Effect of Opening Ratio, Opening Size and Expansion Ratio on Flexural

Behavior of Hot Rolled Wide Flange Steel Beam with Expanded Web
Ausama Ahmed1,a , AbdulMuttailb I.Said2,b
1
Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad-Iraq
2
Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad-Iraq

a usama.badr2101m@coeng.uobaghdad.edu.iq , b dr.abdulmuttalib.i.said@coeng.uobaghdad.edu.iq

Abstract. Steel has been used for structural applications for hundreds of years. The Iron Bridge in
Shropshire, England, constructed in 1779, is a historic example of the use of steel in construction.
Since then, steel has become a widely used material in a variety of construction applications,
including bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure projects. Hot-rolled steel, with its high
strength and durability, has become particularly popular in structural engineering. Steel beams with
expanded webs have been shown to be effective in a variety of applications, including building and
bridge construction. These beams are attractive to structural engineers due to their high strength-to-
weight ratio and ease of fabrication. Analytical and numerical models have been developed to
accurately predict the properties of these beams. This study investigates the use of incremental
plates to increase the depth of hot-rolled wide flange steel beams. The beams were divided into
three groups with varying expansion ratios and opening ratios. Nonlinear finite element analysis
was performed to simulate the behavior of the beams under four-point bending. The study found
that the failure modes of the beams were influenced by the expansion ratio and width of the web
opening. Beams with 30% and 60% opening ratios and 150% expansion ratios were not
significantly affected in strength compared to beams without openings. Additionally, using fewer
wider plates to expand the web was found to be better for beam strength compared to using several
slender plates. The study provides useful insights for the use of expanded web steel beams in
construction applications.

Keywords: Steel structures, Hot-rolled steel, Steel beams with expanded webs, Incremental
plates, Expansion ratio, Web opening ratio, Web post-buckling, Vierendeel mechanisms.

1. INTRODUCTION

Steel has been used for structural applications for hundreds of years. The Iron Bridge in
Shropshire, England, constructed in 1779, is a historical example of the use of steel in construction
[1]. Today, steel is widely used in a variety of construction applications, including bridges,
buildings, and other infrastructure projects. Hot-rolled steel is particularly popular in structural
engineering due to its high strength and durability [2].Steel beams with expanded webs have been
shown to be effective in a variety of applications, including building and bridge construction [3].
These beams are attractive to structural engineers due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and ease
of fabrication [4]. Analytical and numerical models have been developed to predict the properties of
these beams accurately [5][6]. Studies have also investigated the impact of parameters such as the
opening ratio and expansion ratio of the web cuts on the behavior of these beams [7]. Additionally,
some research has explored the influence of corrosion and fire on the mechanical properties of steel
beams with expanded webs [8][9].Nonlinear finite element analysis will be carried out using the
ABAQUS computer program to simulate the behavior of such beams under four-point bending.
1.1 Modeling of Beam

In order to simulate a four-point loading test on steel beams with expanded webs, a finite
element model was developed using ABAQUS. The beam was modeled using shell elements for the
steel beams and incremental plates, while solid elements were used for the plates under load and
above the supports. The steel material properties were defined using true stress-strain curves, which
were obtained from the tensile test data. In ABAQUS, true stress-strain curves can be defined using
the "plastic data" option in the material properties window. Engineering stress-strain curves can also
be defined using the same option, but the "engineering data" button should be selected. To represent
the welds between the parts, a tie interaction was used in the model. This type of interaction
allowed for the transfer of load between different parts without the need to model the welds
explicitly. , and an appropriate mesh size was selected to ensure accurate results. The static Riks
method was used to analyze the model. The Riks method is a powerful tool for predicting the
buckling behavior of structures, as it accounts for large deformations and nonlinear material
behavior. The word "Riks" is derived from the names of the two researchers who developed the
method, Riks and Söderkvist [10].

1.2 Failure Modes of Steel Beam with Expanded Web

Experimental studies on castellated beams have shown that the mode of failure depends
principally upon the beam slenderness, the geometry of the cut (height, breadth and spacing of the
holes) and the type of loading. Assuming adequate lateral support and applied loading producing
both moment and shear, collapse is likely to occur by either: (a) Formation of a Vierendeel
mechanism; (b) Lateral-torsional buckling of one or several web posts; (c) Rupture of a welded
joint in a web post [1]. In a span subjected to approximately uniform moment, two failure modes,
which are similar to those of equivalent plain webbed beams, have been observed: (d) Lateral-
torsional buckling of an entire span; (e) Formation of a flexure mechanism (hinge). The last
possibility occurs either at a reaction point or in the vicinity of a concentrated load where: (f) The
web post may buckle [11].These findings have been reported in a study conducted by Kerdal and
Nethercott [12].

