Keywords: large-span structure, suspended steel member with bending stiffness, tests, numerical modelling, finite element non-linear analysis, elastic and elastic-plastic behaviour.

Suspended steel members with bending stiffness represent an addition to the range of suspended cable structures available to structural engineers. However, despite interest in their application on the basis of both architectural appeal and structural efficiency, a lack of verified design guidance is inhibiting their uptake. This paper describes the elastic and elastic-plastic behaviour as well as the generation of computational models and structural performance data through laboratory testing and numerical modelling based upon which structural design and analysis may be performed.

The results of research presented affirm and expand the knowledge of the previous research concerning the elastic-plastic behaviour and load-carrying capacity of suspended members with bending stiffness and steel homogenous cross-sections.

The efficiency of the steel suspended members of bending stiffness (mostly subjected to tension and bending) is evident in the case of their elastic-plastic behaviour. The growth of the plastic deformations provokes the redistribution of the forces, i.e. the axial tensions and the bending moments in the suspended structures, that often leads to increasing of their bearing capacity and more effective behaviour under the load [1,2].

From the complex analyses of large-span suspended structures it follows, that the use of steel suspended members with bending stiffness can be an advantage because they do not need special stabilization to eliminate structural kinematics and as they are mostly subjected to tension, mainly in the case of symmetric loads, stability problems are significantly limited.

The elastic-plastic behaviour and load-carrying capacity of suspended members with bending stiffness depends to a large extent on the initial profile shapes and their consecutive formation and changes during the loading process. The load-carrying capacity of the suspended members with bending stiffness increases by their transformation into the members of mainly tension stiffness during the elastic-plastic and plastic stage of the loading. The COSMOS/M software was used [3] and the results are in a good agreement with those obtained from the tests.

Following the satisfactory agreement between test and finite element model behaviour, the paper presents parametric studies, intended to generate a greater pool of results upon which design guidance may be based.

1

N.N. Skladnev, A.V. Shimanovsky, "General calculation method for suspended structures of large-span buildings and constructions considering plastic properties of materials", in: "Proceedings of IASS - CSCE International Congress on Innovative Large-Span Structures", vol. 2, Toronto, 375-387, 1992.

2

S. Kmet, K. Jarmai, J. Farkas, J. Kanocz, "Optimum design and reliability of large-span suspended members", in: "Proceedings of the IABSE Symposium on Responding to Tomorrow's Challenges in Structural Engineering", 92-93, Budapest, 2006.

3

COSMOS/M, "Version Geostar 2.8", Structural Research Analysis Centre, Los Angeles, 2002.

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