Investigation Of Reduced Beam Section Connections By Use Of Web Openings

Reduced beam section (RBS) connections have been researched several years, especially for dog-bone connection. It is widely used to cut openings in steel beam webs for the passage of service ducts and pipes. If it is possible to force the plastic hinge at the web opening location by adjusting the size of the opening, the RBS connection can be constructed without trimming the beam flange leading to a more economical connection. The RBS connection with web opening appears to be a preferred choice in the rehabilitation of existing construction because trimming of the beam top flanges where floor slabs are present may be difficult.By use of the nonlinear FEM Model involving geometry and material nonlinear, the behavior of reduced beam section connections with opening on beam web subjected to cyclical load at the tip of beam is searched in this paper. In this research, parameters have been studied such as the shape, the size and the location of web opening. From the results, the conclusion can be reached that RBS with web openings can force the plastic hinge at the web opening location and protect the weld from brittle fracture.On the base of the study in this paper, conclusion and design recommendations are raise for engineering.