Forces at flange–web connections in T-beams

The flanges of T- and I-beams are subjected, near their junctions with the web, to three in-plane forces: N x , N y , and N xy , where x and y are horizontal axes parallel and normal to the beam axis. The finite element method is used to study the variation of these forces in T-beams under point or line load. It is concluded that forces N x and N xy can be determined for design purposes using conventional engineering beam theory. Force N y , on the other hand, cannot be determined by available closed-form solutions. Based on a detailed parametric study, a simplified procedure is proposed for determining N y . Key words: beams (supports), connections, finite element, flanges, loads (forces), T-beams, webs (supports).