Shear behaviour of screw fastened rectangular hollow flange beams with web openings

• Published in: Journal of constructional steel research Vol. 189; p. 107019
• Main Authors: Ishqy, Muhammadh Fareedh Muhammadh, Wanniarachchi, Somadasa, Poologanathan, Keerthan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Finite element modelling; Hollow flange beam (HFB); New design equations; Shear strength; Web openings; Hollow flange beam (HFB); Shear strength; Finite element modelling; Web openings; New design equations
• ISSN: 0143-974X; 1873-5983
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcsr.2021.107019

Cold-formed screw-fastened Rectangular Hollow Flange Channel Beam (RHFCB) is considered as an alternative steel section to welded LiteSteel beam. The simple fabrication procedure of attaching two Rectangular Hollow Section (RHS) as flanges to a web plate with intermittently spaced screws allows for a selection of a wide range of dimensional parameters for optimum design. Generally, web openings are made on such Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) sections to allow for building services. These web openings influence the shear behaviour and cause a reduction in their structural performances. On the other hand, hardly any investigations have been done on the shear behaviour of screw-fastened RHFCB with square/ rectangular/ elliptical web openings. Therefore, to investigate the shear behaviour and capacity of screw-fastened RHFCB with non-circular web openings, a series of experimental shear tests and a detailed numerical study was conducted. The laboratory shear test results were used to validate the developed Finite Element (FE) models of CFS RHFCBs with and without web openings. The influence of different parameters was investigated in a detailed parametric study using developed FE models. The analysis of FE results showed that a significant reduction (max 70%) in the shear capacity observed due to the web openings. The results indicated that the existing shear design equations to predict the shear capacity of CFS screw-fastened RHFCBs are either conservative or unsafe. Hence, a new series of shear design equations for the accurate estimation of the shear strength of screw-fastened RHFCB with unreinforced square, rectangle and elliptical web openings are proposed. [Display omitted] •Shear behaviour of novel screw fastened hollow flange beam with web openings was investigated.•Finite element models were developed and validated against the shear test results.•Parametric finite element analysis included different opening shapes of rectangle, square, ellipse and circle.•Existing shear design rules showed either unsafe or conservative shear strength predictions.•New design equations were proposed accounting different opening shapes for the accurate prediction of shear strength.