Analysis and Design of Steel Structural Systems Using Generalised Beam Theory (GBT)

• Grant number: 13/12348-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Structural Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Maximiliano Malite
• Grantee: Enio Carlos Mesacasa Júnior
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The analysis and design of cold-formed steel structural systems are usually associated with an "indirect approach", i.e., each component of respective structure is analyzed and verified according to its theoretical capacity. Normally, in order to approximate the real behavior of the structural system, different support conditions and effective length concepts are used to analyze each structural member separately. However, some important effects are disregarded (and must be considered separately) with this procedure, namely (i) the warping transmission at frame joints (due to torsion and/or distortion), (ii) the transverse (membrane and flexural) displacement compatibility between the connected member end sections, and (iii) those stemming from localized supports associated with bracing systems. In addition, consider all mentioned effects involves rather complicated and time-consuming numerical analyses, and/or expensive experimental studies. On the other hand, recent studies showed a rather large field of application of the Generalized Beam Theory (GBT), which can be applied in structural system analyses considering several effects stemming from the member connections, and arbitrary loading and support conditions. Therefore, this project is focused on the novel application of recently developed GBT formulations to typical (but different of the already studied) structural systems, specially dealing with different cross sections and both rigid and semi-rigid member connections. Furthermore, the implementation of a user-friendly software to analyze different types of structural systems (i.e., plane trusses and frames) is proposed. Finally, it is worth mentioning that this project contributes to the Brazilian technological development, and can be related to the field of the cold-formed steel structures, and numerical methods for structural analysis.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MESACASA JÚNIOR, Enio Carlos. Application of generalized beam theory to semi-rigid plane steel frames. 2016. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD) São Carlos.