Influence in the modeling of boundary conditions between analysis models and real structures
Gil, Enriquea; Vercher, Joseb; Lerma, Carlosb; Mas, Angelesb and Navarro, Xaviera
aDepartment of Continuum Mechanics and Theory of Structures, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain, bDepartment of Architectural Constructions, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain.
Abstract:
The most important limitation in the light construction of large-span buildings usually made of steel is to check the instability of the construction. The present research work addresses the dispersion between the reality of the stresses and strains that support the structural elements and those that predict the most common methods of structural analysis. The calibration of the criteria to define the behaviour of the materials and the boundary conditions to be imposed in the analysis methods for high load conditions is very important. These high load states are not usually reached, but their knowledge allows us to understand the remaining safety of buildings.
In this paper, both the measurement of the actual stresses and strains and the sensitivity analysis of the boundary conditions have been carried out. A scale model with a very precise geometric definition has been built for the measurement of the real stresses. The sensors have been calibrated with precision prior to the tests, which have been carried out with different load cycles and load, stress, strain and deformation have been monitored. And on the other hand, numerical simulations with non-linear software have been carried out for different cases of boundary conditions.
The comparison between the tests and the different methods of analysis allows affirming that small inaccuracies or manufacturing tolerances can be very significant in the behavior of a structure.
Keywords: Boundary conditions; analysis models; large-span buildings; remaining safety; lateral buckling.