J. Construct.

Steel Research32 (1995) 37-67

© 1994 ElsevierScienceLimited
Printed in Malta. All rights reserved
0143-974X(94)00011-5 0143-974X/95/$9.50
ELSEVIER

Behaviour and Design of Horizontally Curved Steel Beams

J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmugam & L. O. Tan

Departmenl of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge
Crescent, Singapore 0511

(Received 18 October 1993; revised version received 3 March 1994;

accepted 25 March 1994)

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates the behaviour of I-beams curved in plan, and a proposed
design method to estimate the ultimate strength of such beams subjected to gravity
loading. First, a finite element method for analysing inelastic large-displacement
behaviour of a horizontally curved 1-beam is presented. The load-displacement and
ultimate strength results generated by the finite element method are compared with
the theoretical and experimental results published in the literature. The accuracy of
the finite element analysis approach is thus established. An investigation is then
followed to study the effects of residual stresses and radius of curvature-to-span
length ratios on the ultimate strength behaviour of horizontally curved 1-beams. An
approximate equation is derived and proposed to evaluate the ultimate moment
capacity of curved 1-beams for several loading and boundary conditions. Based on
the derived equation, standard charts are generated for the evaluation of ultimate
strength of 1-beams with different horizontal curvatures and span-lengths. Behaviour
of curv(,d beams with intermediate restraints is also studied both experimentally and
analytically.

NOTATION

af Cross-sectional area of the flange plate

b Width of the flange
B Bimoment
d Full depth of the beam section
E Young's modulus
Fx, Fy, Fz Forces in x-, y- and z-directions, respectively
G Shear modulus of elasticity

37
38 J.Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanrauoam, L. O. Tan

Iw Warping constant
Iz Bending stiffness about the weak axis
KT St Venant torsional constant
L Length of span along the curved web centreline
L1 Shorter curve length from the lateral restraint point to the
end
M Applied end moment
ME Elastic buckling moment
Out-of-plane fully plastic moment of the flange plate
Mp Full plastic moment
Mx, My, Mz Bending moment about x-, y- and z-axis, respectively
N Axial force
PE Euler load
Pu Maximum central concentrated load
R Horizontal radius of curvature ( R = 0 indicates a very
curved beam; R = large value indicates a straight beam)
r x/(Iy + Iz)/A = polar radius of gyration
t Thickness of the flange
uf Total lateral displacement of the compression flange at
midspan
U,/), W Centroidal displacements in x-, y- and z-direction
x, y, z Right-handed rectangular coordinate system taken at cen-
troidal axis

M/Mp = nondimensional moment

x/-~p/Mn = modified beam slenderness
Poisson's ratio
Nondimensional parameter for location of neutral axis for
in-plane bending of flange plate (4 = 0 for straight beam)
O'y Material yield stress
Angle of rotation at centroid of section

1 INTRODUCTION

I-beams curved in plan supporting gravity loads are subjected to torsional

moments in addition to flexural moments. The torsional moments tend to
distort and twist the beam cross-section causing torsional shear and
warping stresses in addition to the normal stresses due to flexural bending.
A horizontally curved I-beam may fail by flexure, or by lateral-torsional
buckling or by the interaction of both. The interaction between flexural
 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 39

and torsional stress is a function of geometry and its rigidity ratio of

flexure and torsion. It also depends on the loading condition, unrestrained
length of the member, initial imperfections and support boundary condi-
tions. If the unrestrained length of the curved beam is not unduly short,
the failure mode of a curved beam is most likely governed by lateral-
torsionall buckling.
Horizontally curved I-section girders may be found in various applica-
tions, including modern highway bridges, interchange facilities and balco-
nies, as shown in Figs 1 and 2. The use of curved beams in bridges and
building construction is also not uncommon. Long-span curved bridge
construction reduces the number of expansion joints and bearing details.
The use of a series of straight girders along the chords of a curved beam
may result in large and unequal overhanging of deckwork which in turn
results in uneven shadowing on the girders and an undesirable appear-
ance. 1 Curved beams may also be used to satisfy the strict demand placed
on highway structures by predetermined roadway alignments and tight
geometric restrictions.
Nowadays, steel forming technology has reached such a stage that
almost all ranges of universal sections and most European sizes can be
curved, with little limitation on section size, length or material grade.: The
readily available curved sections open new scope for creative design of
steel structures.
Following a series of researches on the analytical and experimental
studies of curved flexural members carried out by the Consortium of

Fig. 1. Application of horizontally curved beams in a modern highway bridge.

40 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmuoam, L. O. Tan

Fig. 2. Applicationof horizontallycurved beams in buildingconstruction.

University Research in the United States, 1 more studies have been

undertaken to investigate the elastic and inelastic large-deflection behav-
iour of horizontally curved beams. The first treatment of curved girders
originated from Umanskii 3 who obtained solutions for several loading
conditions by assuming initial parameters in the solution procedure.
Dabrowski 4 presented the fundamental equations for the nonuniform
torsion of curved box girders with nondeformable asymmetrical cross-
section. Konishi and Komatsu 5 presented a three-dimensional analysis of
curved girders by deriving relations between strain and stress components
for a very curved beam where the elastic flexural stress distribution along
the beam depth could be nonlinear. In the mid-sixties, US Steel published
an approximate procedure called 'V-load analysis' for determining mo-
ments and shears in horizontally curved girder bridges. 6 Similar develop-
ments were also made in Japan by Watanabe. 7
 Behaviour and desion of horizontally curved steel beams 41

