/or shear capacity of cellular beams with circular and sinusoidal web openings.Interaction between a circular or sinusoidal opening in the beam web and endplate connection has also been studied. Data obtained from a number of experimental research programs on steel solid beam to column connections and simply supported cellular beams, available in the literature, were utilized to validate the numerical models developed in this paper. The numerical simulations using ABAQUS software were performed on full scale cellular steel beams connected to the columns with seven types of endplate connections. The results were compared with those obtained for similar simply cellular beams.