Evaluation of the economic efficiency of honeycomb girders of roofs of industrial steel-framed buildings

Abstract

A honeycomb girder (HCG) is defined by a mirror symmetric composition of two trapezoidal corrugated steel sheets (TCSSs). Mechanical fasteners such as screws or rivets connect them. This connection creates a honeycomb-like profile, which permits double height and thereby explicitly improves the stiffness compared to a single TCSS. The present paper investigates the economic efficiency of HCGs in the application as a cladding of roofs and facades of industrial steel-framed buildings. The typical primary structure of industrial steel buildings consists of steel frameworks, which where arranged in an equidistant manner. Orthogonally to the span direction of the steel frameworks TCSSs span between them, catch wind and snow loads and conduct the forces in the primary structure. Based on a numerical parametric study on the load carrying behavior of HCGs under bending 30 different industrial steel-framed building systems where structurally designed due to the rules of Eurocode 3. The investigated systems differ in framework distances, framework width and snow loads. By comparing the determined steel tonnage of each system with the steel tonnage of a reference system, which is constructed with commonly used TCSSs, the economic efficiency of HCGs in the application as a cladding of roofs and facades of industrial steel-framed buildings becomes evaluated.