Work related to arch lateral buckling has also been published 8-14 and
there have been some conflicting theories presented, as demonstrated by
the experimental studies of Papangelis and Trahair. is Therefore, there
must be some doubts surrounding curved beam theories and these can
best be dispelled by comparing the predicted results with the experimental
studies.
A number of researchers investigated the inelastic large deflection
behaviour of horizontally curved beams using transfer matrix and finite
element artalyses. 16-18 Nakai and Yoo 19 have summarised the theoretical
and experiLmental work on curved girders that has been carried out in
Japan. Simplified procedures for the design of girders curved in plan have
been proposed. Fukumoto et al. 16 used the transfer matrix method to
obtain the inelastic ultimate strength of horizontally curved beams simply
supported at both ends. The transfer matrix method includes the second-
order effects associated with geometric and material nonlinearities, and
also the effects of residual stresses. These studies have shown that the
ultimate strength of thin-walled horizontally curved 1-beams is dependent
on a variety of parameters--type of loading, span-length, curvature, initial
residual stresses and boundary conditions. Evans and AI-Rifaie2° per-
formed model studies on curved box girders. Tan et al., 2~ performed
plastic-zone analysis of horizontally curved I-beams subject to concen-
trated gravity load. Parametric studies such as curved length, radius of
curvature, magnitude of load and the pattern of residual stresses are
included in their investigation.
The present work uses a finite element software, ABAQUS, 22 to
investigate the second-order inelastic behaviour of horizontally curved
I-beams. The study focuses on the effects of radius of curvature-to-span
lengths and residual stresses on the ultimate load-carrying capacity of
curved I-beams. Both the load-deformation and distributed plasticity
behaviour are examined. The finite element method is verified by compar-
ing the results with the theoretical and experimental benchmarks available
in the literature.~ 6
Simplified equations to predict the second-order elastic and rigid-plastic
curves are presented. The equations are derived based on governing
differential equations of equilibrium originally derived by Yang and Kuo. 9
The intersection of the second-order elastic and rigid-plastic curves
provides an estimation of the ultimate strength of the curved beam. The
results are compared with the more exact finite element results and the
established experimental results. Based on this study, an equation capable
of predicting the ultimate strength of horizontally curved I-beams is
proposed for design use. The behaviour of curved beams with intermediate
lateral rest:taint is also examined.
42 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmuoam, L. O. Tan

2 F I N I T E E L E M E N T ANALYSIS

A typical horizontally curved I-beam shown in Fig. 3 is analysed using the

nonlinear finite element software package, ABAQUS. The beam is simply
supported at the ends and loaded at the mid-length by a concentrated
force. Due to symmetry in geometry and loading, only half of the beam is
analysed with appropriate boundary conditions specified along the line of
symmetry.
The curved beam is discretised into small fibres consisting of triangular
and quadrilateral shell elements. The triangular element is a three-node
flat facet shell which does not include shear deformation. A denser mesh
is required to model the curved member in order to obtain accurate
results. The quadrilateral element is a four-noded, doubly curved-shell
element with hourglass control. This element type allows for transverse
shear and can be used as thick shells or as thin shells. Each node of the
quadrilateral element has six active degrees of freedom--three displace-
ment and three in-surface rotation components. Quadrilateral elements
may be used in regions where the stresses are less critical.
Material nonlinearity is modelled using an incremental plasticity theory
assuming the material to be elastic-plastic with strain-hardening, and it is
rate-independent. The idealised stress-strain curve used in the numerical
analysis is shown in Fig. 4. Material yielding is defined by the von Mises
yield function with isotropic metals behaviour. The yield function depends
only on deviatoric stress, so that the plastic part of the response is
incompressible. The volumetric strain is calculated at the centroid of the
element only.
The nonlinear response of the beam in the loading path is solved using

Fig. 3. Typical finite element mesh of a half-span curved beam.

 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 43

ff

!/ ~y 15~ ~
~,, = 10~

-0Y
/

Fig;. 4. Idealised stress-strain curve used in the finite elementanalysis.

the Newton's iterative technique. The response in the unloading path is

traced using the arc-length control method first introduced by Wempner 23
and Rik 24 and subsequently improved by Ramm, 2s Crisfield 26 and Forde
and Stiemer. 27 While the Newton method iterates at a constant load, the
arc-length method iterates for an unknown load increment factor.

2.1 Convergence studies

Convergence studies have been carried out on the finite element solutions
for I-beams with R/L ratios of 1.562 and 125.0 to determine the type of
mesh discretisation required to provide accurate results. In the conver-
gence studies, three different meshes involving a total of 120, 140 and 240
elements are compared. Figures 5(a) and 5(b) show the finite element
discretisat:ions of the flange and web plates of a curved beam. L o a d -
displacement results obtained from the analyses are shown in Figs 6 and
7 for beams with R/L ratios of 125 and 1.562 respectively.
It can be observed that there is little variation in the load-displacement
results obtained from the finite element analysis using 140 and 240
elements. The difference between the ultimate strengths obtained using 120
elements and 240 elements is about 29% whereas that between the values
obtained using 140 elements and 240 elements is about 3%. Therefore
finite element analysis based on 140 elements seems adequate in predicting
the maximum strength of the curved beam. It is also observed that in all
finite element solutions, meshes containing more refined elements in the
44 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmugam, L. O. Tan

I
I rL Elevation d web

I IIIIlllllllltlllllll
I IIIIII111 IIIIIIIIlll
IIIIIIIIII IIIIIIII11
IIIIIIIIIIIII11111111
L I
I [ Elev~ion of web

I
[ Elevotion of web

Fig. 5. Convergence Studies. (a) Finite element discretisation of the flange plates. (b) Finite
element discretisation of the web plates.

