Influence of roller-bending on RHS steel arches: Experimental and numerical investigation

Abstract

An experimental and numerical investigation of the influence of residual stresses due to curving in rectangular hollow section steel arches on the overall structural behaviour is presented. Twelve circular arch specimens, grouped in two sets of curvatures, are tested under tension and compression loading. Detailed finite element models are used to simulate in detail the curving procedure as well as the experimental tests and implicit static analyses accounting for geometric and material nonlinearities are carried out. Experimental and numerical results are compared in terms of load-displacement equilibrium paths, strain-gauge measurements and deformed shapes. Overall, a quite good quantitative and qualitative agreement is achieved between FEA and experimental results, demonstrating the capability of the developed finite element models to reliably estimate the residual stress distribution caused by the forming process. The numerically estimated residual stresses are presented for the two sets of specimens, providing good agreement with the models proposed in the literature. Extended plastification at the bottom flange edges of the arches is observed, reducing significantly the member's remaining ductility; the developed accumulated plastic strains are found to be remarkably larger than the longitudinal strains that are expected according to the classic beam theory. Maximum discrepancies of approximately 10% are reported in the structural response of the arches depending on whether the estimated locked-in stress distributions are taken into account or not.

Archives of Civil Engineering

“…The authors conducted pilot tests on a small number of samples, which yielded a complete qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the phenomenon. It seems valid to carry out future studies on residual stress in double corrugated arch structures and to support them with theoretical maxims and research methods described in papers: [115], [116], [117], [118], [119], [120], [121], [122], [123], [124], [125], [126] and [127], as well as in textbooks [128] and [129].…”

Stability criteria for hollow-section steel arches

“…− Πραγματοποιήθηκαν συγκρίσεις αποτελεσμάτων από πειραματικές δοκιμές και αριθμητικές αναλύσεις σε χαλύβδινα τόξα καμπυλωμένα εν ψυχρώ. Τα αποτελέσματα συμβάλουν στην ποιοτική ερμηνεία και ποσοτική επαλήθευση της μηχανικής συμπεριφοράς των τόξων [43].…”