Experimental and Numerical Comparison of Reinforced Concrete Gable Roof Beams with Openings of Different Configurations

Abstract

This paper demonstrates an experimental and numerical study aimed at comparing the influence of openings of different configurations on the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete gable roof beams. The experimental program consisted of testing six simply supported gable beams subjected to mid-point concentrated load. The variable which has been investigated in this work was opening's configuration (quadrilateral or circular) with the same upper and lower chords depth. The results indicate improvement in the beams’ flexural behavior when circular openings were used compared with that of quadrilateral openings, represented by an increase in ultimate load capacity and a decrease in deflection at the service limit. Also, there was an enhancement in the ductility and rigidity of the beams. The results of the tested beams were verified by a nonlinear finite element program, ABAQUS (2018). Comparisons are presented and good agreement is shown between the predictions of the finite element analysis and the experimental results in terms of failure loads and load-deflection relations.