200
120 dements
175 - - - ' - - ll, O elements
-- 2/,0elements

125

-,= 100

75 le , ,
50 -~: w ', ',

0 i [
1 2 3 {, 5 6
Oisptocement (ram) / Rototion (xO.01 rod.)
Fig. 6. Load-displacement curves of curved beam (R/L= 125) modelled using different
element meshes.

vicinity of the concentrated point load gives better prediction of ultimate

strength. This necessitates the use of mixed elements (i.e. triangular and
quadrilateral shell elements) as mesh transition between a fine mesh in
areas of stress concentration to a coarser mesh away from these areas.

2.2 Comparison with established results

To verify the accuracy of the finite element method, six curved beam
models originally studied by F u k u m o t o and Nishida 16 are analysed in the
 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 45

60

. :,; -.~.: -__--- ........

-:- ___
1.562
- l" .,r" , " L

~
20 12o EUe~,~
F // ..... ! = ~ ~ , " ! u :

0 10 20 30 I,O 50 60 70 80 90 100
Oisplocement (ram)/Rototion (x 0.01 rnd.)

Fig. 7. Load-dis_placement curves of curved beam (R/L = 1-562) modelled using different
element meshes.

present investigation using ABAQUS. Fukumoto and Nishida used the

transfer ~natdx method to analyse the curved beams and the assumptions
made in the formulation of the method are: (1) length and radius of
curvature are very much larger than the cross-sectional dimensions; (2) no
cross-sectional distortions occur during deflection; (3) shear strain along
the middle surface of the thin walls due to shear in equilibrium with the
change of normal stress is neglected; (4) shear strain in the plane normal
to the middle surface of the thin walls is small and may be neglected; (5)
transverse displacements are much larger than the longitudinal displace-
ments and (6) residual stress magnitude and pattern are as shown in Figs
8 and 9. With the strain-displacement relations, equilibrium equations and

100 [ - - - TmSFER~T= .ETmO

160 I- AR-3 aeAOUS W~TH eS
| ~ - - ' - - EXPT
ll, OF ,"/- . f " . . . . . . . . . AR-2
e ./
120 / ~.,.f.'.-..;,-;,-~. AR-~
o_ 100
b" ±
i " /, ,~o3 "~: " w " :

0.02 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.1t, 0.16

¢, (Rod.)
Fig. 8. Comparison of the AR-series test results from Ref. 16 with the predicted results.
46 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Theoendran, N. E. Shanmuoam, L. O. Tan

70 --.-EXPT --- TILUSFERMATRIX METHO0'

30 l,

10 ~"
f I I I I
O0 5 10 15 20
(xO.01 Rod.)
Fig. 9. Comparison of the BR-series test results from Ref. 16 with the predicted results.

boundary conditions, a nonlinear field transfer matrix equation is derived

and solved by numerical method. Generally, the transfer matrix method
requires the formulation of a field transfer matrix using the finite displace-
ment theory.
The six curved beams are designated as AR- and BR-series. The
dimensions of the beams are shown in Table 1. For the AR-series, the
curved length along the centreline of the web (L) of the beams is kept
constant at 1.7 m while the radius of horizontal curvature (R) is varied to
give R / L of 12"5, 25.0 and 125.0 for AR-1, AR-2 and AR-3, respectively.
As for the BR-series, the curved length of the beams is kept constant at
2.8 m while the radius of curvature is varied to give the same R / L as the
AR-series.
Comparison of load versus mid-span cross-section rotation curves
obtained using the finite element analysis and the transfer matrix method
are shown in Figs 8 and 9. Material properties used in the analyses are
E = 206 k N / m m e, v =0.3 and gy = 314 N / m m e. An idealised residual stress

TABLE 1
Dimensions and Curvatures of Curved Beams

Specimen No. R/L L(mm) R(m)

AR-1 12"5 1700 21.25

AR-2 25"0 1700 42'5
AR-3 125'0 1700 212'5
BR-1 12"5 2800 35"0
BR-2 25"0 2800 70"0
BR-3 25"0 2800 350"0
 Behaviour and desion of horizontally curved steel beams 47

pattern with magnitude of +0.3 try varying linearly from tension at the
flange centre to compression at the flange tips is considered in the
analyses.
Due to symmetry, only half of the beam is analysed, with four elements
being positioned across the width of each flange and four elements across
the depth of each web. The load versus mid-span cross-sectional rotation
curves generated by the transfer matrix method and finite element analysis
are in good agreement. This observation is valid for beams with a wide
range of radius-of-curvature to span-length ratio (R/L). The ultimate loads
obtained from the finite element analysis and the transfer matrix method
for curved beams in the AR- and BR-series are tabulated in Table 2. The
maximum difference in results generated by the two methods is not more
than 8%.
Fukumoto and Nishida 16 also conducted tests on the AR- and BR-
series of curved beams. The ultimate strength results from the tests shown
a s (Pu)test are compared with the ABAQUS results in Table 2. The finite
element analysis results are in good agreement with the experimental
results. Experimental results for load versus cross-sectional rotation at the
beam's midspan are also shown in Figs 8 and 9 for comparison with the
predicted results.

2.3 Behvioural studies

Figures 10 and 11 show the load-displacement curves of beams curved in

plan with R/L ranging from 5 to 125. The concentrated applied load, P, is
plotted against the horizontal displacement, u, the vertical displacement,
w, and the angle of twist, ~b, respectively. The effects of R/L ratio on the
load-displacement relationships of beams with 2=0.728 and 1.28 are

TABLE 2
Comparisons between Experimental (Ref. 16) and Theoretical Results

Specimen No. (Pu)rsra (Pu)test (Pu)rEM (Pu)FEM (Pu)rEM

(Pu),.., (Pu)~,

AR- l 118"0 117.7 117"7 1"00 0"99

AR-2 130.0 123-2 135"0 1"10 1"04
AR-3 146"2 146-0 156'5 1"07 1"07
BR-1 46.2 43-7 47"3 1"08 1"02
BR-2 54"4 54.1 54'2 1-00 0-99
BR-3 63.7 62.6 65'8 1-05 1-03

TSM =Transfer matrix method; F E M =Finite element method; test=test results from
Ref. 16.
48 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shannmoang L. O. Tan

25O
O

-.'- ;

,-. (/,' - ...

