Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Eccentrically Compressed H-shaped Steel Reinforced with Bolts Under Load

Abstract:

Strengthening of steel structures is usually carried out with loads on the original structure （i.e.， under preload）. In order to clarify the influence of the preload level of the structure on the strengthening effect of steel members with bolted strengthening， 168 finite element models of bi-directional eccentrically compressed H-shaped steel members with bolted strengthening are calculated and analyzed. Parameters affecting the strengthening effect are investigated， including the preload level， slenderness ratio and eccentricity. It is shown that， for the strengthening of eccentrically compressed members， the preload has an unfavorable effect on the strengthening effect， weakening the strengthening effect within 14%， the slenderness ratio also affects the strengthening effect， whereas the eccentricity has an insignificant effect on the strengthening effect. The proposed formula for predicting the strengthening effect by considering the slenderness ratio and the preload level can be used to calculate the ultimate bearing capacity of bi-directional eccentrically compressed H-shaped steel columns with bolted strengthening under preload.