Influence of the web opening shapes on the bending and free vibration responses of castellated steel beams

Abstract

In recent years, the use of castellated beams has increased significantly across all types of structures. The castellated beam is one of several methods for reducing the weight and cost of steel in construction. In this study, the static and dynamic behavior of castellated beams is investigated via the three-dimensional finite element method. The primary objective of this study is to investigate in detail the effect of web opening shapes on displacement, stress values, and free vibration of castellated beams. The investigation is done using ANSYS 22 R1. In the analysis, 4 different web opening types circle, square, pentagon, and hexagon are used. To generate the models via the finite element method a 10-node tetrahedral type finite element is implemented. This study will employ a linear isotropic homogeneous material with the mechanical properties of steel. As boundary conditions, fixed – fixed, fixed – pinned, and fixed – free are considered. The results for circular, square, pentagon, and hexagon castellated beams made from IPE120, IPE180 and IPE240 profiles are presented in detail. Based on the results, it is seen that the type of web opening has a significant effect on the displacements, von-Mises stresses, maximum shear stress and free vibration values of the considered structures.