._, 100 l~ I I I''~.< ~': P, " "--

50~, t/ ""

Ai r I I I I I
"0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Oispiocement (mm)/Rototion (xO.01 rod.)
Fig. 10. Load-displacement behaviour of curved beam with 2=0.728.

60 ~ u - -

.^ I R/L =125 - - - w

If h'll
=- /,,1; . .....

ISV" ..".' L®~ ,z-."

10~17' .~-" :~'~'," "IP

O0 10 20 30 ~0 50 60 70
Oisplocement (mm)/Rototion (x 0.01 rod.)
Fig. 11. Load-displacement behaviour of curved beam with 2 = 1.28.

shown, in which A is the modified slenderness defined by 2 = ~ / M p / M E .

The results show that the ultimate strength of a curved beam with smaller
curvature (large R / L ratio) is always higher than a beam with larger
curvature for all ranges of R/L. This is because the vertical load acting on
the horizontal curvature produces lateral displacement and twist, and
consequently introduces second-order forces that cause further deforma-
tion. The second-order effects associated with geometrical nonlinearity are
higher for members with larger in-plane curvature and hence these beams
have lower ultimate strength.
 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 49

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate the extent of yielded zones of two beams

with ;[=0.728 and 1.28, at different stages of loading. The distributed
plasticity in the beam is plotted at the load before, at and after the limit
load is attained. It can be observed that the yield zones for the beam with
= 0.728 are substantially more than for the beam with 2 = 1.28. For the
beam with ~ = 0.728, yielding starts at the inner curvature of the compres-
sion flange and progresses towards the web. Full cross-section yielding (a
plastic hiinge) occurs shortly after the collapse load (at P = 181.8 kN) is
reached. For the beam with ;!.= 1.28, spread-of-yielding hardly penetrates
the web, and full cross-section plasticity is not observed even in the large
deformation range. The above phenomenon indicates that the failure
modes associated with each beam of the same curvature may vary
considerably, depending on the span length. For the beam with shorter
span length, failure of the beam is initiated by yielding followed by
inelastic instability in the lateral-torsional mode, whereas for the beam
with longer span length, lateral instability coupled with inelasticity prog-
resses sinmltaneously until the maximum strength is reached.
The effects of the residual stress distribution on the ultimate strength of
rolled I-beams were investigated, and the results for beams with R / L = 5,
25 and 125 are shown in Fig. 14. The ultimate strength curve is shown by

P=181-§kM/ 1 ~

P.=1 5 3 . ~

Fig. 12. Spread of yielding for beam with 2=0-728.

50 J. Y. Richard Liew, E Thevendran, N. E. Shanmugam, L. O. Tan

p : Id,.t kH ~ , , ~

Fig. 13. Spread of yielding for beam with 2 = 1.28.

1.25 I Rolled curved beam Load

305 x 127x/,2 kg/m UB I

1.00 i
I ~ ~"

o.2s w,TxouT Rts,o L STRESS

0.']~ comp .... WITH RESIOUALSTRESS
' ,
0 0.5 1.0 1.5
~ : 4"~p/N E
Fig. 14. Ultimate strength of curved beams with and without the effect of residual stresses.

plotting t~=M/Mp against 2=x/-~v/ME. An assumed distribution of

longitudinal residual stress across the section is shown in the same figure
for a typical rolled section. It is observed that the effect of residual stresses
is negligible for beams with small R/L ratio. The effects are most
 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 51

noticeable for R/L= 125-0 with 2 ranging between 0.5 and 1.5 at which
residual stress and beam curvature effects interact to produce the greatest
reduction in strength from the predicted value for a curved beam with any
residual stresses. For beams with 2 > 1.5 or 2 <0-5, the effects of residual
stresses are less significant. This is because the failure of beams with small
2 values is governed by cross-section yielding, whereas for beams with
large values of 2, lateral-torsional instability is the main governing failure
mode.

2.4 Work hardening due to curvature bending

The engineer should be aware that a curved beam is usually cold-bent to

form the required curvature. The inherited residual stresses and metallur-
gical properties of steel before and after bending can be different. In
cold-bending a straight beam to a large curvature, steel is deformed
through the initial yielding into the post-plastic range. As a result, the
material becomes work-hardened and subsequently exhibits different
mechanical properties. In particular it loses the yield plateau and ductility,
as is evident from coupon tests which show a fall in elongation and loss
of notch ductility. However, within the elastic range--which is of rel-
evance for the design of structures using elastic analysis--the stress-strain
relationship remains unchanged in general.
The amount of work-hardening depends upon the degree of bending,
the geometry of the section and the axis of bending.2 The significance of
work-hardening is less for I-beams curved about the weak axis than for
the beanas bent about the strong axis. The change in properties can be
important when fatigue and low temperature situations are prevalent. It is
less important for a statically loaded structure at normal temperature
conditions. Since the present investigation is concerned more with the
static strength of curved members, therefore, strain-hardening behaviour
due to cold-bending is not considered in the analysis. However, more
precise studies of ductility or yield/ultimate strength behaviour may be
carried out if special design conditions call for them.

