Abstract
AbstractThis paper describes an investigation into the cross‐sectional behaviour of elliptical hollow section (EHS) columns made from ferritic and duplex stainless steel. The EHS is a relatively new structural shape with a number of favourable attributes including aesthetic appeal, high strength‐to‐weight ratio, good torsional resistance and excellent flexural strength. In recent years there have been significant developments in the analysis and understanding of these shapes, although most studies have focused on carbon steel EHS. The work so far is taken a step further here by considering some of the newer grades of stainless steel that are used in structural applications. A numerical model is developed and validated against test data from the literature and is then employed to generate structural performance data. Subsequently, parametric studies are performed to investigate the influence of individual parameters such as the material properties, aspect ratio and local slenderness of cross‐sectional elements. The accuracy of existing design procedures is assessed by comparing the numerical data with the resistances obtained using Eurocode 3. It is shown that the cross‐sectional slenderness limits given in Eurocode 3 for EHS members made from carbon steel can also be safely used for sections made from ferritic and duplex stainless steel.
Highlights
Stainless steel is an attractive material for structural applications as it combines excellent mechanical properties such as stiffness and strength with resistance to corrosion
The specimens with comparatively higher aspect ratios exhibit greater levels of conservatism compared with those with an aspect ratio of 1.5. This may be due to the stiffer corner regions; this constitutes restraint for less stiff, flatter regions of the elliptical hollow section (EHS) plus allows for more substantial strains, and allows the onset of strain hardening before the ultimate axial load-carrying capacity of the cross-section is achieved
Normalized ultimate load of EHS stainless steel stub columns made from a) austenitic, b) duplex and c) ferritic stainless steel plotted against the cross-section slenderness parameter given in Eq (6) for carbon steel EHS
Summary
Stainless steel is an attractive material for structural applications as it combines excellent mechanical properties such as stiffness and strength with resistance to corrosion. It is imperative that they are employed in structural applications in an efficient and holistic manner that considers the whole life cycle This involves developing a thorough awareness of the behaviour of stainless steel members and exploiting their attributes in design methods [1, 2]. Eurocode 3, Part 1-4, [4] provides specific design guidance for stainless steel structures. There has been research into stainless steel elliptical hollow sections and members as well, but this has been limited to structures made from austenitic grade EN 1.4401. Cashell: Cross-sectional behaviour and design of ferritic and duplex stainless steel EHS in compression
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