Design rules and bending behavior of assembling rivet-fastened rectangular hollow flange beams

Rivet-fastened connection has the characteristics of convenient, high tensile and shear strength of riveting points. In this study, an assembled riveted rectangular hollow flange beam (ARHFB) was proposed, and seven ARHFB specimens with different parameters were designed. The main advantage of this section is the use of closed hollow flanges, which have higher bending stiffness and better torsional flexural resistance than ordinary I-beam sections. The bending resistance of ARHFB was studied by four-point bending test. The failure process, deformation and bearing capacity of ARHFB were analyzed according to the experimental phenomena, load-displacement curves and strain development curves along the height. The test results show that the thickness and strength of the bottom flange have a great influence on the bearing capacity, which can effectively improve the bearing capacity of ARHFB. The finite element model was developed and the simulation results were verified according to the test results. Subsequently, the validated finite element model was used to study the influence of various parameters, including the strength and thickness of the component material, the flange width, the flange depth and the web height. Finally, the bearing capacity of ARHFB is predicted by GB50018, and the design formula is modified by introducing the plastic development coefficient of section based on the plane section assumption. The design formula is verified by experimental study and parametric study.