3 SIMPLIFIED METHOD

In this section, a simplified analytical approach originally proposed by

Fukumoto and Nishida 16 is modified and used to predict the maximum
strength of horizontally curved I-beams. The approximate maximum
strength is determined at the point of intersection between the second-order
elastic curve and the second-order rigid plastic curve. Fukumoto and
52 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmugam, L. O. Tan

Nishida 16 have derived the governing differential equation of equilibrium

based on second-order elastic analysis of a curved I-beam. However, their
derivation ignored the higher-order terms associated with the member
curvature effect (i.e. the terms associated with 1/R 2, 1/R 3, etc. have been
neglected). The effects of ignoring these terms might not be significant for
beams with small bending curvature. However, the higher-order terms
may become significant for highly curved beams, i.e. for beams with small
R/L ratio. Recognising this, the equation for the second-order elastic load-
displacement curve proposed originally by Fukumoto and Nishida 16 has
been rederived by including the higher-order terms. The modified equation
yields more accurate results and is applicable for beams over a wide range
of curvature. The derivation of such an equation is described below.

3.1 Second-order elastic curve

The following assumptions are made in the analysis of a single, horizon-

tally curved I-beam, as shown in Fig. 15(a): (1) The material is elastic-
plastic with strain-hardening (Fig. 4), and the member is prismatic and
homogeneous; (2) the length and curvature of the beam is large compared
with the cross-sectional dimensions; (3) cross-section is fully compact such
that local buckling does not occur; (4) shear strain in the plane normal to
the middle surface of the thin walls is negligible; and (5) transverse
displacements are much larger than the longitudinal displacements.
Figure 15(a) shows the Cartesian coordinate system of a horizontally
curved I-beam. The initial in-plan curvature is approximated by the
following sinusoidal function:

/tX L2
Uo(X)=Uosin--~ with Uo=8---~ (1)

The cross-section centroidal rotation function ~bo(X) is assumed to be

sinusoidal of the form

~X
4~o(X)= ~o sin -~- (2)

If the cross-section is initially undistorted, then *o = 0. The displacement

components u and q~ are measured from the initial curved configuration,
so that the total displacement,/./total, measured from the x-axis is

Utotal = UO ~t_ U (3)

 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 53

~ ~,y

' ~ x

/
\ / /
\ / R /
\ /
•.. /
\ / ~o //

(a)

PLAN VIEW
M¢
• I

Is

'j
d-l/] 0
t-" N ~ (b)
Fig. 15. (a) Coordinate system and initial displacements of cross-section. (b) Plastic
moment capacity of curved beam section under bending.

and the total rotation, ¢~total,is

~btot~l=: qSo + ~b (4)
The gow~rning differential equations for lateral buckling and twisting and
warping, which are derived in the form of Euler-Lagrange equations of
the functional, may be written a s : 9

E l z l u .... u" u'] EA , u Mz , v '

-½(T;,~')'+ M,+~ ~ + ~
E{ "}{ w}3-F. {~ + ~ +v,~o + ~ +
'
(5)
54 J.Y. RichardLiew, V. Thevendran,N. E. Shanmuoam,L. O. Tan

EI.[O +2~+~j-ik- I - -Gr~ ~"+ +M,w"+

B , v t 2
+

----~- [u - ~ j = 0 (6)

Equations (5) and (6) are the equilibrium equations formulated based on
the deformed configuration of the beam in which the curvature and the
second-order effects associated with various initial loads, F,, Fy, Fz, M,,
Mz and B have been considered.
For a horizontally curved beam subjected to applied end moments
M = My, eqns (5) and (6) can be simplified by letting F, = Fy = F~ = M~ =
M ~ = B = 0 as

+2~_~+~_g4]+_R_LV+Rj
El,[u .... Ul+M[qEV+__~]
AF, =0 (7)

+i<u,_ tl __0 (8,

If the condition of inextensibility v'+ u/R = 0 and 1/R4"~O are assumed,
and only the terms associated with lateral deflection u and twisting ~b are
considered, eqns (7) and (8) reduce to

EI~Iu .... + 2-~2" ] + M~b"' = 0 (9)

and

EIwFc~.... +U -4"7 Ely

~ ]--~c~-GKTc~ ,, + Mu"=O (10)
k
 Behaviourand desion of horizontallycurvedsteel beams 55

The differential equations with initial deflection Uo and q~ounder equal end
moment,,; are hence given by:

fd'*u 2 d2u) d~b, M d2~bo ,~

.

~,~4 R2 a-~J'+M~-~ * - a ~ =v (Ii)

{d44~ 2 d2~b~ d2~b. Ely. d2u ~td2uo_

Elw -d-f~4 R2 dx2j-GKr-~x2+--~q~+M~x2+.., dx 2 - 0 (12)

where M=applied end moment; G=shear modulus of elasticity;

Iw = warping constant; KT = St Venant torsional constant.
For simply supported boundary conditions, u and 4~ may be approxi-
mated by the following functions

/iX
u = U s i n - L- and 4~=Osin 7 (13)

Substituting eqns (1), (2) and (13) into eqns (11) and (12), the following
solutions for U and • are obtained:

Uo
U_ +-ff~
Oo [r2pzER2_2 ]
[- Mj1211L ~2R2j R2M2 kR2M2Lnj 1
(14)

Vo,,,.~Ep~---~-
2EIz 1J + ~o
O= (15)
(_M_EE~eFI 2La.l 2PE PEEIy[_~] 2 -
\ M) L ~R2_I M2R2 ~--~--~ 1

in which ME=~/PEr2pzE, PE=Tr2EIz/L2, r2pzE=GKT+Tz2EIw/L2 and

lz = bending stiffness about the weak axis.
Due to the horizontal curvature, it follows that

Uf = U 0 -~- U -~ [ O 0 -~-O ] (16)

56 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanraugam, L. O. Tan

If ~o = 0, it can be shown that

f 2
2PE d--t['p 2EIz-] PEEIyFL-]2)
uf = Uo' r~2R2]
ME 2
1

(17)

Substituting M/ME=6~,2, 6=M/Mp and 22=Mp/ME, the following ex-

pression is obtained:

[d-t]PE62" 2PE24 2L 2 [d-t]EIz62".PEEIy[-L-]2.2)

uf
m
Uo{1+
b b 7 -2L) - -2-PE~----PE~~-~4 [

(18)
Equation (18) represents the second-order elastic curve in which the
relationship between the applied end moment M and the beam's top flange
lateral displacement uf can be traced.

