Numerical investigation of the effects of cold bending on stainless steel beams

Abstract

Cold bending is considered one of the efficient and accurate methods in curving steel and is relatively better than other techniques used in the past. The girders are curved by applying point loads at specific locations without a significant increase in temperature. Very few studies were carried out on cold curved stainless steel girders and no literature exist on their structural performance under service load. The aim of this project is to study the behavior of these curved girders and compare them with straight girders in order to evaluate the effect of cold bending on the girder’s capacity. Furthermore, a parametric numerical study is performed to evaluate the effects of different variations on the behavior of curved steel beams. Such variations include the addition of load distribution plates and stiffeners, introducing load eccentricities, and various loading configurations. In conclusion, it can be observed that cold bending reduces the capacity of steel girders to resist vertical loads, which may be increased by introducing certain structural elements.