Experimental and Numerical Investigations on the Rotation Capacity of High-Strength Steel Beams

This work deals with experimental and numerical investigations on the rotation capacity of high-strength steel (HSS) I-girders. The investigation involved 20 three-point bending tests conducted on mainly homogeneous and hybrid high-strength steel girders. The experimental tests have successfully been recalculated numerically considering damage mechanics approaches to model ductile crack initiation. The test of the high-strength steel beams showed that they are able to withstand large rotations with maintaining the plastic-moment capacity. The rotation requirement of Eurocode (EC) 3, doubtful as it might seem, was achieved by 16 of 18 HSS girders.