STRENGTHENING OF STEEL BEAMS LATERAL TORSIONAL BUCKLING USING FRP

Abstract

The lateral torsional buckling is one of the main concerns for structural steel elements experiencing bending moments. Such behavior is governed by the element dimensions, the laterally unsupported length of the compression flange, type of applied load, and boundary conditions of the steel element. One of the major engineering challenges is the strengthening of existing structural steel elements, either due to an unexpected increase in applied load or due to physical damage. In this study, the impact of strengthening of structural steel beams using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) plates and sheets on the lateral torsional buckling capacity is investigated. First, the analysis procedure proposed for this study is verified against previous studies in literature. Then, a parametric study including the development of 384 steel beam models is performed. The investigated parameters are the cross section of steel beams, length and type of CFRP, type of applied load, and boundary conditions. The results of the study showed that CFRP strengthening approach increases the lateral torsional buckling capacity up to 12%.