A patent on” Cold-formed Steel Beam with Encased Braced Web for Earthquake Resistant Constructions” was obtained by Mr. Samuel J., Asst. Prof., Civil Engg. and Dr. Joanna P.S., Prof., Civil Engg. on 22 May 2021 for a term of 20 years from 2014. This is the fifth patent obtained by Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science.
About the Patent:
The construction industry is looking out for materials and structural members that are economical and state-of-the art. This invention demonstrates a new beam component made with Cold-Formed Steel (CFS), HYSD bars and Green Concrete suitable for earthquake resistant constructions.
Economical design of structural steel beams normally requires thin webs. But if the web is extremely thin the problem of plate buckling may arise. Thus, the newly developed CFS beam is provided with HYSD rebars as Diagonal bracings in the web to achieve adequate out-of-plane stiffness and shear buckling resistance and thereby enhancing load carrying capacity of the beam. As the CFS beams with diagonal bracing showed brittle failure, the web was encased with High Volume fly-ash concrete which is a green material for composite action. Hence the newly developed beam not only has higher moment capacity, but also possess good ductility which is a desirable property in earthquake-resistant structures because it provides early warning of any impending failure and also facilitates re-distribution of stress.