Effect of stiffeners on steel beams flexural strength

Abstract

Steel beams are usually used in all types of structures with various applications. This thesis investigates the behavior of laterally unsupported simply supported steel I-beams stiffened with different stiffeners and batten plate configurations under uniform bending moment. The sections used for this study are IPE 500 and HEB 260 which are standard hot rolled cross section profiles. Lateral torsional buckling (LTB) failure mode may control the flexural capacity of such beams. A parametric study is performed, using the nonlinear finite element analysis to determine the flexural strength of laterally unsupported simply supported beams stiffened with different configurations of stiffeners and batten plates. The increase in flexural strength for these configurations is determined and presented in the form of graphs showing the effect of different parameters on the flexural strength for studied cases. The study is conducted for various