The strengthening of cellular beam with ring stiffeners

Abstract

This study was to determine parameters which affect the structural strength of the cellular steel beam with strengthening by ring stiffeners. Because these studies are quite limited in the literature. A total of 120 nonlinear finite element models, covering geometrics of cellular beam and ring stiffener, are used in this study. The analysis results showed ring stiffeners can provide high strength for reinforced beams with opening ratio 0.8 and spacing ratio 1.1. The maximum strength is 259% (cellular beam with height ratio 2.2 and thickness of ring stiffener ratio 1.3). The most effective strengthening is compact section. For same slenderness section, thick rings have higher strength than thin rings. For beams with height ratio 2.6 (high slender section) , the rate of reinforcement tends to be less than beams whose sections are small slenderness. This may be due to the slenderness of section, making they failed by web-post buckling.