Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Steel Beams’ Efficiency with Different Shapes of Corrugated Webs under Free Vibrations

Abstract

The use of corrugated webs in steel beams has become one of the most practical ways to increase the efficiency of beams in resisting loads, natural frequencies, and their resulting displacements. Such a practice has the benefit of achieving the same efficiency as beams with a flat web with a greater thickness. Consequently, the effect of the types of corrugated webs on the flexure mode shapes and natural frequencies in the steel beams has been investigated by analyzing 23 beams with flat and corrugated webs using the finite element (FE) numerical analysis technique. Hence, two flat web steel beams with and without stiffeners were experimentally tested and compared to FE numerical modeling results. Moreover, three types (trapezoidal, rectangular, triangular) of corrugated webs were tested and studied in addition to other parameters such as thickness, width, length, and angle. The investigation results show that FE numerical analysis is very highly accurate in predicting the natural frequencies and flexure mode shape changes of beams with corrugated webs. Accordingly, a saving of at least 33% in thickness could be realized as compared to the flat type. The triangular corrugated web is more efficient in the 1st mode shape, while rectangular is better for the other modes. The effectiveness of the angle for the triangular type in resisting mode shape and frequencies was clearly noticed, and decreases of 0.60 and 0.78, respectively, were recorded. It is also perceived that the effect of thickness and angle is linear for specified cases.