3.2 Second-orderrigid-plasticcurve
The second-order rigid plastic curve is governed by the plastic strength of
the compression flange of a beam bent in the lateral direction. For the
compression flange under lateral bending, as shown in Fig. 15(b), the axial
compressive force N in the flange produces a plastic moment Mfp which
may be expressed as

M~p = o'yAf(~ -- ~2)b (19)

The resultant axial thrust N is written as

N = 2OyAf ~ - tryAf (20)

Rearranging the terms we have

= N + o'yAf
2cryAf (21)
 Behaviour and desion of horizontally curved steel beams 57

where ~=nondimensional parameter for location of neutral axis for

in-plane bending of flange plate (~ = 0 for straight beam);
At := bt, the cross-sectional area of the flange plate;
b := flange width;
t := flange thickness;
try := material yield stress, and
from Fig. 15(b) we have

M~p= Nuf (22)

Substituting eqn (21) into eqn (19) and equating it to eqn (22) yields the
following expression:

b
Nuf = z~Afo'y (A2tr2 -- N2) (23)

Letting M ,~ N(d--t) and 6 = m / M p , eqn (23) becomes

Af O'y(d- t) 6Mp
uf = 4¢$Mp 4Afo'y(d- t) (24)

Substitut:ing Mp ~tryAf(d--t) yields the following equation:

uf 1-6
b= 4----]~ (25)

where uf is defined as the total lateral displacement of the compression

flange at the beam's mid span. Equation (25) represents the second-order
rigid-plastic curve in which the relationship between the normalised lateral
displacement of the compressive flange (uf/b) and the normalised end
moment (6 = M/Mp) can be traced.

3.3 Approximate equation for ultimate strength

The ultimate strength of a curved beam 6u(= Mu/Mp) can be determined

at the point of intersection between the second-order elastic curve and the
second-order rigid-plastic curve. The following expression is obtained by
equating eqns (18) and (25).

4MpRb 2MpR3b M~R 2 ~-~pR 2 24+

58 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran,N. E. Shanrauoam,L. O. Tan

2L 2 1 2 1- L2 PEL2"~4" Z'4" PEEIy rL4"]i]4]¢~

+ I - - n - - ~ J 6 " - - L 2 R -B bM~R 3 bR3~ 2 + 2M2Ra[_~2b_] J "+

2L 2 2PE24 PEEIy [-L1224

+1 /t2R 2 R2Mp2q-Mp---'~L~J =0 (26)

Equation (26) is a quartic equation of unknown 6u. This equation is

derived based on horizontally curved beams subject to equal end moments
producing uniform bending. For beams subjected to uniformly distributed
load or concentrated load within the span length, eqn (26) needs to be
modified. This is done by applying an appropriate coefficient to the elastic
buckling moment, ME, so as to convert the case where the beam is subject
to nonuniform bending moment to a standard case where the beam is
under an 'equivalent' end moment producing uniform bending.
For example, the coefficient used for concentrated load at the midspan
case is 1"35 whereas that for the uniformly distributed case is 1.13. More
values of coefficients in formulae for elastic buckling strength of beams
covering a number of different loading and end restraint conditions are
listed in Refs 28 and 29. These coefficient values are limited to prismatic
straight beams bent about a principal axis. In addition, it is assumed that
the shear centre lies on a principal axis passing through the centroid. For
beams with support conditions different from the pinned-end case, the
beam's strength may be estimated from the effective length concept. The
member effective slenderness ratio, 2E, is evaluated based on the effective
unbraced length which is dependent on the degree of end restraints offered
by the lateral supports. In the present approach, the 'equivalent moment'
and 'effective length' concepts for the design of straight beams are applied
for the case of curved beams. The accuracy of the approach will be verified
by comparing the results with the more established analytical results and
test results.

3.4 Comparison of results

To verify the accuracy of the proposed ultimate strength equation given by

eqn (26), moment versus lateral deflection curves for a curved beam of
R/L=6.25 having 2 = 1.543 is plotted in Fig. 16. The second-order rigid
plastic curve is shown as the dropping curve, and the full solid line
represents the proposed second-order elastic curve. The dotted curve is the
second-order elastic curve predicted by Fukumoto and Nishida. 16 The
comparisons show that the proposed elastic curve does differ significantly
from the curve predicted by Fukumoto and Nishida. 16 It is expected that
 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 59

r.
_ _. sec0~-0~rElmicCure (FIkm0t0et. g.)
0.3 - Pr0~d YecoKI..o~lerEIt.qic Cure _~
R/L=6.25 / * ':

~-0.1753~ •
M ~-0.1569 v / ~ " ~coed-orderRigidM~icCurvc
a-~ / .~ ' ~ a ~ . ~ /
/ ,', _-~-.- 'F'"--.Z..~
/," ' l ~

I/ ~u_, . I" .: /R'

1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2 2.4

u,/b
Fig. 16. Comparison of moment versus lateral displacement curves between the proposed
equation (eqn (26)) and F u k u m o t o ' s equation, Ref. 16.

the discrepancy will be larger as the beam becomes more slender and as
the horizontal curvature get larger.
Figure 17 compares the load-deflection curves obtained from the
second-order rigid plastic curve and the proposed second-order elastic
curve with the results obtained from ABAQUS analysis for beams with
R/L = 25.13 and )` ranging from 0.728 to 1.543. The dimensionless ultimate
moment, 6 = M/Mp, is shown against the dimensionless total lateral dis-
placement of the compression flange at midspan, uf/b, where b is the width
of the I-section being considered. It is observed that the ultimate strength
for a beam with smaller )` value (shorter span) is always higher than that
for a beam with larger )` for all ranges of horizontal curvature. This is
because tlhe failure mode associated with each beam of the same curvature
may vary considerably depending on the span length, as discussed in
Section 2.3.
The load-displacement results shown in Fig. 17 indicate that the finite
element results are very close to but slightly less than the results obtained
by eqn (26). For example, the maximum difference in the ultimate load
prediction is about 8% for R/L=25 having ).=0.944.

