Simplified equations for Vierendeel design calculations of composite beams with web openings

Composite beams with web openings are vulnerable to Vierendeel bending failure. The available methods provide quite conservative estimates of Vierendeel bending resistance. An alternative design method to compute the resistance was proposed in this study, based on quadratic nonlinear interactions of normalized shear force, axial force and Vierendeel bending moment. The interactions of the top and bottom Tee section must satisfy mutual conditions to prevent the Vierendeel failure. The normalized shear force and Vierendeel bending moment of the composite part were used instead in the top Tee interaction. The top Tee axial force was computed based on force equilibrium. Based on a rigid-plastic model, the composite resistance is estimated using an effective slab width of the vertical shear resistance. On using the proposed method, nonlinear reductions due to shear loads and axial forces are not required, in contrast to prior methods. The proposed method was validated against experiments from literature. The method limitations and accuracy as well as the Vierendeel behavior were investigated by finite element simulations, with varied composite beam parameters. The proposed design loads are less conservative than earlier estimates and deviate less from the simulations.