Steel I girders with corrugated webs are appropriate alternatives for normal flat-web girders in steel structures since they provide lighter and smaller beam features in steel design. Based on the existing literature, the corrugated web beams (CWBs) provide many advantages for structural applications. In this study, a series of numerical analyses have been performed in order to investigate the structural behaviour of steel I girders with corrugated web profile and to compare their mechanical performance with normal welded beams. Theory of Ultimate Limit State design has been adopted in accordance with AS4100 (1998) along with considering geometric and material non-linearity in the numerical analyses in SAP2000. Comparing the results of the numerical investigation, merits of using corrugated welded beams (CWBs) over normal welded beams (WBs) have become apparent. Moreover, investigations regarding force-displacement relationship and buckling analysis of the webs were carried out and presented to further validate the advantages of using corrugated web beams. CWBs have been used in some parts of Australia without detailed information about their mechanical properties. Thus, based on the outcomes of this study, CWB table for dimensions and cross sectional properties has been developed and proposed for practical applications.

Steel I beams or girders with sinusoidal corrugated profile webs have become popular in the recent development of the steel structural designs, since corrugated-web beams (CWBs) can provide better performance in terms of less deformation and more stability against buckling failure. It is verified in previous research that CWBs can be considered as an alternative to replace normal beams in the structural designs with their numerous favourable features. Since CWBs are being used as the main structural elements, it is apparent that some essential practical properties of this type of beams should be studied, where the prediction of the shear capacity is one of the most significant design aspects that should be accurately investigated. Calculations to the design formulas from other standards and several finite element simulations have been carried out to compare the differences in obtained results and to find an adequate approach to calculate the shear capacity of CWBs for the Australian civil engineering community. Ultimate Limit State design theory has been utilised in conjunction with AS4100 (2020) along with linear analysis in SAP2000. By comparing the results of the theoretical calculations and numerical simulations, it has been concluded that the highly formed equations presented by EN 1993-1-5 (2006) and Hancock et al. (2017 could well estimate the shear capacity constraining requirements and rules in accordance with Australian standards, which can be adequately used in Australian structural design fields.

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