1.3 Case of Study

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of increasing the depth of hot-rolled wide flange
steel beams using incremental plates. The method involved cutting the root beam (HEA160) into
two halves and welding them back together with additional plates of the same thickness as the web.
The beams were grouped into three categories with varying expansion ratios of 150%, 200%, and
250%. The first group comprised of four beams without web openings, while the second and third
groups included six beams each with opening ratios of 30% and 60%, respectively, from the
expansion area. Two different plate widths were used for each expansion ratio in the second and
third groups to represent the effect of web post width on beam behavior. All beams with openings
had plates of the same size under the two load points and above the support points, and all beams
were equipped with stiffeners at these four points. The total depth of the beams was 3m with a clear
span of 2.8m. Details of the beams are shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, and Table 1.
Figure 1. Beams details

Figure 2. Group 1

Figure 3. Group 2
 Figure 4. Group 3

Table 1. The specifics of modeling beams

1.4 Properties of steel

The steel grade used in this study is S235. According to the European standard EN 10025-2,
S235 steel has a minimum yield strength of 235 MPa and a minimum tensile strength of 360-510
MPa. Additionally, the modulus of elasticity is 210 GPa, the Poisson's ratio is 0.30, and the density
is 7.85 g/cm^3. These mechanical properties make S235 a commonly used structural steel grade in
various industries, including construction and engineering.

2. Result

After analyzing the beams using the ABAQUS 2019 software, and as expected, the result of
each group were as follow:
1. In the first group, all four beams failed due to the flexural mechanism by forming a plastic hinge
in the top and bottom flanges at mid-span. Flexural failure is a common mode of failure in steel
beams, where excessive bending causes yielding of the material, leading to a loss of strength and
stiffness. The ultimate load capacity of RB01 was measured to be 119 kN. With increasing
expansion ratios of 150%, 200%, and 250%, the strength of the beam was found to increase by
163%, 233.6%, and 311.7%, respectively. Fig. 5 shows the deflected shape of the failed beams in
Group 1 at the point of failure, while Fig. 6 presents their load-displacement response.

Figure 5. deflected shape of Group 1

 Figure 6. load disp. Chart of Group 1

2. The results of Group 2 indicated that the behavior of the beam was not significantly affected by
the presence of web openings at a ratio of 30% at an expansion ratio of 150%. However, at higher
expansion ratios of 200% and 250%, the strength of the beams decreased, and the failure modes
changed. Beam B22b failed due to the Vierendeel mechanism, while the other beams failed due to
web post buckling. Load-displacement curves and the deflected shapes of the beams are shown in
Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, respectively.

Figure 7. Load – displacement curevs of Group 2

Figure 8. deflected shape of Group 2
3. In Group 3, the effect of a 60% opening ratio was negligible on beam B31a, but it was significant
on the other beams in this group, resulting in a noticeable decrease in beam strength. Beam B31b
failed due to the Vierendeel mechanism, while the remaining beams failed due to web post
buckling. Details of the load-displacement behavior and deflected shapes of Group 3 beams are
illustrated in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, respectively. Table 2 presents the comprehensive results of all the
tested beams.

Figure 9. Load – displacement curevs of Group 3

Figure 10. deflected shape of Group 3
 Opening Ultimate load
Label Exp. Ratio ratio kN E.O% E.E%
1 RB01 - - 119 - -
2 RB02 150% - 194 - 63.0
3 RB03 200% - 278 - 133.6
4 RB04 250% - 371 - 211.8
5 B21a 150% 30% 192 1.0 61.3
6 B21b 150% 30% 191 1.5 60.5
7 B22a 200% 30% 235 15.5 97.5
8 B22b 200% 30% 262 5.8 120.2
9 B23a 250% 30% 224 19.4 88.2
10 B23b 250% 30% 328 11.6 175.6
11 B31a 150% 60% 190 2.1 59.7
12 B31b 150% 60% 184 5.2 54.6
13 B32a 200% 60% 170 38.8 42.9
14 B32b 200% 60% 205 26.3 72.3
15 B33a 250% 60% 144 61.2 21.0
16 B33b 250% 60% 195 47.4 63.9

Table 2. Results of all beams

In Table 2, E.O represents the reduction in strength of a beam with a web opening compared to a
reference beam without any opening but with the same expansion ratio. On the other hand, E.E
represents the increase in strength of a beam due to expansion compared to a reference beam with
no expansion, typically RB01.

3. Conclusion

 The failure modes of the beams were found to be influenced by the expansion ratio
and width of the web opening. At an expansion ra o of 150%, the failure modes were
flexural and Vierendeel mechanisms, while at higher expansion ra os of 200% and
250%, most of the beams failed due to web post-buckling.
 The strength of beams with 30% and 60% opening ra os and 150% expansion ra os
were not significantly affected compared to beams without any openings. This
indicates that using web openings for services such as ducts and plumbing could be a
viable option without compromising the overall strength of the structure.
 The use of fewer wider plates to expand the web was found to be better for beam
strength compared to using several slender plates. Additionally, this method allows for
larger openings that can be utilized for various services, potentially reducing the overall
height of the building.
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