3.5 Ultimate strength curves

Figure 18 shows the ultimate strength curves of curved I-beams in which

the predicted ultimate strength 6 =M./Mp is plotted against the slender-
60 J. Y. Richard Liew, E Thependran, N. E. Shamnugam, L. O. Tan

1.1 . ~ _ t [
1.0 .•.1.6z
i \' i !
0.9
~,, ! o i
0.8 ~ r~--.0.75 : ,' ', :

0.7
.~r 0.6
II
oo 0.5

0.~,
0.3
0.2
0.1
II,/ I I
01 o.2 o.6 0; 11o
Uf/b

Fig. 17. Effectsof beam slenderness ratio 2 on the ultimate strength of curved beams with
R/L=25.
1.2 Rolled Curved Beam • ABAQUS
]-305x 127 x~,2 kglm UB -- Simptifiedtormda
1.0 ~ x a aR-&SR-series

:~,, 0.6 ~ ~ ~,~-~ ~

0.2 d 3

01 , I L i I i I I
0.2 0.~, 0.6 o.B to 1.2 tt, t6 to
X=]Mp/HE
Fig. 18. Effects of R/L ratio on the ultimate strength of curved beams.

ncss ratio 2=x/Mp/M~ for beams with R/L ranging from 5 to 25.
Triangular type of residual stress pattern with magnitude of -I-0.3try is
assumed in the finite element analysis. The thick solid curves represent the
ultimate m o m e n t predicted by the proposed equation, as presented in
Sections 3.1-3.3. The results are compared with the A B A Q U S results
shown by dark squares. In addition, four test data for AR-1, AR-2, BR-1
and BR-2 discussed in Section 2 are also included in the same figure.
 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 61

Comparison shows that there is a good agreement between the ultimate

strength result obtained from ABAQUS and the results obtained using the
proposed equation. It may be noted that the design equation is conserva-
tive compared with the finite element results for a beam with R/L ranging
from 5 to 25. The maximum difference between the ultimate moment
predicted by the proposed equation and the finite element result is 35%
conservative and 8% unconservative. Comparison with the test results
shows that the proposed equation is conservative. Therefore, the equation
is deemed to be suitable for use in the design of horizontally curved
I-beams with R/L ratios up to 5. For very curved members (i.e., R/L less
than 5), more exact analysis, such as ABAQUS, is required for accurate
prediction of the beam's responses.

4 CURVED BEAMS WITH INTERMEDIATE RESTRAINTS

4.1 Experimental investigation

Full-scale tests on I-beams curved in plan with an intermediate lateral

restraint at the load point were carried out. The lengths of the specimens
are 5.4 m and 3 m with R/L = 14 and 1.56, respectively, as shown in Table
3. The second test specimen is considered to be very curved in plan since
the R/L ratio is less than 5. Both specimens are loaded by a concent-
rated load at the intermediate restraint up to failure and into the
post-failure range. The specimens were hot-rolled beams but cold-bent to
the required horizontal curvature using a hydraulic gap press machine.
The bottom flanges of the two specimens were bolted to a cross-beam at
the supported ends. Vertical stiffeners were welded to the cross-sections
at the supports to provide torsional restraints. Both the supporting
ends are braced to prevent vertical and lateral movements. The load
point is braced to prevent twist and lateral movement only. The speci-
mens were also restrained laterally and torsionally by means of a set of
roller arrangements that permits deflection in the vertical direction
only.

TABLE 3
Test Specimens with Intermediate Lateral Restraint

Test No. L(m) Ll(m) R(m) R/L

1 5"4 1"4 75"6 14-0

2 3"0 0"75 4"69 1"56
62 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmugam, L. O. Tan

Figure 19 shows the experimental set-up of the curved beam. Displace-

ment transducers are placed along the beam length to measure the vertical
as well as horizontal deflections (see Fig. 20). Strain gauge readings are
taken at the beam's mid-span and at the load point which is located at a
distance of 0-741L from one end of the support. L is the curved length of
the beam.

L~ C

54 t 2 1
x
x
t I!
Ii I i
/ 14 ~ 11
)JJl /
A Transducers ", '

• Applied Load 109 8 7 6

O
I Lateral Restraint
Fig. 19. Test set-up of beam model.

/
I
i

> MLO BOLT5

........"'":':-_ _~ _ ~ R O L L E R 1"0 ALLOW VERTICAL

MOVEMENTreLY

\
Fig. 20. Measurement of displacements and strains.
 Behaviour and design of horizontally curved steel beams 63

4.2 R ~

The load-displacement results from the tests are compared with the
ABAQUS finite d e m e n t results. In addition, their ultimate strength results
are compared with the simplified equation (eqn (26)) for the prediction of
ultimate strength.
Load versus vertical displacement traces at the load point for Test 1 and
Test 2 are shown in Fig. 21. The predicted results from ABAQUS analysis
compare quite well with the test results. Lateral displacement traces for
Test 1 at different stages of loading are shown in Fig. 22. The finite element
results are in good agreement with the test results.

