Damage evaluation of axial-loaded H-section steel columns during and after impact loading

The H-section steel members are usually employed as the key load-bearing elements in industrial buildings, which are vulnerable to the vehicle or crane-load collision. This paper presents the performance of H-section steel columns exposed to impact loading, including the course of impact and post-impact stages. A total of 12H-section steel columns were fabricated and tested to obtain failure patterns, impact forces and mid-height deflections as well as post-impact residual load carrying capacities. Additionally, finite element (FE) models were established and were calibrated with testing data. The calibrated models were then employed to conduct further numerical simulation and parametric study to reveal damage mechanism. Results demonstrated that the axial loading reduced the impact resistance significantly. The global deflection and the local indentation in the impact zone were found to result in reduction of the load-bearing capacity. Moreover, based on the post-impact deformations, an empirical equation was proposed to estimate the residual load carrying capacity of H-section steel columns, which can be used for rapid evaluation of damage after impact.