Behavior of Cellular Beams with Sinusoidal Openings

Experimental tests were conducted on full scale cellular beams with sinusoidal openings. The analysis of the experimental results showed two failure modes by the formation of four plastic hinges at the opening corners or by the local instability in the sinusoidal part of the opening. The second failure mode is new and is not covered by the codes as it is directly linked to an innovative shape of beam firstly developed by ArcelorMittal for the AngelinaTM beam. In order to assess the resistance of sinusoidal opening, it has been chosen to test isolated parts around the opening. An experimental program is performed with different quarters of sinusoidal openings to observe the failure modes and to provide results to be used in the validation of the finite element model developed in the study. Then, a parametrical study is made, based on the numerical results, in order to develop a new analytical model based on the same hypotheses as those available for castellated beams.