COLLAPSE ANALYSIS OF CURVED STEEL I-BEAMS UTILIZING A SEMI-RIGID ELEMENT

Abstract

The accuracy of a new straight beam element proposed by the author for the combined inelastic bending and nonuniform torsion problem is examined. A plastic hinge type formulation is employed combining the 'modified incremental stiffness method', the updated Lagrangian formulation and numerical integration about the end sections of the element. The behavior of a semi-rigid joint is also modeled as the element-end compliance. The boundary conditions of the curved beams are realized by utilizing this element-end compliance. Comparisons with existing test and numerical results show that the beam element has a sufficient accuracy for the collapse analysis of curved I-beams.