Behaviour Of Aluminium Alloy Channel Section Members At Elevated Temperatures

Aluminium alloys have advantageous characteristics(e.g.,a high strength-to-weight ratio,great corrosion resistance and can be extruded economically into various sections with different geometries)and that has led to its wide use in engineering applications.The bearing capacity of aluminum alloy members can be determined according to the design codes of aluminum alloy structures in many countries,such as the United States,Australia and New Zealand,Europe and China,and can also be designed by direct strength method(DSM)and continuous strength method(CSM).Among the different possible sections,channel sections have been increasingly applied in construction projects due to their smooth and aesthetically pleasing line shape,good integrity,and are easy to connect.Research of aluminium alloy components has mainly been concentrated on square,rectangular,and circular hollow sections.However,there have been limited studies on aluminium alloy plain and lipped channel sections.Moreover,the research of mechanical properties,component calculation,connection and overall structure at room temperature has been relatively mature.At the same time,although the research on the material properties of aluminum alloy,component calculation,connection and overall structure at room temperature has been systematic,the mechanical properties of aluminum alloy structures at high temperature and the corresponding design methods still need to be further developed.In order to make the aluminum alloy structure better applied and developed in our country,it is necessary to carry out more in-depth experimental and theoretical research in order to establish a complete fire resistance design method of aluminum alloy structure.Based on the above situation,this paper studies the behaviour of aluminium alloy members on plain and lipped channel sections under normal temperature,welding conditions and high temperature.In this study,aluminium alloy columns,beams and beam-columns were tested.A numerical model was then built,and its modelling results were compared with the experimental results.Upon validation,numerical simulations were carried out as a parametric study.The design codes from America,Europe,Australia/New Zealand,and China for aluminium alloy structures as well as the direct strength method(DSM)and continouous strength method(CSM)were used to predict design strengths for comparison with the testing results and numerical results.Finally,the design methods were assessed by reliability analysis.