Seminar - Yi (Frank) Zhu - Finite element analysis of Elliptical Hollow Sections in Compression

Wednesday, April 5, 2006, 1.10 - 1.50 pm
Civil Engineering Lecture Theatre 3

Abstract
The Elliptical Hollow Section (EHS) is a new shape of high strength, hot-rolled steel sections being used in structural building applications. The speaker will present a finite element investigation of the local buckling behaviour of EHS in compression. The finite element program ABAQUS is used to simulate the local buckling behaviour of EHS with a range of aspect ratios from 1:1 (CHS) to 3:1 to examine the transitional behaviour with an overall aim to see whether an “equivalent CHS” can be used to model the local buckling of EHS when considering imperfections and non-linear material properties.

This presentation will describe three parts of the current project. The first stage is elastic buckling with no material imperfection. The second stage considers elastic plastic material properties, followed by measured material properties. The final stage is to investigate how geometric imperfection impacts on the buckling modes. The results are benchmarked against experimental results from The University of Toronto. Some preliminary design recommendations are suggested.