250[ ABAOUS EXPT

|TEST1 ~ -'-
200ITEST2 o..-, -ii :----~.----
..... ~7.Z.~".-._--_

'°°l A/..-

o f , s ,
10 15 ,
20 2s, 30, 3s, ~0, ~s, ~
Oisplocement (mm)
Fig. 21. Comparison of load versus lateral displacementresults with the predicted results.

12
ABAQUS
'10

6
Z,

0.1 0.2 0.3 0./, 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
x/L
Fig. 22. Cc,mparisonof lateral displacement trace for Test Specimen 1 with the predicted
results.
64 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmuoam, L. O. Tan

Experimental results show that the failure mode of the 5.4 m length
1-beam (Test 1) is governed by lateral-torsional buckling. The lateral
displacement of the beam along the curve length is traced at several load
intervals, as shown in Fig. 22. It is observed that the lateral displacement
increases rapidly when the maximum load is approached. The shorter
unsupported length of the beam provides some lateral restraint to the
beam that has a longer unbraced length. The ultimate strength results
are tabulated in Table 4. The test result is not more than 6% different
from the ultimate strength predicted by ABAQUS.
Also shown in Table 4 are the results predicted by the simplified
formula from eqn (26). In the evaluation of the ultimate strength of a
beam with an intermediate lateral restraint, the failure load is governed
by lateral-torsional buckling of the beam with longer unbraced length.
In the case of a concentrated loading condition, the longer beam segment
is subject to triangular distributed moment, and the equivalent moment
factor is m = 1"75. The effective length is taken as 0.7L considering the
end restraint effects provided by the intermediate support and the end
support. The results obtained from this approximate procedure com-
pared quite well for Test 1 with the difference of 13% on the conserva-
tive side. However, for Test 2, the theoretical approach underestimates
the result by 35%. This may be attributed to the fact that the equation
may not be accurate enough for very curved beams (i.e. R/L less
than 5), and that the specimen of Test 2 has been severely work-
hardened during the cold-bending process. It is expected that the
degree of work-hardening increases with the degree of horizontal curva-
ture of the beam. More tests have been planned to investigate the
validity of the simplified approach for designing curved beams with
intermediate restraint, and the effects of work-hardening on the ultimate
strength of curved beams. Detailed records for these tests are given in
Ref. 30.

TABLE 4
Comparison of Ultimate Strength Pu

Test No. (Pu)FEM (Pu),est (Pu)sF (P~)F~M (Pu)sF

(Pu),,,, (P~),~s,
1 185"8 196'6 170"7 0"94 0"87
2 193"0 203'3 132"1 0"95 0"65

SF = Simplified formula, eqn (26); FEM = Finite element method; test = test results.
 Behaviour and desion of horizontally curved steel beams 65

5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This paper presents the behaviour and design of horizontally curved

I-beams by the finite element and analytical studies. Presented herein is a
method of analysing the inelastic large-displacement behaviour of horizon-
tally curved I-beams by the nonlinear finite element method. The effects of
large deflection, residual stresses and material yielding are all included in
the finite element analysis. The parameters considered and discussed
herein are the effects of radius of horizontal curvature, span length and
intermediate restraint on the ultimate moment capacity of horizontally
curved beams. The investigations have revealed that for a specific curva-
ture, the failure mode of the beam is different depending on the span
length. For example, the failure mode of a beam with shorter span length
is due to the coupling effects of distributed plasticity and lateral-torsional
instability whereas the failure of beams with longer span length is mainly
by lateral-torsional instability. The correlation between the load deflecting
curves obtained from nonlinear finite element analysis and those obtained
by the second-order elastic curve is found to be good. The study has also
demonstrated that the effects of residual stress on the ultimate strength of
the beams curved in plan is significant for beams with intermediate
slenderness ratio, 0.3 < 2 < 1.5.
A simplified equation for evaluating the ultimate strength of horizon-
tally curved I-beams for certain loading conditions is proposed. The
approximate ultimate strength equation is obtained by solving for the
intersection point between the second-order elastic and the second-order
rigid-plas~Iic curve for I-beams subject to inform moment along the span
length. The proposed equation is believed to be more rational compared
to that in Ref. 16 since the formulation considers higher-order terms
associated with curvature bending. The accuracy of the simplified equation
is verified by comparing the results with those obtained using the three-
dimensional finite element analysis. A series of design curves has been
generated for I-beams with horizontal curvature R / L of 5-0, 12.5 and 25.0.
The behaviour and ultimate strength of horizontally curved I-beams
with intermediate restraint are investigated by testing two large-scale
I-beams with R / L ratios of 14 and 1.56. The test results are compared with
those predicted by ABAQUS and the simplified formula. The finite
element results agree well with the test results. Strictly speaking, the
simplified equation is applicable to simply supported 1-sections loaded at
the centroidal axis and for beams under equal applied end moment
producing uniform bending. By applying appropriate coefficients to the
66 J. Y. Richard Liew, V. Thevendran, N. E. Shanmugam, L. O. Tan

elastic buckling moment, M~, the same design equation can be applied to
beams subjected to moment gradient varying along the span length.
However, more specimens should be tested to establish the accuracy of the
simplified formula for beams with intermediate restraint. The present
investigation is restricted to beams with horizontal curvature-to-span
length ratio up to R / L = 5. Further investigation is still required if the
beams have very large horizontal curvature. In addition, the effects of
work-hardening on the ultimate strength of curved beams due to the
cold-forming process should be investigated before more formalised design
guidelines can be established.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The investigations reported herein have been funded by a Research Grant

(RP900618) from the National University of Singapore.

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