NEW ZEALAND DIPLOMA IN ENGINEERING/

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

DE5201 Structures 1/ MG5032 Basic Structures

Laboratory Session: Structural Steel Beam Testing 9th May 2018

Brief Description

You are required to set up and test three simple supported steel beams: 1).: TFC 50 × 25 with flanges
pointing downward; 2). TFC 50 × 25 with flanges pointing sideways; and 3). FL 25 × 6 tested laid flat.
Material and section (nominally specified) properties are given in Tables 1 and 2 below, respectively.

Marks and Weightage

This report is marked out of 100 and weighs 10% of your final score for the course.

Laboratory Report Due Date

This report is due at 1200 hours on 23 May 2018

Laboratory Procedure

1. Geometric properties of the steel sections (see Fig. 2) tested should be measured and confirmed
prior to testing and accordingly the section properties calculated per your measurements.
2. The load is applied using a 500 kN actuator at the midpoint of the specimen. See Figure 1 for test
setup and instrumentation details.
3. The load is transferred to beam through steel rod placed between the load cell and the top surface
of the beam.
4. A load cell is placed between the actuator and the steel beam to record the total applied load.
5. Linear variable differential transducer (LVDT) is placed below the beam at the mid-span to
record the deflection.
6. A data logger is used to acquire data points to draw load-deflection curves.
7. The beam must be loaded at mid-span with at least three different loading increments. At each
loading increment, you have to measure and record the deflection of the beam.

Load Cell

LVDT

480

Figure 1. Test setup for steel laboratory (all dimension in mm)

Laboratory Report Layout and Marks Allocation

You are required to write a five page (excluding cover page, table of contents, references, and appendices)
report for this laboratory test. The report must follow the layout suggested below.
Cover page
Table of contents
Introduction (5 Marks)
 General – concepts covered
 Scope of work – procedure for test
Experimental work (15 Marks)
 Accurate cross sectional measurements of the flat plate and tapered flange channel sections
 Calculate section properties for each beam tested
 Tensile strength, shear strength, and elastic modulus (manufacturer and NZS 3404)
 Test set-up and instrumentation with two dimensional schematic diagram of the test setup, and
photos of testing
Analytical work (30 Marks)
 A diagram of the loading arrangement, including span length, loading point with free body
diagram
 Draw shear force diagram, and bending moment diagram for the maximum load applied to each
of the above two beam setups
 Predicted deflection using first principles of mechanics of materials to analytical develop force-
deflection curves
Experimental results (30 Marks)
 Measured load versus deflection curves with predicted curve
 General observation about the behavior of the beam i.e. deflected shape, mode of failure and
comments on any variation observed between experimental and analytically developed curves
 Compare predicted deflection with that obtained from the tests and comment on reason for
differences, if any
 Calculate and report shear and flexural stresses in steel flanges, and web at the maximum applied
load using equations
 Comment on whether the loads applied are within the elastic range of the steel member
Concluding remarks (10 Marks)
 Reflect on the experience and write few statements about your key findings and learning
References
 Use APA referencing style to list all resources used, which should at least include relevant
New Zealand standards
Appendices
 Use this section to use any photos, additional calculations that may not fit anywhere else in the
report

*10 Marks shall be allocated for cover page, table of contents, overall presentation of the report,
referencing, and formatting.
 y y
bf

̅
Y ̅
Y b

x h tw x x x

̅
X t

tf

̅
X y
y
Figure 2. Cross section of steel beams

Table 1. Section dimensions and properties

Dimensions
Properties
Designation Mass
h bf tf r1 tw Ag ̅
Y Ixx ̅
X Iyy
- kg/m3 mm mm mm mm mm mm2 mm ×103 mm4 mm ×103 mm4
TFC50×25 3.86 50 25 5.9 8 5.1 492 25 168.6 8.6 27.5
Actual
FL 25×6 1.18 6 25 - - - 150 3 0.450 25 7.81
Actual

Table 2. Strength and stiffness of mild steel Grade 300 as per NZS 3404 Table C2.2.1

Material Property Symbol Value Units

Density of steel ρs 7.85 ×103 kg/m3
Steel elastic modulus Es 200 GPa
Tensile yield strength - flange fyf 320 MPa
Tensile yield strength - web fyw 320 MPa
Ultimate tensile strength fu 440 MPa