Experimental and theoretical behaviour analysis of steel suspension members subjected to tension and bending

Steel suspension members subjected to tension and bending offer an economical and efficient alternative for many structural problems. This paper is concerned with the elastic and elastic-plastic behaviour of suspension members with bending stiffness subjected to vertical point and uniformly distributed loads. An experimental study is described which focuses on the response of three suspension members with various Tshaped steel hot rolled sections and geometric configurations. The tests enable direct assessment of the influence of a key parameter such as the sag-to-span ratio on the response of suspension members. Detailed nonlinear finite-element models are generated to provide a tool for theoretical analyses and to facilitate further understanding of the behaviour. Results demonstrate that experimentally obtained responses can generally be closely predicted numerically because there are relatively good agreements between finite element and tests results. The results and observations of subsequent numerical parametric studies offer an insight into the key factors that govern the behaviour of suspension members with bending stiffness in the elastic-plastic range.