Design Of Steel Arches Research Articles

Analysis and Design of Steel Arches/Analyse und Bemessung von Stahlbögen

In the present study, a comprehensive methodology is presented for the analysis and design of steel arches. The method is based on the European Standard for the design of steel structures, using the normative provisions of straight members with appropriate modifications to account for the effects of curvature. In this context, suitable buckling curves of steel arches are employed accounting for reliable residual stress distributions and geometric tolerances. Application of this method is presented for a characteristic case study comprising the steel arches of the entrance canopies in Athens Olympic Sports Complex. The examined structural system is typically encountered in civil engineering applications, consisting of the main arches, the bracing system, the primary/secondary beams, and the foundation.

Effects of shape functions on flexural–torsional buckling of fixed circular arches

Because fixed arches have much higher flexural–torsional buckling resistance than pinended arches, they are used for engineering structures in many cases. However, studies on their flexural–torsional buckling behaviour have rarely been reported in the open literature hitherto. This paper investigates the elastic flexural–torsional buckling of fixed circular arches subjected to uniform compression and uniform bending because they play important roles in the design of steel arches against their flexural–torsional failure. One of the major difficulties in solving the flexural–torsional buckling problem of a fixed arch is to determine its accurate buckling shapes. The flexural–torsional buckling shapes are studied using a finite element (FE) method in association with eigenvalue analyses. It is found that the flexural–torsional buckling shape of a fixed arch becomes more complicated than the case of a straight beam-column or a shallow arch when the rise-to-span ratio increases, and so the theoretical analysis requires more terms of Fourier trigonometric series to describe the buckling shapes. Based on this, analytical solutions for flexural–torsional buckling loads of fixed arches are derived both by the Rayleigh–Ritz method and by solving differential equations for buckling deformations. Comparisons with the FE results show that the analytical solutions by the Rayleigh–Ritz method are reasonably accurate and that the analytical solutions by solving the equations for buckling deformations are exactly the same as the FE results. Simple approximate formulas for buckling loads of fixed arches with box-sections are proposed based on the extensive FE results for structural designers to use. The validity of the effective length method for the fixed arches is also discussed. It is found that in the case of circular arches the effective length method should not be used because the rise-to-span ratios and boundary conditions have complicated and significant influence on the buckling load.

Out-of-plane strength design of spatially trussed arches with a rectangular lattice section

Although several studies of the out-of-plane strength and design of steel arches with a solid web section have been reported, little research of the out-of-plane strength and design of spatially trussed arches has been reported in the open literature or design codes. In deference to the steel arch with a solid web section, the shear deformations play important parts in the out-of-plane inelastic buckling behavior of spatially trussed arches. In addition, global out-of-plane inelastic buckling of a spatially trussed arch is associated with local buckling of its components such as chord and diagonal web tubes and hence local component buckling influences the out-of-plane strength of the arch. This paper investigates the out-of-plane inelastic strength and design of spatially trussed circular arches with a rectangular lattice section under general loading using a three-dimensional nonlinear inelastic numerical approach. Methods for the out-of-plane inelastic strength and design of spatially trussed arches under uniform compression or under uniform bending are developed, based on which interaction equations for the design of spatially trussed steel arches under general loading against their out-plane failure are proposed. These interaction equations provide good lower bounds for the out-of-plane strength of spatially trussed arches.

Lateral-Torsional Buckling Strength and Design of Steel Arches

The arches resist general loading by a combination of axial compression and bending actions which vary along the arch. Under these actions, an arch may suddenly deflect laterally and twist out of the plane of loading and fail in a lateral-torsional buckling mode. This paper investigates the lateral buckling strength and design of steel arches under general loading. It is found that the subtended angle and load distribution significantly affect the lateral buckling strength of a steel arch. The rules for designing steel beam-columns against lateral buckling cannot be used directly in the design of steel arches against lateral buckling under general loading, because they do not include the effects of the subtended angle. The buckling loads of arch with different load condition, subtended angle, manner of laying section are calculated by finite element method. The interaction equation against lateral-torsional buckling for steel arches subjected to combination of bending and axial compressive actions is proposed. The safety and applicability of the interaction equation is verified by parameter analysis.

Inelastic lateral buckling strength and design of steel arches

Arches resist general loading by a combination of axial compression and bending actions. Under these actions, an arch loaded in-plane may suddenly deflect laterally and twist out of the plane of loading and fail in a lateral buckling mode. This paper investigates the inelastic lateral buckling strength and design of steel arches under general loading using an advanced nonlinear inelastic finite element method of analysis. It is found that the subtended angle and load distribution significantly affect the lateral buckling strength of a steel arch. The effects of initial crookedness and twist and residual stresses on the strengths of arches are also important. The rules for designing steel beam-columns against inelastic lateral buckling cannot be used directly in the design of steel arches against inelastic lateral buckling under general loading because they do not include the effects of the subtended angle and the load distribution. The design rules developed in this paper provide conservative predictions for the lateral buckling strengths of steel arches under general loading, and offer considerable economies.