Numerical Determination of the Load-Bearing Capacity of a Perforated Thin-Walled Beam in a Structural System with a Steel Grating

Abstract

This article presents the results of numerical simulations of a structural system consisting of steel perforated thin-walled beams and a steel grating. The simulations were conducted using the finite element method. The analysis took into account physical and geometric nonlinearity as well as the contact between the steel grating and the beams. The main goal of the research was to develop load-bearing curves for the main beam in the span range of 3–6 m and to identify destruction patterns depending on the span of the structural system. For the purpose of validating the developed numerical model, laboratory tests were conducted on two structural systems with spans of 3 m and 6 m, as well as tests on the strength parameters of the material taken from the tested beams. The laboratory tests confirmed the correctness of the proposed numerical model, which allowed for the simulation of the behavior of the structural system in the full range of spans.