Experimental and numerical studies of lean duplex stainless steel beams

Stainless steel is well suited to a range of engineering applications owing to its durability and favourable mechanical properties. The most widely used grades of stainless steel are from the austenitic family and typically contain around 18% chromium and 8%–11% nickel — these grades have a relatively high initial material cost, due, in part, to their high nickel content, and a nominal yield strength (in the annealed condition) of around 220 N/mm2. A new, low nickel grade of stainless steel (UNS 32101/EN 1.4162), commonly referred to as ‘lean duplex’, has been developed, that offers over two times the strength of the familiar austenitic grades and at approximately half the initial cost — this lean duplex stainless steel appears well suited to load-bearing applications in construction. This paper reports material and 3-point bending tests on lean duplex stainless steel hollow sections. The 3-point bending tests were replicated by finite element (FE) analysis and, upon validation of the numerical models, parametric studies were conducted to assess the effect of key parameters such as cross-section aspect ratio, cross-section slenderness and moment gradient on the strength and deformation capacity of lean duplex stainless steel beams. Based on both the experimental and numerical results, appropriate slenderness limits and design rules, suitable for incorporation into structural stainless steel design standards, have been proposed.