Numerical Study of Lateral - Torsion Stability of Thin - wall Beams with Cut- out in Web

One of the main challenges in designing of thin-walled open section beams is lateral-torsion buckling mode. Due to the access for piping, electrical and other devices, inserting cut-outs in web are inevitable.
This paper deals with the effects of different parameters in lateral-torsion buckling of plate girders. Lateral-torsion buckling loads of more than 700 plate girders are calculated with opening in different shapes, dimensions and locations by Ansys5.4 . The study is performed using numerical approach and the results are compared together. Three kinds of cut-outs including square, circular and hexagonal are selected. An extensive parametric studies is conducted to study the influence of cut-out dimensions, thickness, area, location and distribution along the beam length. Finally optimum scheme is obtained in order to have better estimation load carrying capacity of open-section beam.