Abstract
Slender steel frame structures are characterised by a number of imperfections which may reduce their load carrying capacity drastically. This article studies the effects of these imperfections on the load carrying capacity of a single storey steel plane frame using global sensitivity analysis and geometrically nonlinear (second-order) elastic finite element analysis. Imperfections are considered as random variables. Statistical load carrying capacities needed for the evaluation of sensitivity analysis are processed using classical statistical methods upon the emulation of Latin Hypercube Sampling simulation methods. The main interaction effects of random imperfections on the load carrying capacity are identified using global sensitivity analysis. It is illustrated that the effects of imperfections on the load carrying capacity varies dramatically depending on the height of the columns and the boundary conditions of the end conditions of the columns.
Highlights
The reliability of frame structures is generally affected by a number of imperfections
It may be remarked that the same results of sensitivity analysis are obtained for a frame with columns subjected to tension as it was obtained for h = 0
Sensitivity analysis results of the load carrying capacities of two symmetric portal frames are published in this article
Summary
The reliability of frame structures is generally affected by a number of imperfections. Dario Aristizabal-Ochoa (2013, 2015) studied the effects of initial imperfections on stability, and carried out geometrically nonlinear analysis of columns and frames with semi-rigid connections. The effects of initial random imperfections on the load carrying capacity, which was obtained using the geometrically nonlinear analysis with beam elements (Kala 2012), were studied using sensitivity analysis. A more detailed analysis can be carried out by modelling the initial out-of-plumb and bow imperfections of the columns as four random variables (Kala 2011b) Both columns and the cross beam of the steel plane frame are made from standardized hot-rolled European members IPE 270 and IPE 360, see Figure 4. Statistical characteristics of Young’s modulus E were considered according to Soares (1988)
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