Optimizing the structural performance of oval hollow structural sections

安科工程有限公司是一家加拿大公司，专业从事建筑通道和安全系统的设计、制造和安装。一个这样的系统利用伸缩式和单长度的支臂臂，从建筑物的侧面悬臂到30米，以支持设备和维护工人。钢结构传统上广泛使用现成的梁和柱。在过去的20年里，管状截面（在加拿大，被称为空心结构截面，或HSS）已经变得非常流行。这些截面具有非常高的抗扭刚度，因此在许多建筑应用中为柱提供非常经济的选择。Ankor工程有限公司开发了一种混合截面，可归类为椭圆形HSS （OHSS）。它从一个基本的矩形高速钢截面开始，但在板上包括弯曲，以减少腹板局部屈曲的可能性。Ankor设计优于其他HSS成员，如椭圆截面的优点是，它可以以低得多的成本制造。此外，Ankor设计在3t的角落保持最小半径，其中t是高速钢成员的厚度。这确保了在镀锌过程中没有微观应力裂纹，并最大限度地减少了脆性失效。Ankor工程有限公司多年来一直成功地将OHSS应用于支腿臂架。然而，关于这些形状的工程指导文献很少，Ankor工程有限公司不得不依靠有限的内部测试和建模来指导他们的设计。因此，他们被迫采取非常保守的方法，这显然损害了他们优化产品成本的能力。本研究将重点了解OHSS悬臂梁的结构性能。物理测试和数值模拟的结合将用于了解如何安全和经济地设计OHSS结构。

Ankor Engineering Ltd. is a Canadian company specializing in the design, manufacture and installation of building façade access and safety systems. One such system utilizes telescoping and single-length outrigger booms that cantilever up to 30 metres from the side of a building to support equipment and maintenance workers. Steel structures have traditionally made extensive use of off-the-shelf beams and columns. Within the past 20 years, tubular sections (in Canada, referred to as Hollow Structural Sections, or HSS) have become very popular. These sections have very high torsional rigidity, and so make a very economic choice for columns in many building applications. Ankor Engineering Ltd. has developed a hybrid section that can be categorized as an oval HSS (OHSS). It starts with a basic rectangular HSS section, but includes bends in the plates to reduce the potential for local buckling in the web. The advantage of the Ankor design over other HSS members such as elliptical sections is that is can be manufactured at a much lower cost. In addition, the Ankor design maintains a minimum radius in the corners of 3t, where t is the thickness of the HSS member. This ensures no microscopic stress cracks and minimizes brittle-type failures during galvanizing. Ankor Engineering Ltd. has successfully used OHSS in outrigger booms for a number of years. However, there is very little engineering guidance in the literature regarding these shapes, and Ankor Engineering Ltd. has had to rely on limited in-house testing and modelling to guide their design. As a result, they have been forced to take a very conservative approach, which obviously hurts their ability to optimize the costs of their product. This research will focus on understanding the structural performance of OHSS cantilever beams. A combination of physical testing and numerical modeling will be used to understand how to safely and economically design OHSS structures.