Numerical analysis of the thermo-elastic behavior of beams in steel structures

This paper deals with a numerical thermo-elastic behavior analysis of beams in steel structures. The beams are subjected to a uniformly distributed load under uniform and linear temperature distribution through the depth. A new frame-finite element based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and Von Karman strain–displacement relationship has been developed for the nonlinear bending analysis of steel beams. The total potential energy principle has been employed for geometrical and stiffness matrices derivation. The formulated finite element model has been validated by comparing the obtained results with those obtained using analytical and numerical methods from the literature. Furthermore, the element has been used to perform a parametric study to explore the effect of temperature rise on the static behavior of beams in steel structures in the material elastic range. The results showed that the proposed numerical model can simulate the thermo-elastic behavior of beams in steel structures under thermal conditions.